When will a wireless e-book device come to Australia?

[Blue Tyson]

Unlikely any time soon given the usurious charges for mobile internet, etc.

Plus I can see an Australian shop charging Australian prices possibly - so that will lower sales quite a bit, so probably not going to be worth it for anyone.

[Crowl]

The charges for mobile internet are not really relevant for something like the sony daily edition, its not giving you mobile internet, just access to the one site and thats how they will have been able to agree the deal with att in the states since they are hardly going to be eager to give away mobile internet either.

[Laine]

Quote

"However if you want maximum coverage you have to deal with Telstra, and they are quite expensive and renowned for their disinclination to negotiate with anyone smaller than themselves. The other carriers only cover the major cities, and even there the coverage can be a bit spotty."

I've only once come across one less efficient company than Telstra and that's Dymocks -a book store that is pathetic in their ebook handling.

So if Telstra ran it - I wouldn't want to use it.

[montsnmags]

Originally Posted by Laine

...
I've only once come across one less efficient company than Telstra and that's Dymocks -a book store that is pathetic in their ebook handling.

...and, from my experience, ebook device handling.

So if Telstra ran it - I wouldn't want to use it.

Their only benefit seems to me to be coverage outside of urban areas. I would use it, as long as I didn't have to deal with the network provider - that is, the way I believe the Kindle works - and, of course, so long as Dymocks weren't the supplier of the network-subsidised device.

Cheers,
Marc

[AprilHare]

Originally Posted by Laine

Quote

"However if you want maximum coverage you have to deal with Telstra, and they are quite expensive and renowned for their disinclination to negotiate with anyone smaller than themselves. The other carriers only cover the major cities, and even there the coverage can be a bit spotty."

I've only once come across one less efficient company than Telstra and that's Dymocks -a book store that is pathetic in their ebook handling.

So if Telstra ran it - I wouldn't want to use it.

Originally Posted by montsnmags

...and, from my experience, ebook device handling.



Their only benefit seems to me to be coverage outside of urban areas. I would use it, as long as I didn't have to deal with the network provider - that is, the way I believe the Kindle works - and, of course, so long as Dymocks weren't the supplier of the network-subsidised device.

Cheers,
Marc

I can appreciate the distaste with dealing with Telstra - but Dymocks and ebooks/ebook readers?
Stories, anyone?

[montsnmags]

Originally Posted by AprilHare

I can appreciate the distaste with dealing with Telstra - but Dymocks and ebooks/ebook readers?
Stories, anyone?

I don't want to get into my experience with Dymocks and acquiring an ebook device from them, lest it turn in to a spittle-flecked rant (and it would. I've done it before just over their bookstore service, to distract myself from my ebook-device gripe, which includes their left misshapen stump not knowing what their right, oozing pseudopod is doing...but I said I wouldn't). Suffice to say I would never purchase an ebook from them, will never purchase another device from them (DA Direct is where it's at, baby!), and will only purchase pbooks from them (at a brick-and-mortar store - NEVER online) if I can't get them from anywhere else and they're in stock.

Cheers,
Marc (Dymocks! We hates it, we hates it, we hates it forever!)

[mjmcleod]

Originally Posted by montsnmags

(Dymocks! We hates it, we hates it, we hates it forever!)

The funny thing is, I can remember a time when Dymocks looked like some sort of white knight compared to Angus & Robertson, at least from where I was sitting in a city that was rather poorly-served, bookshop-wise.

But I guess the accountants with their spreadsheets have taken over Dymocks, just like most other companies.

[AprilHare]

With the coming of the Amazon Kindle to Australia, the sole person who voted for 'by the end of 2010' wins and puts the rest of the skeptics to shame: http://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Inter...085251-8065859

[neilmarr]

G'day, Blue: Why is wireless connectivity such a big deal when you obviously have a computer? Kindle store restrictions, geographical restrictions on thousands of titles, blogging and browsing restrictions, and prices outside the US make it a non-starter as far as I'm concerned. But, sadly, it will sell hugely at Christmas anyway because of the inevitable media hype. Cheers. Neil

PS: If you want a new Australian novel that's a lot of fun, my own wee pubishing house released *Last Birds* by Andrew Thelander in Queensland a couple of weeks ago. Drop me a line and I'll be happy to send you the ebook version with our compliments. ntmarATbewrite.net (use the @ sign). Blurb, etc at www.bewrite.net. N

[Crowl]

It does make you wonder if the way they are releasing this is just to try and act as a spoiler to other products in the run up to the holiday season because the big selling points of a kindle for people outside the states would be an integrated bookstore and good pricing, regional restrictions blow both of those points out of the water though.

[300com]

Amazon Kindle goes international

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=58608

They've got the big fight against Sony and whatever apple has planned in store
1st Quarter 2010.

[Crowl]

Looking on the site, it does update how many books are available depending on which country you choose, both australia and the uk get 280k and germany 290k compared with the 350k they claim for the states, it will be interesting to see how those numbers actually work out in reality.

[montsnmags]

Originally Posted by neilmarr

...
PS: If you want a new Australian novel that's a lot of fun, my own wee pubishing house released *Last Birds* by Andrew Thelander in Queensland a couple of weeks ago. Drop me a line and I'll be happy to send you the ebook version with our compliments. ntmarATbewrite.net (use the @ sign). Blurb, etc at www.bewrite.net. N

Hmm, not only from Queensland, but maybe even relatively close to my neck of the woods if he's writing about where he lives. I think I might have to buy myself that book...show some local support.

Cheers,
Marc

[Blue Tyson]

Originally Posted by neilmarr

G'day, Blue: Why is wireless connectivity such a big deal when you obviously have a computer? Kindle store restrictions, geographical restrictions on thousands of titles, blogging and browsing restrictions, and prices outside the US make it a non-starter as far as I'm concerned. But, sadly, it will sell hugely at Christmas anyway because of the inevitable media hype. Cheers. Neil

PS: If you want a new Australian novel that's a lot of fun, my own wee pubishing house released *Last Birds* by Andrew Thelander in Queensland a couple of weeks ago. Drop me a line and I'll be happy to send you the ebook version with our compliments. ntmarATbewrite.net (use the @ sign). Blurb, etc at www.bewrite.net. N

It isn't a big deal for me, as such, but it is a highly popular feature. Amazon has gone for the charge people for it solution. Not so great, unless you are downloading extremely huge book files.

Fancy mobile phones and brand new laptops aren't big deals to me either, but they are to lots of people. I'm perfectly happy with a PDA as far as reading longer stuff goes.

I'm surprised they did Australia at all, so I was wrong.

I'm not surprised there is no web browser, however. Was reading a story just the other day about people racking up 800 or several thousand dollar iPhone bills from using the internet. Amazon not likely to be going to pay those costs!

Geographical restrictions are everywhere now, it seems, so all the same for those publishers that insist. Amazon still has more books that I would be interested in, though, because some of the slower types only sell there.

What it will do perhaps is light a rocket under the useless local publishers and retailers, and point out to those in denial they can't escape.

[Blue Tyson]

Originally Posted by Crowl

Looking on the site, it does update how many books are available depending on which country you choose, both australia and the uk get 280k and germany 290k compared with the 350k they claim for the states, it will be interesting to see how those numbers actually work out in reality.

267K it shows when you are logged in and looking at the Kindle store page, it seems. Guess they will get to 280 quickly enough.

I checked Tor books for example, the paltry few that there are - those are US only.