Ereader

[phomsanuk]

Is it worth buying and using an ebook reader in Pattaya, how to access books etc. in English?

[Monokuro]

I've got a Kindle which I think is great, however it's quite annoyign to find a lot of the Kindle versions cost more than a paperback ...

On the plus side, it has built in 3G, so I can download new books wherever I am

[backsoon]

I've got a Kindle which I think is great, however it's quite annoyign to find a lot of the Kindle versions cost more than a paperback ...

On the plus side, it has built in 3G, so I can download new books wherever I am

Hello, friends! Wait a little and the combination of E-reader cum E-writer will appear on the market.

This will solve all our problems

[robsamui]

I've been using this with great success.

As for ebooks - just google "torrents ebooks" or "torrents novels" - there are thousands!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/7-APad-Google-Android-2-1Wifi-Tablet-UMPC-MID-daul-core-/280594852010?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item4154c1a8aa#ht_8047wt_980

Rob

[hermespan]

Thanks for the recommendation Rob.

Is there anything about alternative e-readers and ipad that you regret not having?

I've been using this with great success.

As for ebooks - just google "torrents ebooks" or "torrents novels" - there are thousands!

http://cgi.ebay.co.u...a#ht_8047wt_980

Rob

[hermespan]

"I've been using this with great success."

Can you colour highlight text and make notes as you can in ipad?

My challenge is that I need to be able to reed jpgs, pdfs and kindle books, B&N books - everything!

[Phil Conners]

You can highlight text and make notes, yes. It's eInk - not a color screen - so you can't make color highlights.

[klikster]

Here's another option .. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703662804576188901890884360.html

[Darrel]

My Android phone has a free Kindle app and other free apps that will open all sorts of ebooks, pdf files etc.

This may be a possible solution.

[Phil Conners]

My Android phone has a free Kindle app and other free apps that will open all sorts of ebooks, pdf files etc.

This may be a possible solution.

Yeah so does mine, but it's not a substitute for a dedicated ereader, particularly if your eyesight is no longer 20/20.

An Android phone also cost considerably more than an ereader.

[Darrel]

Yeah so does mine, but it's not a substitute for a dedicated ereader, particularly if your eyesight is no longer 20/20.

An Android phone also cost considerably more than an ereader.

Actually I get on well enough with ebooks on my phone, as long as I put my glasses on and turn the font size up. And I'm well past my "best before" date. The only real inconvenience is having to flip the pages often due to the small screen size.

My Android phone cost less than any ereader I know of (GBP90 : 4500B). It also does music, webpages, streamed video, Office applications, games, etc. Oh, and it even does phone calls.

[Phil Conners]

Yeah so does mine, but it's not a substitute for a dedicated ereader, particularly if your eyesight is no longer 20/20.

An Android phone also cost considerably more than an ereader.

Actually I get on well enough with ebooks on my phone, as long as I put my glasses on and turn the font size up. And I'm well past my "best before" date. The only real inconvenience is having to flip the pages often due to the small screen size.

My Android phone cost less than any ereader I know of (GBP90 : 4500B). It also does music, webpages, streamed video, Office applications, games, etc. Oh, and it even does phone calls.

A Kindle ereader cost 4,000 baht, delivered and taxed in Thailand. My HTC Desire was almost 20,000 baht when I bought it about 6 months ago (it has come down a bit since then)

Anyway, of course if you're happy reading your books on your phone, good for you. I couldn't do it and am very happy with my Kindle.

[Darrel]

A Kindle ereader cost 4,000 baht, delivered and taxed in Thailand.

Fair enough. They were somewhat more than that when I last looked.

For the same money I do get much more use out of my phone than I would out of an ereader, but of course that depends on how much reading one does.

Also I dont like the way they all seem to be locked to particular stores and file formats.

[Phil Conners]

Also I dont like the way they all seem to be locked to particular stores and file formats.

Kindle supports Amazons own proprietary file format, .mobi and .pdf. There are many tools that will convert other formats to .mobi, for example Calibre.

[p_brownstone]

A Kindle ereader cost 4,000 baht, delivered and taxed in Thailand.

Fair enough. They were somewhat more than that when I last looked.

