Thursday, November 19, 2009

eReader Battle: Sony vs. Kindle

Sony's eReader marketer seems to have a clear idea in mind: Target different group of customers with its 3-tier price level from $199 to $399.

Compared to the prices of Kindle $259 and Kindle DX at $489, it's clear that Sony is targeting a much wider group. The lowest range of the product line Sony PRS-300 Pocket Edition, which sells at $199, is sold at ToysRUs, a kid's market that Kindle might not be interested in yet.

Sizes of the two eReaders come in very close to each other. Sony's PRS-600 Reader Touch measures 0.4” thin and weighs 10.1 ounces. Kindle is 0.36" think and weighs 10.2 ounces.

The display technologies are identical. They both use paper-like display system made by E Ink Corporation. The technology doesn't light the screen using a backlight, instead, the light reflects off the words and images on the screen. This causes a lot less strained on the eyes, according to the Web site.

But one customer complained in the Sony's Reader site:

"I've had this product for less than a month. The reader is nice but as a traveler like I am it is a waste of money since most of my reading time is in areas with low light. I travel on planes at night time hours and do not like to use the lights on the air craft. The reflection it gets in brighter areas makes it hard to read. I think it is a waste of money for continuously traveling person like myself and will not recommend it to anyone."

Well, that said, Sony's eReader does give a chic look. It also offers in three colors, white, red, and black. Again, a design that goes along with its market, a younger and less tech-savvy group.

I think Sony at least has an advantage in its price compared to Kindle.

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