Sony plans a Kindle rival with wireless downloads
August 25, 2009 By PETER SVENSSON , AP Technology Writer
READER DAILY EDITION
(AP) -- Sony plans to offer an e-book reader with the ability to wirelessly download books. That adopts a key feature of the Kindle from Amazon.com and enhances the competition in a small but fast-growing market.
The $399 Reader Daily Edition will be on the market by December, Sony executives said Tuesday at an event at the New York Public Library. The device, which has a 7-inch touch screen, will be able to get books, daily newspapers and other reading material over AT&T Inc.'s cellular network.
Sony has produced e-book reading devices with "electronic ink" displays for the U.S. market since 2006, but has seen most of the attention stolen by Amazon.com Inc., which launched the Kindle in 2007. The latest version of the Kindle - which is not controlled by touching the screen - costs $299 and uses Sprint Nextel Corp.'s wireless network for downloads.
Sony recently announced a "Pocket Edition" e-book reader that retails for $199. Sony also has a $299 touch-screen model. But neither has wireless capabilities - both have to be connected to a computer to acquire books.
Sony's U.S. shares rose 43 cents, 1.6 percent, to $27.01 in morning trading, while Amazon gained 70 cents, less than 1 percent, to $85.20.
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