MobileRead Forums
Register Guidelines E-Books Today's Posts Search

Go Back   MobileRead Forums > E-Book Readers > Which one should I buy?
Reload this Page Which Ereader for international use (Canada, Australia)

Notices

Reply
Page 2 of 3 1 2 3
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 05-10-2012, 01:56 PM   #16
Tash79
Member
Tash79 began at the beginning.
 
Posts: 11
Karma: 10
Join Date: May 2012
Device: none
Quote:
Originally Posted by ProfCrash View Post
You are going to be restricted where ever you go no matter what the device. Geo Restictions are the same for every e-book store. If you cannot buy the book at Amazon, you are not likely to be able to buy the book at Kobo. The issue is not that the stores don't want to sell the book to you, it is that the Publishers in those countries have not granted the right to the stores to sell the book to you.

The good news for you is that there are very easy ways around this. They involve a VPN blocker, a fake address in the US, and using gift cards and not a credit card to buy the books that you want.

If you want to be able to read outside while hanging on the beach in Australia than a tablet is not a good idea. There will be a good amount of glare and they can be hard to see. I was using my IPad outside this weekend and was under a good amount of shade and still had some glare issues. An e-ink reader will not have that problem. And they are less expensive.

And if you are willing to strip DRM, you will find that it takes you about 30 minutes to visit Apprentice Alf and get yourself set up so you can buy and convert books from any book store. There is no real reason for format to be an issue unless you have an ethical problem with removing DRM.
I suppose my thoughts are that the Sony/Kobo is Epub compatible so even though there are restrictions for all ereaders internationally the Epub books will be available from various sources & therefor I will have more options.
Is this incorrect?
I currently have 10Mb of Epub books. I realize I could use calibre to convert them to be used on a Kindle.
I have no ethical issue with any of this
Tash79 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-10-2012, 02:52 PM   #17
ProfCrash
Tea Enthusiast
ProfCrash ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ProfCrash ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ProfCrash ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ProfCrash ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ProfCrash ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ProfCrash ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ProfCrash ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ProfCrash ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ProfCrash ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ProfCrash ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ProfCrash ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
ProfCrash's Avatar
 
Posts: 8,554
Karma: 75384937
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Somewhere in the USA
Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2
Then go with the T1.

I held off on a tablet for the past two or three years, even though they looked cool and I wanted one, mainly because my computer at home served me just fine. Now that I am getting ready to become a Mom, I wanted to have something that I could use while breast feeding and without having to walk up and down stairs with the baby knowing that the dogs enjoy wrestling on the stairs.

OK, so it was the best excuse I could come up with in order to buy the really expensive gadget that I wanted.
ProfCrash is offline   Reply With Quote
Advert
Old 05-10-2012, 02:59 PM   #18
ProfCrash
Tea Enthusiast
ProfCrash ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ProfCrash ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ProfCrash ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ProfCrash ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ProfCrash ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ProfCrash ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ProfCrash ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ProfCrash ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ProfCrash ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ProfCrash ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ProfCrash ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
ProfCrash's Avatar
 
Posts: 8,554
Karma: 75384937
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Somewhere in the USA
Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tash79 View Post
I suppose my thoughts are that the Sony/Kobo is Epub compatible so even though there are restrictions for all ereaders internationally the Epub books will be available from various sources & therefor I will have more options.
Is this incorrect?
I currently have 10Mb of Epub books. I realize I could use calibre to convert them to be used on a Kindle.
I have no ethical issue with any of this
You will have more stores to shop at but that does not mean that you will have more access to books. Amazon's Kindle shop normally carries the same books as the various e-book shops. In the US, Amazon's Kindle store sells more titles than the various EPub stores. There are many folks on this site who will tell you that they have an EPub reader and buy books from Amazon to put on their devices because they can find the books at Amazon and not at Sony or Kobo or BN (in the US).

So the idea is that you can buy mainstream books from more stores with EPub but that does not mean that there are more ebooks available in EPub than Mobi/New Amazon Format that has an 8 in it.

Which means, the format really doesn't matter. The same books are available in both formats. With Agency Pricing, the books are pretty much the same price across the board so there is no real advantage to being able to buy from one store or the other.

There are folks who will rave about all the awesome things you can do with EPub that you cannot do with Mobi and then someone will pop on and tell you that the vast majority of those features are not used in EPub so it really doesn't matter, which is true. And the new Amazon format does all the stuff that EPub can do.

Which means, once again, that format really doesn't matter.

