Ex-paperboy

[LUW]

Well, almost ex-paperboy .
It's my first post here, so please don't get too mad at the noob questions. I'm from Brazil and was always interested in e-books, but never had a decent e-book reader. I thought Kindle was awesome, but when it came out it wasn't available here for Brazil, so I simply forgot about it and kept on buying paper books from Amazon and eBay .

To my surprise, in the beginning of this month I found out about the Kindle 2 Global model, and immediately got VERY interested. I have a good friend going to Miami in the next weeks so he could easily bring me one (and I save on S&H ). So if possible, here's what I would like to know:

1. So far I understood that I won't pay any additional fees to d/l a book directly from Amazon to my Kindle (yes, my city has 3G coverage according to Amazon's map). Is that true? I read all the help content over at Amazon and I think it's free, but after I read a few posts here I'm confused about a .99c or 1.99 fee .
2. If there is a fee, if I d/l from Amazon to my PC, will such fee exist?
3. Am I restricted to Amazon for e-book purchases?
4. I read a LOT at night. Should I buy one of those clip-on lights?
5. Cases: I saw one at Amazon that has a plastic transparent cover in the front and EVA on the back, so you can read the Kindle without taking it out. A case like that, is it protection enough or should I go after a hard case?
6. Battery life: is it true that it can last over a week with a lot of use if the 3G function is turned off?

Sorry for the noob questions, but I honestly combed the forums and didn't find any post that gave me yes or no answers to these particular questions. If I can d/l stuff with no fees, even if it's to my PC, I'm going to buy it, but if there are fees (depending on the value) it would be more economical for me to just keep on buying paper books, specially used ones.

Thanks in advance for your patience and time .

[KWeeks]

1.& 2. It seems that Amazon is going to charge a premium for books purchased and downloaded outside the USA. But call amazon and check for the specifics. I dont know if it will be waved if you download them on your computer. I doubt it as it seems to be a location based charge, but who knows.

3. You are restricted to the ebook formats that the kindle handles. Mobi .azw and PDF's (check the kindle spec page for all) but you can put any book that does not have DRM restrictions it on the kindle by using the USB connection. You can also convert other formats using a program called calibre, search for it or even for more info on these forums.

4. If you read at night in dark room you will need a light behind you or focused on the kindle. It is just like reading a paper book.

5. Cases are a matter of taste and level of protection. I like a somewhat padded case to decrease damage if it falls. But again it is a matter of taste and need. One thing to consider is that the "standard leather case" for the K2i and the DXi that use the metal hinge clips can be a problem if you open the case up back to front as the hinge is fixed and has broken many a kindles plastic spine. My wife has one for her K2i and likes it but she has to be careful when opening it. I on the other had am to much of a spaz to be that careful and opted for a similar case that holds my Kindle Dxi in by leather corner straps. Search the amazon web site for one you might like and there are a few companies that sell them outside of amazon. Do a web search. There is lots of info available.

6. Battery life does seem to be as they described it. A week or so if you turn off the wireless.

Hope this help and enjoy your Kindle if you choose to buy one.

[LUW]

Thanks for the feedback, KWeeks!
So there will be a "domestic price" and an "international price" for non-US residents?
Do you have any link where I can read more about that?

[Pardoz]

Originally Posted by LUW

It's my first post here, so please don't get too mad at the noob questions.

Bem vindo o Mobileread! Remember, there are no stupid questions. Only stupid answers.

[*]So far I understood that I won't pay any additional fees to d/l a book directly from Amazon to my Kindle (yes, my city has 3G coverage according to Amazon's map). Is that true? I read all the help content over at Amazon and I think it's free, but after I read a few posts here I'm confused about a .99c or 1.99 fee .
[*]If there is a fee, if I d/l from Amazon to my PC, will such fee exist?

These two questions are related, and the answer is a little complicated. How much you'll pay per book, whether you'll pay a fee for wireless download, and what books are available all depend on where you set your Amazon account to.

