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HK Tech Phooey

Tapping the pulse of this gateway for Asia's IT

by Victor Cheung, Hong Kong SAR, PRC


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My take on the international version of Kindle

Oct 27, 2009 14:17

Well, my international version of Kindle arrived last Thursday and pretty much has been with me ever since, even in bed. Since the Kindle was released in the US for quite some time, there's no point in doing a full-scale review here, but I just want to share a few things with you all.

Things I like

  1. Lightning fast--the 3G modem is lightning fast in downloading my daily periodicals (newspaper), takes less than 60 seconds which Amazon claims in downloading a book. Timed how long it took to download Angels and Demons from Dan Brown, 65 seconds. Well, good enough. For your information, this modem works everywhere, even in the US, whereas the US version doesn't.

  2. Thin--this thing is half as thin as my iPhone 3GS and weighs not much more than the iPhone. Been lugging the Kindle around, reading (never read that much in five days since college) turns into an enjoyment, can't feel the weight at all. Plus, with the different font sizes, it's just great for guys like me with fading eyesight.

  3. Love the text-to-speech function, works great when listening to it while driving.

  4. Images look great on the 16 graytone display. Some of the images from a couple of the photography books I downloaded just look outright gorgeous, some even appear better in black-and-white, LOL.

  5. There's a built-in New Oxford American Dictionary.

  6. There's a built-in Minesweep game they don't tell you about (press "shift", "alt" and "M" all at the same time).

  7. The storage--1,500 books with you... nice.

  8. That battery--it's like the Energizer bunny, just keeps going and going.


Things I don't like
  • At the roundtable interview with Charlie Tritschler, director of Product Management at Kindle, about two weeks ago, me and a couple of other bloggers mentioned the higher price for the international version of Kindle (US$20 more) vs. what you get in the US. In addition, it costs US$2 more for each book purchase.

  • Cannot access blogs with the international version. Bummer. But from what I heard, Amazon charges a subscription, so I'm not missing it.


    • Late last Thursday night, Amazon sent out a letter to me giving me a rebate of US$20 for the Kindle I purchased. Could it be because of the Nook that was announced earlier, which is the same price? Or could it be Amazon listening to our feedback? Who knows?

    All in all, I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves reading. Sure, you want that neat display that the Barnes & Nobles Nook presents. But consider the fact, for now, the total number of books that Barnes & Nobles is offering, an unannounced plan (are there any) for international distribution, and goodness knows how long that battery is going to last with the color display at the bottom.

     



7 comments   |   Share


 

    Talkback
scoobydoo says...
I placed an order for one after reading this. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Oct 27, 2009 16:48
 
 
aspri says...
When is the Kindle going to be available in Singapore? I can't believe they can't work out an agreement with a carrier here. I will be the first one in the queue when they announce and they better do so quickly before the rest of the e-readers make their way here to Singapore!

Oct 27, 2009 20:56
 
 
Jesadac says...
Damn, this makes me kinda wish I did not order my get the Sony Reader earlier this year. But on the bright side, if the Apple slate/tablet comes out early next year as per rumors, then it'll be easier to justify getting rid of a year old reader.

Oct 27, 2009 23:19
 
 
juniper says...
With Google Editions coming out next year, any platform or e-book reader is going to suffice. So it might be worthwhile to wait and see, though hopefully, not too long a wait!

Oct 28, 2009 11:17
 
 
minimach says...
Bummer... not available in SG! Damn amazon!

Oct 28, 2009 13:06
 
 
hkphooey says...
Stupid me, just found out that I can surf the net with the Kindle, gee, this is great, esp. for free. Loving it.

As for Singapore, the unofficial word is with the censorship on the books, that's probably the reason for the delay.

Oct 28, 2009 13:54
 
 
Applodian says...
Nice read mate,

But we are gutted that they've not landed a deal with any of the carriers here. Are we that small a market that they have ignored initial launch here... Has Amazon even visited the local libraries to check the amount of people who read here...???

Oct 29, 2009 14:23
 
 
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About Victor Cheung

A true tech junkie at heart, Victor Cheung has been obsessed with all tech gadgets since his college days. His favorite gizmos span from tablet PCs to UMPC, to PMPs, gaming consoles, mobile phones and anything with WiFi 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.0 on it. A newcomer to the blog scene, he started his own quasi-tech blog, The Hong Kong Phooey in October 2006.

 
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