14 DAY TRIAL // Sony introduced the Daily Edition e-book reader back in August. The device can store up to 1,000 different books on its internal memory and can access the Internet through AT&T's mobile broadband network, thus allowing for the reading of newspapers and other publications. Even though the actual Daily Edition inventories are still low, Sony has begun shipping the products, which means that customers might still get their device before Christmas, as long as they pre-ordered it before December 20.
Low availability of any product is a phenomenon only surpassed in its ability to generate frustration (in end-users) by few others. Among these are malware infection, system crashes and the infamous blue screen of death (BSoD). Fortunately, Sony seems to at least be coping with the demand a bit better than Barnes and Noble, which again had to admit the inability to deliver its e-readers on time (though this only means that its product is quite popular). Still, the two e-reader developers are alike in yet another way, namely the fact that both of them have announced an update to their product, albeit of a different sort.
While Barnes and Noble released a software update, Sony expanded the use of its device by giving it the ability to access and view more publications (newspapers, magazines etc.). The company did this by making multiple such editorials available on the Daily Edition, such as the Financial Times, Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune. 16 more periodicals will also become available soon, with further additions planned for the coming weeks.
"We're thrilled to fulfill initial orders of the Sony Reader Daily Edition for the holidays given the high demand," said Steve Haber, president of Sony Electronics' Digital Reading Business Division. "We now have the most comprehensive family of devices on the market, the greatest access to free and affordable eBooks through the Reader Store and our affiliated ecosystem, and now round out our Reader offering with a wireless device that lets consumers purchase and download daily content on the go."
The publications that Sony aims to include are Barron's, The Boston Globe, the Christian Science Monitor, The Columbus Dispatch, The Salt Lake Tribune, The Providence Journal, The New York Observer, Reason, the San Jose Mercury News, the International Herald Tribune, the New York Review of Books and The Washington Times.
The device may be ordered online through Sony's website and costs about $400.