Here’s another ques to add:

25. Does the Kindle come with a protective cover?

No, it does not, but you can order attractive ones (pink, aqua…) from Amazon and other sites. Until you get one, you’ll have to be careful about not damaging the screen.

You can also order LCD protection screens, reading lights and colourful skins!

Say hello to the proud owner of Kindle.

FAQ 15 mentions the contents of the box. Whatever is not mentioned, is missing.

Though I agree that I could have explicitly mentioned about missing screen protector. This is because many phones do ship with a screen protector – even if its of low quality.

Now since I have played and blogged about your Kindle, I should be able to return it back to you tomorrow, fully configured and loaded.

Hey, add something about the books themselves. The process of acquiring them–how, how much do they cost, etc.

Hey Nupur,

As per a quick search on Kindle store in Kindle, the price of books is < $12

You can click on “Buy” on the Kindle and the book gets downloaded onto your Kindle within minutes.

You can either use the Kindle to search for books in the Kindle store or use your comp to search on the Web and then buy your chosen book through the Kindle. The second is a better option because it’s easier to browse through various sub categories and you can make full use of Amazon’s recommendation engine!

Once you identify a book to buy, simply click on a ‘buy’ link and it will be downloaded in few mins. Before this you will have to register your kindle to your Amazon account and give billing details.

The second is a better option because it’s easier to browse through various sub categories and you can make full use of Amazon’s recommendation engine!

This is a noteworthy suggestion.

Thanks for the information. I was searching for Import Duty cost for kindle in India but could not find the cost, but thanks to you.

Hi Searock,
Glad to know that this information was useful to you!

s for the detailed post. I was looking for info about getting the kindle to India and bumped into your page. Thanks a lot for the info

Thank you for a very informative blog on Kindle! Fill us in with tips and tricks when you find the time.

Thanks Subir, Thanks Lionel for all the nice words of appreciation

I have a few PDF books in the hard drive of my laptop, collected over a period of time. Can i transfer them and read them to my Kindle? I could understand from the blog you can, but can you please confirm? A cousin working for Amazon in US is coming next week and asked me whether he can bring me one.

Hi Anand,
Yes you can transfer and read PDFs on Kindle. But it does not support zoom, changing font/test size and text to speech with PDFs.

However, you can use Calibre http://calibre-ebook.com/ to convert the PDFs to Mobi format and then transfer them to Kindle. Calibre makes this process a breeze and its a free software!

ATTN: Got a $36.93 refund on the export fee from Amazon! Refer to “Update (March 30, 2010)” in the above blog post.

Hello. I am from South Africa. Received my Kindle2 in pretty much the same way described in this blog. Do anyone know if there is a chance I could get a book where I could learn to read and write Hindi (e-book), please? Thanks in advance.

Hi,
I received my kindle; but the courier delivery in India took a while; nearly 4 days.
Thank you for the detailed review which helped me make up my mind!

I received my kindle; but the courier delivery in India took a while; nearly 4 days.

Congrats!!! Lionel. Were there weekends falling in between the shipping days?

There was an intervening weekend. The consignment reached Chennai on a Friday morning and to me, in Mangalore, on Monday evening.
I only wish the kindle had a SD slot.
Will be buying another ebook reader for my equal half; this time I may have a look at the Pi….

There was an intervening weekend. The consignment reached Chennai on a Friday morning and to me, in Mangalore, on Monday evening.
I only wish the kindle had a SD slot.
Will be buying another e book reader for my equal half; this time I may have a look at the Pi….

Hi Rita,

Do anyone know if there is a chance I could get a book where I could learn to read and write Hindi (e-book), please?

Refer to http://www.amazon.com/Your-First-Words-Hindi-ebook/dp/B002IUZM26/ The name of this book is “Your First 100 Words In Hindi” and it is available for Kindle. So you should be able to pay and download it directly on your Kindle.

I’m not really recommending this book because I haven’t read it. I found this book via a quick Google search.

if it has a SD slot it would have ben much better

Hi shekhar,

Was nice to read the post, was easy and explanatory.

Just have 2 questions.

1.How can the pdf file be transfered on kindle ? Through Usb, if yes then how(Like does it show folders etc on PC where the pdf file can be simply copied) ?

2.It does play audio file, how can they be transferred from PC.

3.Does converting the PDF file to mobi format enables the zoom and read text feature on kindle.

Was nice to read the post, was easy and explanatory.

Thanks! Manish

1.How can the pdf file be transfered on kindle ? Through Usb, if yes then how(Like does it show folders etc on PC where the pdf file can be simply copied) ?

Yes, Kindle will show its folders on the PC, when connected via USB. You can copy the files in the folder named Documents.

Though I recommend to use Calibre http://calibre-ebook.com/ for managing and transferring the books.

2.It does play audio file, how can they be transferred from PC.

When connected to the PC via USB, click on the folder named Music and copy your MP3s in this folder

3.Does converting the PDF file to mobi format enables the zoom and read text feature on kindle.

Yes!

Shekhar, I would believe you are based in India? Are you guys able to log on to the web to use twitter and facebook etc from there? I was given to understand that if we use a US address, we could, too. Please enlighten me on this. You seem well versed with the Kindle2.

Thanks for the detailed FAQ Shekhar. This really helps my decision making to buy a Kindle.

Hi Shekar,

First of all Thanks for writing a nice blog on kindle.

what is process of reading US newspapers and magazines on kindle?

Hi Rita,

Shekhar, I would believe you are based in India?

Yep

Are you guys able to log on to the web to use twitter and facebook etc from there?

No. This is explained in FAQ #18

I was given to understand that if we use a US address, we could, too.

I haven’t tried this out. But, it is possible.

What I have heard and read is changing the address or adding an additional U.S. address will allow you to browse U.S. only books as well as websites.

However the web browsing will be charged as per the data transfer.

Will update this blog post if and when I could try this out on a Kindle – since I don’ have one handy

You seem well versed with the Kindle2.

This blog talks about Kindle (Global Wireless). Kindle 2 (going by the name) is a different model.

Please refer to FAQ #2 and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Kindle

Hi Htumma,

what is process of reading US newspapers and magazines on kindle?

U.S. newspapers and magazines are available for download onto the Kindle from the Kindle store. You will spot them under the Newspapers and Magazines category by browsing the Kindle store on the device.

On the Kindle itself, you can pay using the credit card tied to the Kindle Store.

Subsequently magazines/newspapers will be downloaded onto the Kindle using its free wireless (global) connection.

Many popular newspapers and magazines can be subscribed to, using Kindle (registered with an Indian address).

A few to mention:

Newspapers: The New York Times ($27.99), The Washington Post ($23.99) and International Herald Tribune ($19.99)

Magazines: Time ($2.99), Newsweek ($2.99) and Forbes ($4.99)

The above mentioned prices are for monthly subscription and are current prices (as shown on Kindle) as of this writing.

Also note that the Kindle mentions that “Newspapers & magazines delivered outside the U.S. will not include photos and other images”

Sorry for the delay in response. I do not have the Kindle handy and had to ask my friend (the Kindle owner) to get this information.

Hey, Thanks a lot for the great FAQ.. it almost answered all I want to know.

Just one question.

Is it backlit? Can i read books, in dark?

Thanks Mohit.

Is it backlit? Can i read books, in dark?

No it is not backlit. Kindle mimics a book. No backlighting gives it a longer battery life per charge.

To read books on Kindle in dark, you may like to go for an accessory like this – http://amzn.to/a0dVQn Search Amazon or Google for more accessory like this.

Hi Shekhar, I wanted to know which networks does Kindle use in India (Vodafone or Reliance or ….). Do we have to pay any charges to any network? The network will also decide which are the places it will not work, no?

Nice blog. Thanks. The dialogue with everyone also clarified a lot of doubts.

I wanted to know which networks does Kindle use in India (Vodafone or Reliance or ….).

I do not know. Searched across but seems any tie up with specific providers is not revealed.

Do we have to pay any charges to any network?

No!!!

Refer to the section “No Monthly Wireless Bills” at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0015T963C/

The network will also decide which are the places it will not work, no?

I’m not aware of connectivity issues in specific areas. Will try to find it out from friends (since I don’t own a Kindle myself )

Also escalating this question to other readers of this Blog post, who are Kindle owners. Please share your experience.

Nice blog. Thanks.

Thanks to you for reading and sharing your comments here.

Hey Bro,
After seeing your blog I have noticed that we can transfer pdfs to the kindle. But Is this possible in the initial Kindle, Kindle 2, Kindle DX and all other versions which come out????

Cobi,
PDFs are supported from Kindle 2 onwards.

As of this writing only Kindle (Global Wireless) and Kindle DX (Global Wireless) are available from Amazon. With these devices you enjoy buying & downloading books via free wireless connection.

Note: Kindle (Global Wireless) is not Kindle 1.

If you want to buy an older device, it maybe available as second hand. For example: http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Amazons-Original-Wireless-generation/dp/B000FI73MA

For more on different versions of Kindle refer to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Kindle

So ur telling me that PDFs are not supported by the Kindle DX and Kindle GLobal Wireless??

So ur telling me that PDFs are not supported by the Kindle DX and Kindle GLobal Wireless??

Kindle DX and Kindle Global Wireless are the latest and PDFs are supported on them. Read FAQ #20 in the above blog post.

Also news is Amazon is going to release an update to Kindle which will have PDF zooming + Facebook and Twitter! Refer to http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=hp_kswup_nav_highlights?nodeId=200324680&#version

thanks bro for the information

I myself was thinking for buying an ebook reader

and seeing the comments I could figure out that ebooks from the net can be downloaded on kindle too
but just had a question
I have a huge collection of ebooks downloaded from rapidshare
( A4 size page ), does kindle sync the A4 size document acc to its screen size , does it reduce the font size etc plz help

Hi Anurag,

thanks bro for the information

Thanks to you bro for spending time in going through the information

I have a huge collection of ebooks downloaded from rapidshare
( A4 size page ), does kindle sync the A4 size document acc to its screen size , does it reduce the font size etc plz help

While you didn’t mention the format of the ebooks (doc/pdf etc.), I believe that converting the ebooks into .mobi format and transferring it to the Kindle should give an optimal view.

Use the wonderful and free software called Calibre http://calibre-ebook.com/ for the same.

PS: Also the upcoming Kindle update (as mentioned in the previous comment) should help in case your ebooks are in PDF format.

Hey Shekhar

We recently launched http://www.shopyourworld.com which enables international shopping on sites like Amazon, Target, Best buy, M&S etc.We have a merchant association with all the above mentioned vendors. What this allows is shopping on Amazon and buying it using Indian banking services and shipping followed by free delivery at your doorstep.
Keep us in mind for your next purchase:)

Cheers!

Where can i buy kindle in india?

Basant, as of now you will have to buy Kindle from Amazon.com.

Also refer to the earlier comment by Atul Shah.

I have recently started using a kindle and your blog has certainly helped iron out a lot of stuff while buying it. Now when i load a document ( PDF) onto the kindle the alignment of text goes bad.every line turns into two or 3 lines and the text looks like 2-3 liners all across instead of looking like paragraphs. Have u come across this issue?could you help me understand how to solve this

The Calibre e-book software seems to solve this issue.

Pavan,
Reets is right. Please convert your PDF into Mobi format using Calibre http://calibre-ebook.com/

do you pay per download or does amazon provide you options for subscriptions?

Priyanka,
You pay per download. Monthly subscription is available for newspapers and magazines.

Superb post, Shekhar. Was just curious about one thing: if we download a book on to the PC and then transfer it to the Kindle, will it still cost about $2 more (the roaming cost)? I mean, we would not have used Whispernet, na?

Superb post, Shekhar

Thanks Nimish. Hope you found some of the information useful.

Was just curious about one thing: if we download a book on to the PC and then transfer it to the Kindle, will it still cost about $2 more (the roaming cost)? I mean, we would not have used Whispernet, na?

You got me curious. How did you find out that on Kindle it costs $2 more?

As per http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0015T963C/ (refer to “No Monthly Wireless Bills”) there is no billing for wireless connectivity.

Well, that’s what the folks at Amazon told us at the launch – that all books would cost about $2 extra. Hence even if you download an otherwise free book, you get billed $2. We were told these were actually the roaming charges of using Whispernet.

And ah, just got confirmation from Amazon that no, you will not be charged an additional $2 if you use the download to computer option. By the way, here is the page that tells you about the $2 extra charge:http://www.labnol.org/software/download-free-books-for-kindle/10990/

where can we repair a kindle?

Hi Shekar..

Kindle off to you(hats off to you) for this amazing one of its kind review.. I have 2 questions.

1. Recently kindle slashed its price to $189. But still shipping to india costs $300+ considering the import duties. My office mates travel to US frequently and it costs $ 189 in US. So, if he can buy it from there and bring to india, should he also pay the duties ?? I mean, will they check in Airport??

2. Is kindle water proof? I know i sound stupid, but my hands sweat a lot.. Does it make it messy ?

I live in India but am visiting the US for a few weeks. Can I buy Amazon Kindle here and take it with me to India or is the India Kindle a special device that has to be ordered and shipped to India?

Hey Nimish,

I just checked the prices of books on Kindle and Kindle Store on PC. They are the same.

I then went ahead and bought two books for $2, each.

For the first one, I opted to transfer to “My Kindle” and for the second one, I opted to “Transfer via Computer”

In both cases, the purchase details (in Amazon’s “My Account”) showed $2 charged against the credit card.

Now I’m not sure if the amount will get refunded, atleast for the second item. If it happens, will let you know.

By the way, here is the page that tells you about the $2 extra charge:http://www.labnol.org/software/download-free-books-for-kindle/10990/

I did not try changing the country.

PS: This experiment will cost me $4, if the owner of the Kindle does not like the books

Hi Basant,

where can we repair a kindle?

First, I hope that none of us have to go through this.

Please look at the discussions here: http://tinyurl.com/2bcmrq8

I went through some of them and it seems:

1. If Kindle is under warranty, and the damage is not accidental, it will be replaced

2. If the damage is accidental, you MAY return the broken Kindle and buy a refurbished Kindle for a discounted price.

3. There are some third party service providers. But not sure about their services in India.

Note that the discussions also suggest that the policies change and is subject to availability in the stock.

Hi Suj,

I live in India but am visiting the US for a few weeks. Can I buy Amazon Kindle here and take it with me to India or is the India Kindle a special device that has to be ordered and shipped to India?

Make sure you buy a Kindle (Global Wireless) or Kindle DX (Global Wireless) and it will work in India. The good news is, the price of Kindle (Global Wireless) has recently been slashed down to $189. Enjoy!

Hi Arun,

Kindle off to you(hats off to you) for this amazing one of its kind review..

Thanks a ton!

1. Recently kindle slashed its price to $189. But still shipping to india costs $300+ considering the import duties.

You will have to pay $283.92 (Base price: $189, Shipping & handling: $20.98 and Import Duties: $73.94).

My office mates travel to US frequently and it costs $ 189 in US. So, if he can buy it from there and bring to india, should he also pay the duties ?? I mean, will they check in Airport??

Depends on your luck on that day. One of the tricks is to unpackage the device and hold it in hand. Please do take suggestions from your office mates. I’m sure they would be carrying back such gadgets from abroad.

2. Is kindle water proof? I know i sound stupid, but my hands sweat a lot.. Does it make it messy ?

No Kindle is not water proof. But you can buy a cover for Kindle. See http://tinyurl.com/28cqo4x Please note you could order cheaper covers from outside Amazon.

With such a cover, you would be only clicking the device’s buttons by your thumbs – that too when flipping through the book pages (mostly). And the screen is not a touch screen.

Hi Shekhar,

I am working with Amazon on kindle support.if you have any queries with the use of kindle you can contact me

hey buddy thanks for an awesome blog ..
I wanna buy kindle on my b’day I live in Delhi… well after including all costs like import duty etc. it’s quite costly .. well i have an uncle in virginia u.s can he buy it for me or whatever kind of buy it as a gift and mail me here thus skipping duties ??? if yes … whats the procedure ??
Also a question arises if my kindle gets damaged by me accidentally what to do ?? how to repair it and all that …
please help me out I want it on july 7 or before !!!!

hey just one more question … how long does the battery lasts, if you have any idea … with battery lasts i mean when we have to replace the battery … i have read on other blogs that after the battery is useless you have to order a entirely new or refurbished kindle ….

Great post. I could find more info abt kindle on your blog than anywhere else. Just got kindle on my bday and am still trying to figure it out. All these touchscreen devices have so spoiled us that its taking all the more time to sort it out.

what is the warranty period

My sister, who lives in India, is currently visiting me in USA. I would like to buy her the Kindle as she is very fond of reading. From the blog above, I understand that I need to buy Kindle Global, so that it would work in India.

2 Questions: (1) Does she have to buy books or can she find books for free online. (2) Can I pay for the books she would like over here in the US, and she can get them in India.

Hi Gautam,

well i have an uncle in virginia u.s can he buy it for me or whatever kind of buy it as a gift and mail me here thus skipping duties ???

Not sure. The parcel may still be checked and duty could be imposed. Better bet is, if someone can unpack & carry it to India.

if yes … whats the procedure ??

You or your uncle can place the order and specify the delivery address as the U.S. address. Go for Kindle (Global Wireless) or Kindle DX (Global Wireless)

Also a question arises if my kindle gets damaged by me accidentally what to do ?? how to repair it and all that …

Please refer to my reply to to Basant : http://www.shekhargovindarajan.com/tips-n-tricks/kindle-to-india-frequently-asked-questions/#comment-8342

how long does the battery lasts, if you have any idea … with battery lasts i mean when we have to replace the battery …

No idea. My friend’s Kindle is about 5 months old and the battery is behaving as well as it was during the early days. Many claim that the battery is fine even after a year of usage.

i have read on other blogs that after the battery is useless you have to order a entirely new or refurbished kindle ….

This seems to be true. I also read the same. I Googled and found a site which ships Kindle replacement battery worldwide. Check out http://tinyurl.com/239vvhf Please note that I personally do not have any buying/shippng experience with them

Hi Basant,

what is the warranty period

1 year http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200401240

Hi Kashmira

(1) Does she have to buy books or can she find books for free online.

Free books need to be converted into Kindle friendly format. I use Calibre http://calibre-ebook.com/ for the same

(2) Can I pay for the books she would like over here in the US, and she can get them in India.

Yes, as long as she uses your Amazon account on the Kindle.

Hi Somya,

Great post. I could find more info abt kindle on your blog than anywhere else.

