I looked through the archives, but didn't find the answer to this question: can you buy Kindle books from Amazon without owning a Kindle? Or is activating a Kindle necessary to buy and download a Kindle ebook to your PC?

Some Kindle books are apparently DRM free, so they should work on other readers that have Mobipocket. Hence my question. Thanks.

Yes, you need a Kindle to buy Kindle e-books.

Actually, you can buy books from a PC. But you need to have a Kindle registered to your account. And you can read them only on that Kindle if they have DRM.

As of 11/30/2009 one can downlaod "Kindle for PC" software and register one's PC with Amazon.

Then one can buy Kindle books and read them on a PC without ever owning a Kindle.

I did and its great.

So did I... I have my desktop pc and my netbook registered, and they'll sync, so the books I buy and download will be on the other computer... It's great!

So did I... I have my desktop pc and my netbook registered, and they'll sync, so the books I buy and download will be on the other computer... It's great!

Yes, but it's a pain if, like me, you keep your laptops and PC synced anyway - same files on all systems.

Since Kindle for PC doesn't allow you to specify the storage directory, if I download a book to the laptop it overwrites the desktop version. Every time I want to change from one to the other or from laptop to netbook, I have to delete the book from the other macines on the system and redownload to the device I am currently using.

You do NOT need to own a Kindle in order to buy Kindle books. You can buy (and read) Kindle books if you have the Kindle for PC application, or Kindle for iPod/iPhone.

From the description of Kindle for PC on the Amazon site:

Kindle for PC is a free application that lets you read Kindle books on your PC-no Kindle required.

The same is true for ther iPod app.

But you do need to register these "devices" with Amazon in order to buy Kindle books.

Kindle for PC is still Version 1.0 Beta (25338). It has few frills but can read Amazon Kindle books.

Sony's eBook Library is Version 3.0.01.10191 and has many more features.

Barnes & Noble eReader is Version 1.0.1 and has far more features than any of the other 2 PC programs.

My first test of prices for a book called "Body Double" by Tess Geritsen showed the following prices: Sony - $ 7.59; Amazon and B&N - $ 6.39.

Whether I end up buying a B&N Nook or an Amazon Kindle 2 is how the prices in the future end up in new books I purchase. In features B&N Nook seems to be better than Amazon Kindle 2. I already own a Sony PRS 505.

So once you buy a Kindle book on the PC there is no way to convert and add to a Sony PRS, right?

So once you buy a Kindle book on the PC there is no way to convert and add to a Sony PRS, right? If you only have "Kindle for PC", this is currently the case. Amazon is using slightly different DRM on its K4PC ebooks, and so far it has proved different enough to defeat circumvention efforts. See Adventures in discovering the K4PC PID (http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63413) if you want the gory details.

Hopefully the Kindle for PC software will be on mac soon!! I do have a PC but my laptop is a mac..

If you only have "Kindle for PC", this is currently the case. Amazon is using slightly different DRM on its K4PC ebooks, and so far it has proved different enough to defeat circumvention efforts. See Adventures in discovering the K4PC PID (http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63413) if you want the gory details.

Thanks for the link, this is discouraging news. I think I won't even bother because it'll be too frustrating for me to almost have access but nowhere comfortable to read the novels I'd purchase. At the moment it's still better to download from darknet.