[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.