For the same money I do get much more use out of my phone than I would out of an ereader, but of course that depends on how much reading one does.

Also I dont like the way they all seem to be locked to particular stores and file formats.

It’s all really “horses for courses” as they say.

I have a very basic Nokia telephone which I use for ........ well, telephone calls and SMS Messages!

I have a Laptop which I use to check and reply to Email, write and send Quotations, technical responses to questions, etc. - when I am out of the Office for example.

I also have a (newly purchased) Kindle, which totally frees me from the need to carry 4 or 5 paperbacks when I have to go Up-country.

Yes, I know I could integrate all these into one “Smart ‘phone” but, to date, for me at least, functions in that one “Smart” appliance could not possibly compare to the features of the individual “dedicated” devices.

Patrick

[hermespan]

Thanks to all for your opinions.

So, Kindle it is. I am in the west right now, and its not like it's expensive here. Time to begin. I mean, when I have more money, it's not like I can't have a dedicated ereader and a fancier tool also.

But how well is Kindle going to be for downloading while in BKK, Singapore, HCMC, PNH etc? The impression I get from reading Amazon (and also itunes sites - I like to listen to music as I read sometime) is that all the piracy centers, as in everywhere in S E Asia, do not allow one to pay for content. While the majority of my books will be ones I have purchased in the west (either from Amazon or library books scanned as pdfs) I like to be able to add to my library periodically.

Also, if one has a bunch of scanned book content as jpgs? For those of you who have done the same with their books not available as ebooks, is it a hassle to convert? I am not a technically-inclined person.

My plan is to buy the cheapest kindle now and get an ipad or android later. But I don't want to stuck in Upper Mongolia with a tool that is a disappointment.

[hermespan]

"On the plus side, it has built in 3G, so I can download new books wherever I am "

Pardon my technical ignorance, but don't you then have to be subscribing to a presumably more expensive phone service (a 3G one) in order to take advantage of this? And last time I checked 3G was banned in some neighbouring countries such as Cambodia. I spend a considerable amount of time in South Asia, and I read that 3G service in India is by different compaaies for different states, which makes travelling a hassle/expensive for communications.

All I am looking for a machine and communication technology that works everywhere on the planet for a modest price without political interference.

[p_brownstone]

"On the plus side, it has built in 3G, so I can download new books wherever I am "

Pardon my technical ignorance, but don't you then have to be subscribing to a presumably more expensive phone service (a 3G one) in order to take advantage of this? And last time I checked 3G was banned in some neighbouring countries such as Cambodia. I spend a considerable amount of time in South Asia, and I read that 3G service in India is by different compaaies for different states, which makes travelling a hassle/expensive for communications.

All I am looking for a machine and communication technology that works everywhere on the planet for a modest price without political interference.

I have to confess I do not know how this works - only that it definitely does work, at least in Bangkok and Rayong, places where I have used it.

My Kindle DX3 is not connected to anything (except to charge it, when it has to be connected to a computer via a USB Cable.).

It contains no SIM Card and I am not subscribed to any 'phone service in Thailand for the Kindle.

I can Log in to my Account at Amazon.com - where my Kindle is Registered via its Serial Number, select and pay for a book and - usually within less than 30 seconds - it is downloaded into the Kindle and I can begin reading.

(I use a Thai Credit Card by the way - so there are no Copyright or piracy concerns which prohibit use of a Thai Card)

Patrick

[p_brownstone]

Also, if one has a bunch of scanned book content as jpgs? For those of you who have done the same with their books not available as ebooks, is it a hassle to convert? I am not a technically-inclined person.

I don't think you can read .jpeg files on the Kindle - not sure however.

I have a lot of work related Brochures and technical documents in my Kindle as .pdf files, these I loaded from my Computer using the USB Cable and I can read them with no problems at all.

At worst all you have to do is "print" your image Files as .pdf Documents.

Patrick

[Phil Conners]

Thanks to all for your opinions.

So, Kindle it is. I am in the west right now, and its not like it's expensive here. Time to begin. I mean, when I have more money, it's not like I can't have a dedicated ereader and a fancier tool also.

