WINKXTS, the desi, value-for-money avatar of the eReader might make you want to think twice before you dole out a few thousands at the next book sale

WINKXTS, the desi, value-for-money avatar of the eReader might make you want to think twice before you dole out a few thousands at the next book sale

Even as this is being written, eight per cent of US consumers are using e-readers, and another 12 per cent will buy one in the next six months. The purist might cringe, but the signals are obvious: e-readers are set to alter the way we turn a page.

"We felt Indian readers were lacking something. That's when the idea of a digital content device emerged," says Rajesh KS, Associate Vice President - Business Development, EC Media. "Traditionally, people prefer the feel and smell of a book.

But with the launch of the Kindle and Sony eReader, the climate was conducive for an Indian launch. We realised why those two didn't click in India on three countsu00a0-- competitive pricing, a display screen and good support within the country." For 12 to 14 months, Bangalore based EC Media worked on its infrastructure to counter the shortcomings. In August, they launched the Wink (without ink) e-reader.

When the Wink arrived at our paper-filled office, it was met with expected curiosity. Unbelievably light (260g), it has a screen that's on par with the Kindle (6") and larger than the Sony eReader's (5").u00a0 We headed to the Library option after uploading a couple of ebooks (Wink supports EPUB, PDF, TXT, RTF, DOC, HRML, WOLD, CHM, FB2, DJVU, LIT formats).

The keys are noticeably small so it takes a while to warm up to reading Alexander's exploits in black and white print, that you need to zoom into. There are separate keys to move to the next, and from the previous page. It's the arrow keys that are most frequently used, and these are woefully small.

Their placement at the bottom right-hand of the keypad doesn't make it an easy-to-hold the device. We had a similar grouse with the Enter key. Despite these ergonomic stutters, the price and value-add factor do work for it. "E-books at the WinkStore (https://www.thewinkstore.com/) are 30-35 per cent cheaper, and support 14 file formatsu00a0-- one the highest," says Rajesh. Plus it supports MP3, OGG and WAV file formats for music.
u00a0
Available at Croma outlets in Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Delhi and Hyderabad, Reliance Time Out stores and Crossword outlets

Authors speak
"This is technology at work and it's inevitable. With over 3,00,000 books to read from, it's an awesome feeling. I would love to curl on my couch with a real book but the truth is that e-readers are here to stay," says Vinitha Ramchandani, who read from her Kerala Mystique Series for Kids at a soft launch for the Wink in Mumbai, last month.

Specs 6" display with E Ink technology for stain-free reading 4000MHz processor to support multitasking

Screen Resolution: 600x800 pixels Text-To-Speech (TTS) facility in English for those who want to listen and not read

Battery support: 1500mAh Up to 300 hours usage (w/o wireless) with over 8,000 page turns / up to 10 hours non-stop audio)

Dimensions: 185mm(l) x 124.6mm(w) x10.9mm (h). weight: 260g (including battery). Cost: Rs 11,490 (inclusive of AC Power Adapter, USB cable, earphones, SD card and user manual)