No need to worry, though. Industry experts feel that the convenience of reading one's favourite novels on the move is a trend just waiting to hit desi shores.
"It's a question of 'when' rather than 'how'. Earlier, the problem was whether mobile handsets were equipped with the software needed and whether books were available in the required format," says Jay Vikram, head, corporate communications, Nokia (India).
"In fact, there are a few phones in the country right now, which do support this technology," adds Vikram, who has management books like 'Rich Dad Poor Dad' stored on his cell.
But then such mobiles are expensive and are limited to top-end customers. However, others feel users in India are not yet ready for such services, even if all mobile handsets start featuring them.
"Mobile communication in India is still voice-centric and not data-centric. I don't see this concept of 'books on mobiles' becoming a trend in India, at least not soon," says Arvind R Vohra, GSM product group head, LG (India).
Some feel that the challenge lies in popularising the concept in India, since most Indians seem to be unaware of it.
"Once it comes in, the concept has a lot of scope, considering we have 50 million mobile phone users in India. But the challenge will be to introduce the idea and popularise it," says Anuj Kapur, general manager (telecom marketing), Samsung India.
Actually, all it takes to get started is a compatible mobile handset and a download from any website offering such a service.
"One can go to websites like amazon.com, pay the subscription fee online and start downloading e-books. It's that simple," claims Vikram.
"In fact, this concept will soon pick up in India since any global trend is quickly adopted by top-end consumers here. But whether it will seep through to the masses is difficult to say at the moment," he adds.
According to Kapur, there is certainly scope for reading books on mobiles in the country.
"Mobile phone usage is going much beyond voice-centric applications, be it downloads of wallpapers, ring tones or jokes. Logically, mobile books are the next step," he says.
However, cost may not be a deterrent in the number of people willing to accommodate books on their cellphones. It won't make much of a dent on their pockets, experts say.
"It's certainly not a question of cost. Currently, mobile phone tariffs are at their lowest ever in India," says Vohra.
"Maybe, prices of actual books are too high in Japan which is why they easily take recourse to their mobiles," he adds, hazarding a guess as to why the concept is so popular in Japan.
However, for bibliophile Anjali Kumar, the idea of trading in her paperback novel for one on her mobile seems a bit hard to swallow.
"Although it's more convenient to carry around, I doubt if reading lines on the small mobile screen could ever give me the same pleasure as holding an actual book," says Kumar.
"Moreover, even if people do so, I'm sure novels on mobiles won't work in India. But serialised fiction specifically written for use on mobiles will be bang on target," she adds.
Fiction specifically written to be read on mobiles may sound futuristic but in the meantime, mobile phone companies in India are playing the wait-and-watch game - with no one willing to come on record to say when the Indian masses would be able to avail of this new-fangled technology.
