Kindle
The Australian Kindle has been available for sale since October 19 2009 and thousands of Kindles have been sold to date to early adopters and book enthusiasts. The Kindle heralds the arrival of the ebook reader into the Australian market. Whilst Dymocks, the Coop and others have been selling the Bebook, the Kindle comes with the full marketing power of Amazon.com along with numerous celebrity endorsements from the likes of Oprah & Jennifer Anniston. The Kindle is fast becoming the iPod of the ebook reader world.
Here is the EbookGuide.com.au Australian Kindle Buyers Guide to help you decide whether the Kindle is the right device for you.
First of all there are two Kindle devices available for Australians.
The Kindle and the Kindle DX. The main difference between them is the size of the screen – 6 inches for the Kindle and 9.7 inch screen.
Standard Kindle Kindle DX
Australian Kindle buyers need to think about the following before purchasing
- The Kindle is USD$259 + around USD$20 for shipping (via DHL Priority International Courier) which works out to be around $300 – 320 AUD. The Kindle DX is $489 + USD$21 for shipping which works out to be approx $550 AUD.
- As of the week of January 2010 there are 316,000 book titles available for sale in the Australian Kindle store. Amazon is working with local publishers and authors to try and add more content all the time
- Delivery is estimated at 3-5 days to Australian addresses. eBookGuide.com.au’s arrived in 4 days
- A power cable is not included – a micro USB cable is included so you will need to charge it from your computer or you can opt to buy a mains power adapter
- Books are priced in USD – most around USD$9.99, with most around $12USD
- The Browser and blog reading functions of the Australian Kindle will not work in Australia
- The Australian Kindle 3G coverage map is here -it uses an AT&T SIM card and a global roaming arrangement, which doesn’t cost you anything – there are no subscription fees or mobile data plans involved.
- Australian customs may charge for import duty – but probably won’t. (They didn’t charge us for purchasing one)
Here is the Amazon product info on the new Australian Kindle.
We are excited to now ship Kindle to Australia. Customers in Australia will enjoy:
- Books in Under 60 Seconds: Think of a book and you could be reading it in under a minute
- Free Wireless: Free 3G wireless lets you download books right from your Kindle.
- Longer Battery Life: Now read for up to 1 week on a single charge with wireless on, a significant improvement from the previous battery life of 4 days
- No monthly fees, service plans, or hunting for Wi-Fi hotspots. See Coverage Map. See Wireless Terms and Conditions
- Large Selection: Over 280,000 English-language books to choose from; plus U.S. and international newspapers and magazines
- Low Book Prices: New York Times® Best Sellers and New Releases are $11.99, unless marked otherwise.
- You’ll also find many books for less – over 100,000 titles are priced under $5.99
Here are some of the features of the new Kindle
- Slim: Just over 1/3 of an inch, as thin as most magazines
- Lightweight: At 10.2 ounces, lighter than a typical paperback
- Books in Under 60 Seconds: Get books delivered wirelessly in less than 60 seconds; no PC required
- 3G Wireless: 3G wireless lets you download books right from your Kindle; no annual contracts, no monthly fees, and no hunting for Wi-Fi hotspots
- International Coverage: Enjoy 3G wireless coverage at home or abroad in over 100 countries
- Built-In PDF Reader: Your Kindle can now display PDF documents natively. Native PDF support allows you to carry and read all of your personal and professional documents on the go.
- Paper-Like Display: Reads like real paper without glare, even in bright sunlight
- Carry Your Library: Holds up to 1,500 books
- Longer Battery Life: Now read for up to 1 week on a single charge with wireless on, a significant improvement from the previous battery life of 4 days
- Read-to-Me: With the experimental Text-to-Speech feature, Kindle can read newspapers, magazines, blogs, and books out loud to you, unless the book’s rights holder made the feature unavailable
- Free Book Samples: Download and read first chapters for free before you decide to buy
- Large Selection: Over 350,000 books, including 104 of 112 New York Times® Best Sellers, plus U.S. and international newspapers, magazines, and blogs
- Low Book Prices: New York Times Best Sellers and New Releases are $9.99, unless marked otherwise. When traveling abroad, you can download books wirelessly from the Kindle Store or your Archived Items for a fee of $1.99
Important Product Information for Australia (from Amazon)
- Your international shipment is subject to customs duties, import taxes and other fees levied by the destination country. We will show you these fees upon checkout.
- Kindle ships with a micro-USB cable for charging your Kindle via a computer USB port
- You can transfer personal documents to your Kindle via USB for free at anytime. Service fees for transferring personal documents via Whispernet are currently $.99 per megabyte.
- Wireless download times can vary based on 3G or EDGE/GPRS coverage, signal strength and file size.
- Kindle books, newspapers, and magazine are currently priced and sold in United States dollars
- Blogs and the experimental web browser are currently not available for Australia
- Kindle includes a 1-year limited warranty.
- Use of the Kindle is subject to the Kindle License Agreement and Terms of Use
Here is the eBookGuide.com.au’s direct links to purchase the Australian version of the International Kindle – be very careful to buy the correct Kindle version for Australia as incorrect versions will not work in Australia.
Links and Further Reading
- Bookoffers.com.au Top 5 Kindle Accessories
- Australian Kindle Page @ Amazon
- Gizmodo News Story
- Sydney Morning Herald Story
- Watch a Kindle Review by Australia’s Choice Magazine