Kindle

[corkscrew]

I am visiting the USA for a couple of months. I bought a Kindle (electronic book) from Amazon.com. It downloads books wherever there is cell phone technology. The download is very fast (like a 600 page book in two minutes).

Does anyone know if it will work in Bangkok.

[dave_boo]

Short answer; no.

Long answer no because the Kindle connects via Sprint's CDMA network which means it's locked in. Even if you got it unlocked (which I don't think is currently possible), CAT/Hutch won't register it on their network. Well CAT definitely won't anyways. But if it was registered, it would still need the phone number to download the e-books. You'd also need to have a contract with CAT/Hutch.

Assuming you can load it up via a connection to your computer, it would work fine--i.e., it will still display already purchased books (and possibly new books you load from your 'puter), but you won't be able to connect like you can in the States and download books..

**edit**

Corrected US carrier.....so solly

[bkk_mike]

New answer - yes (if it's a brand new Kindle - US and International) as they switched the modem from EVDO to 3G (with fallback to EDGE, and maybe GPRS - not certain).

Other than an issue with dead zones (i.e. Ratchathewi station right in the centre of Bangkok - I couldn't get a signal), it seems to work quite well, although noticeably slower than in countries with 3G.

One odd thing - the web browser appears to work here, which was a pleasant surprise...

[malomker]

New answer - yes (if it's a brand new Kindle - US and International)

That's interesting. I checked Amazon's website yesterday and they say that Thailand isn't covered.

[bkk_mike]

That's interesting. I checked Amazon's website yesterday and they say that Thailand isn't covered.

They won't deliver one to Thailand, but it does work here.

One odd thing - the web browser appears to work here, which was a pleasant surprise...

Update: the web browser no longer works, so they must have realised that I was no longer in HK.