Kindle posts [Featured Post]

Since March, 2009 I wrote quite a few posts on how to buy, use, register the Kindle 2, and Kindle DX. I reckon it’s better to consolidate a complete list such that you can find the details more easily.

So, Here you go:

Enjoy !!

Update 1 : Some press coverage of this blog in one popular magazine …

“。。。月前訂購 Kindle DX，本來只因為它的 native PDF 閱讀功能，然而在本欄寫過 Kindle DX 後，有一熱心讀者 Michael 來電郵（應像在國內般，稱他做「老師」）說，在美國以外，其實都可以上 Amazon 購買電子書的！我走上他的網頁（www.michaelyung.com），跟住照做，一試即靈，即時訂了幾本，在他網頁上又看到他讀 Guy Kawasaki 的新書《Reality Check》，Guy 的作品，我在早年讀過，以為他已經封筆，看了他的新作，又馬上訂了，現在帶著隨身捧讀。

多謝 Michael 的分享，在 Amazon 購書的確是一個奇妙的經驗。。。”

Simon Chung – “Home–Tech：如家．隨身”

Update 2 : For those friends / visitors who have sent me questions, emails and tips from Brazil, Dominican Republic, India, Hong Kong, Singapore, Afghanistan, France, Taiwan, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Norway, Australia, Philippines, Grand Cayman, Lebanon and Japan … I thank you !!

Update 3 : The Kindle 2 / 3 is now available for overseas market as well. So please read the blog posts if your country is not covered by the latest scheme, or you want to know more about other Kindle information.

Author: Michael Yung

Michael possessed over 30 years of experience in Information Technology with focuses on complex application development, database technologies and IT strategy. He also spent the last 20 years in Internet technology, eCommerce development / operations, web usability, computer security and Public Key Infrastructure technologies.

33 thoughts on “Kindle posts [Featured Post]”

  1. Dear Michael,

    I had used the methods you described to buy a Kindle DX and books from Amazon easily. Many thanks indeed! I would also like to share with you a website and a free newsletter about Kindle which I found very useful for Kindle owners, i.e. http://campaign.constantcontact.com/render?v=001dtLqkKSiNwoZ_fy15hztpltL8LUxSoEDFU79qH096JH8X9YJJ83u6eqemodibe50KB2A7C7YWS7gCxnP4xchhTo-mGfq4IcpU_U8SKFsscssVj1DhYxV1g%3D%3D. This long address represents Kindle Nation which can be easily searched.

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  2. hi michael,

    great blog! I found it because I now have a Kindle and like many users worldwide found out too late that there are so many books not available outside the US (I live in Germany). So I found your great description how to use a new US amazon account and the gift card trick to purchase the Kindle books. But the great problem: giftcards I buy at amazon.de, which is the German platform of amazon, do not work at amazon.com! So obviously there is no possibility to fill up the gift card slot on my new amazon.com-account. Do you have any idea how to solve this problem? Is there a possibility to purchase gift cards from the US?
    It would be great if you know something! Thank you in advance, bye and best regards,
    Alexander

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    1. Hi Alexander,

      Glad that you found this blog useful. Yes I think your Amazon.de gift card cannot be used in US Amazon. However, since you have a new Amazon.com account set up already, can you use your credit card to buy a US giftcard as described in my blog posts ?

      Hope it helps.

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  3. hi there – kindle has just been released in australia 🙂 i have a kindle 2 i boguth before they released them (off Ebay) i was wondering how to connect it to the 3G network or if that sonly on the specially ordered ones for australia?? i was wondering if i havent registered the kindle its self (i have an account on amazon and all that) how do i get the updates? as i would love the PDF update 🙂

    thanks

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    1. Hi Samantha,

      Glad that Kindle is now available in downunder. As you can check in one of my post, just use the 311 trick you can pick the network you want. If your Kindle hardware has not registered, you still can update the firmware via the manual method. Check out the Amazon page and you can do that. Enjoy !!

      Hope it helps.

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  4. hey thanks for your help
    i will try the trick tonight – i downloaded the update and went to put it on my kindle but it wouldne let me do anything in the setting section (in menu)??? if i do the 113 trick i will be able to access the settings to do the update?
    sorry to be a pain can you please send me the link of the amazon page you are talking about thanks so much!

