Anyone own an e-reader?

Sony is the latest company to announce its own line of digital book readers to rival Amazon’s Kindle. Yes…more of those wonders that didn’t quite cut it at the tablet PC factory

Sony is the latest company to announce its own line of digital book readers to rival Amazon’s Kindle. Yes…more of those wonders that didn’t quite cut it at the tablet PC factory.

The Reader range, which will hit the States later this month, includes a 5-inch Pocket edition that will sell for $199 and a 6-inch Touch model available for $299. But Sony is just the latest company to join the eBook brigade that includes the likes of Fujitsu and Samsung among others.

In the US, digital books are doing reasonably well, with revenues of more than in the first quarter of 2009 alone. Out here in the Gulf, it’s hardly a topic of interest. Sure you can order the Kindle from Amazon and have it shipped here for a cost that’ll make you want to head straight to Borders instead, but options are very obviously limited.

I contacted Sony’s local arm to find out if and when the Reader would make its Middle East debut and for their opinion on the local eBook market, but they haven’t got back to me yet.

I don’t blame them.