MR at Sony Daily Edition press conference

[Mr. Goodbar]

I think we'll just need to wait for actual specs. The images certainly make it look like a 7 inch tall screen, however as wallcraft stated the dimensions of the 600 and the pictures on engadget don't support that. I guess we'll have to wait a few more months for additional details.

[astra]

Originally Posted by Mr. Goodbar

I think we'll just need to wait for actual specs.

When are they planning to publish the actual specs?

[Penforhire]

That Daily DOES look like an oddball aspect ratio, with apologies to our A4 fans.

[Andanzas]

Do you think there is a slight chance that we will be able to check our emails on this device?

[Zapped]

I'm as much of a gadget nerd as the next guy, but isn't the biggest piece of news coming out of this event the free availability of current ePub titles from the NY Public Library?

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

Dr. Paul LeClerc, President and CEO of the NYPL gave a keynote address.
:
Dr. LeClerc announced a partnership with Sony, and with Google Books. The NYPL is working with Google, scanning public domain texts. They will also be be offering current titles in ePub format via Sony for borrowing via download to a Sony Reader. [Emphasis mine]

Maybe nobody's discussing it because I'm misreading it. Previously I thought that an ebook owner residing outside of NY State had to pay $100 annually for a non-resident NY Public Library card in order to get eBook privileges. Isn't Dr. LeClerc saying that any Sony Reader owners will now be getting access to these "current titles"? Or is that wishful thinking on my part?

If this is being discussed in another thread, please point me to it...

[Mr. Goodbar]

Originally Posted by Zapped

I'm as much of a gadget nerd as the next guy, but isn't the biggest piece of news coming out of this event the free availability of current ePub titles from the NY Public Library?



Maybe nobody's discussing it because I'm misreading it. Previously I thought that an ebook owner residing outside of NY State had to pay $100 annually for a non-resident NY Public Library card in order to get eBook privileges. Isn't Dr. LeClerc saying that any Sony Reader owners will now be getting access to these "current titles"? Or is that wishful thinking on my part?

If this is being discussed in another thread, please point me to it...

I believe that was a misquote or taken out of context. You still need to be eligible for a library card for that particular library in order to access it with the sony bookstore or reader.

[sforce]

It looks like OverDrive, Sony's library distribution partner, also serves as an intermediary for colleges. If Sony extends their e-reader's capability to academic libraries (and why wouldn't they), the Kindle DX's scholastic aspirations are, what's the word I'm looking for, um, toast.

http://www.overdrive.com/products/cdl/

http://www.overdrive.com/

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by Musicman

It should be noted that while CD sales are going down, vinyl LP sales are going up!

I own about 1,500 vinyl LPs...

Nice devices. The 7 inch model looks really interesting.

The ones on display seemed well crafted. Wireless access to the Sony Store is a good addition. Now all they need is more content in the store...
______
Dennis

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by doreenjoy

Thank you so much for taking the time to share this, Dennis.

It's my pleasure. I'm in NYC, and the location of the event was in walking distance.

I think Sony is throwing significant amounts of money at the Reader market. They've seen Kindle do well, and IMO they know they can do it one better with enough investment. Unlike other forms of entertainment, E-books are a growing industry in hard times -- when it's too expensive to go to a movie, folks stay home and read a book.

Or stay at home and rent a video...

I agree that Sony sees potential in the reader market.

I think Amazon and Sony are approaching it from two different directions. For Sony, it's about the Reader. they're a consumer electronics company, and they want to sell devices - lots of devices. In order to sell a device that's an ebook reader, they have to have content it can display, so they also had to create an infrastructure around it, including the Sony Store with books for purchase.

For Amazon, I think it's about the books. Amazon is a major retailer, and the 800lb gorilla in the book industry. Selling ebooks is a logical extension of their current business selling paper books, and attractive because ebooks don't require warehousing and shipping, and therefore have much lower costs. Amazon can price most titles at $9.99 and still make decent money.

But selling ebooks to the customers requires devices to read them on, and the Kindle is a means of jump starting the market, and making a bit of money on hardware as well.

My big concern back when Sony and Amazon were first cranking up was longevity. My usual ebook reader is a Palm OS PDA. Once upon a time, Sony was a major player in the PDA market, licensing Palm OS from Palm and producing a well regarded PDA line called the Clie. Many PDA owners considered the Sony Clies the best PDAs made.

Sony pulled the plug on the Clie line and exited the PDA market. The Clie was profitable, but not profitable enough. Sony management had a fiduciary responsibility to invest corporate finds where they would generate the highest return, and decided the money invested in the Clie line could be better placed elsewhere.

So my question when Sony entered the reader market was "Will they be in it long term?" Sony is a big company, and needs big markets to make something worth doing. It wasn't clear the market for a dedicated ebook reader was large enough for Sony to profitably address.

It would seem Sony sees an opportunity, since they are still out there doing it.
______
Dennis

[Kostas]

Great post, Dennis!

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

It would seem Sony sees an opportunity, since they are still out there doing it.
______
Dennis

Launching three new devices in 3 months!

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by astra

When are they planning to publish the actual specs?

They haven't said. When they do, it will appear here:
http://news.sel.sony.com/assets/Reader_2009/index.htm
______
Dennis

[ProDigit]

If it has a diagonal of 7", and is as wide as the screen on the 6" display, it would be easy to calculate the height.

The height of the screen of the largest model is about the height of the PRS-600.
Slightly lower than 6,8".
The width of the screen is the same as that of the PRS-600 (from looking and comparing the picture),which is 3,5" (or 90mm).

If the display is 7" diagonal, the height will be the Sq root of (7²-3,5²) = ~6"


If the display has a 7" height, the device would have a 7,8" diagonal size.

I think it's closer to 6" than 7.

[Mr. Goodbar]

I don't think the calculation is the challenge. It's the seemingly conflicting numbers against the pictures. A seven inch wide screen that is lined up against a device that is less than seven inches tall which indicates the screen can't be seven inches wide, but more likely seven inches diagonally.

I guess the other possibility is specs that are slightly different from the dummy prototype shown in NY. We'll just have to wait for the final specs or better comparison specs so we can make an accurate calculation.

[sonict72]

Sony does not make screen. PVI does. They sell four models - 5 inches, 6 inches, 8 inches, and 9.7 inches. There is no 7 inch diagonal screen. The exact specification is 162.6mm x 121.9mm (6.4 inches by 4.79 inches). I would imagine that Sony will eventually make a 9.7 inch model as well. But I believe the Daily Edition uses the 8 inch screen.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by sonict72

Sony does not make screen. PVI does. They sell four models - 5 inches, 6 inches, 8 inches, and 9.7 inches. There is no 7 inch diagonal screen. The exact specification is 162.6mm x 121.9mm (6.4 inches by 4.79 inches). I would imagine that Sony will eventually make a 9.7 inch model as well. But I believe the Daily Edition uses the 8 inch screen.

The 8" screen doesn't appear to have the right aspect ratio to match the photos of the Sony. More than likely it's some kind of custom size screen they're doing for Sony.