Borders to Sell Sony Reader Device
Sony inked a deal on Monday to sell its new Reader device in Borders bookstores across the United States, including some airport locations. The Sony Reader, demoed at this year's CES conference in January, offers a high-contrast, high-resolution (800x600) electronic paper display for viewing e-books and text documents.
Sporting a form factor much like a Tablet PC, the Sony Reader is roughly as thick as a paperback book and includes internal flash memory, along with optional Memory Stick or Secure Digital (SD) slots. Sony will sell books for the device through its CONNECT service, and offer prepaid cards at Borders. The company says prices will be competitive with brick-and-mortar bookstores.
"With this agreement to offer the Sony Reader to Borders customers, we are adding an exciting, new book format that gives those who are passionate about reading another way to indulge that passion. We are proud to be associated with Sony for the introduction of this exciting new product," commented Borders Senior Vice President of Trade Books Bill Nasshan.
Fiction and non-fiction books from both major and independent publishers will be sold for the Reader. Sony will additionally provide customers with a selection of book-related content through CONNECT, including blogs, news feeds and online magazines.
"Reading enthusiasts can now join the ranks of other digital media consumers to read their text content -- e-books and Internet content -- portably, anytime, anywhere," said Lee Shirani, vice president of Sony CONNECT.
The Sony Reader is not just for books, however; the device can display Adobe PDF files and JPEG images. Sony says battery life is "seemingly limitless" -- amounting to 7,500 page turns. Pricing for the Reader will run between $299 and $399 USD.