International Kindle - it shipped!

[mack 120]

Mack120 update :-)

Had the Kindle on charge for ages last night via an "iSound plus" double USB travel plug.Seemed to take ages still amber light after 4hrs+
The remembered my PSP had a combination plug shipped with it, two hours later GREEN LIGHT. This was at 02.30am. Flicked it on, did 15-30 reset.

Battery monitor now working normal.
Page turning now working as normal.
Very responsive no stutter and no response problems.
The joystick? Im getting used to.

So woke today happy chap, downloaded two books form the store both arrived in under 1-2 mins.

So grateful for the hope received off waingateman.

If your battery gets very low you may experience the problems that i had. Just imagine that you had waited for ages for this to be released over here, tracked it for three days and then you open it and it performs so badly. Then you can understand my very low mood. Well, that an Liverpool performances lately.

My Kindle is working like the adverts promised. RESULT
So after 1-2 yrs i am ebook reading again. RESULT
Also Amazon refunded me $20. RESULT
My old waterproof Ortlieb map case, (which i used with my PRS 505) fits the Kindle better even in the amazon cover. Bath time reading, see attached jpeg. RESULT

Getting to used the clicking of the buttons on the kindle. FINGERS CROSSED
Hoping for more UK books to be available. FINGERS CROSSED
Liverpool FC playing better. FINGERS CROSSED

Thanks for help and assistance

mack120

[Ea]

Mine came just an hour ago, and I've been playing around with it since.

I am so far very impressed. The user interface is fairly easy to figure out, though it's best also to read the manual. It's nice to hold and I like the general layout of the buttons. It really works for me.

It's lighter than my 505 and the backside is all plastic, even if it's painted to look like aluminium, so it's not cold to the touch. For all that I like the classiness of an all alu case, it makes my fingers cold. Perhaps I don't need a silicine skin after all.

I got the standard cover, which is okay, but I can definitely understand the problem with stress on the case from the hinges if you are not very careful when you pick it up and open it. It really is a very basic cover, but better than nothing. It lacks a clasp or something to keep it closed.

The text-to-speech is better than I thought, but the American accent didn't quite work for the British book I tried it on especially couldn't figure out the single quotes. Oh, well, I don't expect to use it.

I haven't tried big tasks yet though - been heeding the problems people seem to have had - so I'm charging by computer, added 10 books and downloaded 4 samples. Now I'll try to see how the browser works.

[Ea]

Originally Posted by Sheepless

I'm about ready to give up on Whispernet. It's been trying to download a particularly large book since yesterday, and repeatedly failing and restarting. The 'documents' directory is gradually filling up with temporary files from the partial download: seems the code is not smart enough to resume a download from where it failed. It's also not smart enough to notice that I've already installed that book, via USB!
...

Couldn't this be a problem with 3G coverage in your area? You can check international roaming AT&Ts web site and see which companies they work with in your country.

Originally Posted by Sheepless

The clock is an hour slow, and I don't see any way to reset it. Perhaps Amazon's DST tables are faulty? We're still on daylight saving, for a few more days.

Originally Posted by parsi

Clock is correct here for me.

When I powered on all my sample chapters and newspaper subs were there for me - I wonder was whispernet working aways whilst the unit was flying..

Seems like clock is set to GMT (UTC) - it's two hours late for me. Pehaps it can be adjusted, I haven't found the setting yet.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by mack 120

Mack120 update :-)

Had the Kindle on charge for ages last night via an "iSound plus" double USB travel plug.Seemed to take ages still amber light after 4hrs+
The remembered my PSP had a combination plug shipped with it, two hours later GREEN LIGHT. This was at 02.30am. Flicked it on, did 15-30 reset.

Battery monitor now working normal.
Page turning now working as normal.
Very responsive no stutter and no response problems.
The joystick? Im getting used to.

So woke today happy chap, downloaded two books form the store both arrived in under 1-2 mins.

So grateful for the hope received off waingateman.

If your battery gets very low you may experience the problems that i had. Just imagine that you had waited for ages for this to be released over here, tracked it for three days and then you open it and it performs so badly. Then you can understand my very low mood. Well, that an Liverpool performances lately.

My Kindle is working like the adverts promised. RESULT
So after 1-2 yrs i am ebook reading again. RESULT
Also apple refunded me $20. RESULT
My old waterproof Ortlieb map case, (which i used with my PRS 505) fits the Kindle better even in the amazon cover. Bath time reading, see attached jpeg. RESULT

Getting to used the clicking of the buttons on the kindle. FINGERS CROSSED
Hoping for more UK books to be available. FINGERS CROSSED

Thanks for help and assistance

mack120

Wonderful!!

[CommanderROR]

I must say that the 3G connection seems very slow here although I'm in the middle of town and it looks like the connection is good (my mobile phone has good coverage here) but I guess it might be the whispernet being slightly overloaded at the moment...

[Ea]

How were you able to use Wikipedia? I can't make anything work with the browser, it's just unresponsive.

EDIT: I figured it out

[Flub]

My Kindle won't charge from the mains either. I guess it means I'll have to find a mains adapter for the official charger from somewhere. I'm not even sure how they managed to stop it working with other chargers to be honest.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by Ea

Mine came just an hour ago, and I've been playing around with it since.

...
It's lighter than my 505 and the backside is all plastic, even if it's painted to look like aluminium, so it's not cold to the touch. ....

I have the "domestic" kindle2, but it sure seems like metal/aluminum to me. Maybe they are different. ??

