The E-Reading Wars Heat Up
The Sony Reader is on the e-reading sidelines no longer. Thanks to Sony serving up not one, not two, but three new Sony Reader announcements this month, the company has finally emerged as a real competitor to Amazon's Kindle, which for at least since the arrival of the Kindle 2 in February has been the e-reading device vacuuming up all the headlines.
What's abundantly clear is that the popularity of Kindle has blasted e-books and e-reading into the popular consciousness -- and everyone with even a remote interest in the e-reading game, from manufacturers to telcos, wants a piece. Sony clearly does, too, and boy, is it tired of being an also-ran.
As has happened with smartphones and other consumer devices, new competition for the Kindle and Reader is coming out of the woodwork every day -- how long before either Amazon or Sony finds itself supplanted by a hot new e-reader -- or tablet or e-reading application -- from a Plastic Logic, Apple or (gulp) Google?
For now, it's Amazon and Sony, with the exciting, Barnes & Noble-fueled Plastic Logic reader also muscling its way into at least the edge of the spotlight. Let's look at the e-readers up close.
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