Finally. Success (i hope)

[rubikscube99]

Yes, many of you might remember me from such posts as "My Kindle" and "Register kindle without whispernet"

Background: I dont live in the US, and i was trying to acquire a kindle

Well today, i finally opened and registered it. Finally! My friend had it de-registered (even-though it was a gift), and i was finally able to register it. The green text "Successfully registered new device" made my day. I decided to take my kindle out for a spin, and loaded it up with April 6ths NYT edition. Really nice print, really nice. However, i had heard of the "Text Fading in the Sun" issue many people were experiencing. I was afraid i might be a victim of this, so i took it near the window, flipped through a couple of pages, and it maintained the high contrast. However, just to be sure, i went downstairs and went to an exposed area, and took out the kindle. It faded, it faded rapidly, and i was taken aback. However, i found a nice shaded area by the pool in my condo, and relaxed and read the paper there with no issues. The issue only occurs in direct sunlight, which doesnt bother me- because the country i live in is currently at 42 degrees celsius, and i prefer AVOIDING large exposed areas of sun. Plus, that nice area by the pool is shaded, so i should be fine. I tested it out in the car, again the glass prevents direct sunlight from hitting the screen, no issues there. I am not going to return it, because i do not live in the US, and this would just be a whole story i do NOT want to go through again. But other than that, it is fine with me. I like the interface, and glad to be up and running. Now i can participate on this forum, once i figure out how this thing works...

[Alphapheemail]

First and foremost...


And you can always get help here in your "trying to figure it out" adventure!!

Congrats!

[kevindorsey]

Nice! and Congratss

[Elsi]

Yay! Congratulations on your acquisition. If your Kindle didn't come with the Kindle User's Guide, you can download that from Amazon. I renamed the file to .prc and was able to open it with the desktop version of Mobipocket Reader. That was useful because I could be reading the User's Guide while pushing buttons on the Kindle.

Now that you've mastered the trick of getting a newspaper from Amazon, you can certainly use that skill to buy books as well. Our wiki contains a list of other stores you might visit to buy books for the Kindle (Fictionwise and Baen come to mind since they both offer a DRM-free books.)

And of course, you'll want to take advantage of the wonderfully formatted books available right here at MobileRead. You can download the MobileRead Mobipocket Download Guide so you'll know all about the books available here at MobileRead. Since you are currently outside the whispernet coverage area, you can't download books directly into the Kindle, but I find it quite handy to plan future reading.

You might consider updating your profile to indicate that you now own a Kindle. And, unless it's a secret, it would be nice to know where in the world you are living. Thanks for posting and letting us know that you've gotten your Kindle!

[desertgrandma]

Here is the link for the Kindle 2 and 1 users guide. You will want the pdf version to read on your computer.

Enjoy.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/custom...deId=200317150

[HarryT]

How were you able to register it, as a matter of interest?

[Mike L]

Hi Rubikscube99,

I got my Kindle a few days ago, and have had a similar experience to yours. Like you, I live outside the US.

The person who bought the Kindle for me first had to deregister it (on the Amazon website). After that, I could register it to myself, also on the website. It's now working fine, although the Settings screen still says that it's unregistered. I don't suppose that matters, except that I can't get to the other options on the Settings screen.

I've had no problem purchasing books or subscribing to magazines. The only other issue is that I can't download the free sample of a book, as that requires Whispernet.

I'm glad you're enjoying your Kindle, as I am mine. (I can't imagine what it's like to live in a country where the temperature goes to 42. Here, we're lucky if it reaches double figures.)

[fugazied]

Woohoo! congrats!

Yes, how did you manage to get it registered to your own account if you are in Canada? Did you buy somone's US account?

[Elsi]

Originally Posted by Mike L

The person who bought the Kindle for me first had to deregister it (on the Amazon website). After that, I could register it to myself, also on the website. It's now working fine, although the Settings screen still says that it's unregistered. I don't suppose that matters, except that I can't get to the other options on the Settings screen.

I've had no problem purchasing books or subscribing to magazines. The only other issue is that I can't download the free sample of a book, as that requires Whispernet.

I'm glad you're enjoying your Kindle, as I am mine. (I can't imagine what it's like to live in a country where the temperature goes to 42. Here, we're lucky if it reaches double figures.)

I suspect that the Kindle discovers that it is registered by contacting the Amazon server over the Whispernet. As long as the website considers your Kindle registered and produces books which can be opened on it, the fact that it says "unregistered" on the Kindle itself should not be a problem.

I don't know what other options are on the Settings screen -- is this a Kindle 1 or Kindle 2 ?

On my Kindle 1, the settings screen has these options:

Account Name: (my name) Deregister **
-- Clicking the Deregister link with my antenna turned off results in a message that the Kindle cannot connect to the server at this time.

Device name: Elsi's Kindle Edit **
-- Clicking the Edit link with my antenna turned off results in a message that the Kindle cannot connect to the server at this time.

Personal Info: (freeform text where I have put my name, cell # and e-mail address; this appears to be simply held on the device itself) View/Edit **
-- Clicking on the View/Edit link with my antenna turned off opens a small text window similar to the one used when you add a note to a book

Primary Dictionary: The New Oxford American Dictionary Change **
-- Clicking the Change link with the antenna disabled presents me with a list of the dictionaries on the Kindle so I can select one

Annotations: Backup of Annotations Enabled Disable **
-- Clicking the Disable link with the antenna turned off toggles the status of the Annotations setting.


So -- for a Kindle 1, two of the operations on the Settings menu are disabled when you cannot connect to the Whispernet. In my case, because I have the antenna switch in the "off" position. In your case, it would be because you are just too far away from an enabled cell tower.

[rubikscube99]

hey guys...
ummm here is how it was finally registered:

1. Contacted friend in US and asked them to:
a. Login to amazon
b. Click on Manage my Kindle
c. Deregister

2. I logged in to my account, and the kindle finally registered...

Mike L: Yea i cant access the settings either... but oh well who gives? plus im visiting the states in 2 months... il officially register the whispernet there.

[Mike L]

Elso,

I suspect that the Kindle discovers that it is registered by contacting the Amazon server over the Whispernet. As long as the website considers your Kindle registered and produces books which can be opened on it, the fact that it says "unregistered" on the Kindle itself should not be a problem.

I agree completely.

As far as the setting screen is concerned, all I can see is a message telling me to register. According the handbook, there should be options for personalising the Kindle, choosing a custom dictionary, and so on. But, as you say, it's no great hardship not having these.