Amazon Kindle for SA

AirWolf said:
I finished my first book on my Kindle-for-PC last week. One thing I realised from reading this thread is that the Kindle wouldn't suit me because I read in the dark.
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a lot of people complain about this. my sister wont order one because of it - but i'll wear her down soon enough :)

the reason of course is simple, ask any optometrist if its ok the read for hours on a backlit screen with the contrast and they'll beat you with a lens case :)
Add to that far reduced battery life and another part to fail and i think it was a no-brainer decision for amazon.

Airwolf - you know you get nifty clip-on lights for the kindle? And new ones that you wear on your wrist and focus on the kindle.
 
AirWolf said:
I finished my first book on my Kindle-for-PC last week. One thing I realised from reading this thread is that the Kindle wouldn't suit me because I read in the dark.
Click to expand...

Must agree with Rurapente here - get a clip-on led light :)
 
rurapente said:
a lot of people complain about this. my sister wont order one because of it - but i'll wear her down soon enough :)

the reason of course is simple, ask any optometrist if its ok the read for hours on a backlit screen with the contrast and they'll beat you with a lens case :)
Add to that far reduced battery life and another part to fail and i think it was a no-brainer decision for amazon.

Airwolf - you know you get nifty clip-on lights for the kindle? And new ones that you wear on your wrist and focus on the kindle.
Click to expand...

rapidblue said:
Must agree with Rurapente here - get a clip-on led light :)
Click to expand...

Interesting - I didn't know about the clip on lights - will check it out, thanks:).
 
Merry Christmas everyone.

My fiancee finally opened her Kindle (being Christmas and all) and I must say I am very impressed after my first experience of E-ink! The device looks and feels great, and everything seems to work as you would expect. Page turns are faster than I imagined, menu navigation is quick and easy, and it is just FAR too easy to buy new books from the device!

Also, my fears about the Standard Kindle Leather Cover have mostly been put to rest. The fit and quality seem to be just perfect, and I would imagine it will take some abuse before it actually damages the device, as some posters have suggested here. Time will tell I guess, but at this point, I wouldn't say that everyone has to avoid them.
 
Yep, we also saw that the cover works quite well! I read on the Kindle boards last night that only 3 percent of the users on that forum experiences cracks. Most people never get a problem if they are just aware of the issue!

On another note - I didn't expect the Kindle to come pre-configured. Should I just go to www.amazon.com/manageyourkindle and change the address to US to get the US account, or is it better to create a new account?
 
Glad u enjoying it StNick :D
ebendl - don't have to create a new account but I have - feels more "future proof" if one account is "all American".

So, forgot my Bible in Gauteng. Quickly downloaded the NIV to my Kindle just before church this morning - he he :D
 
Just be careful using a US accounts. There's been some reports of users getting e-mails from Amazob requesting proof of US residence e.g US ID etc.
 
So we got our Kindles today and registered two 'US' accounts - one for me and one for my dad. My dad went nuts and bought like 10 books from his PC, at which point Amazon's website said that they see he is browsing internationally and have to contact customer services before he can continue purchasing. He didn't use a proxy. Does anybody know if the account is permanently locked, or will a proxy login 'fix' it? Any suggestions for a good proxy?
 
fastesthamster said:
I opened a separate Amazon account linked to a US address. I then use the Kindle for PC app to buy books and deDRM them using unswindle:
http://i-u2665-cabbages.blogspot.com/2009/12/circumventing-kindle-for-pc-drm.html

I then copy across the books to my Kindle. Simple as that.
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Well, that didn't last long:

I see that you attempted to purchase kindle content while in a different country than United States listed on your Amazon account. Certain Kindle titles are not available everywhere. We are reaching out to you for information to ensure the best possible service for your account.

If you have moved to a different country, you can easily update your country for your Amazon account at http://www.Amazon.com/manageyourkindle.

If this is not the case, and you’re actually residing in United States, please fax us any of the following at 001-206-266-1838 when faxing from outside the US, or 206-266-1838 from within the US:

– Passport
– Military ID
– Permanent Resident Card
– Driver’s License
– Other state photo identity card

Thank you for your assistance.

