BajaNomad - KINDLE e-reader in Baja

KINDLE e-reader in Baja

bajaguy - 11-28-2010 at 09:46 AM

Is anyone using the Amazon Kindle e-reader in Baja???

Do you have the 3-G and/or Wi-Fi???

Any problems with the book downloads???

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Kindle#History

Thanks

[Edited on 11-28-2010 by bajaguy]

El Jefe - 11-28-2010 at 10:13 AM

Funny, Paula just ordered one for me for Christmas. We were literally talking about it a minute ago. Anyhow, folks I know that have them love them down here. I would be surprised if the 3-G system works here. Mine will simply have the Wi-Fi which will work with my sat. internet hookup (I hope).

Looking forward to hearing from other Kindle-owning Nomads on this.

bajaguy - 11-28-2010 at 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by El Jefe
Funny, Paula just ordered one for me for Christmas. We were literally talking about it a minute ago. Anyhow, folks I know that have them love them down here. I would be surprised if the 3-G system works here. Mine will simply have the Wi-Fi which will work with my sat. internet hookup (I hope).

Looking forward to hearing from other Kindle-owning Nomads on this.

Here is the coverage map:

http://client0.cellmaps.com/viewer.html?cov=1

mulegemichael - 11-28-2010 at 01:49 PM

beachgirl and i have had kindles down here since they first came out...a couple years i think..we LOVE them...no 3g works in baja sur but wireless is fine..no more packing bags and bags of books around.

DENNIS - 11-28-2010 at 01:53 PM

I subscribe to the San Diego Union online, but I just can't break the habit of holding the paper when I read it. I may have the same problem with the Kindle, but I think I'll try one.

San Diego Union

bajaguy - 11-28-2010 at 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DENNIS
I subscribe to the San Diego Union online, but I just can't break the habit of holding the paper when I read it. I may have the same problem with the Kindle, but I think I'll try one.

Kindle has about a zillion daily newspspers thay you can subscribe to.

Bajame - 11-28-2010 at 02:22 PM

My friend has one in San Ignacio and she loves it!

Bajahowodd - 11-28-2010 at 02:31 PM

Quote:

I know how you feel. However, everyone I know, and myself included, had no problem transitioning.

DENNIS - 11-28-2010 at 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bajahowodd
I know how you feel. However, everyone I know, and myself included, had no problem transitioning.

I transition too, when it's necessary. Our paper delivery down here has become unreliable and when it doesn't get here, I read it online.

The paper costs around 55 bucks per month and the online edition, exactly the same without the paper, costs 7.95 per month. The savings almost pays for my phone and DSL, but I still like to hold the paper.

bajalorena - 11-28-2010 at 02:42 PM

My husband just got me one for my birthday, one of the best gifts ever. I love it. I download books with wi-fi, takes less than 30 seconds.

bill erhardt - 11-28-2010 at 03:06 PM

I've had a Kindle for about a year, and it's great. No more ordering paper books online and loading up friends with them to bring down, and no more running out of books to read. Also, no more building book shelves and trying to find places to put them.
I can't download books wirelessly in Loreto, but downloading into my computer, copying, and pasting into the Kindle takes about a minute.

Know how you feel

Dave - 11-28-2010 at 04:00 PM

Quote:

I've tried it...don't like it. And I don't like paying for reading something I can get at the library. Although my main concern is the single screen. If Kindle ever makes a double fold-out model I'd expect I'd buy one. Not holding my breath, though. :rolleyes:

krafty - 11-28-2010 at 04:13 PM

Kind of like the feel of a book or paper myself-plus, I scour used book stores and do not normally pay more than $2/bk. What does a book cost on Kindle?

bajalou - 11-28-2010 at 04:17 PM

People have posted here on a San Felipe site that it costs them a ADDITIONAL $1.99 over the regular price ?? if they download in Mexico. Others have posted they have not had that experience. They think different models of Kindle make the difference.

bill erhardt - 11-28-2010 at 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bajalou
People have posted here on a San Felipe site that it costs them a ADDITIONAL $1.99 over the regular price ?? if they download in Mexico. Others have posted they have not had that experience. They think different models of Kindle make the difference.