Thanks

All these touchscreen devices have so spoiled us that its taking all the more time to sort it out.

hehehe. So true. The same happened to me when I had my Android (touch screen) phone in one hand and Kindle in the other

Again thanks buddy for an awesome blog and fast replys ..
so i guess the best option for me is to buy directly … and for battery let’s see !!!!

Hiii…Shekhar

am already purchased a kindle from USA through my friend.Its cost only 189USD,white in color.My friend will come to India on coming Aguest20. he doesnt know anything about the kindle. global wireless or not? but he is sure that its their new model and not kindle DX. now am in a dilema…

is it a global modle?
can i use it in India? can i download books ?

Raibin,
Guess you have nothing to worry. You can use it in India as well as buy-n-download books on it. The reason is as follows:

Since June 23 (as per the e-mail I received from Amazon), the price of Kindle (Global Wireless) has been slashed down to $189.

The latest Kindle has two variants. One with 6″ display and the other with the 9″ display. They are called Kindle (Global Wireless) and Kindle DX (Global Wirless) respectively.

The device that your friend bought must be Kindle (Global Wireless)..

Sorry for the confusion about the price. My mistake, that I did not update my blog post with the new price.

hii…..Shekhar…tanxx…for..your…help.and support.

so…i can download books from amazon with my kindle.

is their any roaming charges? because the kindle is already registerd to my freind’s name,situated in USA. Can i reregister it to my name?

Raibin,

so…i can download books from amazon with my kindle.

Yes

is their any roaming charges?

No. But seems non USA users have to pay a slightly higher fee for books. For this reason, free books are $2 for us.

because the kindle is already registerd to my freind’s name,situated in USA.

If you continue using your friend’s USA account you get access to more books and free books

Can i reregister it to my name?

Yes, you can register it under your Amazon account.

hii….shekhar..
thanx…4..ur….fast..replies…its….awesome..i ..mean..ur…blog..really ..awesome
keep..it…man….keep….it…

so…everythin.,..seems…cool…
now am eagerly waiting for my..kindle…can i manuelly upload..my pdf..e books..to..kindle?

is their any other..e book..reader..other..than..kindle…?
cheap in price?

waitng…4 ur..commentss….
thankfullyy….
raibin…….

Thanks Raibin,

can i manuelly upload..my pdf..e books..to..kindle?

yes

is their any other..e book..reader..other..than..kindle…?
cheap in price?

You can take a look at the ones from Sony http://www.sonystyle.com/reader. Also free software ebook readers are available for many mobile phones.

say hello to proud owner of kindle !!!!
its awesome buddy !!!
better then I ever expected !!!!!

hey buddy just one problem .. I am now charging it from my laptop .. its wall socket is not compatible for me .. wat shud i do ???

Also how to start that text to speech feature ??? I uploaded a book in txt format and there is no option for text to speech ..

Gautam,

First, CONGRATS!!!

hey buddy just one problem .. I am now charging it from my laptop .. its wall socket is not compatible for me .. wat shud i do ???

Refer to FAQ 16 and go to any nearby electrical shop. Carry the cable along.

Also how to start that text to speech feature ??? I uploaded a book in txt format and there is no option for text to speech ..

While reading the book, click on the “Aa” key (on the keyboard below).

Select and click on “turn on” for Text-to-Speech, using the navigation key (between Menu and Back buttons)

yeah both problems are solved now .. infact I was a bit hasty haven’t explored my kindle ..
there are many things i love about it greatest of it is dictionary then its ability to directly go to chapters !!! It has two games also !!!
It is just best …

P.S To other guys , just dont think more abt it take the plunge , buy it !

hey one more thing .. the software you mentioned for converting my books .. calibre .. well I downloaded it & it is working fine but there is no azw format option on it to convert books to .. it only has mobi and many other formats .. can u tell me how to get azw or if mobi is as good ??

Gautam,
MOBI works! AZW is too proprietary

k thanx buddy !!

Hey buddy .. kindle is working like a charm !! But Just have a few problems maybe u can solve them ..
1. Well it says battery lasts 2 weeks .. mine lasted for 6 days after full recharge with wireless off .. In that time I have read 2 novels approx. 24000 in locations if u get my meaning .. well is that average or mine is not giving full charge ??
2. I didn’t order kindle with cover and they have given me absolutely nothing for screen guard .. so what should i do ?? it is getting dirty ..
3. Last .. one time I loaded 800 books on it at a single time .. it got hanged .. it automatically restarted and is working fine but its clock is giving wrong time .. what should I do ?? is there a way to right it ??
Hoping to hear from u soon … Thanks again for creating such a wonderful blog !!

Excellent page Shekhar with all the details one needs- thanks for doing a great job! Planning to get a kindle now.

Hello Shekhar

Firstly, many thanks for the excellent blog and most importantly, for your prompt responses. However, after going thru all the comments / responses, I still haven’t figured out the reading experiences of the Kindle owners. I like holding a physical book in my hand while reading. But the option of ready access to titles from Amazon (even though some may be restricted to start with, which I’m sure will be made available later), I am tempted to buy one (I am currently in U.S. planning to return EOM). Can you please tell me something about the quality of content, the reading pleaseure etc?

Hi Gautam,
Sorry for the delay in response. Talked to a few friends about Kindle’s battery performance, since I don’t own a Kindle myself.

1. Well it says battery lasts 2 weeks .. mine lasted for 6 days after full recharge with wireless off .. In that time I have read 2 novels approx. 24000 in locations if u get my meaning .. well is that average or mine is not giving full charge ??

One of my friends and a Kindle user say it lasts for 6 days and the other says 15-20 days! Give me some time to find out more about this. ATTN: Kindle users who have commented on this blog post, please voice your inputs

2. I didn’t order kindle with cover and they have given me absolutely nothing for screen guard .. so what should i do ?? it is getting dirty ..

I think you should not be worried just about the screen. You have the white color Kindle, rt? See http://tinyurl.com/28cqo4x Please note you could order cheaper covers from outside Amazon. Google for it.

3. Last .. one time I loaded 800 books on it at a single time .. it got hanged .. it automatically restarted and is working fine but its clock is giving wrong time .. what should I do ?? is there a way to right it ??

Turn on the Wireless. The Kindle’s clock is suppose to sync with the network (or cell) provider’s clock.

Thanks Vishnu,
This is what keeps me going – a line of appreciation!

Planning to get a kindle now.

Join the gang asap!!!

No problem buddy .. yeah if you got anything about battery do post it ..
yeah will order a cover its losing its shine .. again many many thanks buddy clock is fixed now !!!

Hey, Shekhar, I got my Kindle too. Quite awesome. Thanks for all the help..

after going thru all the comments / responses, I still haven’t figured out the reading experiences of the Kindle owners

Hi Subhashis

I have been using the Kindle for some six months, and my reading experience on it has been v good. The device is easy to hold and carry around (you may want to buy a cover to prevent screen damage) and the font is very readable. I haven’t switched 100% to the Kindle, and still read physical books — though when I’m on the Kindle, I do not miss the physical book at all. Bottomline from an avid reader: On reading experience, the Kindle is highly recommended.

On finding books: Generally, it is easy to find best sellers at Amazon or other sources. However, I prefer the literary fiction genre, and have to hunt around for such books. You could search Amazon’s Kindle store to see if your type of books are available easily.

yeah both problems are solved now .. infact I was a bit hasty haven’t explored my kindle ..
there are many things i love about it greatest of it is dictionary then its ability to directly go to chapters !!! It has two games also !!!
@Gautam: What Kindle are you using? I would like games on mine
Btw, my Kindle can go up to 2 weeks or more without a recharge.

I have also a silicone sock (cover) in Pink and a Pink leather case to keep my Kindle in. I bought it locally in South Africa and it came with 2 screen guards

@ Subashis “I still haven’t figured out the reading experiences of the Kindle owners. I like holding a physical book in my hand while reading.”

The experience is waaay better – no more turning pages; just one click – especially during cold winter nights under the blankets, lol.

hey buddy mine is Kindle 2 wireless .. It has one of my fav game of crozz & zero …
mine lasts for only 6 days .. how many books do you usually read in 2 weeks ?? maybe it depends on reading habits ….
Well you are lucky one , in India Kindle is not yet popular so no covers for me as yet …
Yeah reading experience is just awesome .. there are not enough words for it .. it is just great !!!!!!!!!

Awesome piece of article Shekhar!
I have this nagging question since the first time I explored Kindle on the Amazon site. I read through this entire page for the andwer but no one else has posted this:
Q1. Isn’t there any Kindle model with a normal WiFi option? Can’t I hook up to my home WiFi and browse/download books instead of using the Whispernet?
Q2. Given that we are still deprived of the 3G pleasures in India – (other than the cheap thrills one gets out of reading about the obscene bid amounts for 3G spectrum) – how is the speed in the normal Edge/GPRS network? How long does it take to download an average (300-400 page) ebook?

Hi,

heard that somebody was asking about pdf .now we have a new software update with which you can zoom the pdf format

yeah I got an emai too , there is many software upgrades mentioned , pdf viewing, book categorising and more, but I cannot upgrade them on my kindle .. can anyone tell me what to do ?? I switched on wireless selected sync but nothing happens .. please do reply …

the battery normally lasts for 1-2 weeks.make sure to put the kindle in a sleep mode when not in use

hi,

the time to download any no of pages of the book would not take more than 60 sec if the wireless is good enough.recently amazon are launching kindle that may work with wifi as well

The clock on Kindle updates when it connects to Whispernet. The time is delivered to the device by the wireless carrier. Unfortunately, its accuracy is not guaranteed

i dont know why .. but my battery not lasts for more then 6 days .. i also put it to sleep and keep wireless off .. hey how do you charge it ?? maybe thats the difference .. I use USB to charge from my computer ..

Shekhar,

I am impressed with the commitment and patience you show to educate others on Kindle. Thank you

I have a quick qn, did you hear anything about kindle wifi only. B&N nook released wifi only, and I heard the rumours abt kindle regd. the same.

please share any info you have.

Hey guys,
Following are a few pending responses from my side:

@Rupesh

Q1. Isn’t there any Kindle model with a normal WiFi option? Can’t I hook up to my home WiFi and browse/download books instead of using the Whispernet?

There are rumours about an upcoming Kindle model with WiFi. Vinita too is hinting about it –

Vinita: recently amazon are launching kindle that may work with wifi as well

@Vinita

the battery normally lasts for 1-2 weeks.make sure to put the kindle in a sleep mode when not in use

1-2 weeks is quite a range. Aren’t there any official benchmarks so that users can cross check their battery health ?

Also Vinita, I sent you a detailed E-mail on questions about Kindle at your Yahoo E-mail address. I sent the E-mail on 28th June and forwarded the same on 5th July.

@gautam

maybe thats the difference .. I use USB to charge from my computer ..

Gautam, charging through USB does take longer. But once fully charged, it does not discharge any faster.

@Naveen v

I have a quick qn, did you hear anything about kindle wifi only. B&N nook released wifi only, and I heard the rumours abt kindle regd. the same.

There are rumours about an upcoming Kindle model with WiFi. Vinita too is hinting about it –

Vinita: recently amazon are launching kindle that may work with wifi as well

Last but not the least, THANK YOU, ALL!!!

Delighted to notice the 100th comment on this blog post! Never imagined that a post which started off being an FAQ on shipping will attract so many comments and end up becoming a knowledge base in itself. It is apparent that the wealth of information lies more in the comments than the blog post itself. I honestly believe that this could not have happened without your contributions – your comments . Thank you again!

well, congrats! since the first comment was mine, and since i’m the owner of the kindle that this FAQ is based on, i thought it fit that the 101st comment be mine too on a serious note, this blog has been v helpful in figuring out the techie side of the device.

Hi Shekhar,

Sorry i was not able to get through your mails will reply you as soon as possible.Gautam was not able to update the software.ask him to get into http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=hp_navbox_kspot_ksoft?nodeId=200324680

and then click on “Applying Kindle Software Updates Manually” and follow the instruction given below the download blocks

Vinita,

Sorry i was not able to get through your mails will reply you as soon as possible.

No problem at all. I too guessed that you would have missed my E-mails. Do let me know if you want me to resend.

Gautam was not able to update the software.ask him to get into http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=hp_navbox_kspot_ksoft?nodeId=200324680

and then click on “Applying Kindle Software Updates Manually” and follow the instruction given below the download blocks

Gautam, the link and the procedure has worked for one of my friends, as confirmed by him. Should work for you too. Do share your experience.

Juhi,

well, congrats! since the first comment was mine, and since i’m the owner of the kindle that this FAQ is based on, i thought it fit that the 101st comment be mine too

Guys, this is so true. Hadn’t Juhi ordered the Kindle, this blog post would not have existed. I must acknowledge that Juhi has lent me her Kindle for weeks, whenever I asked for it, to answer queries/comments on this blog post. Tough for her since, she is an avid reader (I’m not at all into books)

What’s more, as of this writing, I’m in possession of her Kindle which I picked up to check out the Kindle updates.

Thanks Juhi

on a serious note, this blog has been v helpful in figuring out the techie side of the device.

This is the best I could offer with your Kindle

well thanx buddy for all your help .. it is just the best blog out here for kindle queries ..!!!
well the link you posted for manual upgrade worked and a file downloaded of approx. 26MB .. but when I try to copy it to my kindle’s root folder it wont copy .. so any idea what now to do ??

Gautam,

sorry abt the trouble .may be you are using internet exp.try using Mozilla while downloading the software

Vinita,

sorry abt the trouble .may be you are using internet exp.try using Mozilla while downloading the software

It seems, from Gautam’s comment, that he was able to download the update but there was a problem transferring the update file to the Kindle.

Gautam,

well the link you posted for manual upgrade worked and a file downloaded of approx. 26MB .. but when I try to copy it to my kindle’s root folder it wont copy .. so any idea what now to do ??

I downloaded and copied the file on the Kindle. It copied without any error. I did not apply the update because the Kindle was already updated (via Wireless)!

Could the problem be the space on your Kindle? You once tried copying 800+ books.

Check the free space on the Kindle in “My Computer” (assuming that you are using Windows)

nah buddy I deleted all that books and there is very much space now .. but it wont copy .. well my kindle was showing me version 2.3 so i upgraded it now to 2.3.3 then to 2.3.4 all those happen nicely .. and now I am waiting 2.5 to happen by wireless .. the file would not just copy so i think thats best for me .. anyway thanx 4 all ur help buddy and vinita for yours too !!

Hi Naveen v

I have a quick qn, did you hear anything about kindle wifi only. B&N nook released wifi only, and I heard the rumours abt kindle regd. the same. please share any info you have.

See this link! http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9179853/Amazon_launches_two_new_Kindles_one_with_Wi_Fi_only

oh man its awesome yaar !!! I left wireless switched on for night .. and in the morning my kindle’s version is 2.5.6 !! can u believe it !!!
hey buddy maybe you should post a comment on all these new features .. there certainly are many of them … again my appreciation for all your help buddy !!!

Good news the wi-fi kindle has been launched. one which works both on 3G and wi-fi and one which works only on wi-fi

Hi Shekhar,

Thanks for this helpful article. Although someone has already voiced a similar concern, i just wanted to re-confirm from u on how do i transfer the documents ( doc, pdf etc.) which i already have on my laptop , to my kindle. I have just pre-ordered the latest generation kindle dx (the wi-fi one which goes for $ 139) . This is one concern i have since i have plenty of such documents and ebooks in pdf format accumulated over a period of time on my PC. Do let me know on this. Thanks..

Hi Amit,

Kindle’s Personal Document Service (via Wi-fi) allows you to e-mail approved files to your Kindle’s e-mail address. Then, Amazon can download the file(s) wirelessly in a Kindle-compatible format to the device(s) for a small fee ($0.99/mb). To avoid a fee, or if you’re not in wi fi range, you can send an e-mail to “name”@free.kindle.com and download the files via USB in a Kindle compatible format to the device.

You can view or update your Kindle’s e-mail address on the Manage Your Kindle page (http://www.amazon.com/manageyourkindle). You can use the “name”@kindle.com address for wireless delivery or “name”@free.kindle.com for free delivery to the e-mail address associated with your Amazon.com account

Dear Shekhar,

I honestly think Amazon should take you on board for being such a gentlemen for first of all putting up this FAQ list and then promptly and very patiently answering and sorting out issues of all other fellow Kindle lovers

I’m almost on the verge of taking the plunge myself

Will certainly come back to you my friend if I have any issues that I’m unable to resolve by going thru this wonderful blog.

I think atlest you should patent this FAQ page and get royalty out of Amazon as I’m sure even if they had tried they couldn’t have put up such a wonderful customer support page -:)

Cheers
LK.

Awesome blog Shekar…a lot many of us are indebted to you for this service. One question – though it must have been answered earlier which I probably overlooked, can the e-book from Kindle Store be downloaded to the PC and copied to the Kindle where the Kindle is still not supported wirelessly.

Hi amit,

how do i transfer the documents ( doc, pdf etc.) which i already have on my laptop , to my kindle.

Connect your Kindle to the PC. Subsequently, the directories/folders on Kindle will show under My Computer (assuming you are using WIndows). You can copy the files (ebooks) in the folder named Documents.

For unsupported formats and even otherwise, I suggest that you use Calibre http://calibre-ebook.com/ for managing and transferring the books.

Ah man .. within 2 weeks of my buying 2nd generation they launch a third generation with more battery and more space and more stylish and less price .. well thats just not fair wouldn’t u say
??

hey buddy i have encountered a great problem .. see what happened was I opened amazon site and on the book list .. I selected many books which were free .. treasure island and books like that .. and i downloaded it to computer .. I thought that way they will not charge me as they were free books .. but when I opened my gmail account there was mails from amazon mentioning sales of 54 $ and will mentioned in my credit card .. damn it man they are gonna bankrupt me !!
So any what to do ?? or how the hell these happened ??

hey that was not $54 but $154 .. my mistake ..

Hi Lionking,

I honestly think Amazon should take you on board for being such a gentlemen for first of all putting up this FAQ list and then promptly and very patiently answering and sorting out issues of all other fellow Kindle lovers

Without the visitors, readers and most importantly, the commenters, this blog post would be long dead. So, thank you! And, thank you for a steady dose of pure appreciation besides queries

I’m almost on the verge of taking the plunge myself

Go, go for it!!!

Will certainly come back to you my friend if I have any issues that I’m unable to resolve by going thru this wonderful blog.

