TotallyOz Posted August 29, 2010 Posted August 29, 2010 When someone lives overseas most of the year, you often yearn for home and to keep in touch with your country. There are many ways to do this and I am sure some of you will give some great advice on this. One of my favorite things when I was in USA was to read The New Yorker. I missed it when I left years ago. I have now been a New Yorker Digital subscriber for years. I love reading the magazine and as a digital subscriber, you get access to ALL the old issues and articles. It is pretty amazing. I wanted to test the site on my IPad and I was pretty amazed they they very quietly updated their site to recognize the IPad and direct you to a nice way to use their service. I still prefer to read my weekly digital issue on the computer, but the new IPad structure tells me they just keep up with the times. http://www.newyorker.com/ Quote
Guest GaySacGuy Posted August 29, 2010 Posted August 29, 2010 GT...just got email that my Kindle has been shipped by Amazon to me here in Thailand. It is suppose to download all the books and magazines wirelessly here, so am hoping so. Now I just have to wait for the mail...wonder how long from the US??? Quote
Guest Posted August 29, 2010 Posted August 29, 2010 GT...just got email that my Kindle has been shipped by Amazon to me here in Thailand. It is suppose to download all the books and magazines wirelessly here, so am hoping so. Now I just have to wait for the mail...wonder how long from the US??? Not sure, but I know you will love your Kindle. It is a great device and it will allow you to keep in touch when you are in good old gay Thailand! Which one did you get? Quote
Guest GaySacGuy Posted August 29, 2010 Posted August 29, 2010 Not sure, but I know you will love your Kindle. It is a great device and it will allow you to keep in touch when you are in good old gay Thailand! Which one did you get? I got the new model of regular sized kindle with 3G and wireless. I already have my Amazon account and am reading one book on my computer...took just seconds from when I ordered to when it was ready to read. I am sure I will love my new toy...has been on order for about six weeks. Quote
Guest GaySacGuy Posted August 30, 2010 Posted August 30, 2010 GT...how long do you think it will take for the kindle shipped by Amazon to here..all the duty is paid, etc?? Any idea?? I never have things shipped so no clue???? Quote
Guest travelerjim Posted August 30, 2010 Posted August 30, 2010 GT...how long do you think it will take for the kindle shipped by Amazon to here..all the duty is paid, etc?? Any idea?? I never have things shipped so no clue???? GaySacGuy, Please report back on your new Kindle... and what problems, if any, you had with Thai Customs? I have heard of horror stories regarding "tea money" to get shipments through Thai Customs...hopefully yours will pass without any problems. After it is delivered..please relate what the breakdown of postage and fees were to get your delivery. Thank you, tj Quote
Guest lvdkeyes Posted August 30, 2010 Posted August 30, 2010 Delivery time varies greatly depending how it was shipped. Quote
Guest GaySacGuy Posted August 30, 2010 Posted August 30, 2010 GaySacGuy, Please report back on your new Kindle... and what problems, if any, you had with Thai Customs? I have heard of horror stories regarding "tea money" to get shipments through Thai Customs...hopefully yours will pass without any problems. After it is delivered..please relate what the breakdown of postage and fees were to get your delivery. Thank you, tj I will certainly report back TJ. I bought direct Amazon with shipment to Thailand. The kindle was &189 US, shipping was about $21 and duty/taxes were estimated at $52. Now, as far as tea money, that is on Amazon, because they are paying the shipping and duty. I put it on a credit card, so if I don't get the kindle, they don't get there $260. I will keep you posted on what happens, etc. I already opened my kindle book account at Amazon, and am enjoying a book on my computer...which will sync with the kindle..same book, same page, etc. Hope it is as cool as it sounds!! Quote
Guest GaySacGuy Posted September 5, 2010 Posted September 5, 2010 My new Kindle has arrived. It was shipped from Sparks NV on August 27, and was delivered to my home in Ubon on the afternoon of Septermber 2..Not bad. I paid the cost of the item, shipping, and duty all direct through Amazon, and there were no problems with the package. It is a cool toy that I am sure to get a lot of use from. I bought some books, and they arrived on my kindle in a matter of seconds/minutes. It works on the same system as the cell phones, so is good most places in Thailand. I think this is going to be fun, and not more packing those heavy books from the US, etc. Quote
Guest MonkeySee Posted September 5, 2010 Posted September 5, 2010 It is a cool toy that I am sure to get a lot of use from. I bought some books, and they arrived on my kindle in a matter of seconds/minutes. It works on the same system as the cell phones, so is good most places in Thailand. The Kindle is a cool toy. An easy device to use and a very wide selections of books to read. Until I bought one, I did not realize Kindle had a large number of books to read for free and many more for 50 cents. This is the wave of the future and well worth a couple of hundred dollars. Quote
Bob Posted September 5, 2010 Posted September 5, 2010 so is good most places in Thailand. Yep, seems to work almost anywhere. A good friend and I took a short trip to Fang (not that far from the Burma border and generally in the middle of nowhere) and he downloaded a book from there in about 20 seconds (or less). I got the bigger version just a month ago and also enjoy the free books. Read Treasure Island a couple of days ago (hadn't read that since I was a teenager) and currently am reading the Adventures of Sherlock Homes. Both free and each downloaded in less than 10 seconds. I return to LOS in a couple of weeks and one of the first things I'm going to do is to pick up a subscription to the New York Times. You get the first 2 weeks free and, after that, it's $19.95 a month (which is a good deal to me given that just the Sunday edition is over $7.00 in my town). Plus what's neat is that you get the latest version of the paper (I understand that the paper is digitally transmitted even prior to the printing presses starting their job in the US!). A very cool toy. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted September 5, 2010 Posted September 5, 2010 Which version of the kindle do you recommend? I don't want a lot of bells and whistles on mine - just something which is easy to use, light to carry, and on which i can increase text size is necessary. Quote
