Hindustan Times now available on e-reader Kindle

05 Dec 2009

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The Hindustan Times, one of India's leading English dailies, has announced that it had become the first Indian newspaper to be available globally on Kindle, the market leader in e-readers from Amazon.com.

Kindle is an electronic reading device on which one can download books, periodicals or study materials wirelessly in a very short time. The material downloaded can be read in a paper-like display. Many of the leading global newspapers and magazines are available on Kindle.

The palm-sized device is particularly popular among frequent travellers who are saved the trouble of carrying bulky and heavy volumes; and students who no longer have to buy expensive textbooks that they require for a relatively short time. Kindle has already sold more than a million units on direct orders to Amazon.

Hindustan Times editor-in-chief Sanjoy Narayan, said, ''Putting Hindustan Times on Kindle will now enable readers across the world to get access to the paper wherever and whenever they want to, in a convenient easy-to-carry format.'' It will look like the print format and be loaded on the device at 6 am IST daily, the release added.

e-Hindustan not for Indians
With a ''nominal'' subscription charge of Rs460 per month, HT's move is clearly aimed at foreign readers rather than Indian ones. Locally, one can buy a whole year's subscription to the print version of HT at that price under various special offers that the paper keeps churning out. Moreover, a not insignificant proportion of the cost can be recovered through the 'raddiwala' as old newspapers fetch a decent price here.

In any case, Kindle and its rival e-readers from companies like Sony are a long way from catching on in India, mainly because of the price tag. It is priced at $259 internationally; but after taxes and shipping charges, it could cost as much as $350 (Rs16,000) in India.

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