For sure.

Hi Ali,

can the e-book from Kindle Store be downloaded to the PC and copied to the Kindle where the Kindle is still not supported wirelessly.

Unfortunately no On a PC, the only way to download and read E-books from Amazon is by using Kindle app for PC http://tinyurl.com/yja443f

And Kindle app for PC does not transfer books on the Kindle device. The books purchased/delivered on PC sync, only wirelessly, with the Kindle device. I have even tried copying the book’s files from c:\program files\Amazon\–some-path– on the Kindle, but it doesn’t work.

Non-Amazon e-books can be transferred to the Documents folder on the Kindle, via USB.

Hi Gautam,

Ah man .. within 2 weeks of my buying 2nd generation they launch a third generation with more battery and more space and more stylish and less price .. well thats just not fair wouldn’t u say

Absolutely not fair, but that’s the game the vendors play with the customers Wish there could be a reasonable exchange offer.

Vinita, any inputs?

Gautam,

I selected many books which were free .. treasure island and books like that .. and i downloaded it to computer .. I thought that way they will not charge me as they were free books .. but when I opened my gmail account there was mails from amazon mentioning sales of 54 $ and will mentioned in my credit card .. damn it man they are gonna bankrupt me !!

Good News !!! See this link http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200144510&#content Quick!!! The books must be returned within 7 days. Let us all know if it worked for you.

Hi,
Iam very interested in buying a kindle and want to whether indian course books or other books for professional or general reading are available on the device can you please assist me???
Thankyou

thanx buddy for all u r help .. the no. they have mentioned on their site is not responding .. so I have sent a mail .. lets see what happens ..

AWesome man .. their response time is just great .. After i send the mail I received an reply within 7 hours telling me to mention all the books I want to return .. after I send them the list I received after 10 hrs 37 mails regarding the refund of all my 37 downloaded books which were on the list .. Isnt it great !! Thanx once again buddy .. One thing I dont understand is that I still Have books on my computer so how this return works if I still have books ???

Hi Rishi,

Iam very interested in buying a kindle and want to whether indian course books or other books for professional or general reading are available on the device can you please assist me???

You can search/browse the Kindle book store here http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Store/b?ie=UTF8&node=133140011

Also before browsing login/register with Amazon with an Indian address and you should be shown books available for India.

Hi Gautam,
Thanks for sharing your pleasant experience with Amazon’s refund process for Kindle books. This should help many

One thing I dont understand is that I still Have books on my computer so how this return works if I still have books ???

Book on computer means? You are seeing these books in the Kindle app for PC? If yes, clicking on the Sync button should make them disappear Let me know if it worked (that is, when you are ready to delete the books).

hehe well I am not gonna do that in a hurry !! Let my card statement come to me first !! Hey maybe I have found a great loophole of buying and returning books !!!

Which are the Indian magazines and newspapers available on the Kindle? Also are Indian paperbacks in at least English listed anywhere? Are these more expensive than buying the stuff? Like I was told India Today costs just as much on the Kindle as buying a magazine

Hey maybe I have found a great loophole of buying and returning books !!!

hehehe. Guess you would then need different logins, credit cards and addresses to play it longer

Yeah thats right .. There is lot of trouble to go through for just books .. and maybe it’s illegal too .. also it will hurt authors .. ah men dilemma of the modern civilized boys ..

Hi Shekhar,
When I go to http://client0.cellmaps.com/viewer.html?cov=1 this link – in order to understand Kindle’s Wireless coverage – it shows me GPRS/EDGE connectivity spread across India – Now – I have 2 Queries:
1.3G is available in my area – even in that case – would it use EDGE to download things?
2.If it uses GPRS/EDGE – then is this satisfactory to download /surf content from it?

Also, could your verify that in any case, even if surfing the web is not available in India – the Wikipedia surfing is absolutely available even in India to?

ONE MORE IMP QUERY – there’s not going to be any difference in its functioning in India even if I buy it from the US and use it in India?

Hi Shekhar !

First of all thanks a lot for starting this post , it was easy to read and understand the same

I am an avid reader and was looking for something like this

I had some queries.
1) I have a friend in UK who is coming after a month and i just checked that its available in UK for 109 Pounds, can i ask my friend to buy from their and bring it.
2) Once its in india , can i toggle the address between the option of selecting india or UK to enjoy the benefits or i need to keep it UK only
3) if i change the address to India how would i pay if i want some books from it

Thanks in advance shekhar !

Regards
Muffadal

Hi Satish,

Which are the Indian magazines and newspapers available on the Kindle? Also are Indian paperbacks in at least English listed anywhere? Are these more expensive than buying the stuff? Like I was told India Today costs just as much on the Kindle as buying a magazine

You can checkout the book, magazines and newspapers available for Kindle at http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Store/b?ie=UTF8&node=133140011 Click on the links labelled Newspapers and Magazines at the top. Subsequently, on the left, you can filter by categories or countries. The subscription costs (in USD) are listing alongside for your comparison. Hope this helps.

there are some questions here reg how long the battery lasts after a full charge. i did a test and found that mine lasted for 11 days after a full charge with the wireless on.

congrats yaar !! Mine lasts maximum 7 days with wireless off .. Ah well as if 7 days are not enough !!

Hi Naveen,

1.3G is available in my area – even in that case – would it use EDGE to download things?

Kindle should be able to download at 3G speed. But I read it somewhere. Need to verify this myself. Will keep you updated.

2.If it uses GPRS/EDGE – then is this satisfactory to download /surf content from it?

Yep. It takes only a few minutes.

Also, could your verify that in any case, even if surfing the web is not available in India – the Wikipedia surfing is absolutely available even in India to?

With the latest Kindle update, surfing is available in India too!

ONE MORE IMP QUERY – there’s not going to be any difference in its functioning in India even if I buy it from the US and use it in India?

Nopes

Hi Muffadal,

1) I have a friend in UK who is coming after a month and i just checked that its available in UK for 109 Pounds, can i ask my friend to buy from their and bring it.

Sure. But I guess it the WiFi only model. Wouldn’t you like to go for the WiFi+3G model?

2) Once its in india , can i toggle the address between the option of selecting india or UK to enjoy the benefits or i need to keep it UK only

Yep, you will be able to toggle.

3) if i change the address to India how would i pay if i want some books from it

You will have to enter your credit card details at Amazon. Till then, you will not be able to buy books from the Kindle store.

Hi,

If I purchase a Kindle 6-inch with Wi-Fi (no 3G), can I still access the Amazon book store through the Wi-Fi connection? (I have wireless internet at home)

Hi Arpit,

If I purchase a Kindle 6-inch with Wi-Fi (no 3G), can I still access the Amazon book store through the Wi-Fi connection? (I have wireless internet at home)

Yes

hi Shekar,

U have provided just a awesome blog post on kindle.

I’m living in India and I’m planning to order the new Kindle 3 WiFi only which is priced at US$139. How much should i pay as custom duties and for shipping? What is form39 and i read from some blogs that it should be filled and given to the courier person. And finally is there any specific difficulty or problem in shipment if we ship it to India?

hey buddy I have looked everywhere on google and cant find a source for kindle cover in India .. If you know of any please help me out …

Hi Suresh,

I’m living in India and I’m planning to order the new Kindle 3 WiFi only which is priced at US$139. How much should i pay as custom duties and for shipping?

The device ships with shipping, handling and taxes, all inclusive. Following is the breakup:

Device Cost: $139.00
Shipping & Handling: $20.98
Import Fees Deposit $56.34
Total: $216.32

What is form39 and i read from some blogs that it should be filled and given to the courier person.

Guess Form 39 is required to be filled in for sales tax/VAT. I’m not sure whether you would need to fill it in, unless you order the device under the name of a company.

I did not have to fill in any such form when the device was delivered to me. Also I received a refund on the import duty. Refer to “Update (March 30, 2010):” in this blog post.

And finally is there any specific difficulty or problem in shipment if we ship it to India?

None, whatsoever. I didn’t go through any problem. The buying and shipping experience was quite pleasant.

Hi Gautam,

hey buddy I have looked everywhere on google and cant find a source for kindle cover in India .. If you know of any please help me out …

I assume that you don’t want to order it from Amazon or other sites because then you will have to pay the shipping charges, rt? Check out http://www.pdair.com or to be specific http://pdair.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=11000659_11000660_11000661 Pdair.com offers free worldwide shipping. I have ordered a few cell phone covers through them.

hey buddy thanks again !! where do u get sites such as these ?? amazing !!
But the kindle covers on it are not that good and their cost is equal to the ones provided by amazon .. I tried to buy from amazon itself but they are saying they cant ship it to India on my address .. so any idea what to do ??

Gautam,

I tried to buy from amazon itself but they are saying they cant ship it to India on my address .. so any idea what to do ??

That’s strange. I bought this cover http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001S25EVE/ref=oss_product and it was shipped to a Gurgaon, Haryana address in February 2010. Though currently it is marked as unavailable.

hiiiii….shekhar…

thanks agian for ur wonderfull blog…
…..

atlast…i got my kindle….hoooooooooooooooooo…its awesom….
….
it playss…music……but..i cn only skip to forwrd track..

how can i…skip backward..?

is it possible?
..

tnxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx…………………..

Congrats! Raibin,

how can i…skip backward..?

Seems there is no shortcut key for this

YEAH IT’S STRANGE ..
I wanted this one

SimpleCase for Kindle 2 – (Fits 6″ Display of 2nd Generation, NOT for New 3rd Generation Kindle)

But they are not sending it to my Delhi address .. well see if you can figure it out ..

Hi Gautam,

But they are not sending it to my Delhi address .. well see if you can figure it out ..

Try http://amzn.to/cUCAlZ Sorry about the color

Hey guys! I’ve been really busy lately and did not have time to check out the Music function on my Kindle. Just did today – and WOW! I can listen to the Sunderkaand while I read (used to do this with my iPod, btw); however, I have the hardcopy but does anyone know how I could get a Kindle format or good pdf?

Is this what you are looking for ? http://ramayan.wordpress.com/download/

hey got 22$ back from amazon for kindle .. someting abt export duty !! isnt it awesome !! Can buy 2 books from it !!!!!!!!

hey buddy cant understand from where do u get links like this !! hey have u got link to mahabharat also ?? in Hindi or English ??

Shekar,
I have gone through most of the Q&As in this blog.
I am thinking of buying the Kindle WI-FI which is $139.00 for my sister in India. Will this work in India in terms of purchasing/downloading/converting pdfs to .mobi format using calibre software? Or should I go for Kindle 3G + WF-FI which costs $189.00?
In summary will the cheaper kindle-139.00 dollars do all the job necessary in India.
Thanks in advance

Shekar

Thanks for the blog. I am getting my kindle from US next week and am terribly excited about it. I was searching for info on using kindle in India and found your site.
A lot of my questions esp reg. connectivity, download, billing, pdf converter have already been answered. Thank you and other bloggers.
Will keep in touch about my experience. May be we can recommend some good books for download too.

Shekar, you are amazing, dude! Thanks a million for the link to the Ramayan blog! Problem is that the Sunderkaand transalates weird in english but I have asked the author of the blog for the proper english transcript. “Waka waka” to u bud!! (Soccer world cup song by Shakira)

Gautam,

hey got 22$ back from amazon for kindle .. someting abt export duty !! isnt it awesome !! Can buy 2 books from it !!!!!!!!

Party time!!!

hey buddy cant understand from where do u get links like this !!

Most of the times, by googling around. Don’t tell anyone

hey have u got link to mahabharat also ?? in Hindi or English ??

See if this link http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070711085640AAKJFvO helps

Hi Vivek,

Will this work in India in terms of purchasing/downloading/converting pdfs to .mobi format using calibre software? Or should I go for Kindle 3G + WF-FI which costs $189.00? In summary will the cheaper kindle-139.00 dollars do all the job necessary in India.

“Aal izz well”

$139 Kindle works, no issues. Go ahead and buy it.

Jaya,

I am getting my kindle from US next week and am terribly excited about it.

Congrats!

Will keep in touch about my experience. May be we can recommend some good books for download too.

Would be so grateful. I’m really not into reading books. So please do share and recommend. Thanks.

“Waka waka” to u bud!! (Soccer world cup song by Shakira)

ha ha Thanks Reets.

I got my kindle, registered it online, transferred some books (after conversion to mobi format using the calibre software) and also some pdf files. I can see these in the kindle folder when I open kindle on my PC.
But I can’t see them or access them on my kindle.
can someone help?

Did U transferred them to the document folder or root folder ?? U have to transfer them to the document folder only then they will show …

Jaya

But I can’t see them or access them on my kindle.

Gautam is right. Ensure that you have copied the files in the Document folder. In case you did, also check the Archived Items on your Kindle.

thanks shekhar for such detailed info. i am going for the kindle $139 u mentioned something about refund , so will i be refunded the import fees deposit $56

one more query i will be able to read pdfs on this one ($139)

Hi Manisa

so will i be refunded the import fees deposit $56

The entire amount will not get refunded. For example: I paid $98.59 as import duty and got a refund of $36.53

one more query i will be able to read pdfs on this one ($139)

Yes!

Dear Shekar: Appreciate your time, I requested my sister to get me a 3G + Wifi Kindle, now after going through all the posts, I have confusion on what’s the difference between WIFI versus 3G + WIFI (Global coverage one) when just WIFI works best in India.

Please clarify! Thanks…Arjun.

I have been able to use the Music feature by transferring MP3 files to the Music folder.
To access and play music, go the the menu–experimental–play music. It is great fun having music on while reading. The audio quality is quite good. Further, the music plays in the sleep mode also.
Thought I will share the experience.

Hi Arjun,

I have confusion on what’s the difference between WIFI versus 3G + WIFI (Global coverage one) when just WIFI works best in India.

With 3G you will be able to download books while on move. With WiFi (only) you will be able to download books only where you have a Wireless Internet connection, typically at home or office. Go for 3G+WiFi, if you want to download books whenever and wherever you want. Plus you will be able to enjoy free web browsing using your Kindle, while on the move!

Also note that 3G does not mean you will get a high speed connection in India. 3G still has to catch up in India and you will typically end up using EDGE or GPRS (at certain remote locations) connection

Hi Jaya,

Thought I will share the experience.

Thank you

This is so important for me and others. I really do appreciate you coming back to the blog post to share your experience besides posting queries.

Since you have a Kindle handy, I do hope that you will come back to help others with their questions and queries.

Hope your issue, of not able to see books transferred onto the Kindle, is solved.

Hey Shekhar buddy thanx again for these wonderful blog !!
@ Jaya
Yeah isnt it awesome !! Kindle rocks !! I have read more than 40 novels within 2 months !! Have u tried shortcut keys yet ??

Hi Gautam,

You indeed have helped with answers. Noticed that you have answered some of the recent queries before I could. Thanks

I have read more than 40 novels within 2 months !!

Really?? Wao! So you indeed are very comfortable using the Kindle. Do you feel the need to go back to paper books?

Have u tried shortcut keys yet ??

Here is a link to some cool Kindle shortcuts: http://www.geektonic.com/2009/03/kindletips-ultimate-kindle-2-shortcuts.html

does this device support colorfull images and books ?? like NAT Geo MAgezines ??

Dear Shekar!

Thanks for your inputs. You hit the bull’s eye.

I might bother you guys when I eventually get kindle in my hands.

Take care! Arjun.

Ah no problem buddy ..
Yeah I have some books in both hardcover and ebook format and I prefer reading on Kindle !! its dictionary and the notes feature is best for me … as I don’t have to keep a separate folder for particular references !!
yeah these shortcuts are amazing !!

@shekhar
Yes, I could transfer books to the document folder and read them. I have converted my books in pdf to mobi and put into kindle. I will order after I read these.
I am exploring / navigating my way around now.
Thanks guys, for all the help. BTW mine is the 3G + WIFI model (Global)

Hello!

Thank you so much for this most helpful blog. I am planning on traveling around India for several months and am thinking of getting a Kindle. Like many, what I can’t decide is whether to get a regular WIFI one or 3G. From what I’ve read most of the country is not on the 3G network, so I wonder is it worth getting the 3G one and using the GPRS network? Or is the download/basic web browsing slow enough to not bother?

Thanks!

Hello Mr.P. Maheshwar,

I am Arun Prasad. An mechanical engineering Student. I got your email from amazon.com discussion forum. I believe you are the right person to solve some of doubts. Kindly spend two minutes to answer these questions.

1. I have very limited money. I am not able to decide between Wifi and Wifi+3G model. Please help me decide? Does internet (via 3G work in india) ? Can i sit in my classroom/library and access at least wikipedia/text sites ? I know internet is free in US. what about Bangalore, India? does 3G work here ? Any local regulations/policies that prevent it ? Only if I am able to access internet in india via 3G/Edge, i would purchase wifi+3g model. or else, in my lifetime I am not going to buy books via 3G. Please help me make this smart decision.

2. How did you buy ? Directly from amazon? How much it cost in Indian ruppees ? Indian credit cards will work ? Did you get any refund on import deposit fees ? there is one website called http://www.shopyourworld.com. They quote Rs. 11,100/- (wifi+3g) and Rs.8500/- (wifi).. Is it worth to buy from them or buy from amazon. Which is cheaper?

3. How is the performance of pdf`s on the device ? Can we zoom pdf to fit kindle page and read comfortably? I have whole lot of manuals and ebooks. Will it be useful to read technical books/manuals that contains images/graphs/diagrams/equations ? ..

Thanking you and expecting your early reply

Here is my experience with Amazon Kindle 3 in India so far -

I ordered my Kindle 3G on 15th Aug & same was shipped on 7th Sep 2010 thru priority international shipping. Expected delivery date was 13th though I received the same on 16th Sep because of VAT clearance issues & courier’s insistent that I pay custom duty once again to them.

After I opened the package & tried to use the device, I discovered that around 80% of the display was frozen with initial display. Only about 2 cm of display in the bottom & around 1 cm on the right was working & rest was frozen. Just for record, the Kindle I got was made in China.

After trying to resolve the problem thru restarting/charging hard reset etc. I decided to call Customer Service of Amazon & immediately on explaining the problem, I was assured that a replacement Kindle shall be sent to me shortly. Full marks to Customer Service of Amazon here. Immediately after that I received an email with detail of new order no. for replacement though shipping date is not yet available & instructions to return the defective unit back.

So here I am after one month of ordering, still waiting for shipment notice & hoping that the replacement unit will not have any issues.

