Sony 2010 Annual Report Download - page 21

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Special Feature: The Rapidly
Expanding Digital Book Market
18
In the United States—where people often carry heavy hardcover
books with them to read when they travel for pleasure or busi-
ness, and where giving books to family and friends is an established
tradition—electronic book (eBook) readers, which can store several
dozen books in digital form, are a major hit with consumers. Sony re-
leased the first-ever eBook readers in the United States in 2006, and
in the following year, a number of other manufacturers came out with
their own models, a development that triggered rapid market growth.
Sony’s Reader is a digital reading device using electronic paper (e-paper) technol-
ogy to display digital books and other digitized content for a truly enjoyable reading
experience. The paper-like display can be read easily from any angle; it also reflects
light like real paper, thus minimizing eyestrain. The smooth, crisp typeface is easy
to read, and users can choose from several font sizes. The Reader is also energy
efficient: unlike LCDs, e-paper displays only require power when the page is being
turned, precluding the need for frequent battery recharging.
The Reader enables users to download digital books over the Internet at any time
of the day or night from the Reader™ Store either wirelessly or while connected to a
PC, depending on the model of Reader. In addition to developing and selling hard-
ware, Sony distributes content online in North America through the Reader Store.
Sony’s Reader Store currently offers more than one million titles, including approxi-
mately 150,000 titles available for purchase, and about 90% of titles listed on the
New York Times’ weekly bestseller list. The fact that users can download and read
Sony’s Reader™ digital reading device enables
users to take dozens of their favorite books
when they travel for pleasure or business