Sony’s PR department needs some work. When Barnes and Noble and Amazon both dropped their prices on the Nook and Kindle last week, the internet was ablaze with Kindle and Nook news—and still is, in fact.

But when Sony slashes the prices on their ereaders you could hear a pin drop in a silicone forest.

When the Sony Touch was first released back in August 2009, it retailed for $299. And the Pocket Edition sold for $199. In December, Sony released their first wireless ereader, the PRS-900, for a pricey $399.

Today, all three are listed much lower on many of the major websites—Sony Style, Amazon, Best Buy, etc.—but it goes unnoticed by the main-stream-media. The Touch Edition is down to $169, the Pocket Edition is $149, and the Daily Edition has been at $299 for several weeks now.

So why so little press coverage?

Not sure. But Sony isn’t helping themselves out by not issuing press releases about their new prices or promoting the sales more. They aren’t even advertising the ereader sale prices on the Sony Style homepage.

The most interesting of the three is the Touch Edition at $130 below its initial selling price and just $20 more than the smaller, feature-lacking PRS-300.

There could be a couple of reasons for this disparity in price.

Perhaps they simply haven’t been selling the PRS-600 as well as the 300 and have a larger inventory of them that they need to sell. Or it could mean the PRS-600 has seen its run and Sony is selling it super-cheap to clear inventory to introduce a new 6-inch ereader to take its place.

When Sony decides to release their next ereader, it will most likely be a 6-inch device because that is the most popular size for ebook readers. And the PRS-600 just doesn’t quite stack up with the Kindle 2 and Nook feature-wise; a lot of people complain about the reflectiveness of the touchscreen and lack of wireless.

So an updated 6-inch ereader from Sony makes the most sense. Maybe as soon as this month . . .

Filed under: News, Sales and Discounts, Sony | Tags: sony pocket, sony prs-600, sony prs-900 | 2 Comments »

1. The 6″ Astak Mentor is marked down to $129 at Newegg, the lowest priced E Ink ereader ever!
2. Sony Touch continues to remain on sale for $199 at Best Buy and Sony Style, and also comes with a free $30 cover for purchases through June 19th.
3. Amazon is offering free 2 day shipping on the Kindle 2 and Kindle DX in the US for Father’s Day. Amazon also has refurbished Kindles again: the Kindle 2 is $219 and the Kindle DX is $415.
4. Barnes and Noble is throwing in a free $50 gift certificate with all Nook purchases until July 3rd, and Best Buy is offering a $50 ebook card for B&N.
5. The Sony Daily Edition is still on sale for $299 at Amazon, Sony Style, and Best Buy..
6. The Aluratek Libre is selling for $119 at Newegg.
7. PocketBookReader.com is running a 4th of July promotion for free shipping for any ereader in the US.
8. The Cybook Opus is $173 at BH Photo.

Filed under: Sales and Discounts | Tags: cybook opus, libre, sony prs-600, sony reader | No Comments »

Yet another week and another Sony Reader sale. This time Sony Style.com has all three readers on sale from now until June 19th. If you notice the prices versus the discounts, it appears that Sony has now lowered the MSRP on US prices just like they did with Canadian prices last week.

Save $20 instantly on the Sony Reader Pocket Edition™ (PRS-300), now just $149.99.

Save $50 instantly on the Sony Reader Touch Edition™ (PRS-600), now just $199.99.

Save $50 instantly on the Sony Reader Daily Edition™ (PRS-900BC), now just $299.99.

Filed under: Sales and Discounts, Sony | Tags: sony prs-300, sony prs-600, sony prs-900 | No Comments »

Once again the prices on the Sony PRS-900 and PRS-600 have dropped at Newegg.com. This time the PRS-600 is down to $179 and the PRS-900 is at $329 again.

Filed under: Sales and Discounts, Sony | Tags: sony prs-600, sony prs-900 | No Comments »

With the launch of the Apple iPad, which starts at $549 in Canada, Sony seems to have decided to permanently drop the prices of their ebook readers there.

Sony Canada has been running sales for the past couple of months on the
Sony Touch and the Sony Pocket, and now it appears as if they’ve dropped the “sale” and have lowered the manufacture suggested retail price from $349 for the PRS-600 down to $249, and from $239 for the PRS-300 down to $199.

This coincides with the recent US price drop of the PRS-600 to $249 from $299, while the MSRP of the 300 has yet to change, although it’s been selling for around $150 for several weeks now from various retailers.

It’s aboot time they stopped jacking up the price for Canadians when the exchange rate for the US dollar and Canadian dollar are practically the same these days.

Filed under: Sales and Discounts, Sony | Tags: canada, sony prs-300, sony prs-600, sony reader | No Comments »

I was holding out hope that I'd be getting two shiny new Sony PRS-600s for just $100 each after finding them Saturday morning on Borders.com, but I received an email from Borders that confirms it was indeed a pricing error and that the order has been canceled.

On the bright side, they are sending a $25 gift certificate, and I'm already trying to figure out what to spend it on.

It turns out they were supposed to be $100 off, which brings the price to $199. Still a good price, the lowest ever in fact, but it just doesn't quite have the same appeal as a $100.

Here's the email:

Dear Nathan,

You recently placed Order(s) at Borders.com, which included an order for a Sony Reader Touch Edition.

Unfortunately, the price shown at the time of your order was in error and we are unable to fulfill your order at that price. As a result, your order for the Sony Reader Touch Edition will be canceled.

We appreciate your Sony Reader order and we apologize for the inconvenience we caused. As our way of showing our appreciation for your patience and loyalty, we will be mailing you a $25 Borders Gift Card, which you may use on Borders.com or in our stores. Please allow 7-10 business days for delivery of your Borders Gift Card.

If you have questions, you may read our Pricing Policy for further explanation. If your order contained additional items, you will receive those items. You will not be charged for shipping.

Thanks again for shopping with Borders. We look forward to your next visit to our stores or Borders.com.

Sincerely,

The Borders.com Team
www.Borders.com

Filed under: Sales and Discounts, Sony | Tags: borders, sony prs-600 | No Comments »

Yeah, you read that title correctly. Someone must have messed up somewhere because the Sony PRS-600 is selling for just $100 from Borders.com with free shipping, and I took the picture to prove it.

I find it hard to believe that this isn't some kind of error.

Update: Placed an order and it seemed to go through fine. After the order it said they'd send a confirmation email of order status in 24-48 hours so I'll update then.

2nd Update: Borders now has both listed at $199, making it look even more like the $100 price was an error. Waiting for confirmation. The mystery deepens.

Filed under: Sales and Discounts, Sony | Tags: borders, sony prs-600 | No Comments »