I am mostly out of the US although I live in Hawaii and come here several times a year.

I think the Kindle has much of what I need, but I am concerned with wireless downloads.

Yes I can get most of the books I want in Hawaii, but if I want a special book overseas can I do it? The forums suggest I can, but it is not clear.

Also I am a doctor. Many files I want to read are pdfs from the INTERNET. How can I put these unto the Kindle from my PC? Can the Kndle read thesde pdfs?

Lastly, I need to charge the Kindle from 240volt outlets. Can I?

I am mostly out of the US although I live in Hawaii and come here several times a year.

I think the Kindle has much of what I need, but I am concerned with wireless downloads.

Yes I can get most of the books I want in Hawaii, but if I want a special book overseas can I do it? The forums suggest I can, but it is not clear.

Also I am a doctor. Many files I want to read are pdfs from the INTERNET. How can I put these unto the Kindle from my PC? Can the Kndle read thesde pdfs?

Lastly, I need to charge the Kindle from 240volt outlets. Can I?

All you need is a computer with internet access wherever you are in the world. You'd surf over to the online version of the Kindle store. Buy your book, then go to your Media Library downloads section. download the book (or subscriptiion) to the computer. connect the Kindle to the computer and drag and drop the files onto the Kindle in the "documents" folder.

Kindle User Guide (http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/digital/fiona/general/Kindle_User_Guide.pdf)

Using Kindle with Your Computer (http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200137060)

Converting personal documents for use on a Kindle (Reading Personal Documents on Your Kindle)

Yes I can get most of the books I want in Hawaii, but if I want a special book overseas can I do it? The forums suggest I can, but it is not clear.


Yes, if you have a PC and internet available. You can download the file from your media library on Amazon and transfer it to your Kindle using a USB cable.



Also I am a doctor. Many files I want to read are pdfs from the INTERNET. How can I put these unto the Kindle from my PC? Can the Kndle read thesde pdfs?


Not directly. You will have to convert them to Mobipocket format. There are a couple of ways to do it. First, you can email the document to your kindle email account and the converted file will be emailed to you. Second, you can use Mobipocket or Mobicreator software on your PC (not Mac) to convert it. Now, the results may not be stellar depending on the contents of the PDF. If it is moslty or all text you will have good results. See the numerous threads here for more info on the trials and tribulations of converting/reading PDF documents.


Lastly, I need to charge the Kindle from 240volt outlets. Can I?

My kindle charger says 110-240volts... so yes.

BOb

Thank you for all your quick replies. All of my questions have been answered.

All you need is a computer with internet access wherever you are in the world. You'd surf over to the online version of the Kindle store. Buy your book, then go to your Media Library downloads section. download the book (or subscriptiion) to the computer. connect the Kindle to the computer and drag and drop the files onto the Kindle in the "documents" folder.


The only other caveat that's perhaps worth adding is that you must have a credit card with a US billing address in order to buy books from the Amazon eBook book store.

I would, however, question the choice of a Kindle for someone who states that reading PDFs is an important requirement, given that the Kindle cannot read this format natively. The conversion software tends not to do a very good job with PDFs with complex layout - tables, graphs, etc. A machine which has native PDF support such as the Sony Reader or CyBook Gen3 would perhaps be a better choice.

He lives in Hawaii, so it's likely he does have a U.S. credit card. :)

He lives in Hawaii, so it's likely he does have a U.S. credit card. :)

OK. I'm never sure which of these various Pacific islands are bits of the US and which aren't.

OK. I'm never sure which of these various Pacific islands are bits of the US and which aren't.

Now, Harry :), I could say the same about the United Kingdom. :):)

Don

I was serious, Don. I am honestly unsure what the legal status of places like, say, Puerto Rico is. It uses the US$ as its currency, but it's not a part of the USA, is it, so if you had a credit card from there it wouldn't be a US credit card.

(And yes, I know that Puerto Rico isn't in the Pacific :) ).

You're absolutely right to be unsure about the legal status of the various islands around the UK - it gets very complicated. Some are parts of the UK, some aren't. Some are in the European Union, and others aren't. Eg, the Channel Islands are a part of the UK, but not in the EU and there's no VAT there.

I'm just teasing you, Harry.:)

Actually, Hawaii is our 50th state.

(I'm quite ignorant about your history, I might add.)


Don

OK. I'm never sure which of these various Pacific islands are bits of the US and which aren't.

