It's a Son eBook
Sony leads eBook venture
Sony Corp. and 14 major publishing, printing and newspaper companies are planning a new eBook business that will focus on rental service based on OpenMG, Sony's digital rights management technology.
The partners established an eBook distribution company for Japan called Publishing link, Ltd. here on Nov. 4 to begin an eBook rental business next spring.
A prototype eBook reader to be used by the partners will employ E Ink's electronic paper display measuring approximately 6 inches diagonally. "The electronic paper display has a big contrast ratio, which is close to paper and easy to read," said a Sony spokesman.
This service will use Sony's proprietary BBeB format as its data format. Sony developed the format for electronic publishing using XML as the intermediate language.
Sony declined to disclose details about the reader, saying only that it would make the reader available before the services begins next spring.