I apologize in advance if this is a simple question. I recently purchased an Ipod Touch and have installed the Kindle Reader application. And now it has been announced that the Kindle reader software will be available for PCs (I have a netbook).

Can I purchase and download books now for my Ipod Touch and then, when, the PC application becomes available, read them on my netbook?

My understanding is that I register my Ipod Touch as my first device. Then later I could re-download the same book to my netbook as long as it is registered as my second device. Is this correct?

Searching through the forums, there appeared to be a limit of 6 devices. Is this simultaneous or lifetime? So after I have cycled through 6 devices, will I know longer be able to read the Kindle content?

These questions are important to me as there are some books I would only buy (e.g., travel guidebooks) if I can read them on both my Ipod and my PC but there is no way I would purchase them twice.

All of my accounts are registered in the USA and I am a USA resident, but I travel overseas 9 months per year and virtually all of my downloads would be outside of the USA (if that matters).

Thanks!
Travis

A Windows PC will count as a separate device, and its Kindle ebook files will be locked to that particular PC. You can associate a new device (e.g. a Windows PC) with existing ebooks.

The limit is on simultaneous devices, but Amazon isn't setup to automatically handle unregistering a device from ebooks. Also some ebooks have a lower limit, which is listed on the ebook's web page on the Kindle store. See Amazon DRM limiting number of times you can download a book (http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49371).

A Windows PC will count as a separate device, and its Kindle ebook files will be locked to that particular PC. You can associate a new device (e.g. a Windows PC) with existing ebooks.

The limit is on simultaneous devices, but Amazon isn't setup to automatically handle unregistering a device from ebooks. Also some ebooks have a lower limit, which is listed on the ebook's web page on the Kindle store. See Amazon DRM limiting number of times you can download a book (http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49371). Thank you, wallcraft. I read through the whole thread and the later blog entry. So it appears that I will be able to purchase a book for my kindle-registered Ipod Touch. And then later re-download the same book, without paying again, for reading on my Kindle-registered netbook. And I will be able to read the same book simultaneously on these 2 devices (this latter point is critical to my reading experience).

I guess we have to view DRM as renting.

The one thing that really surprised me is that I do not know the maximum number of PIDs before I purchase a particular Kindle book. I am guessing that there are no Kindle books currently for sale that have been confirmed with a simultaneous PID limit of 3 or lower?

Travis

Yep there is a DRM around Amazon content...
http://www.rapidsharelite.com/stubby/f95ec3de395b4bce25b39ef6138da871.gif

The one thing that really surprised me is that I do not know the maximum number of PIDs before I purchase a particular Kindle book. If the limit is not 6, then it is listed. I have seen 5, but not less than that although there have been reports of a limit of 1. It is actually more usual to see unlimited (DRM-free). For example, search on Amazon for B000JQU7T4 Product Details

* Format: Kindle Edition
* Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited

And keep in mind that newspapers and magazines are locked to one single device. You can switch the device, but you can't re-download previously downloaded issues to the new device.

I find this limit fairly onerous because my wife and I can't share magazines without switching Kindles.

The limit is on simultaneous devices, but Amazon isn't setup to automatically handle unregistering a device from ebooks. Also some ebooks have a lower limit, which is listed on the ebook's web page on the Kindle store. See ="http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49371"]Amazon DRM limiting number of times you can download a book[/URL].

Wallcraft - are you sure about this? I didn't think there was a limit to number of times you could download something however, there is a limit on the number of devices you can download it to. Therefore, if I purchase a book at Amazon, and subsequently delete it 10 times, no problem. I can re-download that book infinite number of times back onto my Kindle.

If I have 7 Kindles or registered devices in my house, only 6 of them (Amazon's limit) can have the book on the device simulataneously. I may be wrong. Just wanted to get clarification because your words are somewhat confusing. Thanks!

If I have 7 Kindles or registered devices in my house, only 6 of them (Amazon's limit) can have the book on the device simulataneously. Yes. The problem comes if you downloaded it to 6 devices, then deleted one of them, then try to download to a 7th device. In that case (at least the last time I saw any discussion of this issue) you have to call Amazon customer support and have them manually allow the download. The cases I saw were due to returned Kindles - when a Kindle is returned, or deregistered, all its downloads are (mistakenly) still counted against each individual ebook's download limit.

And keep in mind that newspapers and magazines are locked to one single device. You can switch the device, but you can't re-download previously downloaded issues to the new device.

I find this limit fairly onerous because my wife and I can't share magazines without switching Kindles. Thank you, this is a very important detail and certainly yet another disadvantage of Kindle DRM. I would prefer to read such content on both my Netbook and my Ipod.

Travis