If you tell Amazon you live in Brazil, you'll pay slightly more per book (generally around $2 US) but you won't pay anything extra for wireless delivery. You will probably also have a smaller selection of books available for purchase (although they're getting better at making books available to us non-US people).

If you tell Amazon you live in the US (I won't get into the specifics involved here; the information is available elsewhere on MR) you won't pay as much per book, but you *will* get charged a $2 fee every time you use the wireless download (but you won't pay any extra if you download the book to your PC and copy it to your Kindle).

Short version - the cheapest route is to set your Amazon account location to the US and only download books to your computer then transfer them with the USB cable.

EDIT: If you want to see this in action, go to the Amazon site and select the Kindle store. It will probably autodetect your location as "Latin America and Caribbean." Note the price of a book, then use the menu on the left panel of the page to change your location to "United States". Notice how the prices change.

[*]Am I restricted to Amazon for e-book purchases?

Not at all. You can purchase books from any store that sells DRM-free or unencrypted ebooks in the Mobipocket format, and the Kindle will read them just fine; DRM-free books purchased in other formats can be quickly and easily converted to something the Kindle can read using a program called Calibre. You can also find a lot of free material here and elsewhere.

It is also possible to remove the DRM (copy protection) from books, and then either read them directly or format-shift them to something your Kindle can read, but removing the copy protection may be illegal.

[*]I read a LOT at night. Should I buy one of those clip-on lights?

Do you use one when reading paper books? I find I need about the same amount of light for either.

[*]Cases: I saw one at Amazon that has a plastic transparent cover in the front and EVA on the back, so you can read the Kindle without taking it out. A case like that, is it protection enough or should I go after a hard case?

That really depends on how you use your Kindle - if you plan to carry it around a lot, whether you prefer to read it in or out of the case, and so on. If you check around here you can find a lot of reviews and opinions on cases.

[*]Battery life: is it true that it can last over a week with a lot of use if the 3G function is turned off?

Yes. I use mine a lot, and find I charge it about once a week.

[wallcraft]

There is an extra charge of $2 per ebook for non-US customers (but then no charges per download) and the selection is limited by geographical restrictions in the contracts between authors and publishers. It is about the international K2 release more than a year ago, but see International release of Kindle 2! for a country by country breakdown.

Note that you can open an account at amazon.com and then set your country for the Kindle store and see the ebook selection and price.

[pshrynk]

Welcome to MobileRead, LUW! The questions seem to be answered already. The whole "set your location to US and download by computer" seems to me to be the most logical way of doing things.

I use the Whispernet to download at times, but only for convenience. If I had to do the computer thing, I wouldn't mind. Have you looked into other readers, as well?

[LUW]

Guys, you helped A LOT!
Now I understood the whole thing. Amazon was saying one thing but I was reading another here, but now I understood the price difference. And that was my crucial doubt .

The ability to d/l a book anywhere and on the go is cool, but honestly, at least for me, isn't really something I can't live without. For instance, I just came back from a 10 day vacation, where I took 4 books. I read 3 and a half. So for my next 10 day vacation, and if I already had a Kindle, I would d/l at home 5 or 6 books beforehand, and I would enjoy my vacation the same. And of course with the benefits of having Wiki at my fingertips! Though where I was I had 3G coverage, so I was "touching the world" with my Acer, and therefor even there I could d/l more books, but you get the idea .

If I can live without Whispernet, then maybe I should look elsewhere instead of a Kindle. But what other e-reader has the size of a K2 with the same battery life and the added benefits of a so-so browser (at least works for Wiki) and an easy to use dictionary ?

I confess I basically only looked at the Sony models, but I wasn't particularly impresses by their battery life, and if I'm not mistaken (please correct me here), only the K2/KDx has a battery that can last more then 2 or 3 days. And that is an important point for me: I have enough cables and cords in my life as it is, so the ability to stay unplugged from the wall as long as possible is a must.

