Sony

Sony has updated their entire e-reader range. The mid-range device is the Touch Edition (PRS-650) has a 6" Pearl E Ink display and no wireless, and will cost $229. Check out this nice hands-on video from IFA 2010:

Sony is updating their entire e-reader range. The new readers sport pearl E Ink displays (with faster response rate and 50% increased contrast) and touch panels (Sony has developed a new touch layer that is very responsive). All the new readers are slim, too. Memory has been bumped to 2GB, and the Daily edition has Wi-Fi now in addition to the 3G.

Pocket edition (PRS-350)

The Pocket Edition (PRS-350) has a 5" display and no wireless connection, and will cost $179. The Touch Edition (PRS-650) has a 6" display and no wireless, and will cost $229. The Daily Edition (PRS-950) has a 7" display, Wi-Fi and 3G and will cost $299.

There are reports that Sony is set to release two new e-readers, the PRS-350 and the PRS-650. Both of these will use E Ink and be thinner than the previous generation e-readers. The 350 will have a 5" display while the 650 will have 6".

Sony PRS-600 (touch edition)

We don't know the price yet, but it won't be very cheap, according to Sony...

Sony says that it won't sacrifice the quality and design of its e-readers in a 'price-war' with Amazon and B&N (and other readers). Amazon is being very aggressive now, with a $139 Wi-Fi only Kindle option.

via Engadget

Sony is the latest company to cut their e-reader prices. The Pocket-Edition is now $149 (down from $169), the Touch-Edition is $169 (down from $199) and the Daily-Edition is $299 (down from $349).

The Daily Edition e-reader

The Sony e-readers are still expensive - you can get Amazon's Kindle for $189, and the Nook 3G for $199 (or the Wi-Fi only version for $149).

Sony said on Thursday that it will expand its e-reader digital book business into several new international markets this year. The company plans launch it in Japan, China, and Australia, and further spread out throughout Europe by reaching countries such as Italy and Spain, as well as introduce a platform for newspapers, books, comics and magazines.

Sony said it also plans to develop “one of the largest eBook distribution platforms in Japan,” with telecoms operator KDDI, the Asahi Shimbun company and Toppan printing company.

Laptop has posted a review of the Sony Reader Daily edition. This is a 7" touch E Ink reader with free 3G (AT&T) costs $399. And they're not too happy...

The good things:

• Simple and clear interface
• Fast page turns

The bad things:

• Sluggish, sometimes it takes a few seconds between screen taps and a response. Sometimes there was simply no response to taps or swipes at all
• Display is a bit 'dull', because of the touch layer
• It's slow compared to the Kindle or the Nook
• More expensive than the competition
• no ePub support