Greetings from Perth Australia

[SeaWolf]

Just signed up the other day after taking an interest in eBooks.
I notice a few other Aussies in the forum as well, but everyone seems to be from the far side of the continent.

I don't have an eBook reader yet, but I've taken an interest after a book I wanted required me to wait 6 weeks on an inter-library loan request to come through. It was frustrating to know that it was available in just about every eBook store very cheaply and if I only had an eBook reader I could have been reading it straight away!

[Donnageddon]

G'day Mate! Put a shrimp on the barbie and slap some Vegemite on toast and enjoy the forums!

Welcome aboard!

(sorry if I make little sense, I don't actually speak oztralian)

[desertgrandma]

To you and all your fellow Australians.........the more you look into e-books, the more you'll wonder why you waited so long......e books don't replace paper books, they just add a whole new dimension.........enjoy the journey, regardless of which one you choose.

[SeaWolf]

It's a bummer, but the market for them seems to be totally undeveloped in Australia. The only manufacturer that has any kind of distribution here is iRex who is selling their iLiad through Dymocks. But at AU$900 it's way on the expensive side. It's looking like pretty much the only option for me will be to order one internationally.
I'm keen to see what FeedBooks will have to offer when they launch their reader.

[Spartacus2112]

Greetings, SeaWolf. Enjoy the forum!

[Ervserver]

Hello SeaWolf

[MickeyC]

Hi SeaWolf and welcome to the Forum.

[badgoodDeb]

Oh, the market can't be totally undeveloped in Australia. We've got a few other members from there. Montsnmags is a prolific chat guy, and HE seems to have a reader! (I forget what kind; I'm too busy enjoying his forum messages!)

Anyway -- welcome!

Oooo - I just noticed you are a Mac person too! Way to go!!!!

[RCR]

Originally Posted by SeaWolf

I notice a few other Aussies in the forum as well, but everyone seems to be from the far side of the continent.

Greetings from the "far side".

A laptop computer is a fine substitute for an ebook reader. I had about 2-3GB of ebooks collected long before I got my Sony. A dedicated ebook reader is just a lot more convenient to read off.

[montsnmags]

Originally Posted by badgoodDeb

Oh, the market can't be totally undeveloped in Australia. We've got a few other members from there. Montsnmags is a prolific chat guy,

Is that meant as a compliment or a criticism?

and HE seems to have a reader! (I forget what kind; I'm too busy enjoying his forum messages!)

I've got the Iliad, bought from Dymocks (note to Seawolf - aside from the expense, you should also note that I have found that Dymocks online raise incompetence and apathy to an artform of the "technicolour yawn on a canvass" standard, so there's my vote to avoid. )

There's someone else around the traps here that actually sells the Iliad in Australia, but also sells, I think, the Cybook. I do like the Iliad, but I have no qualms recommending the Cybook too - it's what I would have bought from overseas (at the time) if I hadn't bought the Iliad. Also, I think the Netronix/Astak device is in the "coming soon" stage, and I believe they've mentioned there being an Australian distributor when it happens.

Does anyone remember who that chappie here is in Australia that had the ebook devices to demo to people (I think in Melbourne)?

Oooo - I just noticed you are a Mac person too! Way to go!!!!

I'm a Mac/XP hybrid, myself.

Cheers,
Marc

[Crisby]

Welcome SeaWolf. I'm in Melbourne.

Dymocks in Perth and DA Information Services in Melbourne are both selling iLiads and CyBooks.

www.dymocks.com.au and www.dadirect.com

[SeaWolf]

Originally Posted by Crisby

Dymocks in Perth and DA Information Services in Melbourne are both selling iLiads and CyBooks.

I actually had a wander over to Dymocks while I was in the city today in the hopes of having a look at an iLiad, but no joy there. After wandering the store for a few minutes I asked a staff member and was met with confusion. In the end I was referred to their website. That and montsnmags comments about their e-store makes me think they aren't exactly bolting into the future.

I had a look at DADirect's website too. It's good to see that there's some choices in Aus, though at AU$600 it's still much cheaper to get a Cybook from overseas.

Guess it's another case of hanging out for the market in Aus to mature a bit and catch up with everyone else.

[tribble]

Greetings and salutations. Good ta have you here. I really like Australia, have i mentioned that before?

[RobbieClarken]

Hi SeaWolf. I'm an ebook fan in Melbourne. I just ordered my second Sony Reader off eBay. I paid $295 (not including shipping) which is less than Sony charge . I wouldn't hold your breath for the Australian market to mature - I think it could be a few years before Kindles are available here and even longer before we have other ebook readers for sale in stores.

But it is no problem because you can order any ebook reader off the internet. If you know someone in the US you can get a prepaid US credit card to spend on Amazon or the Sony eBook Store. Otherwise friendly folks at this forum will help you get a Sony gift card.

So there is really nothing stopping you getting an ebook reader if you want one.

[tINmOUSE]

ya. Perthite.

Wait for the Mentor. I am.

they say...
5" end of July. USD249
6" end of Aug.
9.7" end of the world. (sorry that should read september/october)

ASTAK - Mentor E-Book Reader