Amazon Kindle question..

**sniper** · 15-11-11, 09:24 AM

Gday Fellas,
Hoping someone can straighten something out for me here..Was going to buy one of those Kindles Big W are selling for ~$130 until a mate told me you can only download/buy books from Amazon on them. My sole intention was to just download books from torrent progs and install them from my pc. Is my mate full of shit or not ???

**RHCP** · 15-11-11, 10:55 AM

They can read normal PDFs fine. I'm about to buy one myself.

RHCP.

**TTENNEB** · 15-11-11, 11:29 AM

I have a Kindle, love it. I have downloaded the royalty free ebooks off torrent websites, went onto the kindle no problems at all.

Worthwhile upgrades.

1) Hack the FW so you can display your own custom image in standby. (5Min work).
2) Install Calibre Ebook manager on your PC, great for converting from one format to another.
3) Install Kindle Collection Manager, great for managing collections.

The Wiki link below goes through all the ebook formats and the readers that can open them

PS, great for anyone that has to carry around bucket loads of PDF install/service manuals.

**fromaron** · 15-11-11, 05:06 PM

Originally Posted by sniper

Is my mate full of shit or not ???

Yes.

**sniper** · 15-11-11, 06:28 PM

Thanks fellas,I guessed as much. Funny thing is I emailed an ebay seller of these things from the States and asked him the same question.Here's his reply
"Hi,
I believe you would have to use the Amazon service since it is directly their product.
Ken"
This guy was selling them for only 10-20$ cheaper than Big W but I think I'll just buy locally for warranty peace of mind.

**Jaz808** · 15-11-11, 07:19 PM

Heaps of cheap Chinese tablets on ebay that are more than a e-book reader

**fromaron** · 15-11-11, 08:05 PM

Originally Posted by sniper

Thanks fellas,I guessed as much. Funny thing is I emailed an ebay seller of these things from the States and asked him the same question.Here's his reply
"Hi,
I believe you would have to use the Amazon service since it is directly their product.
Ken"
This guy was selling them for only 10-20$ cheaper than Big W but I think I'll just buy locally for warranty peace of mind.

Why not to buy directly from Amazon? Their price is better than at Bug W with delivery. The unit is backed up by Amazon warranty anyway, no matter where you bought it from. My kindle arrived within 3 days. Bought another one for friends and they got it in 7 days. Amazon service is fast and very reliable, they know how to run bussiness.

**mudcrab** · 15-11-11, 08:25 PM

sniper, be careful of the Kindles on e-bay, a lot are rubbish clones.

I would also suggest you at least have a look at the Ipad and the Android tablets ok they do cost a lot more, but you can do much more, web browsing, e-mail etc and as far as e-books go they all work with the Kindle app or the Borders app or they Kobo app or lots of other e-book reading apps.

**fromaron** · 15-11-11, 08:51 PM

sniper, if you after a good price then check Grays online they have repacked under Dick Smith instructions 6" kindle readers for $99.

**sniper** · 15-11-11, 10:23 PM

Originally Posted by fromaron

Why not to buy directly from Amazon? Their price is better than at Bug W with delivery. The unit is backed up by Amazon warranty anyway, no matter where you bought it from. My kindle arrived within 3 days. Bought another one for friends and they got it in 7 days. Amazon service is fast and very reliable, they know how to run bussiness.

Bloody hell its a lot cheaper than Big W..

Originally Posted by fromaron

sniper, if you after a good price then check Grays online they have repacked under Dick Smith instructions 6" kindle readers for $99.

Well I was going to go and buy the kindle from Amazon as you suggested until you go and post that other model from Grays !! Geez you guys are making it even harder to make my mind up now..Is it worthwhile buying the dearer older model with keypad or the newer cheaper one from Amazon ? Decisions,decisions,...

**sniper** · 15-11-11, 11:24 PM

Hmmm..Just went to buy the $79 unit from Amazon but it won't let me buy it seeing as I'm not from US.It redirects me to another kindle on their site for the rest of the world but price goes up to $109 ?? Suddenly not so much of a bargain anymore

**mandc** · 16-11-11, 12:38 PM

Just ordered a kindle from graysonline for $99 plus about $10 shipping...I noted that these are 'refurbished by Amazon' but still come with a full 12 mth warranty

"Amazon Kindle Keyboard Wi-Fi 6 inch E-Reader (Manufacturer refurbished) Under instructions from: Dick Smith Electronics High-Contrast E Ink Screen with Pearl Technology:The clearest text and sharpest images with latest E Ink Pearl display. Read in Bright Sunlight:Unlike LCD screens (e.g iPad), Kindle`s screen reads like real paper, with no glare. Read as easily in bright sunlight as in your living room. Holds 3,500 Books:Kindle`s storage is doubled so you can carry up to 3,500 books. Lighter Than a Paperback: At only 247 grams and less than 1cm thick, Kindle is lighter than a paperback and thinner than a magazine! Battery Life of Up to Two Months: A single charge lasts up to two months with wireless off based upon a half-hour of daily reading time. If you read for one hour a day, you will get battery life of up to one month. Built-In Wi-Fi:Connect to Wi-Fi hotspots at home or on the road. Simple to Use:Kindle is ready to use right out of the box and no setup, no software to install, no computer required. Improved PDF Reader: Now with new dictionary lookup, notes and highlights, and support for password protected PDFs. Easily carry all of your documents on the go. Read-to-Me: With Text-to-Speech, Kindle can read English-language content out loud to you. Read Everywhere with Whispersync:Your Kindle books can be read on your Kindle, iPhone, iPad, PC, Mac, Android device, and BlackBerry. Whispersync technology remembers your page in the book across devices, so you can pick up where you left off. Worry-Free Archive:Books you purchase from the Kindle Store are automatically backed up online in your Kindle library. Re-download books wirelessly for free, anytime. Specifications: Text to speech function Viewing modes: portrait and landscape Enhanced PDF reader with dictionary lookup, notes and highlights – Whispersync Storage: up to 3,500 books Battery life: Up to 2 months (Wireless Off) - Up to 3 weeks (Wireless on) Product dimensions: 7.5`` x 4.8`` x 0.335`` inch Manufacturer refurbished (by Amazon)
Warranty: 12 months warranty from Dick Smith"

