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viejogatomalo

Dec 8, 2007, 3:14 PM

Post #1 of 15 (5565 views)

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e books

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Has anyone in this area heard of the Amazon 'Kindle' being used in this area? It seems to be a good way to receive and read books in Mexico, without the delay and customs. Or perhaps there are unforseen issues like it won't work here.
Thanks

jennifer rose

Dec 9, 2007, 4:37 PM

Post #2 of 15 (5511 views)

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Re: [viejomalogato] e books

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Read http://staringatstrangers.typepad.com/...you-can-keep-yo.html for why the Kindle isn't the answer if you live in Mexico.

viejogatomalo

Dec 10, 2007, 4:23 AM

Post #3 of 15 (5480 views)

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Re: [viejomalogato] e books

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Well......where did you move it to? I said "in this area" which means Jalisco, doesn't it?

taltman711

Dec 10, 2007, 5:09 AM

Post #4 of 15 (5475 views)

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Re: [viejomalogato] e books

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The wireless download won't work outside the US and actually it won't work in some US locations as well. However, you can buy the books in the Kindle store, download them to your computer, and then download from your PC to the Kindle. Seehttp://www.amazon.com/...=200127480&#shop
Scroll 2/3 down.
The FAQ is clear that you need a US based credit card with a US address to buy the Kindle and the content in the store, but it is not clear as to any restrictions of the location of the IP address from which you would be downloading. Perhaps an email to support would answer that question.
Tim

added: I sent an email and will share the answer when received

(This post was edited by taltman711 on Dec 10, 2007, 5:52 AM)

viejogatomalo

Dec 10, 2007, 5:46 AM

Post #5 of 15 (5467 views)

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Re: [taltman711] e books

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tHANK YOU

bournemouth

Dec 10, 2007, 6:15 AM

Post #6 of 15 (5462 views)

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Re: [viejomalogato] e books

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Actually Viejo - you are posting on the Living,Working, Retiring forum, which covers all parts of Mexico.

viejogatomalo

Dec 10, 2007, 8:06 AM

Post #7 of 15 (5450 views)

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Re: [bournemouth] e books

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Sir;
I orginally posted on the Jalisco forum requesting info on that area. But some busybody moved it. I do wish that when they make these unilateral decisions they would be courteous enough to tell one where it is

karfest

Dec 10, 2007, 9:39 AM

Post #8 of 15 (5425 views)

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Re: [viejomalogato] e books

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I was really considering a Kindle for use in Mexico so I'm happy to see this topic. Thanks in advance for any info you can provide on it!

--If you have a thread that is moved- just click on it and you will be redirected. I'm glad to see it was moved as I never would have found this in the original forum!
Karen
Follow my blog: http://vivalavida-karen.blogspot.com/

(This post was edited by karfest on Dec 10, 2007, 9:40 AM)

taltman711

Dec 10, 2007, 12:00 PM

Post #9 of 15 (5407 views)

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Re: [viejomalogato] e books

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Since my wife is a voracious reader, I bought her a Kindle in anticipation of our move mid 2008. I know English books are more expensive to buy. Anyway, here is the email response I received from Amazon:
Hello from Amazon.com.

Thank you for writing to us about the wireless service area for
Kindle. Rest assured that Kindle can be used without activating the
wireless feature while you are traveling outside the wireless service
area.

All content you purchase from the Kindle Store is saved to Your Media
Library on Amazon.com. This allows you to download content to your
computer and transfer items via Kindle's USB connection. You also have
a free-delivery option for receiving converted documents at the e-mail
address associated with your Amazon.com account.

TO START A DOWNLOAD FROM YOUR MEDIA LIBRARY:
1. Visit Your Media Library on Amazon.com (www.amazon.com/gp/library).
2. Locate the desired title on the Downloads tab.
3. Click the "Download to computer" option to save the file to your
computer.
4. Choose a Save location when prompted.

Tim

taltman711

Dec 10, 2007, 12:14 PM

Post #10 of 15 (5402 views)

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Re: [taltman711] e books

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So, to sum up, it appears that:
1. You need a credit card issued by a US based entity.
2. You must have a US billing address associated with that card.
3. If you meet these 2 requirements, then you can buy the Kindle and anything in the Kindle store.
4. You can't use the wireless download feature outside of the US.
5. You CAN download your Kindle Store content onto your computer. Then, from the computer, you can download the content onto your Kindle.
All of this is info. I received from either the Kindle FAQ and email responses to my questions. No guarantees from me that it will all work!
By the way, Sony also has an e-book reader that is less expensive. I went with the Kindle for my wife because Amazon has a whole bunch more content available for download. Since both use proprietary software, the e-books from the Kindle are not readable by the Sony and vice-versa. See:
http://www.sonystyle.com/...w.sony.com/index.php

Tim

karfest

Dec 11, 2007, 8:41 AM

Post #11 of 15 (5351 views)

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Re: [taltman711] e books

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Tim-
Thanks for the iformation. Please keep us posted as to how it is working for you. I hoping the Kindle will go the way of the iphone and drop in price after a bit. I love to read but never re-read a book and really don't like to have lots of books lying around so this seems perfect. We are planning our move to Mexico for June 2008, I have books stockpiled but the Kindle looks perfect to use after I get through those!
Karen
Follow my blog: http://vivalavida-karen.blogspot.com/

DonaldEug44

Dec 12, 2007, 11:09 AM

Post #12 of 15 (5301 views)

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Re: [taltman711] e books

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If you, or your wife, enjoys reading you should try the Project Gutenberg site. You can find it at http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page . This project was begun several years ago to digitize all of the classic books. They currently have 20,000 complete books online and they can be downloaded and read, or printed if you desire, for free. I have used this site many times to read books when I was stuck at home recovering from cancer surgery, open heart surgery, etc. I stumbled across this site about 10 years ago when they only had about 1,000 books and it keeps growing bigger every year. This is a great way to read all of the books you always wanted to read and not have to pay shipping and postage to get them or find the room to store them.

Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe. - Albert Einstein

taltman711

Jan 12, 2008, 5:15 PM

Post #13 of 15 (5164 views)

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Re: [taltman711] e books

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DonaldEUG44 said:
" If you, or your wife, enjoys reading you should try the Project Gutenberg site."
I have easily downloaded these books to the Kindle. Thanks. The easiest way is to download the plain text ZIP file. Extract it. When you plug the Kindle into your USB computer port, it shows up as a removable storage device. Double click on the Kindle drive in My Computer ( I think it is just Computer in Vista, but am not sure). Simple drag and drop the extracted file int the Document file in the Kindle. Done. You should probably rename the extracted file to properly reflect the name of the book before you drag and drop it. Otherwise, the name will show up as the Guttenberg name for the file. It takes about 30 seconds to download and do the rest. It sounds harder to do than it really is.

Tim

taltman711

Feb 2, 2008, 7:00 AM

Post #14 of 15 (5047 views)

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Re: [taltman711] e books

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Just a quick follow up on using the Kindle.
My thoughts:
1. Easy to use. Downloading directly using the built in wireless when buying from Amazon, or indirectly from one's own computer- as one would have to do in Mexico- is a snap.
2. Amazon now touts downloading via the PC from any country as a benefit. Their example is downloading a new book or 2 while on vacation. Other sites, such as the above mentioned Project Gutenberg, don't really care where you are.
The Kindle itself will store about 200 books. However, the Kindle has an SD card slot. I bought a 4 GB card. My wife can now can carry about 3200 books with her directly in the Kindle, and an infinite number in additional SD cards. An SD card is slightly larger than a postage stamp. I don't think even she can read thru 3200 books on vacation.
3. The books thru Amazon range from US $3.99 to $9.99 for the current best sellers. Other sites are more or about the same. There are many sites that have free downloads. Project Gutenberg has a TON of classics available for free download.
4. You can subscribe to certain daily newspapers(like the NY Times, Wall St. Journal).
5. I really didn't think I would like the Kindle. I have always enjoyed the feel of a book. However, after using it, I really like it. It now seems to me to be just another book. It is really easy to use.
5. The Kindle will do audio books. It will also play mp3-music or whatever-files.
6. There are some things I don't like--It is REALLY ugly, I wish it had a backlight (you need regular light to see the e-ink), The sorting function is alphabetic only. You can't make folders and store names in them. Alpha sorting is ok if you have 50 books, but imagine if you have 1000. I would like to be able to have a folder for fiction, mysteries, biographies, etc.. One option is to have small, inexpensive SD cards for each genre, but that adds expense and hassle. The last thing I don't like, and really, to me, the biggest problem, is the incompatibility with other e-book formats. Authors sign with publishers. The publishers sign with e-book distributors like Sony, Amazon, etc. Very often those rights are exclusive. As a result, I can't get certain authors at all, or in many cases, I can get some of their books, but not all if they changed publishers. Could the Kindle software be changed so that it would recognize other formats? Yes. However, that would mean I could buy my e-books from ANY source, and Amazon wouldn't like that. Maybe some day. Also, many books that could be available just are not. They haven't been converted yet.
Any way, I still think that it is a good option for us, and would recommend its purchase.
I guess this follow up wasn't so quick!!

Tim

Oscar2

Feb 2, 2008, 11:46 AM

Post #15 of 15 (5022 views)

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Re: [taltman711] e books

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Quote

5. The Kindle will do audio books. It will also play mp3-music or whatever-files.

Tim,

Thanks for the useful info. Current technology keeps providing short cuts, creature comforts and more user-friendly little packages for greater convenience. Not at all familiar with the Kindle, except for what’s been said on this thread, as one mentioned about the I-phone, in time when competition kicks in, pricing becomes competitive and prices drop.

When you mentioned the Kindle plays mp3 and audio books via an SD card, it reminded me of the Garmin GPS systems which are now so multifaceted and also accommodate audio books on SD cards. Aside from some GPS systems providing great built-in map and audio guidance, they also include in the mix satellite XM radio and radioed traffic control guidance where applicable and subscription.

Ear-bud jacks make it possible to listen privately but also a harness to plug into some mp3 radios and it will play back in stereo. I guess the point being that at this juncture, for the Kindle $350.00 or so price tag, one can for the same price or a bit more get a top of the line GPS system with all of the above, minus (I believe) the on-screen text readout. This GPS, SD slot will also accept Mexico GPS Maping.

I threw this into the mix as a viable alternative, and of course not knowing everything I’d like to know, perhaps someone else can chime in with opinions and/or alternatives, technical or otherwise.

(This post was edited by Oscar2 on Feb 2, 2008, 12:07 PM)