MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Some questions about + should I get a Kindle? (located outside US)

krysjez · 01-22-2011, 09:49 AM

Hello all,

A relative of mine's travelling to the US (for only about 5 days, though, so I have to act fast), presenting an opportunity for me to buy a Kindle. Been reading up on the Kindle 3 WiFi only version and a few things have made me hesitate about placing the order:

Kindle page on Amazon has a significant number of negative reviews, mostly listing complaints about poor build quality and the Kindle freezing up. Because I'm located outside the US, it means I won't be able to send a broken device back to Amazon for replacements.
...and no user-replaceable battery, same issue
The battery life is apparently nowhere near the full month Amazon touts - about two weeks, at best
To buy anything on Amazon, I'll have to use a VPN with servers in the US and be extra paranoid when using Amazon.com lest they find out I'm not from an 'authorized country'.
Kindle doesn't support ePub! which my local libraries use

But my research so far has also shown that the Kindle is probably the best device for me....I think. The screen's supposed to be fantastic, page turns are fast, good WiFi support, it's the lightest of the popular readers, and the lowest-priced as well.

A bit about my situation:

Thrifty student (can't afford more than US$150, probably)
Heavy reader - hours at a go, so need a good e-ink screen with no glare, which I heard Sony Reader's touchscreen has.
Live in Singapore
Read a lot of free ePub, PDF books from Project Gutenberg and Archive.org - it'll be useless to get an eReader which can't read my books
Poor eyesight (I wear progressive addition lenses for 500 deg myopia and 100 deg astigmatism) so adjustable contrast and font size is a plus
Need a fairly strong/durable reader that can withstand knocks from being carried around in my schoolbag. How well does the Kindle hold up without a case?
Fairly tech-savvy, so setting up a VPN is all right, just really troublesome
Need Chinese character support
Have WiFi set up at home

Do you think I should go ahead and get the Kindle now? Or keep waiting until Amazon relaxes its restrictions/a good, affordable eReader pops up in Singapore? I looked at Sony's Readers and they seem to be really good as well, but they're so expensive...

Thanks in advance for your opinions.

PS: I'm not in desperate need of an eReader or anything...just that I don't often get the chance to buy US-only products without having to pay extra for concierge services and shipping.

01-22-2011, 09:49 AM	#1
krysjez Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: Stanza on iPod Touch, Kindle 3 wifi	Some questions about + should I get a Kindle? (located outside US) Hello all, A relative of mine's travelling to the US (for only about 5 days, though, so I have to act fast), presenting an opportunity for me to buy a Kindle. Been reading up on the Kindle 3 WiFi only version and a few things have made me hesitate about placing the order: Kindle page on Amazon has a significant number of negative reviews, mostly listing complaints about poor build quality and the Kindle freezing up. Because I'm located outside the US, it means I won't be able to send a broken device back to Amazon for replacements. ...and no user-replaceable battery, same issue The battery life is apparently nowhere near the full month Amazon touts - about two weeks, at best To buy anything on Amazon, I'll have to use a VPN with servers in the US and be extra paranoid when using Amazon.com lest they find out I'm not from an 'authorized country'. Kindle doesn't support ePub! which my local libraries use But my research so far has also shown that the Kindle is probably the best device for me....I think. The screen's supposed to be fantastic, page turns are fast, good WiFi support, it's the lightest of the popular readers, and the lowest-priced as well. A bit about my situation: Thrifty student (can't afford more than US$150, probably) Heavy reader - hours at a go, so need a good e-ink screen with no glare, which I heard Sony Reader's touchscreen has. Live in Singapore Read a lot of free ePub, PDF books from Project Gutenberg and Archive.org - it'll be useless to get an eReader which can't read my books Poor eyesight (I wear progressive addition lenses for 500 deg myopia and 100 deg astigmatism) so adjustable contrast and font size is a plus Need a fairly strong/durable reader that can withstand knocks from being carried around in my schoolbag. How well does the Kindle hold up without a case? Fairly tech-savvy, so setting up a VPN is all right, just really troublesome Need Chinese character support Have WiFi set up at home Do you think I should go ahead and get the Kindle now? Or keep waiting until Amazon relaxes its restrictions/a good, affordable eReader pops up in Singapore? I looked at Sony's Readers and they seem to be really good as well, but they're so expensive... Thanks in advance for your opinions. PS: I'm not in desperate need of an eReader or anything...just that I don't often get the chance to buy US-only products without having to pay extra for concierge services and shipping. Last edited by krysjez; 01-22-2011 at 09:54 AM.