So buy the E-reader you are most comfortable and like the best. The Sony is a good reader. I am sure you will enjoy it. I happen to love my Kindle but that is because I love the ease of use and the Amazon ecosystem. It is easy to use, easy to buy from, and I can find the books that I want. The format issue is, to me, a non-starter.
ProfCrash is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-10-2012, 03:47 PM   #19
Tash79
Member
Tash79 began at the beginning.
 
Posts: 11
Karma: 10
Join Date: May 2012
Device: none
Very helpful Profcrash - I use Amazon more than any site to search for books and love their ecosystem. I also read a lot of reviews before purchasing a new/unfamiliar book so having Amazon, a site I am very familiar with available to me could be a big advantage.

Amazon Kindle is now added to my list.
Tash79 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-10-2012, 03:52 PM   #20
ProfCrash
Tea Enthusiast
ProfCrash ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ProfCrash ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ProfCrash ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ProfCrash ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ProfCrash ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ProfCrash ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ProfCrash ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ProfCrash ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ProfCrash ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ProfCrash ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ProfCrash ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
ProfCrash's Avatar
 
Posts: 8,554
Karma: 75384937
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Somewhere in the USA
Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2
The reality is that the major e-readers are all pretty similar. You should go for the one that you feel best suits your needs.

If you go with an EPub reader, Amazon is still there for you as long as you are ok with stripping DRM and converting. If you live outside the US and want something to use at the library, the Kindle is not the best choice for you. If you live outside the US and don't care about the library, then there is no reason to exclude the Kindle based on format.
ProfCrash is offline   Reply With Quote
Advert
Old 05-10-2012, 04:00 PM   #21
Tash79
Member
Tash79 began at the beginning.
 
Posts: 11
Karma: 10
Join Date: May 2012
Device: none
As I have been reading I have found that the vast majority of Libraries in Australia do not currently loan ebooks. From what I can find there are no libraries in my hometown of Perth (Western Australia) which loan books.
Can't find any in Melbourne either.

I guess one day they will but at the moment they don't so that feature is now void.
Tash79 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-10-2012, 04:08 PM   #22
AnemicOak
Bookaholic
AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
AnemicOak's Avatar
 
Posts: 14,391
Karma: 54969924
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Minnesota
Device: iPad Mini 4, AuraHD, iPhone XR +
I didn't check the eligibility requirements (two are college libraries don't know if you need to be a student), but here's what OverDrive lists for libraries in the areas you mentioned...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tash79 View Post
From what I can find there are no libraries in my hometown of Perth (Western Australia) which loan books.
Overdrive libraries in Western Austrailia
http://cgg.lib.overdrive.com/
http://perthcollege.lib.overdrive.com/
http://penrhoscollege.lib.overdrive.com/

Quote:
Can't find any in Melbourne either.
Overdrive libraries in Melbourne
http://melbourne.lib.overdrive.com/
AnemicOak is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-10-2012, 04:12 PM   #23
treadlightly
Wizard
treadlightly ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.treadlightly ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.treadlightly ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.treadlightly ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.treadlightly ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.treadlightly ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.treadlightly ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.treadlightly ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.treadlightly ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.treadlightly ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.treadlightly ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
treadlightly's Avatar
 
Posts: 1,370
Karma: 6957792
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Ottawa, ON
Device: Kobo H2O
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tash79 View Post
As I have been reading I have found that the vast majority of Libraries in Australia do not currently loan ebooks. From what I can find there are no libraries in my hometown of Perth (Western Australia) which loan books.
Can't find any in Melbourne either.

I guess one day they will but at the moment they don't so that feature is now void.
If you currently live in Canada and validate your library card just before you leave you will have one year's access to your library's collection via Overdrive before your card expires.
treadlightly is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-10-2012, 04:17 PM   #24
Tash79
Member
Tash79 began at the beginning.
 
Posts: 11
Karma: 10
Join Date: May 2012
Device: none
haha unfortunately Perth College and Penrhos are private girls schools so I doubt they will let me join.

Geraldton is 5 hours outside Perth. I understand you have to sign up in person and live in the area which could pose a problem.

Seems the library feature on the T1 won't work either

I'm feeling that all arrows point to Kindle at this stage.
Tash79 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-10-2012, 04:25 PM   #25
Tash79
Member
Tash79 began at the beginning.
 
