It’s no secret that the world is reading less and less as the Internet becomes more prevelent – it’s truly pathetic that we are distancing ourselves more and more from the written word. Sony and Amazon are trying to change that by introducing books into the digital age, and have been somewhat successful in doing so. Sony’s Reader product has been overshadowed by the Amazon Kindle, and Sony is starting a new marketing campaign to put the Reader in the forefront once again. Sony is really trying to change the fact that half of people ages 18-24 don’t read books for pleasure, as proven by a 2007 National Endowment of the Arts study.
Sony is probably dishing out an obscene amount of money for this promotion, as they are enlisting Dave Farrow to read books on the Sony Reader around the clock in Sony’s Manhattan store. Sony writes, “For each page he reads, Sony will provide an eBook library of 100 classic titles to a school or learning institution. The goal is to give 15 million eBook titles by the end of the program. The first 100 schools to start downloading their selected classic titles will also receive and education pack of five Reader Digital Books.”
Interested folks can volunteer to give Dave Farrow a break by signing up for an specific time slot. Those who are chosen will be allowed to read a book on the Reader device in the display window at the Manhattan store. Various celebrities, authors, local dignitaries and other notables will step in and relieve Farrow throughout the month.
You are invited to join the cause by viewing Farrow’s progress online and taking the Reader virtual tour at www.sony.com/reader. They can also visit the store window in person at Datavision on Fifth Avenue at 39th Street in New York City, adjacent to the New York Public Library.
