Sony Sells 10 Million Books On Reader Store

Sony announced earlier this month that book lovers and eBookworms have downloaded more than 10 million books from the Reader Store*. In celebration, all accounts with an eBook purchase from the Reader Store on May 5, 2010 will receive a $10 credit for future purchases on the store. The 10 millionth book downloaded was Digital Fortress, by Dan Brown.

In addition, Sony is marking the 10 millionth book milestone by announcing the 10 most purchased books of all time on the Reader Store:

1. The Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown
2. I, Alex Cross, by James Patterson
3. Breaking Dawn, by Stephenie Meyer
4. Eclipse, by Stephenie Meyer
5. The Help, by Kathryn Stockett
6. Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer
7. New Moon, by Stephenie Meyer
8. The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold
9. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson
10. The Last Song, by Nicholas Sparks

Judging by the top ten, one would be surprised that the 10 millionth book wasn’t by Stephenie Meyer!

* – This does not include the millions of books downloaded from other sources such Google Books and public libraries, or through other ebookstores in the U.S. or Sony affiliated bookstores in Europe.

Sony Expands Newspaper And Magazine Selection In Reader Store

Giving readers greater access to an expanded selection of digital reading content, Sony today announced several recent newspaper and magazine additions to the Reader Store, which now offers a growing list of periodical content for wireless download on the Sony Reader Daily Edition or via Sony s Reader Library software on a PC or Macintosh computer. Since first unveiling periodical content on the Reader Store in December, Sony has worked with publishers to offer news lovers access to periodicals from coast-to-coast, including: The New York Times, International Herald Tribune, The Boston Globe, PC Magazine, The Dallas Morning News, Foreign Affairs, The Denver Post and San Jose Mercury News.

The expanded breadth of periodical content on the Reader Store illustrates our focus on bringing readers access to the widest selection of content as well as our belief in the value of daily and weekly content delivered on a device designed to enhance the periodical experience, said Bob Nell, director of business development for Sony Electronics Digital Reading Business. Reader owners from across the country now have the opportunity to bring their daily newspaper or favorite magazine with them wherever they go, all with a simple touch of the screen.

The Reader Daily Edition is optimized for newspapers and displays periodical content in an elegant, easy-to-read format. Its responsive, menu-driven, seven-inch touch screen lets consumers quickly and intuitively navigate newspapers and magazines, turn pages, highlight text and take notes with the swipe of a finger or by using the included stylus pen.

New additions to the Reader Store join exclusive content from The Wall Street Journal and New York Post, as well as bestselling eBooks and new releases, self-published pieces from independent authors, links to borrow eBooks from libraries nationwide and more than one million free public domain books through Google Books. Since its inception in 2006, Sony’s Reader Store has sold millions of titles.

The following periodicals are available now on the Reader Store:

• All Things Digital
• Chicago Tribune
• Financial Times
• Foreign Affairs
• International Herald Tribune
• Los Angeles Times
• MarketWatch Today
• New York Post
• National Review
• PC Magazine
• Reason
• San Jose Mercury News
• The Baltimore Sun
• The Boston Globe
• The Columbus Dispatch
• The Dallas Morning News
• The Denver Post
• The Nation
• The New York Observer
• The New York Times
• The Salt Lake Tribune
• The Wall Street Journal
• The Washington Times

Sony has agreements in place with a host of additional magazine and newspaper publishers. Subscriptions to the following newspapers, magazines and exclusive content will be available soon:

• Barron’s
• China International Business
• Contra Costa Times
• Oakland Tribune
• Orlando Sentinel
• Newsday
• Popular Science Special Editions
• The Providence Journal
• The San Diego Union-Tribune
• The American Scholar
• The Asahi Shimbun
• The Christian Science Monitor
• The Guardian
• The Hartford Courant
• The Mainichi Daily News
• The New York Review of Books
• The Wall Street Journal Plus

Impress Your Special Someone With The Reader Valentine’s Special Bundle

Valentine’s Day is an annual holiday held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The holiday is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Valentine and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD. It is traditionally a day on which lovers express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as “valentines”). The holiday first became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. Fast forward to 2010 – how about instead of flowers, you give your special someone the gift of intelligence with the Reader Valentine’s Special Bundle ($329). The bundle includes a red Reader Touch Edition, limited edition red cover with light, and a code for a free eBook download of The Heart Speaks by Mimi Guarneri.

