Upside potential for e-books: Sony and Amazon haven’t geared up globally yet–and meanwhile pink-skinned Sony Readers will help E on V Day
The most popular gizmos for reading e-books may yet turn out to be cell phones, especially when rollout E Ink screens become good and dirt-cheap.
But meanwhile we optimists might remember Rob Preece’s just-made observation—on the still-limited availability of dedicated e-book gizmos in most countries. Upside galore. While Rob was writing in a different context, that’s what leapt out at me. Both the Sony Reader and the Kindle have yet to go on sale globally, with Sony and Amazon’s marketing engines to push them in local contexts.
If nothing else, imagine all the cultural variants of Sony’s just-announced deal through which your $300 will buy not just a limited edition Sony Reader but also a Cross Your Heart skin and 14 Harlequin novels. Coming—e-romance competition from France and Bookeen, home of the Cybook? Or in Germany, how about an Oktoberfest Reader with a beer-themed skin?
For now, kudos to Sony, the skin people and Harlequin for some imaginative marketing. And by the way, I agree with the MohileRead folks’ hunch that SkinIt might sell its pink skins separately.
Related: Geeksugar on the Sony deal.
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