E-Readers not a Christmas must-have

There is a lot of debate at the moment about how the print media industry will evolve to meet the challenges of fast, free online content. Newspaper circulation is on the wane, and many people get most of their news and commentary from free online sites like BBC News.

One of the suggested solutions is the E-reader – which would combine the usability and convenience of a newspaper with the constant updates of online news. Books, magazines, and newspapers could all be read on a single device (There is a great demo of how this will look for Sports Illustrated here.)

However, the idea does not appear to have captured the public’s imagination. A YouGov poll for The Bookseller found that only 11% of respondents would consider purchasing an e-reader for a friend or family member as a Christmas present. E-readers­ fell behind all other listed gifts including a digital camera, digital photo frame and games console. Even when asked what they would like to receive as a Christmas present just 14% of respondents said they would prefer an e-reader.

The main reason for such a lack of enthusiasm appears simple: they cost too much. Of those surveyed, 56% were only prepared to pay less than £150 for an e-reader, with just 9% prepared to spend more than £200. The mean expected cost was £110.50. ­However, consumers could be left disappointed with Sony e-readers priced between £139 and £249 and the Amazon Kindle around £156.

Innovation from Africa to Europe: Mobile Banking

Africa’s under-developed banking and communications infrastructure has encouraged tremendous growth in the role of mobile telephony. There are perhaps as many as a billion people who lack a bank account but own a mobile phone. We usually think of European, American, or Asian technological innovations being exported to Africa, however, in this case the process has been reversed.

Recent YouGov research for Natwest revealed that 25% of customers are interested in mobile money transfers between banks, 25% would like to receive fraud alerts on their mobile, and 24% would like to be able to pay a cheque in without having to visit the bank.

Natwest have launched a mobile banking iPhone app to tap into this growing UK market.