Sony Reader Store Shutting Down In Late March

Sony recently announced they would be selling off the VAIO brand, however it seems that is not the only change in the works. A more recent announcement deals with Sony's Reader Store, which will soon be replaced by the Kobo eBookStore. Basically, Kobo will be the content supplier for those with a Sony Reader or Sony Xperia device.

Neither Sony or Kobo have given a specific date for the changeover, and instead have simply offered a timeframe of late-March. While this change means a switch for those in the US and Canada, it appears there is some hope of this being a relatively simple switch for users. We are curious to see if this all plays out without issue, but Sony has said the "Reader Store customers and their current eBook libraries will transfer to the Kobo ecosystem."

Further details here bring talk of how the transition will be "seamless" and about how all users will "be able to access and read the titles they love from Sony devices." The Sony Reader Store is also expected to fully close in late-March. Current Reader Store customers should be on the lookout for an email from Sony, which will provide details on how to transfer their library. In the meantime, Sony users are being assured they can continue purchasing books from the Reader Store until they migrate over to Kobo.

This likely also means we will be seeing updates for the Sony Reader devices, as well as the Sony Xperia devices. The former would be adding support for the Kobo store and the latter would be to load the Kobo App for Android on the tablets and smartphones. With that in mind, the Kobo eBookstore is touted as offering "more than 4 million eBooks, magazines and newspapers, graphic novels, and kids content." Kobo also recently launched a dedicated section for kids, and another for magazines.

VIA: Engadget

SOURCE: PR Newswire