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    1. Congratulations Samantha. If yours is the International version, then you don’t need to download manually. Just turn on the Wireless, and the Kindle shall smart enough to check, download, and install any latest update. Enjoy your Kindle.

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  8. hey again!
    i just turn it on and the wireless is already on… soooo much easier!!

    i do have ONE more problem (im sure it wont be the last lol) i bought a bunc of ebooks which are PDF’s and i have sent them to that (username)@free.kindle.com email but they come back to me as PDF?? not as the proper kindle format??? the reason i want to change them is because when i put them on my kindle the writing is very light and small and i cant make it any bigger on the kindle??? i tried changing it to a TXT file but the is cuts off sentences and put them on the next line which is REALLLLY annoying..

    any suggestions??

    thanks kindly as always xo

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    1. Yes, with the new software version (i.e. native PDF support), your method will no longer “convert” the PDF. Trust me, the converted version (when it worked before) is ugly as well … However, you can read the PDF sideway (check my other blog on how to do that) and have bigger fonts. Or, you can buy the Kindle DX for that purpose.

      Hope it helps, again.

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  9. well that sucks 😦 its stil really ligth and not that big when i read it sideways 😦
    yea but i just bought a kindle 2 lmao no point in getting a dx lol

    anyway to change a pdf?

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  11. hello again 🙂 do you know why kindle bothered doing the pfd mode i dont think its even worth it you cant even read it?? is there a way to make it bigger? thanks

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    1. Well, I think the original software was developed for Kindle DX (which has a bigger screen), but then they ported it to the Kindle 2 … just to shut some people’s mouths, you know.

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  13. hi there, I just bought kindle international and tried your approach (using US address and gift couple) to buy books outside US ( I am in Taiwan). I actually successfully bought them and had my books transferred to my kindle via whispernet.

    However, today I received the email from Amazon saying that I bought books from outside US and ask me to update my country to the correct one. Anyone ever received similar emails? Can I avoid such censorship if I transfered books to my kindle via USB instead?

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  14. Here’s a challenging question for someone who’s clearly a Kindle guru 🙂 How can someone avoid paying the exorbitant international delivery charges of $1.99 per book? (and before someone says “just send it over USB” I’m looking for wireless delivery. For free 🙂

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    1. Hi Richard,

      Thanks for the kind words. Not sure it is still valid, but the last book I bought (Presentation secret of Steve Jobs) a few weeks ago via my Kindle 2 (i.e. purchase and delivery via WhisperNet), I was still paying the US price – US$ 13.17 and without US$ 1.99 International WhisperNet fee. May be the magic are my billing address settings in my account and credit card.

      Hope it helps.

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  15. hey there..
    was wondering if you know of a kindle 2 error where the kindle 2 isnt reading PDF files? it was when i got it but now it wont???

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    1. Is it related to the DRM (or password protection) issue of the PDF you wanna read ? Another possibility is the PDF file uses a strange font that does not support by Kindle. Just a thought.

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  16. hey… thanks for the reply.

    there isnt a password on it.. its a doc i made into a pdf and have checked passwords
    weird because when i first got the kindle 2 i could read pdf’s but hated it caue they were too small.. not its not reading it 😦 ill guess ill have to wait til end of may for the new update

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    1. Oh, so may be I misunderstood your problem. If what you want is the “zoom” function, then may be yes you shall wait for the latest version by end May.

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  17. yeah the zoom function didnt work but if i turned it around it woudl be a bit better but im not too sure why its suddenly not reading pdf??? i have tried googling it but no one else seems to be havng the same problem so i guess ill wait til the new update and if its still not working ill contact amazon

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  18. hello Michael , sorry to bother you but i am having a problem registering my kindle fire . I use to live in Canada and recently moved to Lebanon . I bought my kindle fire before I moved and tried registering it here but I do not have a US mailing adress or a US credit card , what can i do ?

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    1. Getting an US address is easy, copy from any US website will do. Or the proper way, get an US address from website like onenow.com. For credit card, it’s a bit tricky, AMEX used to skip the address check so may be you can try again with AMEX card. If you need the card for purchasing, the other approach is to buy gift card and settle your purchase with that. Hope it helps.

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