Downloading wirelessly in the US is free. There is an additional charge outside the US which goes to the foreign cellphone companies. Downloading into your computer, copying, and pasting in your Kindle is free in the US or abroad.

krafty,

War and Peace............................$0.00
Crime and Punishment...................0.00
Complete Works of Mark Twain........0.00
etc.

More recent books average around $10 US.

toneart - 11-28-2010 at 04:35 PM

I have had a Kindle Reader for about six months. I was worried about losing the "book feel" too. There is a little of that, but the pluses of the Kindle outweigh it.

What I especially like is that you can adjust the font. I can normally read without glasses if I have to, but bifocals do make it easier. With the Kindle, when I enlarge the font I really don't need glasses at all. Of course, there are fewer words on a page, but that is a plus too. I can skim the page much faster and skimming two pages goes faster with the Kindle than one page of a book.

More features I like: it is not backlit like a computer. It requires the same light as a book; either daylight or a lamp. That is a lot easier on the eyes than a computer monitor.

You turn the page forward by pushing a button and the turning is instant. It also has a back button. The buttons turn the pages with out the clumsiness of using your fingers to turn the page of a book.

I have not had it in Baja yet. I am glad to hear from Micheal that it works well in Mulege. I expected the wireless feature not to work there, but to download it to my laptop and then transfer it to the kindle works well, according to those who have posted.

DENNIS - 11-28-2010 at 04:35 PM

They're just like drug dealers. "Here ya go, kid. The first one's free." :wow:

bill erhardt - 11-28-2010 at 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DENNIS
They're just like drug dealers. "Here ya go, kid. The first one's free." :wow:

No, the first one is not free. Just those with no copyright issues or royalties to pay. You can read the first chapter of most books and then decide if you want to buy.

[Edited on 11-28-2010 by bill erhardt]

Kindle book prices

bajaguy - 11-28-2010 at 04:52 PM

US books prices:

Free, Out-of-Copyright Books
Over 1.8 million free, out-of-copyright, pre-1923 books are available such as Pride and Prejudice.

Low Book Prices
Over 610,000 books are $9.99 or less, including 79 current New York Times Best Sellers.

Free Book Samples
Download and read first chapters for free before you decide to buy.

Massive Selection
Over 750,000 books, including 107 of 111 New York Times Best Sellers, plus audiobooks, periodicals and blogs.

There are 148 newspapers available on Kindle. Subscriptions start at $5.99 a month.

Mexico book prices:

Low Book Prices: New York Times® Best Sellers and New Releases are $11.99, unless marked otherwise. You'll also find many books for less - over 140,000 titles are priced under $5.99

I would imagine that if you didn't have a .mx suffix on your e-mail account, you could get US pricing

BajaBlanca - 11-28-2010 at 04:58 PM

how much does a kindle cost ? I love the feel of a book, but it sounds like most of you got over it .... which is inspiring !

meme - 11-28-2010 at 05:22 PM

I live in San Felipe. My son brought me a new Kindle when he came for the Shrimp Festival. It is Wi Fi & 3 G and I have no probem & no charges dowloading books here in Baja. I love it but now must divide my time from computer better to find time to read it! There are millions of free books just on Amazon! We do not like the voice that reads to you tho as it seems very boring and no emotions to it at all.

Kindle Cost

bajaguy - 11-28-2010 at 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BajaBlanca
how much does a kindle cost ? I love the feel of a book, but it sounds like most of you got over it .... which is inspiring !

Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003FSUDM4

[Edited on 11-29-2010 by bajaguy]

mulegemichael - 11-28-2010 at 07:52 PM

blanca....i think amazon now has kindles at $139.00....they are great!!!

bill erhardt - 11-29-2010 at 06:53 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by mulegemichael
blanca....i think amazon now has kindles at $139.00....they are great!!!