My Amazon account is registered here to Brazil, so for me to have it registered to a US address I would have to create another one to d/l books to my PC for a better price. Is that hard to do? Can anyone indicate a thread or site where that is covered for me to take a look?

[Pardoz]

Originally Posted by LUW

My Amazon account is registered here to Brazil, so for me to have it registered to a US address I would have to create another one to d/l books to my PC for a better price.

Actually you shouldn't need to. The short how-to:

1) Add a valid US address to your account (you can get one for free from borderlinx.com among other places).

2) Set your new US address as your default 1-click address in your account settings.

3) Use a VPN (Virtual Private Network - basically a service that reroutes your Internet traffic so it appears to come from another address; in this case, you want Amazon to think your computer is located in the US) when buying/downloading from Amazon. There are lots of options here - Hotspot Shield is easy to set up and free (ad-supported). Just remember to turn it on before logging into Amazon (you can turn it off again after you've downloaded your books).

[pshrynk]

Originally Posted by LUW

Guys, you helped A LOT!
Now I understood the whole thing. Amazon was saying one thing but I was reading another here, but now I understood the price difference. And that was my crucial doubt .

The ability to d/l a book anywhere and on the go is cool, but honestly, at least for me, isn't really something I can't live without. For instance, I just came back from a 10 day vacation, where I took 4 books. I read 3 and a half. So for my next 10 day vacation, and if I already had a Kindle, I would d/l at home 5 or 6 books beforehand, and I would enjoy my vacation the same. And of course with the benefits of having Wiki at my fingertips! Though where I was I had 3G coverage, so I was "touching the world" with my Acer, and therefor even there I could d/l more books, but you get the idea .

If I can live without Whispernet, then maybe I should look elsewhere instead of a Kindle. But what other e-reader has the size of a K2 with the same battery life and the added benefits of a so-so browser (at least works for Wiki) and an easy to use dictionary ?

I confess I basically only looked at the Sony models, but I wasn't particularly impresses by their battery life, and if I'm not mistaken (please correct me here), only the K2/KDx has a battery that can last more then 2 or 3 days. And that is an important point for me: I have enough cables and cords in my life as it is, so the ability to stay unplugged from the wall as long as possible is a must.

My Amazon account is registered here to Brazil, so for me to have it registered to a US address I would have to create another one to d/l books to my PC for a better price. Is that hard to do? Can anyone indicate a thread or site where that is covered for me to take a look?

I may be mistaken, but I think there is a way to dl to the computer and not pay the 3G premium. You might want to call Amazon CS to see if it's possible.

[LUW]

I don't think you can do it "officially" through Amazon, because if it were the case, I'm sure they would have this stated on their Kindle page, or at least there would be two prices on books, one for Whispernet and one for web d/l.

Pardoz's idea looks very doable, I'll try to get the necessary software and give it a run to see if I can make it work.

Well, if it does work, it looks like I am definitively buying a K2 .

[LUW]

I went through the procedure but something occurred to me: what about my credit card? Won't Amazon know I don't live in the US if my billing address is from Brazil ?

[Dr. Drib]

Welcome to MobileRead, LUW.

LUW, you NEVER have to apologize here for asking a question - "noob" or otherwise. We're here to help and to offer assistance, in addition to sharing our love for ebook Readers, for reading, and for ebook accessories - the whole EVERYTHING related to the enjoyment and furtherance of ebooks.

We are an international community of lovers of ebooks.

Also - HAVE FUN!


Don
(Moderator)

[LUW]

Thanx Don !

You guys have a very cooperative community. A newbie like me couldn't ask for more .

[LUW]

I think I solved my problem .