Bob Posted September 5, 2010 Posted September 5, 2010 Which version of the kindle do you recommend? I don't want a lot of bells and whistles on mine - just something which is easy to use, light to carry, and on which i can increase text size is necessary. You have the option of the big one (I think it has a 9" diagonal screen) or the smaller version. I happen to like the big one but, obviously, on the negative side, it's slightly less handy to carry around and costs about twice as much. In my opinion, while both versions have the same features, the bigger version makes the text enlarger more practical (the screen's big enough to handle the option). Maybe the best idea is for you to go to one of the electronic stores and look at other e-readers for size (unless you can actually find (from people that own them) and compare the two Kindle versions). Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted September 5, 2010 Posted September 5, 2010 You have the option of the big one (I think it has a 9" diagonal screen) or the smaller version. I happen to like the big one but, obviously, on the negative side, it's slightly less handy to carry around and costs about twice as much Weight is probably the overriding feature for me. Looking at amazon's website just now, it seems the new Kindle is less than half the weight of the 9" version. 9" is very appealing but I expect I'll opt for the Kindle Wi-fi. SInce Thailand doesn't have 3G, I guess there is little point having that option. Quote
Guest MonkeySee Posted September 5, 2010 Posted September 5, 2010 Weight is probably the overriding feature for me. Weight is important to me, as well. I would recomment the smaller one. My eyes are not the best, but the text enlarger helps alot. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted September 5, 2010 Posted September 5, 2010 My eyes are not the best, but the text enlarger helps alot. So that avatar really is you! I was never sure Quote
Guest MonkeySee Posted September 5, 2010 Posted September 5, 2010 So that avatar really is you! I was never sure My avatar is a pretty good likeness of me except my lips aren't that big. I do need glasses and I like to monkey around, that you can be sure of. Quote
Guest travelerjim Posted September 6, 2010 Posted September 6, 2010 My avatar is a pretty good likeness of me except my lips aren't that big. I do need glasses and I like to monkey around, that you can be sure of. MonkeySee, Good to see you are back and posting again. Now that we have gone OFF TOPIC... just where have you been "hanging"? tj Quote
Guest MonkeySee Posted September 6, 2010 Posted September 6, 2010 MonkeySee, Good to see you are back and posting again. Now that we have gone OFF TOPIC... just where have you been "hanging"? tj Thanks TJ for asking. I have not been up to much. Like you said, just hanging around, and I might add, looking for a few bananas to munch on. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted September 6, 2010 Posted September 6, 2010 looking for a few bananas to munch on. Being partial to bananas and not wishing the axe to fall (as I have a few years left in me ye, I trust), I am going to open a new thread! Quote
Guest GaySacGuy Posted September 6, 2010 Posted September 6, 2010 Weight is probably the overriding feature for me. Looking at amazon's website just now, it seems the new Kindle is less than half the weight of the 9" version. 9" is very appealing but I expect I'll opt for the Kindle Wi-fi. SInce Thailand doesn't have 3G, I guess there is little point having that option. As I understand it, the 3G is how books are being downloaded through the cell phone network here in Thailand. If you get the Wi-fi only w/o 3G, then you have to actually log into a Wi-fi site to download your books, not just any old place as with the 3G. There are really three choices...the larger kindle, the smaller new model with Wi-fi adn 3g ($189 US) or the smaller older model with just Wi-fi ($139 US). Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted September 6, 2010 Posted September 6, 2010 Forgive my ignorance. I do not have a 3G phone. I read that 3G is coming to Thailand. Is it actually here? Quote
Bob Posted September 6, 2010 Posted September 6, 2010 Forgive my ignorance. I do not have a 3G phone. I read that 3G is coming to Thailand. Is it actually here? According to the Kindle's website, Thailand's coverage is provided by "EDGE/GPRS" and the coverage is about 95% of the entire country. I have no clue what "3G" is or isn't (let alone what "EDGE/GPRS" might be) but I can tell you that my Chiangmai friend receives books on his Kindle very quickly (and he doesn't connect to the internet, another Amazon option, to do it). Quote
Guest Posted September 6, 2010 Posted September 6, 2010 Don't worry about the 3G. It is just the speed of the connection. If it is not available, then your downloads will go a bit slower. But, they have really optimized these books and you will not have to wait long for any of them. I have friends that use the Kindle International and have no problem in Thailand. I don't have the International version so I have to download to my computer and then transfer over. It takes all of 20 seconds for the whole process. The Kindle is great! Quote
Guest MonkeySee Posted September 6, 2010 Posted September 6, 2010 I am of the belief, the Kindle is the best e-reader on the market, in terms of ease of use and available books. Would most here agree with that statement? Any ideas for second best? Quote