Those naysayers who believe e-reading won’t catch fire may soon have to eat their words as another player is pushing into the electronic book marketplace to compete with the popular Amazon Kindle products and Sony’s growing e-reader device portfolio.
The newest competitor is IREX Technologies which announced the IREX DR800SG this week, a 8.1-inch screen e-reader with 3G wireless capabilities.
But in a twist from the approach taken by e-commerce giant Amazon, which launched its Kindle over a year ago and runs its own e-book house, the Dutch vendor is partnering with Barnes & Noble to use its e-book store service, relying on connectivity from Verizon Wireless and market distribution by retailer Best Buy, which will offer the $400 device later this fall, according to a press statement (PDF).
According to industry experts, the new product illustrates that e-reading is gaining ground and that devices supporting open e-book standards will continue to emerge.
“The availability of new devices that empower consumers with the freedom to purchase content from a variety of sources will be a major driver to the success of the digital publishing market,” stated Allen Weiner, research vice president at research firm Gartner, in the release.
“Sleek devices with consumer?friendly features – including the capability to purchase content on the go – that support open eBook standards will introduce the eBook experience to an entirely new generation of readers. Publishers, who have been on the sidelines waiting for market maturity, will now be inspired to become eReader evangelists.”
Just last month Sony stepped up its e-reader line with two new devices and spiked competition by dropping prices (one priced at $200) on its e-readers to gain ground on Amazon’s Kindle, which sells for about $300 after initially selling closer to $400. Sony also pledged to support the open e-book format standard, which Amazon does not. Right now, Kindle users are confined to buying and accessing e-books from Amazon’s e-book store. Sony device users can purchase books from any e-book outlet using the industry-standard EPUB format, which IREX supports as well.
The news is all good for book lovers and those who have been hoping competition would come into play to keep driving both prices down and innovation with features on e-readers up.
Maybe, just maybe, Santa will leave an e-reader in my stocking this year.
Image courtesy of IREX