Amazon apparently feels the competition nipping at their heels. I paid around $250 a year ago.

bajaguy - 11-29-2010 at 07:16 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by bill erhardt

Quote:

Originally posted by mulegemichael
blanca....i think amazon now has kindles at $139.00....they are great!!!

Amazon apparently feels the competition nipping at their heels. I paid around $250 a year ago.

$189 for the new model with the 3G and Wi-Fi :bounce:

Santiago - 11-29-2010 at 08:02 AM

sigh.........

1. When I read a newspaper, I literally scan every page of each section, stopping to read the articles that interest me. This takes about 30-45 minutes and half a pot of coffee. I share the experience with my wife, as we chat about this or that item or complain that the other is hogging the section that you want. I've tried reading "the paper" online, but it's boring and lonely. And I miss all those little articles that are tucked away on the edges.
2. Bookshelves are not just meant to hold books; they are a reminder of the book and a way of expressing yourself. There are times I simply stand in front of the selves and run my finger along the spines and somehow the ideas of the books come back to me. When I'm invited into someone's home and I see bookshelves crammed to the hilt, I take a moment and scan them. This always elicits a response and soon, we're trading books, ideas etc. Soon the offer of an adult beverage is proffered and a new friend is made. As a young man in my first apartment, I made sure that the clearly visible books were showing my vestigial sensitive side, especially "Our Bodies, Our Selves". As I recall, got lucky a few times.
Requesting and delivering a box of books to someone, trading books, handing another human a book you have read: these are all actions that gently tie us together.
Bookstores are some of the most important spaces in our society. If you haven't been in one recently, go to a used bookstore, get a cup of coffee and just observe. Soon you will be browsing and a book you would never had thought to read will grab you; maybe it's the title, the author or the color.

You just ain't gonna get any of this with an electronic reader. Yes, there is something gained with our new gadgets, but you know, there is something lost. I often wonder if it's worth it.

Oh, and they are called 'Albums', and will be to my dying day....

bajaguy - 11-29-2010 at 08:15 AM

Kindle will be for wife, I will still get my hands dirty with printers ink while reading the "real" newspaper and continue to read and deal with "real" books!!!!!

DENNIS - 11-29-2010 at 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Santiago
As a young man in my first apartment, I made sure that the clearly visible books were showing my vestigial sensitive side, especially "Our Bodies, Our Selves". As I recall, got lucky a few times.

Reminds me of a technique mentioned in the book, "Gamesmanship." You buy a big, cheap, used piano and put it in the corner of your living room. Near the keyboard, you have a butt-loaded ashtray sitting next to a half full coffee cup.
On the piano are scores of complicated, classical music, well bent and soiled making the scene look as though you spend most every waking hour with Brahms and Beethoven when actually you can't play anything.

Can't do that with a Kindle.

BajaBlanca - 11-29-2010 at 08:56 AM

it is so true that your mind is put into motion by reading the titles of books in a bookstore or in a library. also, when visiting friends, one often sees a book that one might otherwise never read ... I absolutely adore the feel of a newspaper in my hand and turning the pages of a book. But, when traveling, the kindle sounds like a fantastic alternative. And it sounds like a great way to keep up on current literature while living in Baja, for those of us who live here fulltime.

rob - 11-29-2010 at 09:40 AM

I can't seem to get a handle on the backup issues.

When your Kindle dies (and it will), does everything you have bought (sorry - licensed - you don't "own" anything in the new eworld) go with it?

Or can you back up the files to disk?

I love books and making notes in them, but the Kindles seem like the perfect solution to Baja's book challenges - expensive and hard-to-find. Downloading by satellite would also bypass Mexican surcharges.

oldlady - 11-29-2010 at 09:43 AM

Amazon keeps an inventory of all the books you buy, you don't need to back-up, you just go to Amazon, open your account and download again.

toneart - 11-29-2010 at 01:10 PM

I would have thought that I would be the last person to use an electronic book. Where's the warmth? Being partially tactile, as we all are, I would miss the touchy-feely aspect.