The PRS-600 Reader included in this bundle is feature rich with ePUB, PDF, Microsoft Word, BBeB Book and other text format compatibility – it also has 512MB of built in storage and the ability to use storage cards. Another cool value is the built-in MP3/AAC player and 3.5mm headphone jack to listen to your music or audiobooks. The PRS-600 also has a built-in dictionary, the ability to enlarge text, and a stunning two week battery life (7,500 page turns).

Pictorial/Commentary: Sony Daily Reader PRS900 Unboxing

I have finally decided to dive into eReader world and see if this kind of reading is for me. I have been following Sony Reader evolution since Librie was introduced in Japan, however back then I did not feel like messing with Japanese menus and flashing the firmware for English language use. Sony tends to release some products way ahead of its time of public acceptance or market readiness and I believe Librie among other similar products (VAIO Pentablet PCV-LX900, etc) suffered and did not have much success because of that. However Sony decided to re-launch eReader development and as most of you know introduced a number of readers with each generation getting better and better. Becoming open to ePub and other widely acceptable formats make Sony eReader competitive among the sea of readers flooding consumers left and right. There are a number of readers out there from other manufacturers, each offering some unique features and it is important for Sony to stay on top of this business and continue to innovate.

Strategically latest Reader from Sony PRS900 model pretty much has it all:

• Awesome build
• Japanese quality in manufacturing
• Free 3G wireless access to the online library (introduced though a little bit late in the game)
• Nice 7″ eInk screen
• Touch screen
• Better levels (16) of gray scale
• The Library books initiative is in conjunction with OverDrive
• Landscape Mode

I can also see a few negative sides: it’s price is definitely challenging, missing WiFi option is something that can be dealt with, however people living in areas with no AT&T coverage would have benefited having 802.11 b/g option and being able to access the content at numerous hot spots. I would love to see a future Reader offer an OLED color screen (color to be used for textbooks), and be essentially a tablet with options to access not only Reader Library but other Sony Network Services, sort of a multi-functional computing device (here I said it).

Anyways, these are just my initial comments in regards to this product, as I just started messing with it. If Sony misses this opportunity in this market (and depending on tomorrow’s Apple’s announcement, there maybe a slight chance of it, as their iDevice is targeting eReader market big time and if so it maybe just another revolution), like they did in music with its Walkman, I’d be pretty disappointed… Hint for Sony: hit hard the edu sector with your Readers, work with publishers, and students as well as professors would be your biggest clientele and profitability will speak for itself (meanwhile students would be very thankful for lighter bag packs); make your devices to be easy note takers, and I could go on and on. It is all going to come down to GUI and content providers and if Sony’s future readers will have intuitively innovative user interface backed up by great content (including newspapers and magazines), volumes of sales will speak for themselves.

For those of you who like to view the process of unboxing, check out pics below and feel free to post your comments!

Sony Reader Daily Edition (PRS-900) Review Roundup

The most feature-filled Reader device ever created by Sony, the Reader Daily Edition, is now hitting consumers and press worldwide and the reviews are pretty interesting. My Mom recently acquired a Kindle from a friend and I consider that this iteration of the Reader experience to be finally on par. Let’s face it – Sony was having problems competiting with a product that offered free wireless internet to connect to the Kindle Store, the ability to browse websites, and other interactive features.

Fortunately, the Reader Daily has free 3G Internet through AT&T with no reoccuring charge and a huge 1024×600 screen. Can you say widescreen newspapers and subscriptions? Nice.

After reading these reviews, I think the eBook store on the Sony Reader Daily Edition looks better than the Kindle. It also seems like the response time is on par (and perhaps slightly faster than) the Kindle. Check out these cool reviews we found of the PRS-900 (aka PRS-900BC), and we will update this post with other reviews as time goes on.

• Great initial opinions and pictures at First Look: Sony Reader Daily Edition PRS-900 eBook Reader” from MobileTechReview
• The always informative Amazon.com Sony Reader Daily Edition Reviews
• The EBook Reader’s PRS-900 Daily Edition Review with video!
• Sony Electronics Social Media Evangelist Sukhjit Ghag’s Reader Daily Edition Unboxing Video

Image courtesy of Lisa at MobileTechReview.

