Please share your 'Kindle in Canada' experiences!

[ficbot]

I have seen a lot of general threads about the global Kindle and about hypothetical this may work, that may work type stuff. I am curious to hear from people in CANADA who actually have a Kindle as I am strongly thinking of buying one. I was a bit dismayed to find that all the 'free' books cost $2 in Canada and it seems there are no free Kindle books here. Is this true? And I am not clear on what has extra charges and what does not (especially if I buy non-Amazon books like from Fictionwise, which has a Kindle store, and I want to download them without the computer). So can someone in Canada set me straight on what has charges and what does not? And overall, how have you found the Kindle, both re ordering and for using?

[SensualPoet]

As you note, there have been many discussions already here at mobileread specifically about using the Kindle 2 in Canada.

I bought mine Nov 19 at 3:30 pm; it arrived at my apt in downtown Toronto Nov 20 at 1 pm. The price was "list" + "non-optional expedited International shipping" + the Amazon-approved leather cover + Canadian taxes and duty for US$352.99.

The chief local alternative is the Sony PRS600 (the 300 model is the other model available in Canada). It's $350 + $40 leather case + Canadian taxes for Can$440 -- about $75 more. You lose: wireless connectivity, read-to-me. You gain: ePub.

Not all content at Amazon or Sony E-reader store is sold to Canadian addresses. The only way to tell is to set up an account and try buying stuff. And don't be fooled by the "one million Google books" advantage of the Sony device. Experiment with the PC reader version and poke around with the tools, interface, search, download capability.

Both support other PD sources like Project Gutenberg and manybooks.net -- there's lots of book content there.

The wireless works fine in Canada -- and in Mexico where I took the device recently. Wikipedia is available for free and is quite helpful for "morsel surfing". If you leave wireless on, it will automatically sync your "where I left off reading" files between PC and Kindle. You can use the wireless to send yourself non-Amazon files but there is a charge. Purchasing books from Fictionwise is an option; but wireless delivery is charged per KB. Regrettably, if you choose to purchase books from Amazon via download, and not wireless, you still pay the wireless "roaming" fee. US accounts also pay this when outside of AT&T's US territory. Free samples are free -- so experiment away!

The USB connection works very easily -- just like plugging in a camera, you instantly see "kindle drive". And it's free. The supplied USB cable doubles as an AC charger; the detachable end of the USB cable is the charger itself. You can also charge via USB port directly.

I have no regrets about the Kindle 2 -- it's well designed and does exactly what it says it does. The Canadian exceptions are clearly laid out on the Amazon website. The ePub is the only thing to give me pause but I expect this industry issue will be addressed eventually. As the Kindle runs Linux OS in the background, there's nothing to prevent it from reading new formats in future with a simple (wireless delivered) firmware upgrade.

If you purchase it for reading, you'll be delighted with the flexibility and usability. If you expect to use it as a netbook substitute, or a stand-in for a iTablet, you'll be disappointed. But to read: awesome -- in bed, on a commute, on a plane, in the john, in the bath or on the beach you'll have dozens of books at your fingertips with a two week battery life. It's pretty amazing.

[ficbot]

Thanks for your comments. So basically, there is no way to download anything except samples without paying a fee. I am fine with managing it off the mac, but I had hoped I could at least get the Fictionwise content I already own

I do a lot of reading but I am interested in upgrading from my Sony reader because I want the dictionary, the Wikipedia and the text to speech options. Also I am interested in the idea that I can read on the Kindle and on the ipod and it will remember my place.

[daffy4u]

Originally Posted by ficbot

Thanks for your comments. So basically, there is no way to download anything except samples without paying a fee. I am fine with managing it off the mac, but I had hoped I could at least get the Fictionwise content I already own

Use Calibre to convert your FW content for use with the Kindle. There is a DRM removal tool for everything now (sort of Topaz and LRX is gone), so there is nothing preventing you from purchasing wherever you like and putting it on the Kindle or other device.