Pardoz's idea about Hotspot Shield made me think, and after surfing through Amazon I remembered about gift certificates . Hotspot Shield (HS) enables your PC to be invisible to the host in terms of geographical location based on it's IP. With that in mind, this is how I did it:

1. I d/led and installed Hotspot Shield on my PC (fast and easy to do).
2. I started HS and then logged on Gmail. There I created a new "sterile" account, saying that I live in the US.
3. As soon as I validated my new Gmail account, and still logged on through HS, I then went to Amazon.com and created a new account. Since Amazon can't see where I'm logging from (because of HS), I said I was from the US, and created a "sterile" account there too.
4. I then logged off of my sterile Amazon account and logged on to my regular account, and bought an e-mail gift certificate of $10, that I sent to my sterile Gmail account.
5. Logged on back to my sterile Amazon account and there were my $10 of credit, to spend wherever I wanted on Amazon but paying US prices on e-books.

As long as I d/l all my books through the web and not Whispernet, I'll pay US$ 2,00 less then I would pay if I d/led them here from Brazil via Whispernet. If I eventually need, for any reason, to buy something via Whispernet, I'll pay US$ 1,99 for each d/l, so it would be the exact same price if I did it through the regular channels.

I can only say this will work 100% after I have my K2 and try this myself, but I think it works. Tonight I'm sending my friend an e-mail and ask him if he can pick up a K2 for me .

[Sydney's Mom]

Originally Posted by LUW

Well, almost ex-paperboy .
It's my first post here, so please don't get too mad at the noob questions. I'm from Brazil and was always interested in e-books, but never had a decent e-book reader. I thought Kindle was awesome, but when it came out it wasn't available here for Brazil, so I simply forgot about it and kept on buying paper books from Amazon and eBay .

To my surprise, in the beginning of this month I found out about the Kindle 2 Global model, and immediately got VERY interested. I have a good friend going to Miami in the next weeks so he could easily bring me one (and I save on S&H ). So if possible, here's what I would like to know:

1. So far I understood that I won't pay any additional fees to d/l a book directly from Amazon to my Kindle (yes, my city has 3G coverage according to Amazon's map). Is that true? I read all the help content over at Amazon and I think it's free, but after I read a few posts here I'm confused about a .99c or 1.99 fee .
2. If there is a fee, if I d/l from Amazon to my PC, will such fee exist?
3. Am I restricted to Amazon for e-book purchases? Not if you learn how to convert books to read on your kindle. In some cases, you might have to remove DRM - that may be illegal in your country, but I don't worry about removing DRM on books I purchased legally. It is not worth suing me for that, because there are no monetary damages.
4. I read a LOT at night. Should I buy one of those clip-on lights?I have a Mighty Brite, and I love it (it is purple and matches my skin perfectly). I use it every night.
5. Cases: I saw one at Amazon that has a plastic transparent cover in the front and EVA on the back, so you can read the Kindle without taking it out. A case like that, is it protection enough or should I go after a hard case?It is personal preference. I like to read with the kindle not in the cover (I preferred to read with the K1 in a cover) so I got a skin. It doesn't protect, but prevents fingerprints and makes it a little easier to hold on to. I got a padded belkin case for transport. But think about how you are likely to carry it around. I put mine in my purse or my briefcase, so that provides a level of protection, as well. The Oberon cover protected my K1 when I dropped it on the train platform - I haven't had that experience with my K2, yet.
6. Battery life: is it true that it can last over a week with a lot of use if the 3G function is turned off?I get more than a week now, because I use Calibre for the majority of my 1000 books. The more books you load onto the kindle, the more battery power will go to indexing and searching.

Sorry for the noob questions, but I honestly combed the forums and didn't find any post that gave me yes or no answers to these particular questions. If I can d/l stuff with no fees, even if it's to my PC, I'm going to buy it, but if there are fees (depending on the value) it would be more economical for me to just keep on buying paper books, specially used ones.

Thanks in advance for your patience and time .

I love my kindle, but cannot tell you about international charges, or availability of books internationally.