But how well is Kindle going to be for downloading while in BKK, Singapore, HCMC, PNH etc? The impression I get from reading Amazon (and also itunes sites - I like to listen to music as I read sometime) is that all the piracy centers, as in everywhere in S E Asia, do not allow one to pay for content. While the majority of my books will be ones I have purchased in the west (either from Amazon or library books scanned as pdfs) I like to be able to add to my library periodically.

Also, if one has a bunch of scanned book content as jpgs? For those of you who have done the same with their books not available as ebooks, is it a hassle to convert? I am not a technically-inclined person.

My plan is to buy the cheapest kindle now and get an ipad or android later. But I don't want to stuck in Upper Mongolia with a tool that is a disappointment.

I have the wifi-only Kindle as I don't need to be able to download books everywhere I go, in fact I have yet to download a single book from Amazon as there are so many free books available on the Internet.

The 3G version of Kindle works everywhere Kindle is supported. I don't know the exact list but people report that it works in Thailand as well. Basically the 3G Kindle somehow has a built-in 3G SIM which Amazon pays for, presumably in the hope of recovering that cost on book sales.

Until a year or two ago they didn't want to sell to Thailand but you can buy both the Kindle and books from Thailand now.

I'm not sure if you could "read" a jpg on the Kindle. I suppose you could as I am pretty sure it can show .jpg pictures, however, I've tried reading some .pdf files on the Kindle and it really doesn't work well. With proper ebook formats like .mobi the text is adjusted to a readable size, with an image like a .pdf or a .jpg the image is a fixed size and has always been unreadably small for me.

[hermespan]

>I have the wifi-only Kindle as I don't need to be able to download books everywhere I go, in fact I have yet to download a single book from Amazon as there are so many free books available on the Internet.

Good point. I recall scribd (used to be a pirate bay type site, and now it is a legit buying site), and there are many others.

>The 3G version of Kindle works everywhere Kindle is supported. I don't know the exact list but people report that it works in Thailand as well.

Anyone care to verify this from experience? Is it fast and simple enough?

>Basically the 3G Kindle somehow has a built-in 3G SIM which Amazon pays for, presumably in the hope of recovering that cost on book sales.

Ah, I see, I didn't realize this essential point of confusion for me.

>I'm not sure if you could "read" a jpg on the Kindle. I suppose you could as I am pretty sure it can show .jpg pictures, however, I've tried reading some .pdf files on the Kindle and it really doesn't work well. With proper ebook formats like .mobi the text is adjusted to a readable size, with an image like a .pdf or a .jpg the image is a fixed size and has always been unreadably small for me.

Very useful information - thank you. Looks like if I want to read every format (jpgs, pdfs .mobi etc) I will need to spend more or at least get a non-kindle. Frankly, one of the appeals of the basic kindle is that I would like something not so expensive that I worry about it while travelling. As long as I have a backup machine and a backup of data (presumably one can make a copy elsewhere, such as on a hard drive or 'cloud' - cyber filing cabinet?) a basic kindle is a good choice for travel use when one wants to read a few dozen books or even more.

A related note: I spoke to a friend in Brazil about his using his kindle there... although he paid big time in duty and taxes he is happy with his 3G kindle and downloads books there.

[CharlieHarper]

>The 3G version of Kindle works everywhere Kindle is supported. I don't know the exact list but people report that it works in Thailand as well.

Anyone care to verify this from experience? Is it fast and simple enough?

I can verify this. It is fast and simple enough.

One of the best additions to travel and/or life in Thailand.

[livram]

I just processed an order thru Amazon US for the Kindle WiFi model but then canceled. The base price is US $139 plus $20 Shipping and $20 Duty delivered here in Thailand. $200 Total approx 6000 Baht. Seems the way to go.

[NanLaew]

How many Thai language texts are available for Kindle in Thailand? My wife reads a lot when we are traveling and books are heavy. She saw a guy on the plane with an e-reader and I said I would check.

[bkk_mike]

How many Thai language texts are available for Kindle in Thailand? My wife reads a lot when we are traveling and books are heavy. She saw a guy on the plane with an e-reader and I said I would check.

I don't believe the Kindle supports non-Latin fonts. (except as images - ie. as a pdf)