14 DAY TRIAL // It seems we are not going to see any e-book readers fight too soon, as Sony and Amazon share something in common. Remember Taiwan-based Prime View International, also known as the PVI? Apparently, the same company is supplying the electronic-paper (e-paper) display Amazon used in the Kindle manufacturing process.
The recently rolled out device from Amazon is not only the result of hard working, but also the consequence of what sources say to be "a three-year project between PVI and Amazon".
Which kind of makes you wonder who gets more cheese, the Taiwanese or Amazon. Still, with the new e-Book reader finally ready for the mass market, PVI expects the market's thirst for all sorts of electrophoresis displays (EPDs) and e-paper devices to grow even further, which wouldn't be such a surprise after all.
Just to remind you of some of Kindle's cute features, you should visualize a 6-inch EPD PVI portable device with an integrated display with a resolution of 600?800 pixels at 167ppi and 4-level gray scale. As for the pricing and availability details, they have also been made official. Giant Amazon plans to offer the new reading device starting November 29 with a price tag of US$399. You might think this should kick some E-Reader a*s! Wrong!
The PVI fellows are playing on both battlefields, since they also ship EPDs for Sony's Reader and e-Read's STAReBOOK starting last year, so this could change everything you thought.
And the price tag is not such a pain in the a*s after all, as Sony unveiled a second edition of its reading device (Reader Digital Book) with a price tag of about US$300 at the beginning of October 2007. And PVI is planning to roll out 16-gray and color products in 2008.
You know what that means don't you? Sony wins again!