**hughdman** · 16-11-11, 01:17 PM

There is a new kindle coming out
The Kindle Fire, it sounds quite impressive.

**mandc** · 16-11-11, 01:29 PM

Originally Posted by hughdman

There is a new kindle coming out
The Kindle Fire, it sounds quite impressive.

Yeah, the colour screen sounds good..especially for illustrated books but as it uses a standard tablet screen, not an e ink one, it will be no good for brightly lit-outdoor use...plus a battery life of only 8 hours..not up to 2 months.

It will definitely be a good addition to the range

**fromaron** · 16-11-11, 08:51 PM

Originally Posted by sniper

Bloody hell its a lot cheaper than Big W..

Well I was going to go and buy the kindle from Amazon as you suggested until you go and post that other model from Grays !! Geez you guys are making it even harder to make my mind up now..Is it worthwhile buying the dearer older model with keypad or the newer cheaper one from Amazon ? Decisions,decisions,...

The model with keyboard differs from the newer "Touch" model by its size. The screen is the same but the touch one is smaller. The touch kindle uses on screen keyboard which pops up when you need it. I don't actually use the keyboard much so I would preffer the touch model only because it's smaller. It actually fits in my shirt pocket

. Sorry to say it sniper, the decission is yours.

**fromaron** · 16-11-11, 09:02 PM

Originally Posted by sniper

Hmmm..Just went to buy the $79 unit from Amazon but it won't let me buy it seeing as I'm not from US.It redirects me to another kindle on their site for the rest of the world but price goes up to $109 ?? Suddenly not so much of a bargain anymore

The $79 price is for US only as it runs ads while in sleep. If you live in US and hate seeing those ads you can remove them for $30 fee.
As you reside outside the US those pesky ads are not rellevant to you and they sell the kindle for $109 which is quite understandible.
You have few options there, one is for example use an US shipping company to complete the shipping. I use HopShopGo and have american address. You can set two addresses in your Amazon profile, one your real Australian and another one your new US address.
When you do online shopping with Amazon you can select your address to be used. Remember, Amazon has a policy that if you are US resident you can purchase anything aplicable to US residents no matter where you are located at the time of puchase. You can go and visit your relatives in Australia for example

and still be eligible to buy the $79 model.
If you run into a problem with this scenario go to their live chat and maintain the story. I did it and it worked

.
Mods, please feel free to delete my post if you believe I am teaching illegal acts

**fromaron** · 16-11-11, 09:10 PM

Originally Posted by hughdman

There is a new kindle coming out
The Kindle Fire, it sounds quite impressive.

I was pretty excited as well when I saw the new Fire is about to be released. It runs Android and connected to Amazon market.
From what I read about the kindle is locked to the Amazon market, you can't install anything from the Android market for example. I guess it will be rooted at some time and this might change in a future.
The screen is a standard capacitive type which means no more reading under direct sunlight. The battery runs only 8 hours simillar to other tablets, so I am not sure why should I buy the Fire but not just a standard android tablet.

**osiris777** · 17-12-11, 06:57 PM

as far as im concerned if it dosnt have an e-ink screen its not an e-reader. simple as that.
may as well install an e-reader program on your laptop, same thing.
btw barnes & noble and amazon have free e-reader programs for computers.

**Onefella** · 17-12-11, 10:18 PM

Originally Posted by osiris777

as far as im concerned if it dosnt have an e-ink screen its not an e-reader. simple as that.

Yeah, I thought e-ink was THE reason to buy a Kindle.

I love reading, and have happily made the transition from paper to back-lit PDA's and smart-phones. I have been interested in Kindle's for e-ink, but I think I'll stick to back-lit LCD PDA's/Phones. The options for compatible e-book formats is much better, and they're great for reading in bed without disturbing your partner. They're also great for us 'older' gents whose eyes aren't what they used to be.

**mandc** · 17-12-11, 11:01 PM

There is now a newer cheaper kindle out
[ame=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0051QVESA/ref=famstripe_k]Kindle e-Reader with Wi-Fi, 6" Display[/ame]

This one has the wifi but no keyboard and turns the pages faster (big deal) . On reading a review, the faster page turning occurs because it only refreshes the screen every 6 pages (not every page like older ones) but apparently there is bleed through so the background gets noticeably greyer until page 6. They like the older keyboard one.

I recently got the keyboard version and it works great...like reading a really thin stiff book...took a while to feel comfortable with it but liking it a lot.