Couple of days back I saw Wink Ereader at Croma & was impressed with the display. I am just wondering whether I should have brought Wink, where it would have been possible to feel/test the device & compare various models before paying for the right one & start using same right away, rather than test one’s patience in pursuit of a Kindle.

Jaya,

BTW mine is the 3G + WIFI model (Global)

Great! Request you to share (whenever possible):

1. Any refund that you may receive on the export duties
2. Web browsing experience
3. Reading PDFs (without converting them into any other format)

Thanks

Pratap,

does this device support colorfull images and books ?? like NAT Geo MAgezines ??

No, Kindle’s display is only black and white, or grayscale, to be more precise.

Hi Chichi,

From what I’ve read most of the country is not on the 3G network, so I wonder is it worth getting the 3G one and using the GPRS network? Or is the download/basic web browsing slow enough to not bother?

Unless you are travelling to very remote location, between 3G and GPRS, there is EDGE and that will not leave you disappointed, as much . Books download within a couple of minutes – good enough for desperate times. But I would recommend the 3G model for free, unlimited web browsing. How about reading some blogs (including this one ) while on the move. While we pay our cell phone providers for data connection, with Kindle we get one for free and unlimited. This makes the few extra bucks worth it!

Hi km,

Sorry about your unfortunate experience and thanks for sharing it with all of us. It is always better to be aware of the Bad along with the Good.

I sincerely wish that you get your replacement device back and intact.

I guess the reason (though can’t be an excuse for delayed customer service) is, the Kindle was out of stock for a long time. Now it seems to be back in stock. You should get your replacement soon. And once you have it, you will certainly enjoy having it. Haven’t heard anyone saying negative about the device itself.

PS: I would suggest to call the customer service a couple of times more to ensure the earliest delivery.

The website http://client0.cellmaps.com/viewer.html?cov=1 may be helpful in understanding the useful coverage area in India.

Reg. reading pdf files directly, you can zoom, but it goes off the screen to the sides and it can get tiresome. I tried this with Devnagari script (Sanskrit texts) which couldn’t be converted to mobi. It appears calibre works with English alphabets only. May be the Indian e-book ‘Wink’ may be equipped to do such tasks, I hope.

I didn’t pay any duties as mine was a gift from someone visiting from US

Does the webkit browser in Kindle 3 shipped to India work? Or is it disabled? It would be great to read blogs and web articles with the kindle

Thanks in advance

-Dhruva

Hi Shekar,
This page is really wonderful and it has cleared lot of my doubts. I am planning to buy a kindle shortly. I have the following questions. Could you please clear them? Thanks in advance for your valuable time.

1. Can Kindle-3 read Indian language docs/books in Tamil/Hindi etc?

2.What your opinion about the Indian e-reader Infibeam-Pi which claims to have supporting major Indian languages and E-Pub?

Hi un prsad,

1. I have very limited money. I am not able to decide between Wifi and Wifi+3G model. Please help me decide? Does internet (via 3G work in india) ? Can i sit in my classroom/library and access at least wikipedia/text sites ? I know internet is free in US. what about Bangalore, India? does 3G work here ? Any local regulations/policies that prevent it ? Only if I am able to access internet in india via 3G/Edge, i would purchase wifi+3g model. or else, in my lifetime I am not going to buy books via 3G. Please help me make this smart decision.

It works in India. Typically Kindle will end up using EDGE or GPRS (in remote areas). I would suggest that you stretch your budget a little and buy WiFi+3G Kindle.

2. How did you buy ? Directly from amazon? How much it cost in Indian ruppees ? Indian credit cards will work ? Did you get any refund on import deposit fees ? there is one website called http://www.shopyourworld.com. They quote Rs. 11,100/- (wifi+3g) and Rs.8500/- (wifi).. Is it worth to buy from them or buy from amazon. Which is cheaper?

I bought it directly from Amazon. Have no experience buying it from shopyourworld.com. Also many of us have got a refund on import duty. So the cost difference should not be much.

3. How is the performance of pdf`s on the device ? Can we zoom pdf to fit kindle page and read comfortably? I have whole lot of manuals and ebooks. Will it be useful to read technical books/manuals that contains images/graphs/diagrams/equations ? .

As per Jaya’s comment, some PDFs may not fit in screen. But you can convert PDFs to MOBI format using a free software called Calibre http://calibre-ebook.com/. Books in MOBI format should read and zoom better.

Regarding your question on images/graphs/diagrams/equations: They will show up well on Kindle if the book is bought from Amazon. Kindle may not play nice with converted books..

hi,
jus wanted to ask if ipad wud be better now coz v can surf thru all websites or a kindle??

also m base in mumbai and wanted to ask if v hav to download all books from amazon and pay for all of them?? cannot v download books for free or aren’t there any pre downloaded books?

Hi Minal,

jus wanted to ask if ipad wud be better now coz v can surf thru all websites or a kindle??

Kindle strictly is an E-book reader. Browsing the web is just a good to have add-on which is certainly served better by devices like iPad and Netbooks.

also m base in mumbai and wanted to ask if v hav to download all books from amazon and pay for all of them??

Based on the billing address that you specified at Amazon, you may not be able to download books which are available to U.S. only. Otherwise you can download and pay for books whether in Mumbai or in Delhi.

cannot v download books for free or aren’t there any pre downloaded books?

If your question is, does Kindle come preloaded with books? The answer is No.

But you can transfer downloaded books on your computer to Kindle, by connecting it via USB. Here is a site to download tons of free ebooks: http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page.

Jaya,
Need your help in answering the following question from Dhruva. I was waiting for access to Kindle 3, but couldn’t get it so far.

Does the webkit browser in Kindle 3 shipped to India work? Or is it disabled? It would be great to read blogs and web articles with the kindle
Thanks in advance
-Dhruva

Shekhar,

Yes, I can do web-browsing on my kindle.
BTW I downloaded a book and it got delivered to my kindle directly.
I could also get another book which was free of charge.

Thanks for your informative comments. I am now reassured about using my Kindle in India (not that I expect to have much reading time as a first time visitor to your intriguing country).

Hi Shekhar,

First of all, thanks a lot for a wonderful blog.

I am thinking of purchasing Kindle 3 for use in India. After reading few of the posts, I am thinking of going with the WiFi+3G option. Will the web browsing in India still be free, or will I be charged for it since I am shipping it within the US?

Hi Apoorv,

Will the web browsing in India still be free, or will I be charged for it since I am shipping it within the US?

Free!!! (as of this writing)

thank u soo much shekhar for the help ! really appreciate it

Hey Linda, Welcome!

I am now reassured about using my Kindle in India (not that I expect to have much reading time as a first time visitor to your intriguing country).

Are you visiting India for the Common Wealth Games or for some other work? Wish you a nice and pleasant stay and yes Kindle will work in India, if not at 3G speed, then at EDGE/GPRS speed. Do share your experience

Thanks a lot for such a great knowledge repository! You have created an all in one Kindle user guide for Indians! Love the way you supported this one article of your blog! Normally, I don’t expect a reply on blog comments!
Also, I finished reading the whole list, and found that one question is still unanswered! Please any of the Kindle users can confirm this – Is it possible to read indian launguage PDFs or books?

i want a kindle book called ‘i don’t know how she does it’ by allison pearson. strangely, it is showing as being available for the kindle when i search amazon.com on my comp. but, when i search for it on the kindle device, i get a ‘no items found’ message. what do you think is happening?

Juhi,

i want a kindle book called ‘i don’t know how she does it’ by allison pearson. strangely, it is showing as being available for the kindle when i search amazon.com on my comp. but, when i search for it on the kindle device, i get a ‘no items found’ message. what do you think is happening?

When you use your Kindle, you are identified as a customer from India (due to your billing address). Amazon.com clearly says that “This title is not available for customers from: India”

Shekhar

Thanks for such a wonderful information. Your site gives more information then Amazon’s site.

Just one question, does Indian 3G works with Kindle. I am from Delhi, so can I use MTNL 3G Service for free ?

And secondly, now the price of 3G + wifi model is $189. so it means less import duty.. Rite ?

hey buddy just wanna ask something .. I have deleted some books but they are in archives .. so does that books take memory space ?? and if I re download them will they charge me again ??

Hey got a alternative channel.. you can shop at following site in Indian Rupee http://amazonin.tarazz.com/Kindle-Wireless-Reading-Display-Graphite/dp/B002Y27P3M/ref=amb_link_353611822_2/185-5664500-3830637?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=gateway-center-column&pf_rd_r=04VXN99NT8HK72EJCCPG&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1271573382&pf_rd_i=507846

Hi Shekhar

I have ordered kindle3G for a total amount of $283.92. As conversion rates (USD to INR) are lower @ 44.135 i will charge only 44.135*283.92 = Rs 12531 , right?

If so then by the link posted by gautum the device itself cost Rs10,600 and after all charges it may be greater than Rs12531, right?

The Kindle 3G+Wi-Fi costs $189, so Rs. 10,600 appears to include the import duties/taxes.
I find that the cost of books at this Re. site is exorbitant as compared to the amazon site. The ‘free’ books like Classics cost Rs. 700 (as against $2-3) and other books are all in 4-figures!! So we may compare prices before buying books from this site.

Hi Shekhar,
We can use calibre to convert pdf to mobi format but when i tried to convert pdf with figures to mobi format calibre failed to produce figures in mobi format.So i need some other software to convert it into mobi without losing pictures. Any other softwares?

Hey Gautam,

hey buddy just wanna ask something .. I have deleted some books but they are in archives .. so does that books take memory space ??

Need to check the memory space question. Logically, they shouldn’t occupy space, once deleted.

and if I re download them will they charge me again ??

I’m sure that you do not need to re-pay for any Amazon Kindle books.

I’m so sorry.

Sorry guys, I have been delaying replies to your questions and queries. While having a Kindle handy had always been an issue, this time, I have been travelling with slow net connection.

Will be back in action by tomorrow and try to answer as many questions as possible. I promise

Vivek,

Just one question, does Indian 3G works with Kindle. I am from Delhi, so can I use MTNL 3G Service for free ?

Spent about an hour checking this. Read on, for the interesting info:

I borrowed Kindle from a friend. I tried it in an area in Delhi, India where an Apple iPad user could use MTNL 3G:

1. I pressed the Menu button on the Kindle. This shows the type of network alongside the signal bars. It showed EDGE.
2. I went to Menu>Settings and typed 611. This shows cellular network information. The Network Name was Airtel ! So Kindle did not switch to MTNL 3G automatically. Instead it preferred Airtel.
3. Next, I typed 311. This allows to switch to a different cellular network provider. Guess what, I could see IN-DOLPHIN (3G). But Kindle could not connect to it

Bottom line: Kindle does not seem to use MTNL 3G.

And secondly, now the price of 3G + wifi model is $189. so it means less import duty.. Rite ?

$189 is the base price. Add $20.98 (shipping) and $73.94 (import duty). The total price is $283.92.

“The Kindle 3G+Wi-Fi costs $189, so Rs. 10,600 appears to include the import duties/taxes.”

No, the final price of the product from shopyouworld.com seems to be same as from amazon.From amazon kindle 3G costs $283.92 and from this site Rs 12296. Not that much difference. But usually credit card companies will charge you 3.5% for foreign exchange conversion, you can save that amount here as it is in INR. More than that i failed to pay in amazon site using my visa debit card. But shipping time from this site is higher about 2 weeks.

Hi Shekhar and everyone else,
Found your page very informative.

I saw the information about shopyourworld.com earlier in your blog. It seems a hassle free way to purchase the Kindle 3 in Indian rupees. Moreover, they seem to be offering 10% to ICICI card holders so on the surface it seems Diwali is here. But they are an unknown quantity and want to check if anyone else has purchased from them and what their experience has been.

Thanks

Vivek

Hi friends

To convert a pdf containing images to mobi format the following technique seems to work fine for me.

First i converted pdf into epub format using AnyBizSoft PDF to EPUB software, then used calibre to convert into mobi format.

Again, a small issue the final mobi format failed to preserve special characters such as alpha, integral e.t.c Any solution to this one?

deebu

To convert a pdf containing images to mobi format the following technique seems to work fine for me.

Tell me something. The latest Kindle and the latest firmware update to older (2nd Generation) Kindle has native PDF support with zoom etc. Do you really need to convert it into MOBI format? Have you tried reading the PDF on Kindle without converting? If yes, what is/are the issues?

With reference to Bevivek’s query:

I saw the information about shopyourworld.com earlier in your blog. It seems a hassle free way to purchase the Kindle 3 in Indian rupees. Moreover, they seem to be offering 10% to ICICI card holders so on the surface it seems Diwali is here. But they are an unknown quantity and want to check if anyone else has purchased from them and what their experience has been.

Hello!!! Anyone? Anyone with buying and shipping experience of a Kindle from http://www.shopyourworld.com ? Please share.

Shekhar,

Whether the new kindle supports pdf with the text size adjusted to its screen size?

I have ordered kindle on 13th of this month using shopyourworld.com as earlier mentioned, i havent yet recieved it. Total cost of 3G + Wifi is Rs 12,296 . Actually i am forced to buy from this site as amazon doesnt supported my visa debit card. I think cost of the kindle is almost the same, as amazon may refund some part of import duty, but shopyourworld doesnt do so. Shipping time is around 2 weeks. As we are purchasing from indian site in INR your credit card companies will not charge the 3.5% ( or 2%) foreign currency conversion charge, which may come around Rs 300 or so.

I think the major advantage of this site is other than the purchasing of kindle, as amazon doesnt internationally ship all its product. We can use this site to do so.

About the credibility of this site, they are claiming that they have vast experience in eastern countries.

More details of there service will be blogged after i recieve kindle.

Hi deebu,

Whether the new kindle supports pdf with the text size adjusted to its screen size?

You are right. I just tested out a few PDF books. The fit-to-screen option (that you get by pressing the Aa key) makes the text/font size small for comfortable read. Other zoom options (150%, 200%, 300% and actual size) lead to horizontal scrolling.

Hi Shekhar,

Thanks for putting all the useful info about Kindle purchase in India thru Amazon.

I know someone has already mentioned, however i experienced it for last 2 days that ICICI DEBIT CARD won’t work for purchase.
In fact the only place where they have mentioned the “Credit/Debit” card option is when you first register any card.When i did it all the time it is mentioning me that your Credit card has been declined for some reasons from your banks etc…I tried with IDBI banks debit card too, no use (note: both my debit cards are International Debit Cards)
So bascially Amazon doesn’t support DEBIT CARDS (At least from India)

Kindly modify your 9th point in the article to mention that only credit card is supported.

I will retry with my credit card now and let you know what happens.

Too excited to get it for Diwali )
Once again thank you very much for this wonderful article

Yes, Amit

I failed to use international visa debit cards in the amazon website. But i dont tried credit cards.Please inform us about your credit card mode.

Dear All

Although I dont have Kindle , but I am using Kindle software on my laptop. I purchase books from Amazon site and pay thru my Virtual Credit card. I dont see any difficulty in purchasing any of the books. I am generating Net Safe Credit cards from HDFC Bank site.

Hi Amit,

I tried with IDBI banks debit card too, no use (note: both my debit cards are International Debit Cards). So bascially Amazon doesn’t support DEBIT CARDS (At least from India) Kindly modify your 9th point in the article to mention that only credit card is supported.

deebu,

failed to use international visa debit cards in the amazon website. But i dont tried credit cards.Please inform us about your credit card mode.

I bought the Kindle using a Citibank Credit Card (Mastercard). I’m surprised about the debit cards not working. Will try to find out more about it. In the meanwhile, please keep sharing your experience esp. about using a debit card to buy a Kindle.

Hi Shekhar

When using debit card as the payment option thay just ask only about the 16 digit debit card no. They doesnt ask about the 3 digit no. in the back of the card nor the visa verification password. But by RBI norms they have to ask about the verification password, i think. All other sites other than amazon.com asked about either the verification password or the 3 digit no, in my experience.

@deebu,

You mentioned that you have ordered it from Shopyourworld.com.

I also had a chat with them yesterday to get some details.

What is the status of your shipment ?
Also they are offering me 10% OFF on if i use a ICICI Debit/Credit card.

Please let me know how was your experience with SYW.com? Are they worth of showing trust? I know they are a new site, so no reviews found on the internet as such.

Please throw in your inputs.

Thanks

Amit,
There seem to be question marks over SYW from some comments I read over the net. Apparently they are also cagey giving their physical local address.Their model where purchases under 10K are spared import duty may be kosher but then again, one does not know. Other people who do such stuff (such as http://www.iccworld.com) seem to charge import duty. On the other hand, not only do they take Indian debit cards but the 10% ICICI discount means that you would get the kindle 3 at 7.8K, a steal. So it is tempting but risky. Your choice.

I had also posted a query on SYW a few days back in this site but did not get many responses. IMHO, unless you want to take the risk, better go with others.

Vivek

@ Vivek,

Thanks for the inputs. Yes the only reason I am holding on is that I have not found a person who has ordered it from SYW and received the packet.

Have you purchased a Kindle yet ? If so, where did you buy it ?

Actually I would have ordered it directly from Amazon, however I dont possess a credit card (I will be receiving one by end of month)

As I wanted it for Diwali, I was eager to buy it from SYW.

Of course last option is to wait to receive my credit card and then order from Amazon directly.

Waiting for inputs from deebu

Thanks guys !

Amit:
I surveyed SYW as well as options such as shipito.com which are happy to act as the intermediary. I was about to order from ICCWorld.Com (you can pay thru debit card in INR – Kindle 3 Wi-fi would have cost me Rs. 9.5K as per their quote) when I realized a relative of mine was coming to India this week so he is getting one for me. So after all the homework, a kind of anticlimactic solution.

Vivek

To Amit & Vivek,

I have ordered kindle 3G + Wifi on 13th oct, it will take 2 weeks to reach my home. As of now there service seems to be reliable, but the shipping time is too high ( u can select express shipping by paying some xtra bucks).There shipment tracking is not so good, it will gives only a rough idea.

About the cost of kindle as i explained it will cost almost the same as from amazon.com, recently the cost of kindle in SYW is raised to 12765 .They may add some 1000s as import duty ( when i ordered there homepage quoted a price of 10,600 & i paid 12296).