Sony Reader Experience To Get Many More Content Partners

In another good move on the Reader front, reports are stating that Sony is now embracing relationships with nearly 19 new content partners for regular download and wireless distribution to its Reader devices. The Financial Times has mentioned its own publication along with the Los Angeles Times, and Chicago Tribune will be available immediately. The other partners are also excellent – “the New York Times and Christian Science Monitor, metropolitan dailies such as the Denver Post and the San Jose Mercury News, and the New York Review of Books and Barron’s, two weekly titles.” For those of you skeptical of pricing, no worries, its fairly moderate. The FT continues, “three News Corp titles under which the Wall Street Journal will be available for $14.99 a month, MarketWatch.com for $10.99 and the New York Post for $9.99. Sony said, however, that Reader users would be able to buy single editions of the FT, the LA Times and the Tribune, as well as monthly subscriptions.”

So there will be many options. This is a good thing.

Where’s the magazines, though? That’s really up to the publishers themselves. However, I have seen some demos of magazines and newspapers in a special tablet format that is really something. Are magazines skipping the E-Ink craze and going in this direction? It’s hard to tell, but I’m starting to think so. There’s no advertising model in the Reader at this moment and that turns people off quickly. A handheld touchscreen tablet with rich multimedia capability could most certainly have advertising capabilities.

One thing that disappoints me with the Reader experience is that Sony has no way for bloggers to offer their content to reader devices. Amazon has enabled the Kindle to show blogs (in a converted format I assume) for publishers that sign up for its Kindle Publishing for Blogs service. I even signed up Sony Insider for this service, because it’s such a cool idea. It would be so awesome if future Reader devices came with subscriptions to blog services available from the Sony Electronics Community, SonyStyle, Sony Insider and other relevant domains..

Sony’s Daily Edition Reader Available for Pre-Orders

Yay! First Sony’s 3G enabled reader (PRS-900BC) is finally unlocked for readership to open up their wallets and pre-order 7″ Touch enabled reader. First shipments should start in the middle of next month, get your order in, so you could get your mittens on one soon. Pricewise this Reader is a little bit “immoderate” however since you are getting 3G access for free, we will let it slip…

P.S. As of right now, Notify button is there instead of Pre-Order…I am sure it will be changed soon.

Check out the full press release below:

SAN DIEGO – November 18, 2009 Delivering on its promise to give consumers a variety of choices, Sony today announced its newest addition to the Sony Reader Family — the Reader Daily Edition™ — is now available for pre-order on SonyStyle.com. The Reader Daily Edition, a highly-anticipated wireless model with 3G connectivity, will ship next month.

The Reader Daily Edition joins the Reader Pocket Edition™ and Reader Touch Edition™ to round out Sony’s complete family of digital readers. The Reader Daily Edition gives consumers wireless access to Sony’s eBookstore from most of the U.S., via a 3G mobile broadband network. Book lovers will be able to browse, purchase and download books as well as select newspapers and magazines on the go. There are no monthly fees or transaction charges for the basic wireless connectivity and users still have the option to side load personal documents or content from other compatible sites via USB. Sony will announce newspaper and magazine content providers within the next month.

The Reader Daily Edition features a responsive, menu-driven, seven-inch touch screen panel that enables quick, intuitive navigation, page turning, highlighting and note taking with the swipe of a finger or by using the included stylus pen. Users can take handwritten notes with the stylus pen or type with the virtual keyboard. All notes can be exported and printed out for easy reference. The Reader Touch Edition includes an onboard Oxford American English Dictionary that allows you to look up a word by simply tapping on it.

Canadian High School To Use Sony Reader Exclusively

One of the Canadian high schools – Blyth Academy is the first school in the world at this point to switch from heavy weight paper textbooks to exclusive use of the Sony Reader Touch edition in their place. I am sure a number of students of that school and their families are rejoicing of the fact that they do not need to carry a ton of weight on their backs or shoulders, as pretty much all of the content for the semester can be loaded into Sony Reader. Pretty cool I would say! I hope some day we will see more schools switching to the digital format. Check out the news release below:

TORONTO, Nov. 17 /CNW/ – Embracing the benefits of electronic reading, students at Blyth Academy are today beginning the transition from using traditional printed textbooks to digital textbooks read on the Sony(R) Reader Digital Book. Blyth Academy is the first high school in the world to announce that each student will be supplied with an e-Reader in place of printed textbooks.

