Sony writes up UK e-book viewer plan

New Readers, e-bookshop coming to Blighty

Sony obviously read pollster YouGov's research into the current state of the UK e-book viewer market, because the Japanese electronics giant has promised to boost its e-book efforts over here.

The firm currently sells three models in the UK: the original Reader, the Reader Pocket Edition and the Touch Edition. It recently unveiled a 3G-connected Daily Edition model in North America.

Now Steve Haber, President of Sony’s Digital Reading Division, has confirmed that UK e-book buffs “should expect more Reader models”.

Hopefully, that's a sign the Daily Edition will debut here soon.

Haber wouldn’t go into specifics, but he told Wired that “a change is coming”.

He also added that Sony plans to bring its digital bookshop to the UK.

Currently, only US-based punters can buy digital titles through the online shop, which the firm is presently in the process of converting over to the standard ePub format.

UK buyers can buy e-books from the likes of Waterstone's, WHSmith and Borders.

Sony hasn’t committed to a formal launch date yet, apparently because of publishing rights issues. “Each country has different publishing rights,” Haber said. “That’s why we won’t see one bookshop where you can buy all books for a while.” ®