Should I buy a reader at all? (Help!) - Page 2

Djehuty · 03-23-2009, 07:20 PM

It may be possible, at the moment, to find a work-around that would enable me to buy Kindle books from Canada. But one has to wonder, is it really worth it? Not only that, but will it always work?

Amazon may decide that gift cards purchased in Canada cannot be used to buy Kindle books, and then I'm right back where they started. Or they may indeed track my IP, and deny it for that reason. Yes, in theory I could use an anonymous proxy server, but that seems like an incredibly risky way to make credit card purchases. Also, who's to say that Amazon won't block all such proxy servers?

Just think about what I'd have to do. I'd have to violate Amazon's stated policies, thus voiding my Kindle warranty and setting myself up to be banned from the Kindle service or Amazon as a whole. Some of this may very well be illegal, or at least in a grey area which might open me up to litigation. I'd have to maintain a U.S. address for a credit card, which would mean being dishonest with the credit card company -- really not a good idea -- as well as either imposing upon a friend or paying a stranger to forward my mail. I'd probably have to use a proxy server or anonymizer or what-have-you for Amazon purchases, which strikes me as an incredibly bad idea. If I decided not to use a credit card, I'd have to set up an additional, falsified Amazon account and a separate email address so that I could buy gift cards and email them to myself. And I'd have to go through this mess every time I want to buy an e-book.

Really, is there anything the Kindle does that's worth all that trouble?

Lemurion · 03-23-2009, 09:30 PM

I don't think so.

I don't believe it provides a significantly better reading experience than its competitors. It does have some unique features but if you aren't going to use them there's no reason to get a Kindle.

PhishStyx · 03-23-2009, 11:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Djehuty

A brief list of my e-book needs: Good screen quality, reliability, good PDF support, Mobipocket support, able to use it in the US and Canada. Wireless, dictionary lookup, annotation, and so forth are nice but not necessary.

I think you should focus on what you need the device to do for you. Are you primarily interested in reading novels on it or something more graphic intense, such as engineering textbooks for example? That makes a big difference in what you pick. For textbooks, I'd almost certainly go with the iRex, but if you're reading mostly novels and such, the Sony or another smaller device that supports the formats you're most interested in will probably do fine for you.

ChipnDale · 03-24-2009, 01:33 AM

^^ Seconded, I live in Quebec and own the 505...I have yet to experiance any problems with PDF apart from a slight lag in page turning and all the other books I've read so far are pre-converted public domain books on mobileread. If all you wish to do is read non-technical books I would suggest the Sony. HTH

Djehuty · 03-24-2009, 09:54 AM

Thanks for the advice and assistance, everyone.

I've finally made up my mind. I'll be buying a Sony.

AbFabGab · 03-25-2009, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Djehuty

Thanks for the advice and assistance, everyone.

I've finally made up my mind. I'll be buying a Sony.

Let us know how you like it.

I've had mine since early February and use it daily.

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03-23-2009, 07:20 PM	#16
Djehuty Connoisseur Posts: 63 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: none	It may be possible, at the moment, to find a work-around that would enable me to buy Kindle books from Canada. But one has to wonder, is it really worth it? Not only that, but will it always work? Amazon may decide that gift cards purchased in Canada cannot be used to buy Kindle books, and then I'm right back where they started. Or they may indeed track my IP, and deny it for that reason. Yes, in theory I could use an anonymous proxy server, but that seems like an incredibly risky way to make credit card purchases. Also, who's to say that Amazon won't block all such proxy servers? Just think about what I'd have to do. I'd have to violate Amazon's stated policies, thus voiding my Kindle warranty and setting myself up to be banned from the Kindle service or Amazon as a whole. Some of this may very well be illegal, or at least in a grey area which might open me up to litigation. I'd have to maintain a U.S. address for a credit card, which would mean being dishonest with the credit card company -- really not a good idea -- as well as either imposing upon a friend or paying a stranger to forward my mail. I'd probably have to use a proxy server or anonymizer or what-have-you for Amazon purchases, which strikes me as an incredibly bad idea. If I decided not to use a credit card, I'd have to set up an additional, falsified Amazon account and a separate email address so that I could buy gift cards and email them to myself. And I'd have to go through this mess every time I want to buy an e-book. Really, is there anything the Kindle does that's worth all that trouble?

03-23-2009, 09:30 PM	#17
Lemurion eReader Posts: 2,750 Karma: 4968470 Join Date: Aug 2007 Device: Note 5; PW3; Nook HD+; ChuWi Hi12; iPad	I don't think so. I don't believe it provides a significantly better reading experience than its competitors. It does have some unique features but if you aren't going to use them there's no reason to get a Kindle.

03-24-2009, 01:33 AM	#19
ChipnDale Rescue Rangers Posts: 109 Karma: 2144082 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Visitor from another planet Device: IPad	^^ Seconded, I live in Quebec and own the 505...I have yet to experiance any problems with PDF apart from a slight lag in page turning and all the other books I've read so far are pre-converted public domain books on mobileread. If all you wish to do is read non-technical books I would suggest the Sony. HTH

03-24-2009, 09:54 AM	#20
Djehuty Connoisseur Posts: 63 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: none	Thanks for the advice and assistance, everyone. I've finally made up my mind. I'll be buying a Sony.

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