Affordable Kindle Rivals Edit
Sony Releases Reader Pocket Edition & Reader Touch Edition

Sony announced they will introduce two new e-readers—the Reader Pocket Edition and Reader Touch Edition—later this month, to replace the previous 505 and 700 versions.

Priced at $199 and $299 respectively, the two Sony e-book readers are more affordable than the old versions, which cost up to $399—one of the reasons that Sony e-book readers lag behind their rival, the Kindle.

Steve Haber, president of Sony’s Digital Reading Business Division, says the focus now is on “affordability,” as the e-book industry hasn’t hit the mainstream market just yet.

With the same tags as Kindle, will the new devices become more competitive? Probably not. The biggest flaw of the new devices is, unlike Kindle, they don’t have wireless access to the e-book store, which means users have to connect their Sony Reader Pocket Edition or Touch Edition with their computers to buy the books. Also, Sony’s devices are not open to magazines and papers, and is not compatible with iPhone—yet.