When eReaders nudge into bookshelves

It is a sunny afternoon, and Pradeep Palazhi the COO of Bangalore-based EC Media International P Ltd (http://bit.ly/F4TPradeepEC) is cheerful. Understandably so, because only a day ago his company’s Wink, the desi eReader, was out in New Delhi with a price tag of less than Rs 12,000.

“I foresee eReaders accelerating a larger trend towards electronic/ digital publishing,” he begins, without batting an eyelid, during our interaction in Business Line. “Digital media in publishing is not going to replace printed media. However, it is going to be growing in size and share of the publishing market. More and more content will be published in electronic and printed formats to start off and the balance will tilt towards electronic formats in the future.”

Another interesting aspect, in Pradeep’s view, is the way the whole eBook phenomenon is going to affect the traditional libraries. The jury is still out, but early trends indicate that the library model will have to undergo a significant makeover in the process, he avers.

A thought that Pradeep offers to the traditional bookshops is that they will have to come up with innovative models to adapt to the eBook revolution. “While eBooks are not going to replace printed books, they will definitely reduce their share of the market. Digital publishing or eBook publishing will result in increase of self-publishing market. It will be easier and cost effective for authors to publish their titles which may not be accepted by a traditional publisher. This market will see a huge growth over the next few years.”

Full report here Hindu

Five reasons why the Wink will NOT beat the Kindle

EC Media recently unveiled the Wink e-book reader, the Wink XTS,  at an event in Delhi. Notwithstanding all the brave talk and aggro in the press booklet (“So, if some Californian tries to sell you a pad that you can read on, just Wink at him” it says at one place) and the fact that it seems undoubtedly superior to the Infibeam Pi (better build quality, a linked bookstore and Wi-Fi connectivity), we think it is nowhere near toppling the Kindle from its roost, notwithstanding all the urging of our patriotic hearts. No, this is not just a random appraisal. We managed to spend some time with the device and spotted five clear reasons why India’s latest e-book reader will come a cropper against the might of Amazon’s gadget.

1. Price and costs: The Wink XTS comes with Wi-Fi connectivity and costs Rs 11, 490. The Kindle 3 Wi-Fi + 3G comes for around Rs 12,000 in all, with free lifetime Internet access and is delivered to your doorstep. Yes, a Wink with 3G connectivity is also expected to be available shortly, but you will have to go and find a 3G connection yourself and cough up the costs for the connection and using it. Quite simply, the Kindle 3G+Wi-Fi seems much better value for money as you can access a bookstore at any time and buy books as long as there is network connectivity, without paying a penny for being online.

Full report here Only Gizmos

Wink to launch e-reader for Rs 6000

Wink, the e-reader promoted EC Media and the Kerala-based publishing house DC Books, will reach a wider audience once the promoters launch a cheaper version in a few months.

“We are customizing our product to match the need of Indian customers. The current models from Wink have display of 6 inch and are in the price range of Rs 11000. At Wink we have plans to launch ebook reader with 5 inch display which will be priced around Rs 6000. This product will enable us to reach more customers, ” said Pradeep Palazhi, chief operating officer, EC Media, in an interaction with CIOL, after the launch of Wink in Delhi on Sep 21.

This new model, to be launched in 3-4 months, will have five-inch display and other features that are almost similar to the existing models of Wink ebook reader. Wink is also planning to launch some new models with six-inch display in the price range Rs 8000. Wink allows users to read in 15 languages and makes available 200,000 titles to choose from.

“We are working on a business model to further reduce prices on both the devices and content for our users. At present we are offering 50 free ebooks on purchase of our product. Further we are working out on models that can subsidize price of ebooks in our offering,” said Palazhi.

Full report here CIOL

E-readers: Getting down to content

Home-grown manufacturers are luring consumers with an enviable content library to market the hardware

E-books are gaining momentum worldwide. But Indians are yet to join the wave — all things connected to this new world of authors and the Internet.

However, that has not come as a damper to home-grown manufacturers of e-readers. They are focusing on content to lure people to the world of digital reading. Sample this: Bangalore-based digital publisher EC Media gave access to an enviable content library when it launched its Wi-Fi (wireless connectivity) and 3G-enabled Wink e-reader models, competitively priced at Rs11,490 and Rs14,990.

“Selling hardware is not the only way of doing business for EC Media,” said Ravi Deecee, CEO of EC Media. Wink e-readers will provide users access to e-book content from publishers like Penguin, Roli, Oxford University Press, Harper Collins and Permanent Black.

Full report here Business Standard

Is India ready for e-readers?

While a 2007 National Endowment for the Arts study reported that Americans were spending less time reading books, a Maryland-based market research firm recently found out that e-reader owners read more than they earlier did.

The Wink is expected to give owners
access to more than 500,000 books,
journals, newspapers and magazines

With last week’s release of “Wink,” Bangalore’s EC Media claims to have launched India’s first e-reader tailored to serve the local population. One can’t help but wonder, are e-books worth the money and will Indians take to them as eagerly as many have in the U.S.?

While techno geeks may like this new device, only 42% of the people that buy books in India are habitual readers, according to a survey in Tehelka Magazine early this year.

The survey, which asked 1,152 people across the country about their reading habits, found that while 20% of the respondents said they had read e-books, 92% of them were using PCs, not reading devices like Apple’s iPad, Amazon’s Kindle or Sony’s Daily Reader.

Full report here WSJ blogs