{ enygmatic } | mobilis in mobili

Many years ago, I read an article about this new experimental technology called “e-ink” which could potentially change how we read E-Books. Then in 2004, Sony announced the LIBRIe, the first E-Ink based E-book reader. And, yes I wanted one. But alas, Sony only made it available in Japan and that too at the hefty price tag of about $350-$400. Years passed by and I kept waiting for an E-book reader that I could hold in the palm of my hand. Then sometime in 2007 I learnt of Sony’s Reader (the famous PRS series). Its price tag was as large, but by then after years of painful reading on the computer screen, the price really didn’t matter. So, I was curious; would Sony consider selling this in India?

With great expectations, I wrote to Sony, hoping that the Japanese corporation might deem it fit to sell me one. But no, Sony India was in no hurry do me any favors. And so the wait continued, and in the meantime I read books on Microsoft Reader, painfully sitting on a chair, chained to my computer, and wondering whether there was a better way of doing this.

Then one fine day Amazon announced their cute little Kindle (of course, its anything but little), and suddenly reading e-books turned fashionable. The always on wireless made getting E-books as simple as dialing for Pizza. Along with the Kindle, there was an explosion of E-book readers, from new offerings from Sony and iRex to newcomers like Foxit, InterRead etc. Suddenly, Readers were the new “IT” gadget of the season and the E-Book had arrived.

But, for some strange inexplicable reason, no company sold these in India. You could find one of these devices in the US, Canada, Europe, South-East Asia, Japan, China, even Australia. But when it came to India, the land of Nobel Laureates, Booker prize winners, and a few hundred million readers, not one company even tried to hawk their wares in India. So, for a short period I gave up the very idea of ever buying one of these.

Then Sony announced its new line for 2009.Readers starting at $199? Sounded too good to be true. So, I tried to find a way to get one for myself. I hit a vein of good luck, when I learnt that one of my friends would be coming to India in October. He graciously agreed to pick up one for me, and after a long wait finally it arrived – my very own Sony Reader Pocket Edition or Sony PRS-300. (more…)