Wasp_21
Expert Member
Surely there is some sort of certificate to check if its a legit book or not?
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Gobii E-Reader from Kalahari
- Thread starter Wasp_21
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Surely there is some sort of certificate to check if its a legit book or not?
You can buy the e-books off of Amazon themselves (They have a SA bookstore)
Wasp_21
Expert Member
I think IC has a kindle, not sure of the model, for R1499.
Not that I'm aware of. I've grabbed a few which are not available in the SA store and some others, that I own in paperback.
Jabberwocky
Expert Member
http://www.takealot.com/imports/pro...ay-includes-special-offers-sponsored,10796629
R 1,129
It says it has wi-fi, does that mean I can convert all my books in calibre, store them on my pc and access them through the wireless?
R 1,129
It says it has wi-fi, does that mean I can convert all my books in calibre, store them on my pc and access them through the wireless?
I haven't tried with wi-fi as I use the USB cable, but basically yes. I use Calibre for organising (tags, covers etc) and converting, then you simply tick the ones you want to send to the device.
Roo!
Expert Member
You can buy books through a browser or directly on the Kindle from amazon. It is paid for via credit card.
The Kindle supports .mobi eBooks, which have no encryption/DRM/certificates. You can use Calibre to convert .epub or whatever to .mobi for the Kindle.
All books must be stored on the Kindle itself for reading. The base model can store up to 1300 books, which I believe will keep even the most avid bookworm busy for some time.
As for local distributors, I'd personally rather deal with amazon since somewhere in the pipeline everyone has too. That way I know amazon won't question the source of your Kindle if you need it returned (for whatever reason).
The Kindle supports .mobi eBooks, which have no encryption/DRM/certificates. You can use Calibre to convert .epub or whatever to .mobi for the Kindle.
All books must be stored on the Kindle itself for reading. The base model can store up to 1300 books, which I believe will keep even the most avid bookworm busy for some time.
As for local distributors, I'd personally rather deal with amazon since somewhere in the pipeline everyone has too. That way I know amazon won't question the source of your Kindle if you need it returned (for whatever reason).
Difficult one.
First off the Fire runs on Android and is marketed more as a tablet than an e-reader - though personally I regard it as a high end e-reader with benefits. I got it because I didn't only want an e-reader, I wanted something that would also give me the ability to browse the internet, read email, use other applications -you get the idea.
Non US residents also don't have access to Amazon's audio and video services. So you can't download movies etc. You can however copy to the device and watch like that. Ditto audio.
So once again it depends on what she wants. If she is not interested in any of the above it probably isn't the device for her.
I started a Fire thread a while back if you want more detail as to what I had to do to get it into a state I was happy with. It took a while to figure everything out..
As has been mentioned book formats will not be a problem - there are always ways and means. I use Calibre extensively for conversions especially when I was using multiple e-reader apps on my HTC phone.
I would still go for the Kindle 4 (around R1100) or Kindle Touch (around R1300) if I were you and of course assuming she only wants an e-reader - budget dependent of course. Also try sites like bidorbuy, rocketshop, genesistrading to give you an idea of what you would be paying locally.
First off the Fire runs on Android and is marketed more as a tablet than an e-reader - though personally I regard it as a high end e-reader with benefits. I got it because I didn't only want an e-reader, I wanted something that would also give me the ability to browse the internet, read email, use other applications -you get the idea.
Non US residents also don't have access to Amazon's audio and video services. So you can't download movies etc. You can however copy to the device and watch like that. Ditto audio.
So once again it depends on what she wants. If she is not interested in any of the above it probably isn't the device for her.
I started a Fire thread a while back if you want more detail as to what I had to do to get it into a state I was happy with. It took a while to figure everything out..
As has been mentioned book formats will not be a problem - there are always ways and means. I use Calibre extensively for conversions especially when I was using multiple e-reader apps on my HTC phone.
I would still go for the Kindle 4 (around R1100) or Kindle Touch (around R1300) if I were you and of course assuming she only wants an e-reader - budget dependent of course. Also try sites like bidorbuy, rocketshop, genesistrading to give you an idea of what you would be paying locally.
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Kindle Fire has gotten bad reviews. It is a cheap device and it shows. As an e-reader it falls short against the regular Kindle, and as a tablet, it falls very short of the iPad
Wasp_21
Expert Member
A huge thanks for the replies.
Wasp_21
Expert Member
Duly Noted. Thanks.
I would agree that it has got mixed reviews. People either love it or hate it. The latter are generally the iPaders who are getting concerned that Amazon may just one day pose a real threat in the tablet arena
I think because I had no expectations and knew exactly what I was getting and what I wouldn't be able to do there was nothing to really be disapointed about. For what I wanted it for it has met my requirements quite adequately.
It does of course help if you've actually handled one for a while..I don't think I would be this satisfied however if I couldn't have gotten the OS into a version I was more familiar with - like being able to use Google services.
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I would agree that it has got mixed reviews. People either love it or hate it. The latter are generally the iPaders who are getting concerned that Amazon may just one day pose a real threat in the tablet arena
I think because I had no expectations and knew exactly what I was getting and what I wouldn't be able to do there was nothing to really be disapointed about. For what I wanted it for it has met my requirements quite adequately.
It does of course help if you've actually handled one for a while..I don't think I would be this satisfied however if I couldn't have gotten the OS into a version I was more familiar with - like being able to use Google services.
No, I was referring to two of the most respected tech sites, Arstechnica and The Verge, on the internet. Both said the same as what I paraphrased above. It is nowhere near as good as an iPad, and it isn't as good as a Kindle
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Always interesting getting other perspectives.
I must say I thought Arstechnica's review was actually spot on i.e. "a decent e-reader that can do some extra stuff—namely, play videos and browse the Internet. For $200, that's not a bad deal "
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Wasp_21, if she's seriously into reading, honestly the Kindle it the best, believe me, she will love it, compared to the horrible reading experiance on a LCD, which also include the iPad btw.
Buying direct from Amazon is easy, painless and quick (although may be a bit longer than usual due to silly season).
Be aware that the special offers versions do not apply here, therefore a grey import in Amazon's eyes, which will screw your warranty with them, which is very good too.
The Kindle Touch does not ship here (yet), but the Kindle (4) does, which is probably your best option anyway.
Buying direct from Amazon is easy, painless and quick (although may be a bit longer than usual due to silly season).
Be aware that the special offers versions do not apply here, therefore a grey import in Amazon's eyes, which will screw your warranty with them, which is very good too.
The Kindle Touch does not ship here (yet), but the Kindle (4) does, which is probably your best option anyway.
Agreed. I bought Pride, Prejudice and Zombies for my iPad (for the princely sum of $5) and just can't get into it at all. It's just too work-like I guess.
I'm sure I read somewhere that if you have the special offers version and you are outside the US, they'll charge you $40 to remove the ads if you have to send in for repairs or whatever. I can't imagine Amazon not meeting their warranty though, you could just say you were given it as a gift when you were in the US and pay the $40 if needed
The kindle touch is available in SA on all the sites I mentioned. Additionally it is possible to ship to SA by using a forwarding company like MyUs.com. I deal quite regularly with two of the retailers I mentioned and have never had a problem with their service. Just ordered a Tytn 2 through one of them so touch wood that the good service continues!
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I was referring to Amazon directly where it does not ship to SA at present. Sure you can ship to a US address as a US customer, but there goes your warranty with Amazon directly. I doubt very much if MyUS will help you there. If you have family/friends, sure, but it's a mission.