From history class to political science, each student will have access to all of his or her course content using leading edge digital technology from Sony and publishers like Pearson Canada. The students will use Sony Readers that are pre-loaded with course textbooks, outlines, assignments, reference materials, background reading and personal timetables.

“My Sony Reader helps me get organized,” said Michael Tyrrell, student at Blyth Academy. “I have all my textbooks and class material on it – it’s really cool. I feel like somebody just personalised school to fit me.”

Blyth Academy selected the Sony Reader Touch(TM) Edition because it’s easy to use with intuitive touch screen navigation, and its open format provides students with access to content from numerous sources.

“We’re excited about how the Sony Reader can enhance a student’s learning experience,” says Tim Algate, Reader Product Manager with Sony Canada. “We’ll be listening to these students, using their feedback to evolve our Reader offering for education.”

The school has compiled a library of digital content from textbook publishers like Pearson and other class material and literature in digital format. Blyth will give students access to digital assets for university admission, offering everything they need to chose and apply to any university.

“The digital content we’ve acquired, coupled with the students’ Sony Readers, will dramatically improve student access to textbooks, collateral material, literature and reading in general,” said Sam Blyth, Chair, Blyth Academy. “Our student survey shows that they are twice as likely to read a book available in an e-book format as in hard copy form.”

Helping lead the way in delivering digital content for education are publishers like Pearson Canada.

“Pearson Canada is taking students beyond the four corners of the printed textbook,” said Anne-Marie Scullion, Vice President of Marketing Field Services, Pearson Canada. “Our focus is on developing flexible and adaptive content to engage students in a 21st century learning environment.”

Students will also have access to more than half a million free e-books from Google through the Sony eBook store at www.ebookstore.sony.com, as well as the e-books offered by the Toronto Public Library.

ePUB Upgrade For Your PRS-500 Reader

It is very rarely I would say that a company like Sony may feel so generous and offer a firmware upgrade to a product that has been discontinued years ago. And this is pretty much what they are  offering for current owners of the US Reader PRS-500 model that captured a lot of heart’s of the reading population here in the US and prompted lots of imports to Europe and other continents because it was not available there back then. Since newer and shinier Sony Readers are happy reading this ePUB format, PRS-500 was left behind like many other older Sony products that would be so happy if were upgraded to live on. I’d love for Sony to keep up and offer new updates/developments for such products as VAIO Accessories (VAIO Digital Frame VGF-CP1 saw a new update in Japan, but left behind everywhere else…VAIO Server VGF-HS1 – same story (WHY??); Sony Entertainment Server HES-V1000 has a network and Internet ability, but has never seen the light of BD-Live Upgrade; even certain older gen Bravias, how great it would be if those Internet widgets were added to the XMB via firmware upgrade? I am sure customers would be happy enough to see Sony being proactive in this case and not forget to bring new features to their beloved products, which in its turn boost customer’s confidence in Sony as a brand.

Anyways, I am happy for current PRS-500 customers as they have an option to do just that and have a new breath of life added to the device. Sony is even offering a trade in option, if you are willing to part with your Reader and get a fresh new one, like the Touch edition! More info on this subject matter can be located here.

Sony Releases 3.0.01 Update For eBook Library Software

Sony has released version 3.0.01 of their eBook Library software, which can be used to manage and buy eBooks and transer them to Sony Reader models PRS-300, PRS-505 and PRS-600. The new eBook Library version adds support to Windows 7. Furthermore, it also fixed the issue where transferring content to a Reader occasionally causes a crash, lockup or device detection error. I have personally experienced this error a couple of times, so I really hope this new version will solve it. Windows 7 users are advised to uninstall version 3.0 first before installing the new version. Users of Windows Vista and XP can simply run the update, which updates the software automatically.

Links:

• EU download page
• US download page