Posts: 11
Karma: 10
Join Date: May 2012
Device: none
Quote:
Originally Posted by treadlightly View Post
If you currently live in Canada and validate your library card just before you leave you will have one year's access to your library's collection via Overdrive before your card expires.
Good idea! Hopefully Australia will have ironed out the kinks by then.
Tash79 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-10-2012, 06:44 PM   #26
Cdesja5
Wizard
Cdesja5 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cdesja5 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cdesja5 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cdesja5 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cdesja5 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cdesja5 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cdesja5 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cdesja5 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cdesja5 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cdesja5 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Cdesja5 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Cdesja5's Avatar
 
Posts: 1,117
Karma: 2094306
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Montreal, Canada
Device: Lots and lots of electronic gadgets...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tash79 View Post
Good idea! Hopefully Australia will have ironed out the kinks by then.
Depending on where you get your card, it may not expire after a year... I use my daughter's card which was issued 4 years ago and has not had to be renewed... My own Toronto card has to be renewed yearly. Note that some of our Canadian libraries will allow non-residents to pay a yearly fee to get a card. Here in Durham Region (just east of Toronto, Oshawa, Whitby etc.) charge only $30 a year. Toronto public library charges $30 per 3 months. Check the libraries' web site and search for "non-resident".
Cdesja5 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-11-2012, 06:16 AM   #27
zzroger
Member
zzroger began at the beginning.
 
Posts: 18
Karma: 10
Join Date: Jul 2011
Device: Kobo & Kindle Touch
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tash79 View Post

Geraldton is 5 hours outside Perth. I understand you have to sign up in person and live in the area which could pose a problem.

I'm feeling that all arrows point to Kindle at this stage.
Libraries here are mainly run and funded by local authorities with some State assistance. So, what you say is correct, you have to have an address in that local authority area to access the library.
University libraries are public, but I don't know how you access them as whan I used to I was a student anyway.
You mentioned in a previous post the desire to read in bed. I think you may find two bad things about reading a tablet in bed. (1) They are very heavy and ungainly, (2), they are very bright and glary, very hard on the eyes for a lot of reading.
The Calibre software is excellent for E-book management. With it you can add or remove books from your e-Book device plus you can easily change formats of e-books. That is assuming those books are not DRM'd, even if they are there are plug ins that allow you to strip the DRM and change the format.
So, what ever e-book you like will be good. Pick them up, feel the weight, do a few page turns and see how the controls are and choose the best for you.
zzroger is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2012, 05:48 AM   #28
BEARLOBE
Junior Member
BEARLOBE began at the beginning.
 
Posts: 6
Karma: 10
Join Date: Apr 2012
Device: Kindle Touch
I bought my Kindle Touch (non-3G) while I was in the US. I've been back in Australia for a month and a half and I haven't had any issues using the amazon store. I'm not sure what all of the restrictions are supposed to be, but I'm yet to experience them for myself. I've purchased a few books on it since (from both Ireland and Australia) without issue.

I saw the Kindle Touch (3G) advertised at a retail store here for $250, so I'd definitely be buying it before you come here.
BEARLOBE is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2012, 05:51 AM   #29
meeera
Grand Sorcerer
meeera ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.meeera ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.meeera ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.meeera ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.meeera ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.meeera ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.meeera ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.meeera ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.meeera ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.meeera ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.meeera ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
meeera's Avatar
 
Posts: 5,814
Karma: 68407974
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Australia
Device: Kobo Libra 2, iPadMini4, iPad4, MBP; support other Kobo/Kindles
No problem here using a Kobo Touch in Australia. Occasionally there's a geo-locked book that I want; I take care of that by having an alternate US address on those accounts (Kobobooks and Amazon, so far), using a free VPN service for the purchase, and disinfecting ebooks as soon as I buy them.
meeera is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-15-2012, 09:24 PM   #30
Tash79
Member
Tash79 began at the beginning.
 
Posts: 11
Karma: 10
Join Date: May 2012
Device: none
Just wanted to update: I ended up going with the Kindle Touch. I mainly use Amazon to discover new books, read reviews etc so the ecosystem and ease of use won in the end.

Thanks everyone for your help
Tash79 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply
Page 2 of 3 1 2 3

« Previous Thread | Next Thread »

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Best ereader in Australia sabredog General Discussions 8 10-20-2010 06:14 PM
Thoughts on buying an ereader (in Australia) kgn Which one should I buy? 0 06-07-2010 05:15 PM
Ereader for Australia Honeycowz Which one should I buy? 1 05-22-2010 05:11 AM
a decent cheap ereader for Australia? arcanekn Which one should I buy? 5 09-13-2009 09:51 AM
Buying an eReader for Australia - HELP SubElement Which one should I buy? 6 02-01-2009 07:06 PM


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 12:54 PM.

Contact Us - FAQ - Guidelines - Privacy - Top

MobileRead.com is a privately owned, operated and funded community.