I don't have a cover yet, but have ordered the standard Amazon cover. I love the naked kindle though. the one thing that I was different would be if it had a "rubberized" coating/texture the way my Astak Pocket Pro does. It makes it much more stable and less likely to slip from your hand.

YMMV

[Sheepless]

Originally Posted by Ea

Couldn't this be a problem with 3G coverage in your area? You can check international roaming AT&Ts web site and see which companies they work with in your country.

Here in central London I normally expect good 3G coverage from the major networks (and I don't have phone trouble), but I saw the Kindle falling back to EDGE/GPRS sometimes while it was downloading. I suspect it was making better progress via EDGE, but unfortunately it would then switch back to 3G and stall again. There seems to be no way to tell it to give up on 3G.

[neilmarr]

Good luck to new Kindlers. Happy reading.

Just a wee thing; mentioned above is Amazon 'collecting' VAT (Value Added Tax) for UK sales. It ain't that simple and honest-to-goodness. Amazon said that the increased price of books bought in the UK 'includes' VAT. See the subtle difference?

As Amazon itself demonstrated when it recently withdrew 1984 etc from Kindles, you do not 'buy' a book, you 'licence it'. This means that it's a 'service' rather than a 'purchase'. The UK VAT rate on services is 6%, not the 19% Amazon is stinging you for.

Into whose pocket does that extra 13% go, I wonder.

Neil

[Ea]

Originally Posted by kennyc

I have the "domestic" kindle2, but it sure seems like metal/aluminum to me. Maybe they are different. ??

I'm comparing with the Sony505. It doesn't feel cold to the touch like metal, and the Kindle is relatively lighter than the Sony, and it has a little 'give' if you pressure it - I don't think it can be all metal. I tried holding it to my lips as well, since they'd be more sensitive, and the 'metal' feels very slightly colder than the plastic at the top, but nothing like real metal. Perhaps it's a very light coating or layer on top of plastic?

Originally Posted by kennyc

I don't have a cover yet, but have ordered the standard Amazon cover. I love the naked kindle though. the one thing that I was different would be if it had a "rubberized" coating/texture the way my Astak Pocket Pro does. It makes it much more stable and less likely to slip from your hand.

YMMV

It's not very smooth, but I have been thinking of getting a silicone cover. I'll see how things work out.

[Ea]

Originally Posted by neilmarr

Good luck to new Kindlers. Happy reading.

Just a wee thing; mentioned above is Amazon 'collecting' VAT (Value Added Tax) for UK sales. It ain't that simple and honest-to-goodness. Amazon said that the increased price of books bought in the UK 'includes' VAT. See the subtle difference?

As Amazon itself demonstrated when it recently withdrew 1984 etc from Kindles, you do not 'buy' a book, you 'licence it'. This means that it's a 'service' rather than a 'purchase'. The UK VAT rate on services is 6%, not the 19% Amazon is stinging you for.

Into whose pocket does that extra 13% go, I wonder.

Neil

Does Amazon oficially sell ebooks as a service or an item? I think this is wha the tax authorities would be guided by. It doesn't matter if we say it's technically a service.

BTW, I was wondering if they bothered to collect VAT for individual countries? VAT in DK is 25% on everything, so I wondered if I was seeing the same price as someone in the UK?
For example, Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel is 12.26 USD for me - it should then be a bit cheaper for someone in UK...

VAT is an interesting question BTW - because if I bought physical goods they would (usually) be collected by the carrier because it's import into EU. It's not the same as Amazon in UK collecting VAT on what I buy through them.

[pdurrant]

I tried sticky velcro, but it was a bit thick. I'm now using a strip of double-sided sticky tape, and that's working very well - invisibly keeps the kindle against the back of the cover, and prevents any stress on the hinges.

Originally Posted by Ea

I got the standard cover, which is okay, but I can definitely understand the problem with stress on the case from the hinges if you are not very careful when you pick it up and open it.

[Grumpyreader]

Originally Posted by neilmarr

Good luck to new Kindlers. Happy reading.

Just a wee thing; mentioned above is Amazon 'collecting' VAT (Value Added Tax) for UK sales. It ain't that simple and honest-to-goodness. Amazon said that the increased price of books bought in the UK 'includes' VAT. See the subtle difference?

As Amazon itself demonstrated when it recently withdrew 1984 etc from Kindles, you do not 'buy' a book, you 'licence it'. This means that it's a 'service' rather than a 'purchase'. The UK VAT rate on services is 6%, not the 19% Amazon is stinging you for.

Into whose pocket does that extra 13% go, I wonder.

Neil

I'm confused. I thought the standard rate for VAT in the UK was 15% (rising to 17.5% next year when the current reduction expires). When did it increase to 19%?

Regarding the goods/service argument, wasn't this decided by the EEC in a Directive (77/388EEC Annex L). I don't think it's up to Amazon to decide unfortunately.

I think that if Amazon are outside the EEC and supply goods to a non-VAT registered individual or company within the EEC, Amazon are required to collect in the VAT and account for this to the national customs office. If they didn't Amazon would get a big bill at the end of the year.

[pdurrant]

I see Wolf Hall as $12.26 too. Oddly, it's not available in the US Kindle store, possibly because its not out in the US in hardback until 25th October.

If you log out of your account at Amazon, you can just switch country in the pop-up menu on the main Kindle Store page, and compare prices.

Originally Posted by Ea

BTW, I was wondering if they bothered to collect VAT for individual countries? VAT in DK is 25% on everything, so I wondered if I was seeing the same price as someone in the UK?
For example, Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel is 12.26 USD for me - it should then be a bit cheaper for someone in UK...