So, I have not forsaken books altogether. I do not pass by a book on someone's coffee table or bookshelf and sneak a feel when nobody is looking.

I will accept one if given, and I will read it.

I still love libraries and book stores. Mostly, I hang out in them to soak up the culture by osmosis. I also succumb to impulse and pull out my wallet occasionally. In those places, it is OK to touch. Nobody will have you arrested if you don't keep your hands to yourself. No, silly...I'm talking about books, not one of these... :dudette:

My metaphors are restricted but are mostly rated PG.

I still have bookshelves full of novels, art books, tons of reference material and even self-help books (which never really helped). They are old friends and would be hard for me to get rid of, unless we keep getting power outages here in the frozen Northern CA mountains. Then they would come in handy in the wood burning stove. Sure can't do that with a Kindle!

Besides the pros of a Kindle Reader that I mentioned in my previous post, it is perfect for travel and living in Baja. I am thinking of velcroing my Kindle to the dashboard of my truck for those long trips. Other advantages: I do have the option of dumping my books. Think of how much easier moving would be.

bajalinda - 11-29-2010 at 02:41 PM

This is a topic of debate at our house too. We haven't gone over to the Kindle yet, but my other half is teetering on the edge of making the jump.

But how do you lend a book or give a book as a gift with a Kindle? And is 1 enough? I imagine sharing a Kindle would/could be difficult, no? so you would pretty much need one per person. How do you Kindle owners deal with that?

I can see that it would be a great way to have access to magazines, which we have pretty much given up on receiving down here...so a magazine subscription by Kindle is an interesting idea.

But heck - I just love seeing books on the bookshelves and reading with a real book in my hands, and browsing in bookstores too.

Beachgirl - 11-29-2010 at 03:39 PM

It's down to this...there ARE no bookstores in Mulege. Our community center blew away during Jimena, along with all of the loaner books in it. The Kindle is 1/3 of an inch thick. It fits nicely into my computer bag. I can get any book I want in about 30 seconds, and I generally read 2-3 a week minimum. We started with one, then realized we didn't want to share. We also bought Kindles for three of our kids. ALL of the books we buy can be shared between the five of us because we used the same Amazon credit card account for the purchases of the Kindles. Yes, I have nearly 20,000 books at "home", and I love them. This is the only practical way to have an unlimited source of reading material down here. Now you don't even have to buy the device. You can simply get the service on a iPad, iPhone, computer, and more. Save a tree, buy a Kindle! I raved about the Kindle on Nomads when I first bought it, but guess I was a little early. Not one response! Glad to hear about so many other people enjoying the Kindle. Seriously, we had been loading cargo bags of books down here in the past, never enough for six months, ever. Absolutely wonderful device.

BajaBlanca - 11-29-2010 at 03:57 PM

hmmmm well, I guess if you read a kindled book and really loved it, THEN you could perhaps buy the real book and have it as a keepsake. And all the books we read for fun could be on kindle and then yeah, we'd save a lot of trees.

MsTerieus - 11-29-2010 at 04:02 PM

Wow, great thread! I never even thought of getting a Kindle before reading it, and now I am seriously considering buying one! Baja Guy should get a percentage of all Kindle profits resulting from the thread. :yes:

Better Idea

bajaguy - 11-29-2010 at 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by MsTerieus
Wow, great thread! I never even thought of getting a Kindle before reading it, and now I am seriously considering buying one! Baja Guy should get a percentage of all Kindle profits resulting from the thread. :yes:

I'll take one cold Pacifico for each Kindle sold to a Nomad!!!

Santiago - 11-29-2010 at 04:41 PM

In re-reading my rant on electronic readers I think I may have come across a little snooty and for that I apologize. Obviously, if you spend a great deal of time in a place with no libraries or bookstores, or you need to travel light, these things fill a very real need.

rob - 11-29-2010 at 04:53 PM

Oldlady - thanks for that response! My last line of resistance crumbleth . .

oldlady - 11-30-2010 at 06:32 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by bajalinda
This is a topic of debate at our house too. We haven't gone over to the Kindle yet, but my other half is teetering on the edge of making the jump.

