Book lovers can now look forward to reading nearly 200,000 titles on the Internet in 15 languages with the help of a new e-reader, that has been billed as an answer to Amazon's Kindle.

Bangalore-based digital publisher EC Media International has come out with 'The Wink eReader' which, it claims, is India?s first multi-function e-reader that supports more than 15 regional languages.

A book lover can now browse the online store from the web or through the catalogue present on the gadget, intuitively designed for easy preview of content, downloads and a secure payment gateway.

Though designed primarily for the purpose of reading digital books and periodicals one can also listen to music, check mail or play games on the Wink e-reader.

The Wink uses e-ink technology to display content to readers. Its advantages are portability, strain-free readability even in bright sunlight and substantial battery life.

The e-reader comes at a price of Rs 11,490, weighs 260 gm and has a 400 Mhz processor, a six-inch screen and screen resolution of 600x800 inches and Wi-fi connectivity.

The company, however, says its product is in no way an imitation of Kindle.

"Ours is a more eco-friendly concept which looks into the interest of millions of Indians in 15 languages," it says.

According to the company the whole idea of this e-reader is catering to the needs of book lovers and helping the cause of environment as well.

"With millions of titles at the fingertips, one is saving a tree with every book he or she reads, saving time and fuel for every trip to the library and considerably reducing carbon footprints in the process," a spokesperson says.

Wink is currently available in two models -- Wink XTS and Wink 3G. Two new models -- Wink XTR and Wink 3G+ -- are on the cards.

EC Media is also planning electronic newspaper ? WinkWire ? filled with a wide range of news.

"What is truly great about reading the WinkWire is that you can customise your news. Just click the WinkWire icon on your wink, select the topics you want to read and we will deliver a fresh newspaper every day," says the company.

The company also has an e-store where consumers get to browse over 100,000 book titles, magazines, journals and selected articles. www.thewinkstore.com is the perfect foil for the Wink eReader.

The Winkstore has a good number of eBook categories like health, mind and body, science and nature and travel to choose from.