All e-reader related queries...

[Ahtims]

Hello all,
I badly need an E Reader.
Nowadays I am just salivating over the E Reader product info from Kindle and Sony.
Where will I get an E Reader in India?
I tried online shopping at Amazon, but after customs and shipping, the cheapest E Reader which costs around 259 dollars otherwise is available for 398 dollars. So that is not an option for me
I would be grateful if anyone could provide some information

[And then the moon flew up.......]

You just check with your local systems dealer. Though last time I enquired about it, now a days they do not usually retail it due to its unavailability. But at least they would know where to get one.

[Dhanya]

u wud prefer reading "war and peace" on kindle rather than the book itself.

[Ahtims]

Dhanya wrote: "u wud prefer reading "war and peace" on kindle rather than the book itself."

what's bad about kindle?
anyway I have a copy of war and peace.
I just want kindle for my travels - not for at home reads. I do prefer the good old way of reading - where your olfactory and tactile senses are also indulged along with your visual ones.
But one good thing about E readers is the amount of wood it will save, thus helping in the green revolution

[Ahtims]

The Proletarian Speaks wrote: "You just check with your local systems dealer. Though last time I enquired about it, now a days they do not usually retail it due to its unavailability. But at least they would know where to get ..."

Thanks a lot

[Ahtims]

I found about two ereaders available in India
1. EGriver by CTA Associates, 6 inch screen, 128 mb memory, Rs. 13,266
2. Infibeam Pi, 6 inch screen, 512 mb memory, rs. 9999
Both have slots for additional 4 GB SD cards

[And then the moon flew up.......]

Do you know where it is available? I was looking one for myself.

[[deleted user]]

Get the Ipod touch. Its does so much more than just double as an ereader. And there are several ebook websites that just give you free/almost free ebooks for your iPhone/iPod. At Rs.14000 - Rs.30000 its a good deal.

[Ahtims]

The Oranges were brown wrote: "Do you know where it is available? I was looking one for myself."

for the EGriver, it is CTA associates website. if you put a google search, you can reach it and then you can correspond via mail.
For Infibeam Pi, you have to go to infibeam.com, register yourself and pre-order by paying rs. 999 advance via credit card. it will be available after feb 22, or so they claim

[Ahtims]

Sowmya wrote: "Get the Ipod touch. Its does so much more than just double as an ereader. And there are several ebook websites that just give you free/almost free ebooks for your iPhone/iPod. At Rs.14000 - Rs.3000..."

I have an HTC phone which I double up as an ebook reader, but it is too taxing for the eyes. E Readers with E ink technology dont have that associated glare, so I am keen on one. I dont know much about itablet - is it similar to Iphone?

[Aravindh]

I have a Sony Reader system PRS-505 (this model is outdated) which I bought it in UK. Definetely a good investment if you are looking to read free e-books available in Internet. If you need new releases as e-books, then you should check on the available book store of respective book readers.
If any of your friends are coming from US, you have many options like nook, asus, sony etc.
In India Infibeams Pi is the best bet. Reading in ipod and other mobiles will not help your eye and i got fed up after some time.

[Nam]

I have the amazon Kindle and its amazing !! i highly recommend it

[Ahtims]

Got my Infibeam Pi yesterday.It is very sleek and light. Have started reading in it. 2-3 times it got stuck and I had to switch off and on. And the screen is a bit dull. But absolutely no glare, no eyestrain. I managed to read 50 pages in half an hour time.

[Nam]

Shwetasbookjournal wrote: "Hey Nam , Have you tried buying new books using ur Kindle. I had heard that technical glitch prevents people outside US/Uk from buying ebooks on Kindle. Is that true?"

Hey yes have bought many books on my kindle , online and directly from my kindle as well. No prevention, very easy to buy books !!

[[deleted user]]

It is not possible to downland it to the B&N eReader if you intended using your Ipod/Iphone in India.

[Ahtims]

Shwetasbookjournal wrote: "@ Smitha - Can you transfer ebooks that are bought from other ebook retailers like Amazon or B& N into Infibeam PI ? or does it only support Infibeam ebookstore. It looks so similar to Kindle"

Hi Shweta,
So far I have not bought any e book. I usually download the free ebooks available on net. Those are surely readable. It supports almost all formats like epub, pdf, word, pdb etc. etc. I find it convenient to use as I have already loaded more than 700 books.

[Ahtims]

MY Pi was constantly getting stuck and hung up. Twice I had to sent it to Infibeam HQs to be repaired. Yesterday I stamped a bit on it by mistake ( not too much pressure, my heel just touched it) and the screen is gone.
I am devastated.
I am using my Sony PRS 600 now. so far so good (touch wood)

[Doorstep Library]

for e-reader try infibeam.com. but also have look doorsteplibrary.com

[Muddle head]

An infibeam Pi costs around 10000/- = $200 but the amazon kindle costs $139 = 7000/- with wi-fi and 4GB internal memory. Isn't Kindle a better option if i have someone visiting from the US??

[Sanket]

Aditya, that is surely a steal deal. I am also looking for someone from US that could get me Kindle at $139. However the Kindle will be delivered to their address and I think the warranty will be for US only. So take care of that otherwise its amazing.

[Muddle head]

Somehow, i don't care much abt the warranty here. Also found out that barnes n Noble's Nook costs $149. Also learnt that the wi-fi offered in Kindle wifi can't be used in India, for that i need to buy the $199 version. Donno the case with Nook though!

[NSampath]

Still prefer paperbacks; don't laptops, TVs and mobiles do enough retina-bashing already? Why add to that list?

