mocoNews - Verizon Wireless And AT&T Both Looking At E-Readers

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Dianne See Morrison

mocoNews.net
Thursday, April 2, 2009; 9:59 AM

Verizon Wireless (NYSE: VZ) and AT&T (NYSE: T) are both looking at e-book readers as a new source of income, having eyed up the success of Amazon's Kindle, which uses Sprint (NYSE: S) Nextel's network to allow consumers to download digital books to their devices. The e-reader interest is part of a larger drive to find additional wireless devices to connect to networks, as the US's wireless market for cell phones reaches saturation point.

Bloomberg quotes AT&T's head of emerging devices Glenn Lurie as saying the Kindle has done a "phenomenol job" and that the network wants to be part of that market. Lurie told the news service, "There's a whole bunch of ways to monetize that type of device. That's coming, it's coming fast. We're going to be part of it." Lurie didn't mention any potential partners, however, or any timing on when such a device might be available.

AP reports, meanwhile, that Verizon Wireless VP of Open Development Tony Lewis said that five companies had approached it about wireless connections for e-readers, and described the interest in them as "tremendous." He too would not disclose which manufacturers the carrier was talking to, though did say that they would "love to have Sony (NYSE: SNE) on there." Lewis is also apparently looking at parts of the digital book market that Kindle doesn't currently cover, such as college textbooks.