Sony Opens eBook Reader to Other Sellers

In a move to compete with Amazon's Kindle, Sony is opening up its e-book reader to handle the Epub format, instead of just purchases from Sony's store.

The Amazon Kindle might be the e-book reader getting all the media attention these days, but it certainly wasn’t the E-Ink-based portable reader on the scene. In an effort to better compete with the Kindle, Sony is rolling out a software update for its Sony Reader that will enable it to handle books published in the growing Epub format, which is already supported by several publishers, including Simon & Shuster, Penguin, and HarperMedia, and others. The upshot is that the Sony Reader will be able to display books purchased from not just Sony’s online store, but also from any publisher offering material in the Epub format.

Supporting Epub will also improve the selection of books for the Sony Reader. Sony’s online store currently offers about 45,000 titles, while Amazon’s Kindle store offers over 140,000, largely because Amazon makes it simple for publishers to make texts available…although Amazon pockets the majority of the proceeds from each sale.

“The Reader is an open device and we will continue to explore formats that will provide the widest variety of content for Reader users,” Sony Electronics senior VP for consumer product marketing said Steve Haber, in a statement. “This upgrade opens the door to a whole host of paid and free content from third-party eBook stores, Web sites, and even public libraries.”

In addition, the Sony Readers will support Adobe eBooks with embedded DRM, and will have the ability re-flow standard PDF documents for improved readability on the Reader’s display. Of course, the readers will continue to support the BBeB eBooks offered for sale via Sony’s own store.

Users can upgrade their units via Sony’s support Web site.

Sony is also rolling out a special red edition of the PRS-505 Reader with Epub and enhanced PDF support pre-installed; the Readers retail for about $300.