Dog-eared paperbacks or sleek e-book readers — the debate seems so 20th century. Things have moved on quite a bit since November 2007 when Amazon took the ‘first’ giant step with Kindle.
Since then, thanks to an expanding market, no e-reader manufacturer, including Amazon, has slept peacefully. But while the rest of the world (read the West) was spoilt for choice, most desi readers continued to rely on their Amrikan aunts for the ‘Not made/Available-in-India’ e-book reader, which more or less meant Kindle minus shipping charges.
But come 2010, indigenous geniuses made it clear that though they may have entered the ‘war zone’ late, they have come fully loaded.
The recent launch of the second Indian e-book reader, Wink, further intensifying competition, not only means variety for readers but also affirms that India’s golden age of e-book reading has just begun.