Amazon, Sony, Cool-er???
When you think about e-book readers you think about Amazon’s Kindle or the Sony Reader. However, there is a cooler cat in town. A new start-up is mixing it up with the big boys and holding their own. The Cool-er e-reader is a product that challenges the “big two” of the e-reader world.
It’s an interesting story how the e-reader was developed. Entrepreneur Mike Jones wrote a thriller and wanted to get it published. However, he found it next to impossible to get a book deal with a traditional publisher. So, being an entrepreneur what does he do? You guessed it. He started up a new business to help authors self publish. He planned to sell Sony Readers on the site but Sony couldn’t guarantee supply. As a result, the Cool-er reader was born. When it was released it sold six times what was originally expected.
Now it has the potential to become the third big player in the e-reader marketplace. It’s lighter than the other major e-readers (big plus). It also looks much better. We all know what good aesthetic design has done to the mp3 player industry. Could this be the ipod of e-readers?
Anyway, this is an example of letting the market tell you what is needed. React with how the market pushes you. Don’t rely on dozens of focus groups and thousands of questionnaires. The real world is the best business adviser there is.