[Milan]

Read actual books...easy on the eyes.

[Ahtims]

I am not writing this in favour of E Readers over books, because I too prefer books over E Readers - you can smellthe pages(which you can never do with E Readers), flip through, cheat and go ahead or go back the pages or even read at random (much easier to do with actual books) and also have a profound sense of ownership admiring rows and rows of favourite books lined on shelves.
But unlike computer screens or mobile screens, E Readers never cause glare. I use E Readers to supplement my book collection as I can download all the new titles at no cost over the net, though I have a nagging feeling that it is something like piracy. I have never felt eye strain after using E Readers for a prolonged time.

[Dt]

I own a Sony reader which I got from canada.It is the best gift ever.There are sooo many books available online - and in India there are upteenth authors which we have not even heard of - yet all those books are available online.
I finish one book every 2 days on an average - if I start buying so many books then my salary is over and library stocks are so inadequate- full of M&B's.
Get a reader if you really want to expand.

[Muddle head]

Just read an article online announcing the launch of an Indian e-reader called 'Wink' priced at 11.5k with e-Ink screen and Wi-Fi. THe 3G version costs 2 thousand more i suppose!

[Achala]

wouldn't be surprised if the e-reader is a winner in the indian markets. there's nothing that beats the scent of a book, but e-readers might be more economical...plus, they save you the trouble of lugging books around. for book lovers living out of a suitcase, e-readers seem like the perfect solution.

as for the 'hard on the eyes' argument, will just have to wait and watch.

[Ahtims]

My Infibeam Pi is always under repair and Sony PRS battery runs out on a daily basis though it is supposed to work for a week atleast according to the manufacterors

[Ahtims]

I saw an ad for W Link E Reader in India for just Rs. 6999, but the screen size is small - only 5 inches

[Muddle head]

Sony products always come in package: fabulous performance with below par battery back-up.

tried searching for the W Link e reader, cudn't find it online, surprised an e-reader is so tough to be found online!!

Am pretty much sure now that come next year am going to buy myself a Nook..

[Ahtims]

Sorry it is Wink XLite, not W Link

Wink Special Offer On Our New XLite eReader
Save Rs.1,000 if Pre-ordered by 12/7/10
visit www.thewinkstore.com

[Muddle head]

Ok, then it's the same brand i was mentioning earlier. Wink x-lite looks a smaller version. Was just going thru the site...though its unfair to compare this with the amazon and B&N models, it looks like the first comprehensive e-reader manufacturer in india offering so many choices...the Wink XTS looks the ideal balancing between prices and features!

[Ahtims]

if it doesn't get hung up like Infibeam pi, I wouldnot mind getting it as it doesn't cost much. I am fed up with my Pi for which I had high hopes.

[Muddle head]

yeah, from its tech specs, WINK XTS looks a better product than Pi, but WINK XLite shares a similar processor as in Pi and might show similar character traits, though it's not entirely the processor's fault that it's hanging up. We have to wait for first hand customer reviews for more info on the service aspects

[Ahtims]

Thanks. I am not going to be hasty this time. I will wait and see what happens

[Ahtims]

I got back my Pi ( a new piece). This is the third time they had to change my E Reader. Hope this one works for a long long time to come, as I am nearing the end of my warranty period. How I wish Infibeam people will be able to repair the glitch in the Pi as they are very prompt and charming in their customer deals. I would like the Pi to succeed in India

[Muddle head]

they replaced your piece every time u had a glitch?

[Ahtims]

Yes, they did. Now sadly speaking, this latest piece which I received 2 days back too has a glitch. The screen just becomes smudged as if someone has spilt black ink. This occurs too frequently to be really bothersome, especially when I am at an interesting juncture.

[Ahtims]

Kindle has come to India. Rs. 9600 only (including shipping charges of 300)

[Ahtims]

Please, Please if anyone has bought it yet, give me the review ASAP.

[Ahtims]

http://shopping.indiatimes.com/Reader...

[Muddle head]

I just bought one here in the US for $139. It's for my brother though :-(

It's the basic version with wi-fi, it's very very sleek. I found it not so user friendly, the UI cud've been better.

[Ahtims]

I was toying with the idea of buying kindle too as it is only 9300 here in India; but then I have 2 already and feel a bit guilty. Why dont you buy an E Reader for yourself or your wife?. I have found it very, very useful. First couple of days you may feel a bit discomfited, then you get used to it.
Happy safe journey back home.

[Chintan]

can we read PDF books on kindle?is the experience of reading PDF books same as reading books bought from amazon?i have a huge collection of PDF books which i want to read

[Ahtims]

I think you have to convert PDF to kindle format (that's why I gave up on kindle - no EPUBs/PDFs in kindle)
but you can read PDFs on Sony and Infibeam Pi

[Chintan]

i am getting the kindle from indiaplaza.com for rs.8950 inclusive of all taxes,i am confused.....how much does the sony reader cost?

[Ahtims]

sony costed around 15000 when I bought it. But I saw ads for kindle where it is available for 7000 odd?

[Ahtims]

no eyestrain with ereaders. those dont have backlit screen. It is almost comparable to reading books, especially if its a non-touch screen ereader.
laptops and desktops cause eyestrain. I develop eyestrain if I am at the computer for more than 30-45 min at a stretch

[Muddle head]

:-D

::smiling proudly at our Col.::

[Ahtims]

Hi Chintan, Kindle is available at Homeshop18 for 7999. But please check whether its the same version as Indiaplaza.