by Daisuke Wakabayashi, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal
As Sony Corp. scrambles to reassert its technological relevance, Chief Executive Howard Stringer is betting on a strategy for the electronics giant that focuses on adding online content to more of its gadgets.
Speaking at the first joint public appearance by Sony’s new management team since a shake-up in February, Mr. Stringer said the Japanese giant is “moving faster than we’ve ever moved” to meet parallel challenges.
Two high-profile electronic-book readers seeking to challenge Amazon.com Inc.’s Kindle could be scarce under the Christmas tree.
Sony Corp. Wednesday said orders for its new Daily Edition Reader–which the company said in August would arrive in time for the holidays–are now expected to ship Dec. 18 through Jan. 8. It added that the actual delivery date can’t be guaranteed.
by Eric Savitz, Blogger and Columnist, Barron's, Tech Trader Daily
Matching a recent move by Wal-Mart, Amazon.com has unveiled a new promotion on Research in Motion BlackBerry phones, giving buyers of certain models who sign up for new 2-year plans free $100 “e-gift cards.”
by Andrew LaVallee, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal
Peek, a New York mobile start-up, has begun selling TwitterPeek, a new device for posting and reading Twitter updates.
TwitterPeek became available on Amazon and Peek’s Web site Tuesday. Its $100 price includes a full keyboard, always-on tweet delivery and nationwide Internet coverage, plus six months of service.
by Eric Savitz, Blogger and Columnist, Barron's, Tech Trader Daily
So, the race to $0 book prices continues.
As the AP notes this morning, the fierce price cutting in the book business, which until now had focused largely on pre-orders, has now spread to current works: Amazon.com is offering both John Grisham’s short-story collection Ford County and Barbara Kingsolver’s new novel The Lacuna for $9 apiece.
by Miguel Bustillo and Bobby White, Reporters, The Wall Street Journal
Some of the biggest companies backing the Blu-ray format for high-definition movies are hedging their bets by introducing players that can also show Internet video, which is making surprising inroads in the home-entertainment market.
by Martin Peers, Columnist, Heard on the Street, The Wall Street Journal
Just how long can Amazon put off paying its bills?
It’s no secret that Amazon’s financial success is partly based on its ability to take in money for selling merchandise before it has to pay suppliers for those goods. But lately Amazon has gone one better: steadily lengthening the time it takes to pay suppliers. That has been a factor behind the retailer’s soaring cash flow.
by Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg and Geoffrey A. Fowler, Reporters, The Wall Street Journal
A new electronic book reader is expected Tuesday from book seller Barnes & Noble Inc. that will challenge readers from Amazon.com Inc. and Sony Corp. with a color touch-screen and $259 price, according to a planned ad for the device.
by Jessie Ho and Charmian Kok, Reporters, The Wall Street Journal
The rising popularity of electronic book readers such as Amazon.com Inc.’s Kindle bodes well for Taiwanese electronics companies that make the key components and are investing to grab an early lead in the market.
Taiwan’s long history in manufacturing consumer electronics, its aggressive low-cost strategy and closer ties with China gives the island’s companies an advantage over Japanese and South Korean peers, analysts say.
by Lauren Goode, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal
The e-reader is going home-shopping for the holidays.
Shortly after Amazon cut the price of its Kindle e-reader, Interead, maker of the rival Cool-er device, said it has signed on with home-shopping network QVC to help it launch Cool-er in the U.S.
by Hyung Lee, Staff Writer, The Daily Princetonian
When the University announced its Kindle e-reader pilot program last May, administrators seemed cautiously optimistic that the e-readers would both be sustainable and serve as a valuable academic tool. But less than two weeks after 50 students received the free Kindle DX e-readers, many of them said they were dissatisfied and uncomfortable with the devices.
by Geoffrey A. Fowler, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal
Amazon.com, which wants to be the Internet’s general store, is adding one more category to the range of private label products it sells online: electronics accessories.
The “Amazon Basics” line launched on Saturday with products like audio-video cables and blank DVDs–all sourced and designed by the e-commerce company.
by Geoffrey A. Fowler, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal
Amazon.com Inc. is quietly expanding its private-label business in a bid to diversify away from its online bookstore roots and become more like a general retailer.
The latest sign: The Seattle-based e-commerce giant–known for high-tech innovations like one-click checkout and the Kindle e-reader–last month received a U.S. design patent for a wooden chopping block.
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