Best regards,

Account Specialist
Amazon.com
We're Building Earth's Most Customer-Centric Company
http://www.amazon.com/your-account
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They really want to make it difficult for me to give them my money :rolleyes:
 
fastesthamster said:
Well, that didn't last long:

They really want to make it difficult for me to give them my money :rolleyes:
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That's exactly what I was talking about. The e-mail text you quoted is also the exact same text reported. Welcome to the world of geo-restrictions.

If you are using a US account it would be best to purchase via a US proxy/VPN. However Amazon might most likely use Wispernet to check your physical location as well.

How many books did you purchase? Perhaps they have a threshold amount?

They also seem to have a threshold for returns. If you come across a Topaz book and return it you seem to be limited to around 30 returns per account before red flags at Amazon go up and your account gets locked.
 
ebendl said:
So we got our Kindles today and registered two 'US' accounts - one for me and one for my dad. My dad went nuts and bought like 10 books from his PC, at which point Amazon's website said that they see he is browsing internationally and have to contact customer services before he can continue purchasing. He didn't use a proxy. Does anybody know if the account is permanently locked, or will a proxy login 'fix' it? Any suggestions for a good proxy?
Click to expand...

Don't know if the account will be locked. Best is to contact customer support and plead innocence and stupidity. Accidentally set to US etc. Even using a proxy they might be able to track the location of the Kindle itself using Wispernet.

Safest option after that would be to switch to the correct location and stick to the more limited titles available to SA users.
 
Seems as if my dad reverted (or got moved) to the SA store. His purchases is still available, but yeah, the spree is over. :(

I'll try the proxy until that stops, then I'll re-register my kindles on my normal Amazon account if necessary.
 
Crusader said:
That's exactly what I was talking about. The e-mail text you quoted is also the exact same text reported. Welcome to the world of geo-restrictions.

If you are using a US account it would be best to purchase via a US proxy/VPN. However Amazon might most likely use Wispernet to check your physical location as well.

How many books did you purchase? Perhaps they have a threshold amount?

They also seem to have a threshold for returns. If you come across a Topaz book and return it you seem to be limited to around 30 returns per account before red flags at Amazon go up and your account gets locked.
Click to expand...

Only purchased two books, but got a whole bunch of the free ones. They wouldn't be able to use whispernet to check my location, as I'm using a separate "Kindle for PC" account, and then deDRM'ing the books, and transferring them to my physical kindle.
 
Gotrusted.com is about $5 per month. Free 7 day trial account. You must provide a CC number to register.
 
Even if you use a proxy they most likely check on the country of issue for the CC as well. Combo of gift cards and proxy might be a good solution.
 
Crusader said:
Even if you use a proxy they most likely check on the country of issue for the CC as well. Combo of gift cards and proxy might be a good solution.
Click to expand...

Seems to me like the better option is to skip Amazon completely. I'm now using Fictionwise:
https://www.fictionwise.com

Prices are on a par (sometimes cheaper, sometimes more expensive) with Amazon. You also get "rebates" on books, which you use to buy more books.

Using a US billing address, and so far so good. Will report back if it goes the same way as Amazon. You will have to use a mobipocket PID and decrypt the books to read on your Kindle, but the really good news is that not all of the books are encrypted, unlike Amazon.
 
fastesthamster said:
Seems to me like the better option is to skip Amazon completely. I'm now using Fictionwise:
https://www.fictionwise.com

Prices are on a par (sometimes cheaper, sometimes more expensive) with Amazon. You also get "rebates" on books, which you use to buy more books.

Using a US billing address, and so far so good. Will report back if it goes the same way as Amazon. You will have to use a mobipocket PID and decrypt the books to read on your Kindle, but the really good news is that not all of the books are encrypted, unlike Amazon.
Click to expand...

Yes, their multiformat books doesn't have any DRM and are available in various formats.

Are you paying via your SA credit card? I've only bought books from them that are actually available to SA. Don't want to buy something and not be able to download it later. I know some of the US restricted books have a second check when trying to download them. If your CC isn't issued in the US then you can't download it.
 
Crusader said:
Yes, their multiformat books doesn't have any DRM and are available in various formats.

Are you paying via your SA credit card? I've only bought books from them that are actually available to SA. Don't want to buy something and not be able to download it later. I know some of the US restricted books have a second check when trying to download them. If your CC isn't issued in the US then you can't download it.
Click to expand...

I immediately transfer any books to my online storage backup (Ubuntu One). I am using an SA credit card, and so far, so good. But it could of course go the same way as Amazon.
 
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