In india a gift from other country is excempted from import duty if its cost is less than 10K. But remember the sender’s address will be from outside india, so u cannt get import duty excemption if u are the sender. SYW also offers import duty excemption, i think iccworld.com also offers this excemption if u satisfies the above requirement. Remember that amazon may refund some of ur import duty but these sites doesnt do so.2 year warranty is also offered by these sites.SYW offers some Rs coupons, i will get Rs 200 discountin my next purchase through SYW. You may also get 10 % deduction if u use ICICI or HDFC cards ( i dont know about any hidden charges by using these cards as i used federal bank card).

So in final, these sites offer kindle in INR, thats an advantage as of fixed amount.The final price seems to be more or less same as from amazon.Shipping time is too high compared to amazon.

hi guys, have been following this blog closely, and had an interaction with the shopyourworld executives a couple of days back. I received a message (SMS) from shop your world that said – ” NDTV 24*7 is airing a special coverage on shopyourworld.com at 6:30pm today.Hope you tune in for the show today”. I would try to see the show and i suppose the airing of th ewebsite on ndtv will give it a little more credibilty and authenticity of its operations.

others interested may watch the show .

regards,
sumit
Kindle Aspirant

hey gusy, sorry for the inconvinience – just received another message from SYW.com

it says – ” As informed by NDTV, there has been a change in the airing of the show. The show will now air tomorrow, october 22nd 2010 at 6:30pm.

regards

@Sumit
Yes me too received both the SMSes

@deebu
Okay, thanks for that information. I also saw SYW listed on ICICI’s special offer merchant list.So think they should be reliable

@Vivek
Great So finally the device is coming to you. Please do share your experience about it

check this link –

http://www.hifivision.com/av-lounge/10714-has-anyone-used-shopyourworld-com.html

http://hubpages.com/hub/My-Fantastic-Experience-with-ShopYourWorldcom

Hey Guys,

I have ordered
1) Kindle 3 Wifi ONLY
2) Kindle Chocolate Brown Color Cover
from ShopYourWorld.com

The break up of the cost if ordered from Amazon would have been
Items 173.99
Shipping 26.97
Import Fees 72.29
total $273.25
===============
INR 12110.28

The break up of the cost from SYW.com is:
Kindle 8100
Cover 2500
Custom 1683

Total 12283
Add’l Discount 448.62 (since i ordered 2 items, kindle+cover)
ICICI 10% Diwali Discount 1015.14
===============
INR 10819.24

NET DIFF : Rs. 1291

As many have mentioned, there might be a refund from Amazon (not sure what that amount could be)

But as i said i wanted to order it using my debit card, so i opted for SYW.com

I will keep you all updated about my device

@deebu,
Please keep updated about your kindle

Finally once again many thanks to Shekhar for creating this post )))

Hi Amit,
Congrats on the new Kindle. I’ll be getting mine too in about a week’s time.

Saw your calculations and since I was in a somewhat anal bean counting frame of mind could not help wondering if it could have been made even more appealing if you had purchased the Kindle and the cover separately. In which case the Kindle and case would have independently come under the Rs. 10,000 limit and it could have worked out to something like:

Kindle 8100
Cover 2500

Less ICICI discount 1015

Total 9585

Vivek

Hi Vivek,

I think your forgot the customs duty to add to this.

In fact by ordering 2 things together I got an additional discount of Rs. 448.62/-

Pretty excited to gets hands on Kindle.

I think the shipping time is 8-12 days, so I will get it around diwali

Hey Guys,
I have ordered
1) Kindle 3 Wifi ONLY
2) Kindle Chocolate Brown Color Cover
from ShopYourWorld.com

Thank you Amit for sharing conclusive experience about ShopYourWorld.com. Please do come back and share the total shipping time. Thanks again.

Hi all,
Does anyone know the price of a Kindle DX (the 9 inch reader) in INR? Am told that senior citizens prefer the bigger screen version since they normally have to have magnification and the larger screen makes for a better reading experience. Thinking of getting one for my parents.

Hey guys, I watched the show on NDTV aired today> they talked about the features of Shopyourworld.com and how 1 can now buy international brand products directly through them that are not available in India .

Invariably, i have ordered my Kindle 3G+ wifi on 24th Oct, Sunday through syw.com .. Hoping to receive the same by the 9th of Nov.

Will update u guys as and when i receive the same ..

hAppy reading

regards, sumit

@SUMIT,

Congratulations!
I can see my order status as “On Plane” )
So it already on the way.
I am told that I will receive it between 2nd – 6th Nov ))

@deebu,
Did you receive your device yet ?
Please let us know.

Keep Kindling )))))

Hi Sekhar,

Many thanks for such a useful blog, I wanted to buy kindle and come across sony’s reader though your blog only, which one is better from perspective of robustness, features and service.

Thanks in advance

Hi Sekhar,

one more qs-

I recently got a gift-ipod touch (32GB), its also have ebook reader – http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ibooks/id364709193?mt=8

please tell still any other device still require, what I think is ipod touch screen is small comparatively and not comfortable for reading book as such. please share your thoughts.

Many Thanks

Hi Pankaj,

what I think is ipod touch screen is small comparatively and not comfortable for reading book as such. please share your thoughts.

You can read a book even on a cellphone (well, a smartphone). Unlike a phone, iPod or iPad: Kindle is a device meant primarily for reading books. It’s screen (google for “kindle eink”) is non-glossy and gives the same look as a traditional book. You can read books on a Kindle even under bright sunlight. The device has easy to use hardware navigation keys to flip through books’ pages. So it is not only the screen size. Kindle is for books what iPod is for music

Hi Amit,

I havent yet recieved my kindle, on my tracking page i found kindle arrived on mumbai airport, so expecting it within 3-4 days.

Hi all,

I went through the comments and found the following queries pending:

1. Ordering from shopyourworld.com
2. Using Indian debit card to order from Amazon.com
3. Non-English books
4. Best way to convert books containing images and symbols (say mathematical/scientific) using Calibre (or any other software)

Seems with the help of Amit, Vivek and Deebu (sorry if I missed out any names), Query 1. will be answered soon.

The answer to Query 2, as of this writing, seems to be a NO. Yet, let us keep it open to more feedback.

Let US try to answer these queries for the benefit of everyone.

As always, thank you all

Hi,

There seem to be a growing number of reviews on SYW and except for one they speak well of SYW. I have the links, will post them. So I have decided (to my limited satisfaction at least ) that (as Maggie Thatcher said of Gorbachev’s USSR) I can do business with them. I have purchased a Kindle DX through them (apart from the Kindle I am getting through a relative visiting India) for my parents. I am told the DX is better than the 6″ for seniors. With discounts it came to Rs. 21088/- and as per their website I should get it around Diwali.

I was thinking of creating say a Kindle-in-India google / yahoo group so that we can continue the post-purchase discussions over there (and also have the discussions so far as the first post or attached doc). I’d be happy to create a group and post the link in this blog if there are enough ayes.

Vivek

@ Bevivek,

That is a good idea. This would definately lead to collective learning. I am game for being a part of the google/ yahoo group created.

@ all

I would be receiving my Kindle around diwali to. would definately try andd answer the questions once i get it.

I have downloaded a couple of business magazines ( Economist) latest issue and could share with all in the group created.

others too could share a lot of content by uploaded files that are compatible for Kindle.

hi i am in confusing which type of kindle will take i am living in India.
if i take kindle wifi the wifi connection will conect in india?

can you please tell me what are advantage if i take kindle 3g over the kindle wifi in india?

@ Sumit: Great.

@All others: Do let me know your opinions on creating a google / yahoo group for Kindle users in India.

Thanks

Vivek

Hi All,

I have recieved my kindle today from SYW. Its a well packed box and now i am kindling through it.

Hi sekhar akiri

hi i am in confusing which type of kindle will take i am living in India.
if i take kindle wifi the wifi connection will conect in india?

can you please tell me what are advantage if i take kindle 3g over the kindle wifi in india?

With a Wifi Kindle, you can download books only at home, airports, hotels and restaurants. Whereas, with a 3G Kindle you can download books anywhere.

A 3G Kindle is like your phone which can connect anywhere to make calls or download your E-mails. A Wifi only Kindle is like your desktop computer or laptop which can connect to the Internet only at places where an Internet connection is available.

At home, you cannot download Amazon books directly on the Kindle unless you have setup a Wifi connection, as explained in this guide http://www.microsoft.com/athome/organization/wirelesssetup.aspx guide. But if you have a 3G Kindle you do not need to buy or setup anything at home, to download books on the Kindle.

Having said this, a WiFi or 3G connection is required only to download books, not to open/read them. This means, you can go for a Wifi Kindle, download books while at home and read those books anywhere, while on move.

Hope I did not confuse you anymore with this explanation. Please do not hesitate to ask again or ask more.

Congrats deebu,

Hi All,
I have recieved my kindle today from SYW. Its a well packed box and now i am kindling through it.

Request you to share more details (payment mode, cost, shipping time etc.) and your conclusion. What do you say? Maybe a FAQ like this blog post? Following are a few options:

1. I would be more than happy to carry a link to a site/blog/writeup of yours.
2. You can anytime add a detailed comment.

Please advise.

Thank you, as always

@bevivek
I am “IN” for the idea of a google/yahoo groups. I think its a nice way to create a small community of we all in India using the Kindle.

@deebu,
Congrats man !! I hope you are already “Kindling” )

@Shekhar
I am 100% sure that Indian Debit Cards don’t work on Amazon.

@All
SYW show the current status in a following path
Global Merchant -> Global Hub -> Mumbai Hub -> Your Home

So currently I see my device status are between Global Hub -> Mumbai Hub (On Plane)

Keep Kindling Guys !!

@Sumit, Amit, Shekhar, Deebu and everyone else: I have created a Google Group Kindle-India for us to continue sharing our experiences in using the Kindle. I have given an initial post pointing to this page (http://www.shekhargovindarajan.com/tips-n-tricks/kindle-to-india-frequently-asked-questions/) since it is a great resource and answers most pre-purchase questions people would have. Details of the google group below.

* Group name: Kindle-India
* Group home page: http://groups.google.com/group/kindle-india
* Group email address kindle-india@googlegroups.com

Do become a member and let us start the discussion over there as well. Do pass on info on this group to other Kindle owners as well.

I would like two three more people to also be the managers / moderator of the group let me know and I’ll add your names.

@Deebu: Congrats on your new kindle. Like Amit mine too is shown as On the plane. Should get it I think around Diwali.

Vivek

Hi Vivek,

Do pass on info on this group to other Kindle owners as well.

Quick and great move! To start with, I have tweeted about the group http://twitter.com/#!/shekharg/status/28960168323 and also, obviously, joined the group.

Vivek,
Thanks man! I have joined [or you can say applied ] for the group.
I am ready to volunteer as a moderator/manager.

Shekhar,
I have just retweeted your message

All,

Apologies for keeping some of you waiting to become a member of Kindle-India. I kept this controlled entry setting to avoid spammers from becoming members (had a bad experience with some other groups I created).

With Amit’s joining we now have 4 members in the Kindle-India group. A brisk beginning

I have made Amit and Shekhar into managers.

Suggest that we pass on the group link to each new discussant in this page.

Also suggest too that for some time we post the same message on the group and on this page.

Cheers

Vivek

Awesome blog shekar! My sis is going to the US for a couple of days. Im thinking of asking a friend to buy the kindle and give it to my sis. Am also thinking of registering the kindle in my frineds name so i ll have access to the books not available in India yet..

What could be the downside to this plan? Also please give me any advice necessary to help me get my kindle.

Thanks appu,

What could be the downside to this plan?

On a later date, if you register your Kindle against your name, then you will lose the books that you had ordered via your friend’s Amazon account.

Also please give me any advice necessary to help me get my kindle.

Go, get it

Hi Amit, bevivek,

From my experience, it took 2 weeks for getting kindle if u ordered using SYW. As i mentioned there tracking is very poor. All other things to be fine.

Hi Friends,

I think its better to laminate the kindle (as of mobile lamination ). Compared to mobile it doesnt dissipate that much heat, and we will not remove the back cover.

Mr. Deebu,

You are going to screw up your kindle if you ever try laminating or stuffs like that.. Eink operating temperature is 0-50°C . You should be lucky if your kindle survives 40°C in india… Please dont try to mix un-authorized desi sci-fi techniques.. leave the product as it is.. sorry if I am harsh, but I love your Kindle too.. Thats why I am possessive about it..

Spend a good Rs. 2000 and get a case or get it custom made from leather belt/wallet manufacturer. Whats the point if you invest Rs.12,000 and Dont give it a proper cover/protection.

Refer
http://www.eink.com/products/matrix/High_Res.html

deebu: Agree that the tracking information in SYW sucks. Status of my Kindle DX is shown as On the plane.

Did you try contacting SYW with your order no to get more details?

Deebu, Arun,

We have started a Kindle-India google group for the post purchase experience discussions. Do join in.

Sign up at http://groups.google.com/group/kindle-india

Vivek

Arun,
I understand your view. In fact initially I wasn’t thinking of getting the Cover considering the high price, however then I thought it will be worth that money. Secondly I may not be able get a good cover in India.
So my kindle is going to arrive with the Chocolate Brown Cover.

Amit,

Request you to go through this link

http://www.chicaandjo.com/2009/09/03/make-a-custom-kindle-cover-case/

If some good skillful workers are there, we can make it.. Potential Business opportunity in India. i am in talks with a leather manufacturer in Bangalore who makes custom wallets/purses. He need exact Dimensions and I am modeling a Solidworks Model of Kindle 3. Anyone interested can tell me. We can work it out for about Rs.1000/- I belive. mass production may be still cheaper.

Hi bevivek

Its better to chat with them for getting the exact tracking details. I have tried this during the final days of the shipment.

Hi Arunprsad

As mentioned kindle covers cost seems to be very high. More than that the covers will not protect it fully because there may be dust, finger prints etc on the kindle screen. That’s why I think of lamination, but u have given me a great information about the operating temperature of kindle.
So finally I am also interested in buying or custom designing a kindle cover. I am interested in your ‘Bangalore custom leather cover’. Please inform me about your design or shape. I am interested in the foll. Cover
http://www.kcoversandmore.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Bundle_Monster_Amazon_Kindle_3_Case.png

Hi bevivek ,

I have joined the group.

HI all,

Thanks for this wonderdul encyclopedia of information and i am looking forward for the kindle group , I would suggest the kindly group moderator should also be shekhar and some common questions should be answered and shown so that they are not repeated

also i had some queries

Dear All,

I was going through the options either shopyourworld or amazon directly and found the cost effective would be to get it from UK if somebody comes from there

Shopyourworld kindle books seems to be expensive

Eg
One particular book named
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest – by Stieg Larsson

Costs Rs 1000 in shopyourworld however same book in Amazon UK is just 2.68 pounds which is 140 rupees

Aside to shekhar: I dont know i am right or wrong please advice also one more query in one of the posts you said that if we buy the non 3g and only wifi the wirless network is depended on a wifi connection @ home , however my understanding was it would work where ther eis moboile coverage right ?

Thanks
Muff@d@l

Guys !

Just received a call from the Courier man. He confirmed my address and will be coming to deliver the parcel by 4.00pm today !

Pretty excited

Hi Muffadal,

I would suggest the kindly group moderator should also be shekhar

Vivek was quick enough to make me a moderator (in fact a manager) Thanks Vivek.

Aside to shekhar: I dont know i am right or wrong please advice also one more query in one of the posts you said that if we buy the non 3g and only wifi the wirless network is depended on a wifi connection @ home , however my understanding was it would work where ther eis moboile coverage right ?

I’m assuming that mobile coverage means cellular GSM/CDMA network. You do not have to pay anything for connecting, downloading (books) or browsing with a Kindle 3G (3G is a misfit, what it means is it can connect to any cellular network).

With the Wifi only device, you can connect only at places which has a WiFi access point – typically home, restaurants, airports etc – and you mostly pay for the WiFi connection. Think about a WiFi only Kindle as a phone without a SIM. With the WiFi only Kindle you cannot connect to the mobile network.

Hope this helps. Please do post again if I’m not able to clarify your doubts.

Hi shekhar,

Thanks , However one query remains unanswered

Regarding the costs of book in shopyourworld vs Amazon UK

Eg
One particular book named
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest – by Stieg Larsson

Costs Rs 1000 in shopyourworld however same book in Amazon UK is just 2.68 pounds which is 140 rupees

Cheers !
Muff@d@l

Hey Amit, that’s great and looks like it has got delivered quickly. Think you ordered on the 21st and there is one weekend in the middle so 6-7 days.

Vivek

Guys,
Kindle has just reached home
Unboxing in progress…will surely share some snaps of the unboxing.

@Vivek,
I ordered it on 21st Oct night (9.30pm) and it has reached me today (4.00pm)
So it reached in 9 days.

Would kindle read books written in our languages? (not english)

GM Guys!

I have uploaded few pics of the unboxing of the device.

Find them at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9581163@N04/sets/72157625152281903/

Anyone has Diwali discount coupon of 5%/10% from shopyourworld?
please share (rkirana@gmail.coM)

Thanks
Kiran

None

many thanks for the info

Appreciating the blog and the blogger “Encyclopedia of Kindle” -By Shekhar (special thanks to………………)

This is how i would summarize the whole post….
1) if i buy a kindle (3G + Wifi) in india, and if i register in india, i don’t need to pay for the service providers of 3G..

[quote]A 3G Kindle is like your phone which can connect anywhere to make calls or download your E-mails. A Wifi only Kindle is like your desktop computer or laptop which can connect to the Internet only at places where an Internet connection is available[/quote]— Shekhar

2)Amazon don’t accept debit cards buy frm http://www.shopyourworld.com/shop/

2)I can read pdf (which i have in my pc) jus by converting into mobi format by use of calibre software (http://calibre-ebook.com/) and load it into kindle by usb.

3)If i plan to read new books i can buy new books from kindle store by paying thro credit card.

Hope so …

@amit
…. had a look into ur flickr buddy “Happy kindling….. ”

Hi

I keep reading how ebooks from amazon are much more expensive in India. could someone tell me the approx cost to download a book onto the kindle? also, can i get books from sources other than amazon on kindle?

Hi Sekhar,
Joined the kindle community today and can’t stop reading!Your blog proved to be pretty useful.
am a university teacher and I’m seriously planning to use my kindle as a teaching tool too. any suggestions?

hi shekhar
my friend is in us,can he buy it from a store or it has to be ordered online

hi shekhar

Hi Shashank,

my friend is in us,can he buy it from a store or it has to be ordered online

Yep, he can buy it from the store.

HI appu,

I keep reading how ebooks from amazon are much more expensive in India. could someone tell me the approx cost to download a book onto the kindle?

