It is nine years since Amazon launched its dedicated e-book reader, the Kindle and though there have been about seven variants, these come down to three models from the original 2007 Kindle book to the much sharper Paper White in 2012 to the Voyager two years later, which came with navigation by touch within the book and an adaptive light sensor.
On April 27, the new Kindle Oasis will be available in India at Amazon.in and for the first time, it appears to have shrunk in size. In fact, all Kindles have come with a 6-inch diagonal reading area, but the Oasis has chopped away the empty spaces and perhaps for the first time ever, users will feel they are holding a real book. And for a more “bookie” feel, you now have a soft leather jacket.
What has changed dramatically for the better with every new model including the present, is the sheer readability. And by making it 20 per cent lighter than Voyager, Oasis is a lot more comfortable to use for a lot many more, older users. I still have my classic 2007 Kindle and just placing it besides Oasis is proof enough that the e-book reader has evolved beyond recognition. At the asking price of Rs 23,999 for the WiFi-only model and Rs 27,999 for WiFi + free lifetime 3G, Oasis is the costliest Kindle of them all. If you want to complete the illusion that you are holding a real book, then it’s reasonable!
