Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Emerging Tech
  3. News

Sony Reader Daily Edition Goes Wireless, Promises Library Books

By
Sony Reader Daily Edition Goes Wireless, Promises Library Books

Electronics giant Sony is continuing its assault on the Amazon Kindle, today announcing another new ebook reader: the Sony Reader Daily Edition. The Daily Edition directly addresses some of the points where Kindle fans could argue they had an advantage: the Daily Edition touts a slightly larger 7-inch E-Ink display that can handle 16 levels of greyscale, and the unit will sport an integrated 3G modem to provide free 3G wireless connectivity to the Sony eBook Store from AT&T. And, once partnerships are in place, the Daily Edition will be able to check out ebooks from libraries using their library cards—users just download ebooks and transfer them to the reader, and the books automatically expire when the lending period is over—no late fees.

“We firmly believe consumers should have choice in every aspect of their digital reading experience,” said Sony’s digital reading business VP Steve Haber, in a statement. “Today, we take another large stride to deliver on that promise.”

Recommended Videos

The announcement follows Sony’s introduction of new ebook Readers earlier this month.

The 3G connectivity will give Daily Edition readers the ability to browse, buy, and download books from Sony’s Ebook Store anywhere they can get AT&T 3G access; although users won’t be able to use the connectivity to, say, hope out to Web sites or other ebook retailers. (Users can still side-load content in EPUB format for use on the reader.) The Daily Edition reader features a 7-inch touchscreen display (which makes it slightly larger than Sony’s existing Readers) that can be used in either portrait or landscape mode. Sony says the unit has enough memory to hold more than a thousand standard ebooks: we’re taking that to mean the Daily Edition might have as might as 2 GB of onboard memory, since Sony claims other Readers with 512 MB of memory hold about 350 standard books. The Daily Edition sports expansion slots for side-loading content and expanding storage, andl, ike other readers, the Daily Edition can hande EPUB documents as well as PDF, Microsoft Word, BBeB, and text files.

Sony is also partnering with Overdrive, which distributes ebooks to libraries, to let users access a local library’s collection of eBooks by visiting the Sony eBook Store. Users can find nearby libraries by entering their ZIP codes, and check out ebooks with a valid library card via the library’s download Web site. Once checked out, an ebook can be sideloaded onto a Sony Reader, where it will automatically expire at the end of the lending period. The New York Public Library will reportedly be among the first libraries to offer the service.

The Sony Reader Daily Edition should be on sale in December for about $399.

Sony has also announced new relationships with traditional and digital publishers to offer content in the EPUB format; new publishers include Powells, NetGalley, BooksOnBoard, and over 200 members of the American Booksellers Association; content from all these sources can be read on the Sony Reader but not on the Amazon Kindle…at least not yet.

Topics
Geoff Duncan
Geoff Duncan
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…
Hyundai’s brand new Ioniq 9 EV features backseat lounge
hyundai ioniq 9 lounge 4 single image desktop

After months of teasing details about the Ioniq 9, Hyundai’s much-anticipated, three-row electric SUV, the company finally unveiled it at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

One of the Ioniq 9’s promised features -- that the SUV had the ability to offer a lounge-like interior – had most of us wondering what exactly that might mean.

Read more
Kia America COO says ending EV tax credit would be dumb
kia coo ending ev incentive dumb zeta evs

With Kia just getting started with the expansion of its U.S.-made electric-vehicle (EV) lineup, the automaker may have a good perspective on what losing tax incentives on EVs could mean for the industry and the economy.

The transition team of the incoming Trump administration is reportedly planning to end the federal $7,500 tax credit on the purchase or lease of an EV. Under the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), an EV made in North America is eligible for the incentive.

Read more
Mercedes bets solar paint is part of EV-charging future
mercedes solar paint evs benz electric camper

It’s been said that Albert Einstein’s genius came from his ability to freely wonder and ask child-like questions way before he even tried applying science-based solutions.
It seems some within the R&D department at Mercedes-Benz might be similarly inspired. The German automaker is currently developing a special solar paint that, when applied on the surface of vehicles, can harness enough energy from the sun to power up EVs.
The energy generated by the paint’s solar cells can be used for driving or fed directly into a high-voltage battery.
“The photovoltaic system is permanently active and also generates energy when the vehicle is switched off,” Mercedes says. “In the future, this could be a highly effective solution for increased electric range and fewer charging stops.”
The layer of paste to be applied on EVs is significantly thinner than a human hair, yet its photovoltaic cells are packed full of energy. Covering the surface of a mid-size SUV with the paint could produce enough energy for up to 7,456 miles per year under ideal conditions, Mercedes says.
This does imply being in geographic locations with plenty of sun hours during the day.
But even with less-than-ideal sun hours, the energy yielded can make a significant difference to EV charging. Mercedes says the solar-paint charge could provide 100% of needed energy for an average daily drive of 32 miles in sun-drenched Los Angeles. In much less sunny conditions -- such as around Mercedes’ headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany -- it would still yield enough energy for 62% of the distance.
An added bonus for environmentally-conscious drivers: Unlike some solar panels, the solar paint contains no rare earth or silicon – only non-toxic, readily available raw materials. It’s also easy to recycle and considerably cheaper to produce than conventional solar modules, Mercedes says.
The likes of Aptera, Sono Motors, Lightyear, and Hyundai have also been researching how to best harness solar energy to power up EVs.
But that’s been mostly through solar panels yielding enough energy for small and light vehicles, such as Aptera’s three-wheel solar EV. Solar paint could bring solar charging for bigger vehicles, such as electric SUVs, Mercedes says.

Read more