You can find out the cost of the books, you are interested in, by login into Amazon or downloading the Kindle app for your PC/computer http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=kcp_pc_mkt_lnd?docId=1000426311 You do not need to purchase a Kindle device to browse through the cost of the books

also, can i get books from sources other than amazon on kindle?

Yes. You can browse to the book websites (say http://http://www.gutenberg.org/) using the Kindle browser and download the books right onto your Kindle. Alternatively, you can download the books on a computer, connect the Kindle via USB, copy the books in a directory/folder called Documents on the Kindle. Subsequently, the books will start showing up the Kindle device

Hi Amrit,

am a university teacher and I’m seriously planning to use my kindle as a teaching tool too. any suggestions?

Very nice to have your comment here. Teaching is an interactive activity and Kindle is a one-way, non-interactive reading device. So I’m not sure how the Kindle can facilitate teaching.

Yet, an idea could be, you transfer a few books onto your Kindle and lend it to students who are not interested in reading. Perhaps this – a new device and their teacher choosing them to have it – would excite them. If this works you can buy a couple of Kindles and keep circulating them amongst your students.

thank u shekhar,u’ve been really hely helpful..happy diwali dude….

hi shekhar
can u give me links of kindle shops in US to buy in cash

Hi shashank,

thank u shekhar,u’ve been really hely helpful..happy diwali dude….

Most welcome. A very happy Diwali to you too

can u give me links of kindle shops in US to buy in cash

No personal buying experience. But guess, you can buy it from a Best Buy http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=cat12090&type=page or a Target http://sites.target.com/site/en/spot/page.jsp?title=store_locator_new store

Hi Kindlers,

I recently bought a cover for my Kindle 3 3G/Wifi from Amazon.co.uk and got it delivered to my home address in Mumbai. The product link is
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B003M4QWG2/ref=ox_ya_os_product

It cost me 4.99 pounds + 3.99 pounds (for shipping), total around Rs 675 (including currency converting and tax charges) with my ICICI visa credit card. They quoted 2.99 initially but on the payment page increased to 3.99, may be because of international shipping. When I see the above link now, they have increased the price to 6.99 pounds from 4.99 pounds.

I found the case pretty good. The inside pocket as shown in pics is missing though. The cover gives a sleek and classy look to the kindle. The upper leather cover is decent thick which I presume will prevent from accidental damages. It has a leather covering/shield all around the kindle leaving the the buttons and slots. The fitting of kindle inside the case is very impressive. There is a leather strap between the keys and kindle screen, which enable tight gripping on kindle. While reading the upper cover cab be back folded to hold it with a single hand. There is a light magnet on the outer strap of the cover which keeps it closed.

I would recommend this to everyone in India without a Kindle cover till now, even at its present price of 11 pounds (6.99 + 4), i.e. roughly Rs 825.

Jaspreet

Hi again,

Forgot to mention that the above Kindle case, I ordered it on 11th November and got it delivered on 16th Nov (had a weekend in between), although amazon stated the expected delivery duration between 22nd-29th Nov. Also Amazon doesn’t allows to track this item after the shipping. Lastly I found the cover packed in the paper packing, dropped inside the door of my house on 16th evening and there was no intimation about it before in-hand

Jaspreet

Hi Jaspreet Singh,

Its a good cover i checked the price in SYW it costs Rs 1700.

http://amazonin.co.uk.tarazz.com/Navitech-Graphite-Wireless-finished-perfection/dp/B003M4QWG2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1290083846&sr=8-1

The price seems to be high in SYW.

Hi Shekhar, first of all, many thanks for putting up such a wonderful FAQ page and clearing most of my questions

I have a very basic question (please excuse me if i sound ignorant!) but does Kindle 3G have a micro USB slot or a USB 2.0 slot. If it is Micro USB, is there a way to connect to my laptop because typically a laptop has only USB 2.0 slots?

Thanks mate!

Hi Ram,

I have a very basic question (please excuse me if i sound ignorant!)

Basic questions are what that are making up this blog post. So please keep them coming. Our ignorant questions and answers are enlightening everyone

but does Kindle 3G have a micro USB slot or a USB 2.0 slot. If it is Micro USB, is there a way to connect to my laptop because typically a laptop has only USB 2.0 slots?

Don’t worry. It will connect. The end that goes into the laptop is a standard USB (I guess it is called Standard A) and will plug into the laptop.

Thanks for the quick response, Shekhar!

I have another question (probably any of the the regular Kindle users here can also help me out) – Does it allow us to copy eBooks that i may have (from sources other than free sites like Project Gutenberg i.e basically copyrighted material) into Kindle?
The reason i am asking is that if these eBooks are copyrighted there may be some DRM issues with copying these into Kindle?

A friend of mine in USA is coming to India next month. If I order online from India, and have the KINDLE 3G delivered to him, will the device work in India? Or do they have different model for direst international shipments?

Also, shall I buy the WiFi or the 3G+Wifi – considering: a) 50 dollar difference; b) #G network in India; c) Will 3G be free in India or chargeable?

Hi Rajesh Kejriwal,

will the device work in India?

Yes

Also, shall I buy the WiFi or the 3G+Wifi – considering: a) 50 dollar difference; b) #G network in India;

If you want to download books anywhere then buy 3G+Wifi. With 3G+Wifi, you can also browse the Web using your Kindle.

With Wifi, you will be able to download books/browse the web, only at home or at office (typically). My suggestion, opt for the best, go for 3G+Wifi.

c) Will 3G be free in India or chargeable?

Will be free if and when it happens. Don’t go by the name 3G. It means mobile network. So even if 3G is not available you will be able to download books at EDGE or GPRS speeds.

Hi Ram,

The reason i am asking is that if these eBooks are copyrighted there may be some DRM issues with copying these into Kindle?

DRM protected books will not work.

Hi Shekhar,

Thanks for the reply. Have decided to go for the 3G model.

Am registering myself at Amazon with an INDIA address, then ordering the Kindle 3G by paying thru Credit Card, but am giving a friend’s address in USA to save Shipping & Customs charges. I think I’ll get it for US$189 net.

I just hope the damn thing works fine in India – including downloading of books at Indian rates and 3G/GPRS surfing free of cost!

Have joined your google groups today! YAY!

@amit :
The cover you purchased at SYW, is it the one with LED light? If so, is the price of 2500/- worth it?

@Shekhar :
If I don’t purchase the cover with light, will I be able to read books in the dark? I think there’s an option in screen mode to reverse the display from black-on-white to white-on-black…???

Hi Rajesh,

I read somewhere that when you buy a Kindle 3G from USA, then internet service is free only in USA and NOT all over the world. They will charge some extra money for the internet service. Please confirm the above before planning to buy it from USA.

Hey !
Comment # 300 mine !!

Hey buddy wanna ask about the earphones for kindle .. which one will suit it ?? I have got no idea .. would my Nokia E63 earphones work in it ???

Hi Jaspreet, Hi Rajesh,

I read somewhere that when you buy a Kindle 3G from USA, then internet service is free only in USA and NOT all over the world. They will charge some extra money for the internet service. Please confirm the above before planning to buy it from USA.

You are right. There was a time when Amazon was selling the U.S. only and Global (called Global Wireless) Kindles. But with the latest Kindle (called Kindle 3 or Kindle 3rd Generation), there does not exist a U.S. only option. So I believe, if Rajesh buys the latest Kindle, it should work without any problem.

Thanks Gautam for the 300th comment

Hey buddy wanna ask about the earphones for kindle .. which one will suit it ?? I have got no idea .. would my Nokia E63 earphones work in it ???

Both have a 3.5mm headphone jack. So it should work.

It didn’t work buddy .. I dont know what the problem is .. In fact my kindle kinda get hanged for a min or so .. so anyone else dont try earphones of cell phones

Hi,

I was wondering whether I can get a Kindle shipped to India and then use it in Singapore? Does kindle global wireless work here? How do I get new books? Does the pre-paid option from amazon work here in singapore or will I have to buy ebooks from othersourse and then use the cable to transfer?

Also I have couple of “pdfs” ebooks with me. Will I be able to transfer them into the ebook reader and read them? what about the clarity of fonts, etc?

Would be helpful if you could help me in clarifying these queries which have been there for sometime and hence unable to decide whether to buy or not….

thanks so much for your time!!!

Hi Anuradha,

I was wondering whether I can get a Kindle shipped to India and then use it in Singapore? Does kindle global wireless work here? How do I get new books? Does the pre-paid option from amazon work here in singapore or will I have to buy ebooks from othersourse and then use the cable to transfer?

From what I could find out, Kindle’s global wireless does not work in Singapore.

will I have to buy ebooks from othersourse and then use the cable to transfer?

I guess, this is the only way out.

Also I have couple of “pdfs” ebooks with me. Will I be able to transfer them into the ebook reader and read them? what about the clarity of fonts, etc?

You can read PDFs on the Kindle. But there are issues with PDFs fitting in the device’s screen. For such PDFs, use Calibre http://calibre-ebook.com/

Sir

I have very recently bought a kindle DX2 . I have a problem of converting my e books from pdf format to .MOBI & .PRC
I tried to convert my PDF files to kindle format using mobi pocket creator.But the converted files has no figures .I have lot of e books and research articles in PDF format.Can you please help me how to convert the PDF format to MOBI/PRC/AZW format that contains all pictures/graphs/charts after conversion .what are s/w’s available.I tried stanza and calibre too .Please help me

With regards
Pladurai kasi rajan

Hi Paldurai kasi rajan,

I have a problem of converting my e books from pdf format to .MOBI & .PRC. I tried to convert my PDF files to kindle format using mobi pocket creator.But the converted files has no figures

From the Calibre FAQ http://calibre-ebook.com/user_manual/faq.html#why-does-the-pdf-conversion-lose-some-images-tables , Calibre indeed cannot extract certain types of images from the PDF.

Having said that, Kindle can display PDFs with some nuisance (like horizontal scrolling). See if that is acceptable in your case. You can transfer your PDF files directly to the Documents folder on Kindle, via USB.

Also, if one or more of your books are downloadable from somewhere, please provide me the link(s). I can try it out myself. But you will have to give me some time for this exercise.

Hi, thanks for the info. on Kindle in India. I have a question about surfing the web using Wi-Fi connections at home or whereever available. Please explain whether you still get the error message. Thanks in advance.

I have just bought a kindle wifi+3G from shopyourworld.However although I managed to open an account in amazon.com am unable to register my kindle.The message keeps coming –problems with wifi,try again later or e-mailaddress and password cannot be found.I live in Goa and my network is BSNL.What could be the problem?HELP!

Hi k venkat,

I have a question about surfing the web using Wi-Fi connections at home or whereever available. Please explain whether you still get the error message. Thanks in advance.

It works! I no longer get the error message.

Good website! I reallydo love how it is easy on my eyes as well as the details are well written. I am wondering how I might be notified whenever a new post has been made. I have subscribed to your rss feed which really should do the trick! Have a good day!

Thanks Clement Jasko.

I am wondering how I might be notified whenever a new post has been made. I have subscribed to your rss feed which really should do the trick! Have a good day!

Yep RSS works! Besides RSS you may also like to subscribe with your E-mail address at http://www.shekhargovindarajan.com/subscribe

Also, wherever I write a new blog post, I tweet about it as shekharg – http://twitter.com/shekharg

I hv huge collection of eBooks in *.pdf & *.doc (~2GB). I don’t need to buy any more. I hv 2 Q.
1. How much will it cost in total to upload to Kindle all my eBooks & get them back converted?
2. Wud it be better if I went for Sony eReader instead. My target is Sony Touch PRC600, whose price was US$170 in Oct ’10, now US$190

Hi Shekhar

WOuld you know of any good place to buy a Kindle 3 cover in India? (Chennai)

thanks
hari

Hi Hari,

WOuld you know of any good place to buy a Kindle 3 cover in India? (Chennai)

I’m not aware of any offline stores. But you can order a Kindle cover from PDair http://pdair.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=11000659_11000660_11001067 Why PDair? Because they offer free worldwide shipping! I have myself ordered a few accessories from PDair.

Hi L N Roychoudhury,

1. How much will it cost in total to upload to Kindle all my eBooks & get them back converted?

Please refer to the link http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200375630&#fees for the conversion fee. Alternatively, you can use a free software like Calibre http://calibre-ebook.com/ to convert your books for Kindle.

2. Wud it be better if I went for Sony eReader instead. My target is Sony Touch PRC600, whose price was US$170 in Oct ’10, now US$190

I haven’t used or played with Sony reader. But this link http://ireaderreview.com/2009/08/26/kindle-vs-sony-reader-touch-edition/ seems to do a reasonable comparison between Kindle and Sony reader.

Hi Hari,

You can try this one too
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B003M4QWG2/ref=ox_ya_os_product

I bought it couple of months back from Amazon UK site and it’s good. It will cost you around Rs 1000 including (shipping and currency conversion).

thank you, Shekhar, Jaspreet

Also please pass this on to all Kindle users who want to browse the web……especially for those with free 3G, this is a great RoI.

http://www.kinstant.com

This company / website formats all popular websites for fast loading and READING as well for kindle browser…..for free…

Thanks Hari. Great resource!

Also please pass this on to all Kindle users who want to browse the web……especially for those with free 3G, this is a great RoI.

http://www.kinstant.com

kinstant.com seems to be using Google Mobile Page Adapter which I had blogged about http://www.shekhargovindarajan.com/google/mobile-friendly-sites-with-google/

Very impressive blog. With doubts in mind in choosing betwen the Sony PRS 650 and the Kindle, i landed here. Thanks a lot for all the information shared. I have ordered the Kindle for my spouse who is a voracious reader. I am hoping he will love to have it.

Hi Shekhar!

An extremely helpful blog! You’ve done a great job!

Thanks Priya, thanks Aasawaree, for dropping in words of pure appreciation

I have ordered the Kindle for my spouse who is a voracious reader. I am hoping he will love to have it.

For sure!

Hi Shekhar, never seen an article so helpful, thank you so much. I’m ordering one today, buying here in London, for my sister in Bangalore.

Thanks Prasad,

I’m ordering one today, buying here in London, for my sister in Bangalore.

Go ahead!!! Welcome to the Kindle party! Do come back and share your experience with us

hi shekhar, the import fee is still returned or not as u mentioned in faq’s

hi shekhar,do they still return the import duties as u mentioned in the faq’s.

great info shekhar…i am too eager to buy one soon…

Whats the best ever thing that a kindle can do ?

The best ever thing that I`ve ever done with my Kindle. I was in Mumbai where I dint have access to internet. I needed to book return tickets back to Bangalore and I really did book tickets in tatkal scheme within 5 mins.

users usually have a bad experience booking tatkal tickets over irctc.com. i think it opens at 8.30 am and by 9.00 am usually it gets filled. but it was really quick and simple process over kindle. mind you guys, it was just connected to EDGE network. the moment 3G gets activated in india, kindle is gonna rock.

It just saved my day. So, the experimental browser is really handy. I m sure that we can carry out online transactions like checking bank balance, fund transfers, booking rail or air tickets or even ordering a pizza. thanks amazon.

Thanks kavs.

i am too eager to buy one soon…

Go for it! It is a neat gadget to own

Hi shashank,

hi shekhar,do they still return the import duties as u mentioned in the faq’s.

First, not the full but a part of the import duty is refunded. I’m not aware if you still get a refund on the latest Kindles and their prices. Let me toss this question to others

ANYONE WHO RECENTLY ORDERED A KINDLE FROM AMAZON? PLEASE HELP SHASHANK WITH HIS QUERY

Hi ARUN PRASAD,

It just saved my day. So, the experimental browser is really handy. I m sure that we can carry out online transactions like checking bank balance, fund transfers, booking rail or air tickets or even ordering a pizza. thanks amazon

Cool! And hence I have been suggesting to go for Kindle with Wifi and 3G (I mean cellular connection )

Yes shekar,

I must admit that only because of you, i ever made a decision to buy a kindle and its proved its use. i wonder who r guys who will buy only wifi kindle. i mean, y not spend $50 extra and get both wifi and 3G.

Hi Arun Prasad,

I must admit that only because of you, i ever made a decision to buy a kindle and its proved its use.

Arun, the credit goes to all the Kindle and to-be Kindle users who shared and continue to share their experience here, on this blog post, which started off as a mere shipping FAQ. So … thank you!

I even tweeted about your cool usage of Kindle to book tickets at IRCTC: http://twitter.com/#!/shekharg/status/29475770489376768

I live in Bangalore. Can somebody please help me with getting kindle 3 -Wifi with 3G 6″ display delivered at my doorstep in bangalore..?

Also, the price of kindle is 189$ in US (amazon). I would like to know as to how much would the final charges be if I were to have it delivered to Bangalore.

hi shekhar,is it better to order kindle from amazon than syw.com

Help! my kindle wont turn on…it was fine early this morning! It is fully charged, but the green light doesnt come on when i slide the power switch to wake…the screen is blank although i had left the kindle in sleep mode…

Got our kindle 3G+Wifi in 3 business days. Great speed..!!
I had directly booked kindle from Amazon on 3rd of Feb. I have received it on 7th Feb at 4:00 pm.

Packaging was good from DHL and Amazon. It is a great device.
I have two questions though:
1) Would Amazon be re-imbursing the export deposit (60$) back to me?
2) The kindle screen flickers everytime a key on the keypad is pressed…Is this an problem OR is this the way the device works..?

MA

Help! my kindle wont turn on…it was fine early this morning! It is fully charged, but the green light doesnt come on when i slide the power switch to wake…the screen is blank although i had left the kindle in sleep mode…

Refer to the link http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200375480 Try following the first resolution – Step 4 to reset your Kindle. It says: “unplug the Kindle and reset by moving and holding the power switch for 15 seconds before releasing it.”

Hi shashank,

hi shekhar,is it better to order kindle from amazon than syw.com

Personally, i don’t have any experience with syw.com. Please go through the comments on this blog post wherein many have talked about their experience with syw.com.

Based on the quoted shipping time and less cost difference, I would recommend ordering it directly from Amazon.

Hey Dilip,
First, apologies for the delay in responding.

1) Would Amazon be re-imbursing the export deposit (60$) back to me?

Only a part of the import duty was reimbursed in my case. I haven’t heard about any reimbursement against the latest Kindle. Visitors/Commentors please share your inputs

2) The kindle screen flickers everytime a key on the keypad is pressed…Is this an problem OR is this the way the device works..?