I'm not so good with geography, so I can appreciate the confusion. :)

I was serious, Don. I am honestly unsure what the legal status of places like, say, Puerto Rico is. It uses the US$ as its currency, but it's not a part of the USA, is it, so if you had a credit card from there it wouldn't be a US credit card.

(And yes, I know that Puerto Rico isn't in the Pacific :) ).

You're absolutely right to be unsure about the legal status of the various islands around the UK - it gets very complicated. Some are parts of the UK, some aren't. Some are in the European Union, and others aren't. Eg, the Channel Islands are a part of the UK, but not in the EU and there's no VAT there.

It would be interesting to find out ... about Puerto Rico, I mean. It is a territory of the US, and the people who live there are US citizens, although they cannot vote in US Federal elections. I suppose it would be up to Amazon to decide whether they considered credit cards from US territories as US credit cards or not.

Not directly. You will have to convert them to Mobipocket format. There are a couple of ways to do it. First, you can email the document to your kindle email account and the converted file will be emailed to you. Second, you can use Mobipocket or Mobicreator software on your PC (not Mac) to convert it. Now, the results may not be stellar depending on the contents of the PDF. If it is moslty or all text you will have good results. See the numerous threads here for more info on the trials and tribulations of converting/reading PDF documents.

Just to spare any future confusion, the email you would use is username@free.kindle.com. The regular username@kindle.com address sends the converted files back to you wirelessly.

One downside to being outside of wireless range is that you can't get the free samples. Those are only sent via Whispernet. It's certainly easy to buy books but I did miss the samples last time I was out of the country.

Just to spare any future confusion, the email you would use is username@free.kindle.com. The regular username@kindle.com address sends the converted files back to you wirelessly.

One downside to being outside of wireless range is that you can't get the free samples. Those are only sent via Whispernet. It's certainly easy to buy books but I did miss the samples last time I was out of the country.

You can, however download free samples from the MobiPocket.com site that will work on your Kindle. Of course, MobiPocket has to sell the book you're interested in.

It would be interesting to find out ... about Puerto Rico, I mean. It is a territory of the US, and the people who live there are US citizens, although they cannot vote in US Federal elections. I suppose it would be up to Amazon to decide whether they considered credit cards from US territories as US credit cards or not.

Really? Guam has delegates at the convention. They have 7 votes, and voted 4 for Obama and 2 for Clinton. If they can have delegates doesn't the mean the have people voting in a primary?

BOb

It would be interesting to find out ... about Puerto Rico, I mean. It is a territory of the US, and the people who live there are US citizens, although they cannot vote in US Federal elections. I suppose it would be up to Amazon to decide whether they considered credit cards from US territories as US credit cards or not.

Puerto Rico is more than a territory. It is a commonwealth of the USA and it is the only one. They are more closely connected than a territory is and have more rights. They have a member of Congress although I believe he can't vote. I suspect Amazon would treat them as in the US but I have not tried it.

Dale

Really? Guam has delegates at the convention. They have 7 votes, and voted 4 for Obama and 2 for Clinton. If they can have delegates doesn't the mean the have people voting in a primary?

BOb

The Primary is determined by the Party not the government. The Party can include anyone they choose.

Dale

Puerto Rico is more than a territory. It is a commonwealth of the USA and it is the only one. They are more closely connected than a territory is and have more rights. They have a member of Congress although I believe he can't vote. I suspect Amazon would treat them as in the US but I have not tried it.

Dale

Puerto Rico, a former Spanish Colony, is a Commonwealth of the U.S. The people of Puerto Rico have on several occasions voted to remain a Commonwealth (their other options where to become an Independent Nation or a State). As a Commonwealth they do not pay U.S. Income Tax, can not vote for President and their Representative to Congress can vote in committee, but not on the floor of congress to pass laws (they do not have a Senator). There are several States that call themselves Commonwealths but that has no legal meaning and is just a left over term from colonial times. To complete this little foray into history the Pacific Northern Mariana Islands, a former Spanish than German than Japanese colony, is also a U.S. Commonwealth.

It sounds a little bit like the status of the "Northern Territory" of Australia, which is not a state, and whose population cannot vote in Federal elections, even though they are Australian citizens.

It sounds a little bit like the status of the "Northern Territory" of Australia, which is not a state, and whose population cannot vote in Federal elections, even though they are Australian citizens.

The Northern Territory population does vote in the Federal elections, with two members each in the Senate and House of Representatives.

Cheers,
Marc

I stand corrected! Thanks, Marc.