The screen does flicker if the click of a key invokes an action which leads to a different page or option(s), but not otherwise. This means, if you press G (as an example) while on the Home screen, there must not be any flicker. if there is, then I would mark that as a problem. On the other side, clicking on Home/Back key will show a flicker.

I have some doubt

Where can i buy sony ebook reader in india.Is it available in common market.

Are they copy wright protected?

I mean can i read illegal pdf books

Hi vsprasad,

Where can i buy sony ebook reader in india.

try http://ebay.in

Is it available in common market.

No

I mean can i read illegal pdf books

As long as the books are not DRM protected you should be able to transfer and read them on the ebook reader.

Hi,

I have a question. I see people selling kindle for $90. Will that actually work. Is it a good option to buy 2nd hand?

Thanks

I am planning to buy a WiFi+3G Kindle. There is one question that I wish to ask?
Can we surf the internet on it or it is restricted and supports only the Kindle store and the Wikipedia.org website.

Hi Saurabh,

Can we surf the internet on it or it is restricted and supports only the Kindle store and the Wikipedia.org website.

Not restricted. You can surf any website. Enjoy!

Are there any special charges per mb as in Whispernet service

Are there any special charges per mb as in Whispernet service

As of this writing, no charges at all

I want to buy a kindle 3g+wi-fi to use in india.
Shall i buy it from amazon.com or amazon.co.uk?
Is amazon.com offering free 3g service in india as amazon.co.uk does not offer free 3g service in india? cn i talk to any person who has knowledge about this nd my number is 09888228837

Hi Sahil,

Shall i buy it from amazon.com or amazon.co.uk?

As per our conversation on phone, amazon.co.uk does not ship Kindle to India. But you said someone will be carrying it for you from UK. In this case, yes, you can order it on the Amazon UK site.

Is amazon.com offering free 3g service in india as amazon.co.uk does not offer free 3g service in india?

Yes and no. Yes, Kindle does not avail 3G in India yet but it uses EDGE/GPRS connection to browse, download books and also for web browsing using it’s built-in browser. The Kindle page on Amazon UK says the same: “HSDPA modem (3G) with a fallback to EDGE/GPRS”

Bottom line: Go ahead, order your Kindle from Amazon UK and request your friend to hand it over to you asap. You should not wait any longer for this amazing device

Do come back and share your experience.

Shekhar,
I have been using my Kindle regularly and is a big fan of this e-book.
Of late my 3G+wifi, i.e. the net connectivity is not working. It just flickers and goes off.

Any suggestions? I have written to Amazon and they have sent me contact nos. whom I plan to contact. They have offered to replace the Unit too in case of inability to help.
But being in India and having bought the unit in USA, I am in a fix.

Any suggestions to solve the problem?

Jaya

Hi Jaya,

Of late my 3G+wifi, i.e. the net connectivity is not working. It just flickers and goes off.

Wifi and 3G (mobile/cellular connection) are two different ways to connect your Kindle to the Internet. Are both not working?

Have your tried restarting your Kindle. To do this, slide the power button to the right, hold it there for atleast 15 seconds and then release it.

PS: I don’t have a Kindle 3 handy to test the above method of restarting. So let me know if it worked else I will try to borrow it from one of my friends.

Shekhar,

Thanks for yr prompt response. Both 3G and wifi are not working unfortunately. I did restart it the way you suggested, but no success.

Jaya

Jaya,

Both 3G and wifi are not working unfortunately. I did restart it the way you suggested, but no success.

When you goto Menu>Settings, does it show “not connected” under Wi-Fi settings ?

@Shekhar

Yes, it shows turned off under wifi settings. When I press the button to turn it on, it flickers shows the connectivity tower briefly and gets turned off in a flicker.

Jaya

Jaya,

Yes, it shows turned off under wifi settings. When I press the button to turn it on, it flickers shows the connectivity tower briefly and gets turned off in a flicker.

Try this. Goto Menu>Settings>Wi-Fi settings>View. Assuming that you have connected to one or more WiFi connection before, you should see “Forget” button(s). Click on it (or them). This will completely disconnect you from WiFi and Kindle should start using the mobile (cellular connection) i.e. EDGE/GPRS.

Now, click on Home. Click on Menu>Shop in Kindle Store. Do you see “Wireless connecting …” on the top left? If yes, after a few seconds, do you see My Kindle page which shows you Top Sellers, Recommended for you etc. ?

hi ,
1. Can I trust in buying kindle from shopyourworld.com or better in amazon.com ?

2. Do they provide warranty for the product and what do be done in case of some repair ?

3. Do i have to bear the cost for shipping in case of sending the device for repair ?

4. If anyone has bought the kindle-3 directly from amazon.com kindly do post the total cost for WIFI only device

My freind has gifted me kindle 3.0.2 one month back ..from one month i was trying t figure out how to get it connected…while looking or help on kindle in india i hit your blog and found very informative…Pls help..I have wi fi connection but not able to connect my kindle ..Msg getting is “unable to connect to wi fi network” …pls guide

@Shekhar and @Nandini

I had the connectivity problem (see my recent posts). On my own, I couldn’t get it to work.
I sent my complaint from the amazon site, promptly got their reply, telephoned them at the given no., they called me back promptly. Through a series of instructions, diagnostic checks and troubleshooting by them, my connectivity was restored.
I suggest your sending the complaint promptly to them. They are very helpful.
Jaya

Hi raj,

1. Can I trust in buying kindle from shopyourworld.com or better in amazon.com ?

shopyourworld.com is trusted. In fact a couple of commenters on this blog post have ordered and received their Kindle from shopyourworld.com

Do they provide warranty for the product and what do be done in case of some repair ?

While I do not have any first hand experience, I believe shopyourworld.com are resellers and hence all the guarantee and warranty on Kindle should apply and your support issues would be entertained by Amazon support.

3. Do i have to bear the cost for shipping in case of sending the device for repair ?

As per what I have read, Amazon reimburses the shipping cost.

4. If anyone has bought the kindle-3 directly from amazon.com kindly do post the total cost for WIFI only device

The total cost is $204.93. The bifurcation is as follows:

Device cost: $139.00
Shipping & Handling: $20.98
Import Fees Deposit $44.95

Hey Jaya,

I suggest your sending the complaint promptly to them. They are very helpful.

While I do feel bad that I could not help you with your issue, I’m so glad to know that it is fixed

Whenever you are free, would you like to share what all were you asked to do which resulted in fixing your connectivity issue? Even if you share as much as you can recall, it may be a boon to many of us.

@Shekhar Thank you very much for the relying with all the answers.

I have placed the order just now in shopyourworld and the total cost of the device is now at 8k for WIFI only . I have opted for “gift” and additional 5% discount from icici bank

@Shekhar

First I was asked to hold the off button for 30 secs and release (all under guidance). This resets the Kindle settings. (Kindle home page appears and the intialisation bar moves from left to right). Subsequently, as the problem was not solved, they appear to have done some trouble shooting at their end in software; it took several restarting and re-checking (turn wireless on and off etc.)and about 30 min of interactive communication. Finally presto! it was okay. I wouldn’t know exactly what they did at their end.
Jaya

Jaya,
Thanks for sharing. How did you contact Amazon? Was it through E-mail or phone? What is the E-mail address/phone no to contact Amazon for these kind of issues? Were you called back for this 30 mins troubleshooting?

@Shekhar

I sent the complaint thro the amazon site after logging in with my amazon ID. Since my Kindle is registered with my mail ID, they replied to me the same day, asking me to contact them at the tel no. given. When I called them (US), they took my tel no. called me back. After a thorough ID check using my registration details,they helped with the problem. The service was excellent and prompt.

i want to sell my kindle. Got it as a gift, but it is of no use for me .Im in delhi. Any local buyer kindly contact me.
dalhousie@india.com

Hi Ravi,

i want to sell my kindle. Got it as a gift, but it is of no use for me .Im in delhi. Any local buyer kindly contact me.

I tweeted http://twitter.com/#!/shekharg/status/48458157067993088 about your offer. Hope you get a buyer soon

hi shekhar
I recently got my Kindle from UK. Can you please guide me how can I buy kindle books using Indian credit card?

thanks

Hi Chaitali,

I recently got my Kindle from UK. Can you please guide me how can I buy kindle books using Indian credit card?

Assuming that you don’t have an Amazon account goto http://www.amazon.com/manageyourkindle and follow the oncreen instructions to create a new account. Once the account is created, login and fill in your Indian credit card details by clicking on Your Account (top right) > Manage Payment Options.

On your Kindle device, click on Home button. Then click on Menu button and select Settings. Select “register” (or “deregister” and then “register”) on the following screen. Enter the E-mail and password that you used to create your Amazon account (as explained above).

To buy books, click on Home button. Click on Menu>Shop in Kindle Store. Search or navigate to your desired book and click on it. On the following screen, click on the buy button. The cost of the book will be debited from the credit card that you had specified in Manage Payment Options.

PS: I may have skipped in-between steps assuming that they are self explanatory through the the onscreen instructions. So do feel absoultely free to write back about any confusion or doubts. Thanks

I got a kindle as a gift from my friend in US.
After one week, it stopped working.
I called for the replacement.
they told they will replace it.
But wanted credit card data.

Does that mean I need to pay for the new one?
When they are sure that the device is defective, then only they will refund the money.
THen what about the shipping charges for receiving and for sending the defective device back.

Kindly eloborate on this.

Hi Subbu,

they told they will replace it. But wanted credit card data. Does that mean I need to pay for the new one?

Your credit card details (hope just the number and not the CVV) was asked to identify you along with other details like order/transaction number. Were you asked about the order details along with the credit card number? I don’t think Amazon would have debited any amount from your credit card account. Right? Please confirm.

Amazon should replace your defective Kindle at no cost.

THen what about the shipping charges for receiving and for sending the defective device back.

From what I read across the web about customers’ experience, Amazon should refund the shipping costs that you incur. I guess the cost will be credited against your credit card. But this is not my first hand experince. Please do come back and share your experience.

Bottom line: I suggest, do not suspect and go with Amazon’s advise to repair/replace your Kindle. Why? 1. Amazon is a credible vendor. 2. What’s the other option(s) ?

My Kindle 3G 6″ should arrive in next two days. It cleared customs at Mumbai today morning. (Ordered from Amazon on April 6,2011)
A> I wanted to know from where in India/Mumbai I can buy following items:
1.Compatible power adapter.
2.Clip on reading light.
3.Carrying case, screen guard.
All these items were available at Amazon site but i found them very expensive.
B> Is it possible to read newspapers like economic times, TOI etc on kindle?

Shekhar> Thanks, very informative blog on Kindle India experience, I was contemplating to buy Kindle from past 3 months and thanks to your blog I finally took the plunge! Keep this blog going.

Hi Punnet Varma,

B> Is it possible to read newspapers like economic times, TOI etc on kindle?

If you are asking whether these newspapers can be subscribed to through the Kindle Store, the answer is no. Kindle Store currently offers newspapers like Hindustan Times, The Financial Express and Indian Express.

Shekhar> Thanks, very informative blog on Kindle India experience, I was contemplating to buy Kindle from past 3 months and thanks to your blog I finally took the plunge! Keep this blog going.

Most welcome. I’m glad that you found this blog post informative.

Would like to update on Kindle Wall charger and Reading light.
CHARGER > Any USB Wall charger can charge the Kindle, I bought mine from Jumbo Electronics store from Vashi’s In-Orbit Mall for Rs. 450/- only. The USB cord supplied along with Kindle fits in the slot. Similar spec charger from Kindle store cost around Rs.1200/- (Includes shipping and import duties).

READING LIGHT > Bought a clip on reading light from STAPLES store; Rs.250/- only. Simple but very functional and it clips on the top of the Kindle 6″ device and provides a nice soothing glow to read at night. Similar device would cost not less than Rs.1500/- from Amazon store.

COVER> Indian options were not too good, so opted one from Amazon store, M-Edge Capital Kindle Jacket, Red colour. Rs.3600/-

Excellent blog.I have just purchased a kindle 3 from ebay and it is yet to be delivered.Infact the seller shopyourworld has a mention in this blog.have done extensive research on the net before buying.I would especially like to talk about the discussion as to how does it feels to read on a kindle rather than a paperback.How valid is this question infront of the fact that kindle holds 3500 books and can be connected wirelessly and books be purshased online.We have as a species evolved from reading writings of the caves to stone tablets to papyrus to pbooks and time now to evolve to ebook reading.is there a possibilty of sharing mobi format books with each other i mean is it legal?

Hey Puneet, thanks for coming back and posting helpful tips! I tweeted about it http://twitter.com/#!/shekharg/status/60334253635936256 !

Hi kapilesh,

is there a possibilty of sharing mobi format books with each other i mean is it legal?

Not legal in most cases. But there are expections, as follows:

There are books which are released for free in the public domain. For example at http://www.gutenberg.org/ you will find many such books which are free to download, read and distribute. Note that these books are available in various formats including .mobi (labeled as Kindle format )

My Kindle 3G 6″ should arrive in next two days. It cleared customs at Mumbai today morning. (Ordered from Amazon on April 6,2011)
A> I wanted to know from where in India/Mumbai I can buy following items:
1.Compatible power adapter.

Blackberry charger works perfectly as well as blackberry usb cable

Hi Shekhar,

Great post!

My question is related to a more efficient way of searching for ebooks. If I were to just walk into any Landmark/Crossword store in India, a quick look at the Bestsellers list or Crossword Recommends list will give me atleast 10-15 books written by Indian authors. However on the Amazon Kindle store I can’t seem to find the feature to search by Indian authors or something of the type. I’m an avid reader and read all kinds of books by all sorts of authors, however this functionality if it exists would be nice. Hope you understand what I mean

Regards!

Hi Mahesh,

However on the Amazon Kindle store I can’t seem to find the feature to search by Indian authors or something of the type.

On your Kindle, click on Home button>Menu button and select Shop in Kindle Store. Scroll down to the search box below. In the search box type in @author and click on search store. You can type in @ using the SYM button on the Kindle’s keypad. Hope this helps someway

First of all Thnx a lot to the blog starter. I just want to know the storage capacity of the kindle. Does it support any Micro SD card?? Second does it support ms office formats(ppt.,excel,doc etc)?

does the kindle come with every thing pre loaded.

Hi bakshish,

I just want to know the storage capacity of the kindle.

The latest Kindles have a storage of upto 3GB

Does it support any Micro SD card??

No

Second does it support ms office formats(ppt.,excel,doc etc)?

Nopes. But many non-supported formats can be converted to Kindle. Please refer to http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Kindle_HowTo:_File_Conversion

Hi mirisa,

does the kindle come with every thing pre loaded.

If by everything you mean books, then no. After buying a Kindle you will stil need to purchase (or transfer) e-books to read on the Kindle.

Just bought the new kindleOS X from kindleos.com- really good stuff!

Hi Nathan,

Can you please share the installer file for kindleOS X?

Thanks so much.

Regards,
Jaspreet

Hi,

I want to buy the 3G + wifi kindle 3 model directly from amazon.

1) If someone is using the same can you please update me as to what kind of websites can be browsed on the webkit browser.
2) I also read somewhere that browsing is limited to amazon store + wiki only on 3G whereas on wifi you can browser anythig, is that correct?
3) which network does amazon has tie-up with in india for providing 3g/EDGE/GPRS acccess to kindle users in India?

thanks,

Hi Sunil,

> 1) If someone is using the same can you please update me as to what kind of websites can be browsed on the webkit browser.
any website. But simple sites with less graphics or mobile friendly sites show up better.

> 2) I also read somewhere that browsing is limited to amazon store + wiki only on 3G whereas on wifi you can browser anythig, is that correct?
No

> 3) which network does amazon has tie-up with in india for providing 3g/EDGE/GPRS acccess to kindle users in India?
I checked on Kindle in Delhi and its is connecting to Airtel. This may change depending on which part of country you are.

Hi Shekhar thanks for the updates to my queries.. so what u r saying is that we can browse anything as in mail/social networks/ as far as they are less in graphics they will look good and since 3g is free/prepaid we dnt pay anything…

so kindle can be used as a very basic monochrome tablet for reading/mailing/surfing/social networking

I want to buy kindle for my relative( who has retina problem & not allowed much reading ) who reads Marathi . Can I scan documents on PC & transfer those to kindle. Does it support any Indian languages?

i actually wanted to ask you a question
1 can i browse internet through kindle 3g in india.???? pleas answer

Hi manoj,

i actually wanted to ask you a question
1 can i browse internet through kindle 3g in india.???? pleas answer

Yes, you can

Hi sunil,
Sorry didn’t realize that you are asking me a question. And the answer is:

Hi Shekhar thanks for the updates to my queries.. so what u r saying is that we can browse anything as in mail/social networks/ as far as they are less in graphics they will look good and since 3g is free/prepaid we dnt pay anything…

so kindle can be used as a very basic monochrome tablet for reading/mailing/surfing/social networking

Yes!!!

I saw one more kindle for $139. wats the difference b/w tat one d the one u bought?
And the customs i heard is around 24% but seem to pay around 45%. is there any other way we can get it for because i don feel it carries features worth $300+ . As an indian customer one can spend max upto 7k for ds product.

Hi abhishek,
> I saw one more kindle for $139. wats the difference b/w tat one d the one u bought?
This blog post is more than a year old. I have shared updates via comments which have kept this post alive for so long (thanks to all the commenters).

Ever since the price of Kindle has slashed down. To find out the total price goto Amazon site and opt to buy a Kindle. Follow the onscreen instructions and just before confirming the purchase you will be shown the total amount with the bifurcations – shipping, duty etc.

Hi Shekhar. Ur blog is really helpful. Good work dude….

Is there any way to avoid the $2 additional charge for downloading the free ebooks such as by having it registered in the name of a US citizen or anything similar. If yes, how does this work?

I have three kindle 3(wifi+3G) in my family and now have some experience using it.Want to answer a few questions posed in this blog.

I purchased from india through sellers registered on ebay.Takes about 15 days to ship in india but atleast you have a phone number to talk to an indian about it.

Regarding its 3g well i have travelled across the country and the kindle is always connected either through 3g or edge or gprs.It gives preference to wifi first and then 3g.i have found an issue here as my office internet has blocked many sites so when i log on through kindle there is no way i can bypass the wifi and go to 3g as the kindle will only give preference to wifi unless you make it forget the password of wifi(yes there is an option for that) then it will go to 3g. What i have done is i use 3g more than wifi as it doesnt cost me anything and the range is the range of the city i live in.

Browsing on the kindle is not at all a pleasure(but it is free for life) but there have been times when i have gone to client meetings and need the google or wikipedia, well the kindle has always bailed me out.

Pdfs are not a pleasure to read but thats where the software called “Calibre” which can be downloaded from the net for free comes in handy.The conversions of pdf to mobi(kindle format) are by and large good.

There are many books which are highly affordable in the kindle store or you can browse amazon.com and even send the book to your kindle.you can sync it with an android app on your phone and continue reading the book even on your phone.

Would recommend if you can’t afford the extra rs 4000 which you have to pay for a kindle wifi+3g only then go for wifi only version otherwise every book lover should go for the wifi+3g version.

Hi Shruti,

Ur blog is really helpful. Good work dude….

Thanks a ton Appreciate all the commenters (like you) who have kept this blog post alive

Is there any way to avoid the $2 additional charge for downloading the free ebooks such as by having it registered in the name of a US citizen or anything similar. If yes, how does this work

One of my friends is using his U.S. friend’s credit card with his Kindle and getting access to free as well as U.S. only books!

Just noticed that the Kindle is connecting to 3G!!! (at Gurgaon, Haryana)

The 611 page shows that it is connecting to Airtel.

Details:

1. I pressed the Menu button on the Kindle. This shows the type of network alongside the signal bars. It shows 3G.

2. I went to Menu>Settings and typed 611. This shows cellular network information. The Network Name is Airtel.

Latest Price shipping to India
Kindle 3G Wireless Reading Device, Free 3G + Wi-Fi, 6″ Display, Graphite, 3G Works Globally
Shipping Method: Priority International Courier
Shipping Preference: Group my items into as few shipments as possible
Subtotal of Items: $189.00
Shipping & Handling: $20.98
——
Import Fees Deposit $59.00
——
Total: $268.98

Is it possible to transfer books on to a kindle through bluetooth?

I am planning to shop Kindle 3 sponsored version from shopyourworld.com (as amazon is not shipping to India). Do anybody have experience of kindle purchase through shopyourworld.com. Will Kindle 3 sponsored version get registered in India?

Shruti,

Is it possible to transfer books on to a kindle through bluetooth?

Nopes

hi prasad_td,

i have personally not used shopyourworld.com but i know of someone who bought his kindle from them and it got delivered last week at his house and he also placed another order for 1 more kindle with them.

he bought the wifi version without the ads so i am not sure if the KSO(kindle with Special Offers) gets registered here in India

I am not sure if amazon does not ship to India I thgt the supported deliveries to India. (they do not ship the KSO version to India as it is only for US Customers)

Browsing restriction via WiFi too? And, DX has any WiFi? Thanks for info.

Dear Shruti

I have purchased from shopyourworld.
wonderful people.only takes 15days.the guy who handles the transactions is Mr. Neil Shah whose number is 09930317707.He is very helpful and supportive and yes you can register it in your name which you should do which is very easy and takes hardly 2 minutes by watch.

Hi Ameer,

Browsing restriction via WiFi too?

No browsing restrictions via WiFi. Enjoy!

And, DX has any WiFi?

No

What are the browsing restrictions through 3g/ gprs/ edge?
If internet can be browsed on 3g network then why is it not possible to download books from sites other than amazon (sorry am not really tech savvy, so dont understand all this)?

Shruti,

why is it not possible to download books from sites other than amazon

Very much possible. Any supported format (pdf, mobi etc.) of free books, that you download using Kindle from non-Amazon sites, is readily readable on Kindle

I am in Bangalore and own a Kindle wireless version. Which are the public wifi services i can use? most of it is private in the city areas…?

You can now buy the Kindle from http://www.shopyourworld.com for INR7999.00. Ijust got one from them and it works very well

Hey hi buddy
Well i have now owned kindle for a year and its just the best buy of my life !! Its just awesome !!
K i have few queries hope u can help me out ..
First of all mine is kindle second generation and it is version 2.5.8 is there any new version now available for it ?? I recently viewed on google something abt version 3 .. is it just for third generation kindles or can i upgrade mine too ??
Second I now want a reading light for my kindle .. which is the one u recommend ? & also from where to buy it ?? On amazon they are charging pretty hefty import duties .. and I cant find any reading lights in my local Croma store ..
Third i also recently saw some games and applications on amazon like scrabble and calendar for kindle .. are they available for us in India and are they worth installing ??
And .. yeah well dats it !!
Hoping to hear from u soon !!

I would like some advise-I got a Kindle DX global from the US and took it to India as a gift for my brother. Now they want to establish an amazon account but can they do it with a credit card that has an indian address or do they need one with a US address. They would like to have their own account and I want to make sure that happens before I shut down my account (based in the US)

Hey another query .. can i order stuff from amazon for my kindle and give my Indian credit card and have them delivered it to my uncle’s hotel in USA ?? He is gonna stay there for like a month .. And i dont have to pay all that hefty import and shipping charges ..

Hi meera,

Now they want to establish an amazon account but can they do it with a credit card that has an indian address or do they need one with a US address.

Yes you can use an Indian credit card with an Indian address. Enjoy!

Gautam,

Hey another query .. can i order stuff from amazon for my kindle and give my Indian credit card and have them delivered it to my uncle’s hotel in USA ??

Sure, you can

Hey thanx shekhar for replying so soon .. okk m gonna order with my credit card then !
hey please reply to my other above mentioned queries too :)

Thanks, Shekhar, for all your info and help. I have a question. My son, who lives in England, wants to bring a Kindle for me. Will I be able to set up an Indian account and pay in Rupees? Also, will the prices charged for a book be comparable to book prices in India, or will I be charged British prices? Thanks for your help.

Hi Neena,

Will I be able to set up an Indian account and pay in Rupees?

Yes, you can setup a Amazon account with your Indian credit card.

Also, will the prices charged for a book be comparable to book prices in India

The general impression is, many a times Kindle books (esp. the new ones) are costlier than the hardcover books.

or will I be charged British prices?

Interesting question. I ordered Kindle for my wife from Amazon U.S. and the book prices are shown in USD. But I believe it is not the country from where you buy, it is your credit card.

I’m assuming that once you register your Indian credit card at Amazon, you will see prices in USD (kinda international currency ) and not in British Pounds. In any case, the prices will not be shown in INR or Indian Rupees.

Bottom line: you will be charged the US dollar price of the book(s).

Thanks for your reply Shekhar, though I’m still not clear whether the prices charged, though quoted in US$, will be British, US or Indian prices, or lower. In my view, there’s not much point in getting a Kindle if one then has to pay more for a book than buying the paperback copy in India.

Neena,

though I’m still not clear whether the prices charged, though quoted in US$, will be British, US or Indian prices, or lower.

oops sorry for not being clear here. You will be charged the USD price. If you are using an Indian Credit Card, then you will be charged as per the current exchange rates of INR to USD.

In my view, there’s not much point in getting a Kindle if one then has to pay more for a book than buying the paperback copy in India.

This is what I have heard. Now people may be referring to pirated, photocopied or old books. Give me some time, I will take a few books as an example and compare their print (in India) and Kindle prices.

Kindle may still be useful. Imagine carrying all your books along and purchasing-downloading new books whenever you want and wherever you are!

Thanks for your prompt reply, Shekhar, and for taking the trouble to check out comparative prices – much appreciated. Look forward to the results of your research.

Hi Shekhar,

I was looking for some information to buy a kindle for my mother who lives in India (I live in UK) and I came across your blog. Your blog seems to have answered almost all my questions.

I just wanted to find out if Kindle needs to be configured with the laptop she has at home and is it easy to do so?

Can she set up an account on amazon using her laptop and download books from her laptop to the kindle using the USB port?

I am not very tech savvy and was hoping to clarify some issues before I buy her one.

Thanks for your help.

Hi Shivangi,

I just wanted to find out if Kindle needs to be configured with the laptop she has at home and is it easy to do so?

No configuration required.

Can she set up an account on amazon using her laptop and download books from her laptop to the kindle using the USB port?

She doesn’t need a laptop. She can buy and download books directly on the Kindle.

You may help her to setup Kindle for PC http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=kcp_pc_mkt_lnd?docId=1000426311. Using this, she can buy and download books on her laptop.

Next, comes the interesting part. She does not need to transfer books downloaded on laptop to the Kindle. These books (bought using Kindle for PC) will automatically download on the Kindle device! No need for connecting Kindle device to the laptop.

Hi Shekhar,

Thanks for responding. It really helped. I think I will go ahead with the purchase.

Hi Shekhar,

Thanks for the info regarding kindle to india. It was really helpful. I went ahead with my plans of getting the kindle and I ordered the 139$ Kindle 3 wifi only from Amazon US Last week (21/08/2011). When i tried tracking the package from the DHL site today (29/08/2011) it shows “Clearance Delay” for the past 3 days. Is this normal ? I live in Chennai BTW.

Hi,
In epub different types of list-items supported in Ipad and ADE but not supported in kindle device.

The following lists are not supported in kindle device
1. upper-alpha
2. lower-alpha
3. decimal-leading-zero
4. lower-greek
5. upper-roman
6. lower-roman

In Kindle device the ordered list-styles (i.e. roman and alpha like that) is not support it displays only the numbered list. (i.e. 1,2,3) etc…

hi I have a kindle bought in US and was gifted to me by my brother. since couple of days it has started showing some problems. it starts searching the document and only W & 2 is typed repeatedly in seach bar and then it takes me out of the book to home page.
will you have any idea, what is it or where in India – Mumbai to be specific i can get it repaired?

Chirag.

Hi , can we install Internet Explorer in the DX.

Hi Chriag,

will you have any idea, what is it or where in India – Mumbai to be specific i can get it repaired?

Try calling Kindle International support at +12069220844. You may get a new Kindle – no strings attached

Hi Karthik,

it shows “Clearance Delay” for the past 3 days. Is this normal ?

Possible because 28th was a Sunday. Sorry the delay in responding. I’m sure by this time you would have got your Kindle. Please do come back and share your experience.

ganesh,

Hi , can we install Internet Explorer in the DX.

I haven’t gotten into Kindle hacking but it will be easier to install Firefox on it because it runs Linux

Hi Shekar,

I finally got the Kindle after nearly two week of waiting (mostly due to the holidays in between). Thanks again for your updates.

More details..

Device Cost : $ 139.00
Shipping & Handling : $20.98
Import Fees Deposit : $ 44.95

Total : $ 204.93 (Rs 9334 )

Order Date : 21/08/2011 (Sunday)
Shipping Date : 22/08/2011

Estimated Delivery Date : 26/08/2011

Actual Delivery Date : 03/09/2011
Ship Carrier : DHL

Dear Shekhar,

Thanks for enlighting and clearing a lot of doubts regarding Kindle

Yesterday i guess amazon has launched its new Kindle Fire tablet

1) Can it be used in replacement of the normal kindle
2) can we store music and movies and pictures which we already have or is it only from the app store which they are saying
3) 8gb is the memory , is there USB connectivity in it

Wanted to know your views on it

Regards
Muffadal

After buying kindle do we have to pay every time to read a new book to amazon?

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Priyanka

After buying kindle do we have to pay every time to read a new book to amazon?

Yes. To make it more clear, you will have to pay to buy a new book from Amazon. Once the book is bought, it will download on your Kindle. Henceforth you can read it as many times as you want. You own the copy of the book

hi,
how do i get my kindle repaired if it gets damaged or stops workin?

how do i buy a kindle fire?

[...] or dispatch emails, as these would contain your unique order numberPowered by Yahoo! AnswersLinda asks…How do I view my balance on my Amazon Kindle 3 ?Its the 3rd version and I put a 25 doll…s…How do I view my balance on my Amazon Kindle 3 ?Its the 3rd version and I put a 25 dollar gift [...]

good reference material http://www.ebookconversion.com/ was useful to me thanx

tanya,

How do i get my kindle repaired if it gets damaged or stops workin?

Call Kindle International support at +12069220844.

how do i buy a kindle fire?

It is available to preorder from http://www.indiaplaza.com/ but almost double the price

my kindle which i bought online about 2 months ago has developed a problem.It is not switching on and the display picture which comes on the screen when it is switched off is also distorded.
can you help?
thank you.

Mitali Poovayya,

> my kindle which i bought online about 2 months ago has developed a problem.It is not switching on and the display picture which comes on the screen when it is switched off is also distorded.

Please try calling Kindle International support at +12069220844. Do come back and share your experience – positive or negative.

Hi Shekhar et al,

Is there any difference in the kindle that we get through Indian websites like shopyourworld and indiaplaza compared to getting it directly from Amazon?

Unlike Amazon, these sites do not seem to be charging any shipping charges or the high import duty.

I tried to order the kindle on Amazon a few minutes back and the cost comes out to be 268 USD which is about 13033 INR.

Items: $189.00
Shipping & Handling: $20.98
Total Before Tax: $209.98
Estimated Tax To Be Collected: $0.00
Import Fees Deposit $59.00
Order Total: $268.98

Immediatly I tried the same on http://www.shopyourworld.com and the quoted cost is 9850 INR.

Unit Price: 9,850.00 ( Estimated:USD 199.14)
Unit Customs Duty: 0.00
Express Shipping

I tried the same thing on http://www.indiaplaza.com and the price quoted here is 10399 INR.

Unit Price (Rs.) : 10399
Shipping charges : 0
Final Price (Incl. shipping) (Rs.) : 10399

I wonder why would then one order it directly from Amazon?

Hi Deepayan Roy,

I wonder why would then one order it directly from Amazon?

Can you share the link from each site? Are they all the same Kindle model?

Hi Shekhar,

Kindle keyboard 3G (for international shipment) model is available at Rs 13033 from http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003DZ1Y7M/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER.

Kindle keyboard 3G (sponsored) model is available at Rs 9850 from http://www.shopyourworld.com/KindleStore/kindle_Store.html.

Kindle keyboard 3G (sponsored) model is available at Rs 10399 from http://www.indiaplaza.com/kindle-keyboard-3g-sponsored-electronics-ele06102011syw04-10.htm.

Let me know what you think.

Deepayan Roy,

Let me know what you think.

So that’s the catch. Kindle sponsored versions are those which display advertisements and hence the lower price.

So that explains the price difference between Amazon and others. The price difference between Shopyourworld and Indiaplaza could be just because of their logistics or whatever other reasons, best known to them

Having said that, I have read that the advertisements showed in the sponsored version are not intrusive – they display on the screensaver and at the bottom of the home screen. You may still like to opt for the sponsored version.

Does kindle can download anywhere from the globe.

Hi sujan,

Does kindle can download anywhere from the globe.

Check out the coverage map http://client0.cellmaps.com/tabs.html#cellmaps_intl_tab

I was a happy user of kindle for last 5 months. Though I was little frustrated about high cost of kindle books. I was expecting digital copies to be much cheaper. Yesterday 90% of my screen is frozen. The suggestions on Kindle service website about resetting devise by holding power button for 30-45 seconds has not worked. I had asked my US friend to purchase it for me. Now I do not know how to reach customer service and if I can ask for replacement. Seaching on google ‘frozen screen’ seems to be pretty common issue for Kindle.

sanjay bannur,

Now I do not know how to reach customer service and if I can ask for replacement.

Try calling Kindle International support at +12069220844. Let me know your experience.

Hi,

I bought kindle few mmonths back directly from amazon site. Regarding charging, they provided the USB cable so as to charge it from laptop/computer. Is there charger available for Kindle in India…so that i need not to charge it from my laptop always ? Another thing how much time it takes to charge kindle battery. I leave it charging overnite…and in morning i find it fully charged..Is that okay ?

hi bikramjit,

Regarding charging, they provided the USB cable so as to charge it from laptop/computer.

Didn’t you get the USB power adapter along with the USB cable? The USB cable can go into this adapter and you can charge your Kindle through an AC outlet.

Is there charger available for Kindle in India…

Kindle charges through micro USB. So you can buy any Micro USB cable to charge it through your laptop. To charge it through an AC outlet, you can buy a USB to AC adapter. It is commonly available in any computer or peripheral accessories shop.

Another thing how much time it takes to charge kindle battery.

About 6 hours

I leave it charging overnite…and in morning i find it fully charged..Is that okay ?

Yep! But don’t keep charging it every night. Charge only when the battery is low.

thanks a lot shekhar ji for reply to my queries. Yes, i didn’t received the power adapter..it was not available for india sale at that moment.
Definitey i charge the kindle when battery is vey low.

new kindle touch owner here. I got it from US through a relative. Now, Registered with My Name. Problem is with payment mode. does they accept debit cards? and is there option to attach to internet banking account rather than debit card?

and lastly, is it true that amazon is entering India next year that is 2012 January? they seems to have registered amazon dot co dot in website already.
any lead?
Is it an option that We can get After Sales Service from Amazon “India” in next few Months.

Thanks..and I think You are a news analyst anchor in cnn-ibn iinm.
Cool then.. TIA

Hi,
Very informative site.My brother lives in U.S & he’s bought a kindle keyboard 3g(special offers) from bestbuy there.He haven’t registered the device there.Now If i have heard right,the web browser can’t be used if you are not registered.But the special offers version was only for usa.so when i have it in india & register from here do you have any idea what will happen to those adds?& will i be able to browse net?will it help if i register with an amazon us account?

Dr Sayan Das,

But the special offers version was only for usa.so when i have it in india & register from here do you have any idea what will happen to those adds?& will i be able to browse net?will it help if i register with an amazon us account?

Sorry for the delay in responding. I believe it will work because Shopyourworld.com and Indiaplaza are selling these special offers version Kindles in India.

Interested to purchase Light for my kindle. Any suggestions. Resonable price and good quality.

Hi,
My kindle got damaged within 30 days of registration. Amazon has given me the option of replacing it. However the kindle was a gift and I am a student and I simply cannot afford the shipping rates. What do you suggest I do?

I bought a Kindle 3G+Keyboard in USA for my friend in Kolkata. She is using it fine but she gets only EDGE coverage – whereas people who bought it in Kolkata is getting 3G coverage (sitting next to each other). Is there any settings to be done to get 3G coverage? Thanks a lot in advance.

Hi ANNA,

However the kindle was a gift and I am a student and I simply cannot afford the shipping rates. What do you suggest I do?

From what I read, Amazon should refund the courier charges. But I don’t have a first hand experience on this. So do confirm this with Amazon support and the process on how will you or the person (who gifted you the Kindle) will get a refund. Please do come back and share your experience. This is going to help many who are facing this issue.