But how do you lend a book or give a book as a gift with a Kindle? And is 1 enough? I imagine sharing a Kindle would/could be difficult, no? so you would pretty much need one per person. How do you Kindle owners deal with that?

Kindle has applications that enable reading on other platforms. For example, we have one Kindle. We also downloaded "Kindle for PC". The same book can reside on the Kindle and on the PC, and usually does. If one person is using the Kindle, the other can read the same, or different book, on the PC.

willyAirstream - 11-30-2010 at 07:18 AM

Kindle for PC is free, so you can try it on your laptop, notebook or desktop before purchasing the Kindle or just use your laptop for reading.

bajalinda - 11-30-2010 at 03:20 PM

Wow - thanks for your replies. I had no idea that the Kindle service was also available on other mediums like laptops etc... and free for PC - seems too good to be true, but hey, I'll take it. I've obviously got some research to do and much to learn about this device. Thanks again.

Just to be a Luddite

Gypsy Jan - 11-30-2010 at 03:56 PM

What if your wi-fi connection crashes?

What if your electricity is off so long that your battery fails?

What good does all those $$$ you have paid for this electronic information do for you then?

What works for us is to buy books from the remainder carts inside/outside the libraries in the U.S for $.25 to $2.00. It doesn't mater what city we are in, there is a library with books for sale and the money goes back to the library budget.

I haul the books down to Baja and recycle them to CRREAD and other charities working to teach English to their people so they can qualify for better paying jobs.

I am not opposed to Kindle, but if we are in a blackout, at least I can keep reading by sunlight, battery-powered lamp and/or candlelight.

[Edited on 11-30-2010 by Gypsy Jan]

[Edited on 11-30-2010 by Gypsy Jan]

mtgoat666 - 11-30-2010 at 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Gypsy Jan
What if your wi-fi connection crashes?

I fix it! Or if traveling, I rely on free wi-fi cxns!

Quote:

Originally posted by Gypsy Jan
What if your electricity is off so long that your battery fails?

My electricity never is off for more than a couple days. If I turn off wi-fi cxn, my kindle lasts many, many, many days on one charge! I take my Kindle camping and it stays charged for all the time I need.

Quote:

Originally posted by Gypsy Jan
What good does all those $$$ you have paid for this electronic information do for you then?

The good is that I can carry many hundreds of books in my carry-on bag on airplane, and all of those books together weigh under 10 ounces!
And I can carry lots of pdf files of personal documents too.
I challenge you to carry 10 books in your backpack and keep the load under 10 ounces!

What none of you luddites understand is that buying a Kindle frees you to carry thousands of books in your bag, and the thought-police still allow you to buy hard-copy books when the fancy strikes you!

Give me a Kindle and a smart phone and I don't need my laptop for many weeks!

Yes we can!

Lux sit!

mtgoat666 - 11-30-2010 at 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Gypsy Jan
What works for us is to buy books from the remainder carts inside/outside the libraries in the U.S for $.25 to $2.00. It doesn't mater what city we are in, there is a library with books for sale and the money goes back to the library budget.

The used book cart at library is usually not as well-stocked as the Amazon online store :lol:

Heck, you can get many free books on your Kindle -- especially older titles out of copyright.

anywho,... I suspect that 99.9999999% of people that poo-pooh tablet readers change their tune after trying one. Try it, you'll like it!

bajalou - 11-30-2010 at 05:39 PM

A Washington Post article and link to free books for the Kindle.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fasterforward/2010/11/amazo...

Santiago - 11-30-2010 at 05:46 PM

To slightly change the subject, is anyone using the iPad, or especially the BeBook Neo that the rest of the world uses?

Hey Santiago, the Columbia Journalism Review on the iPad

Gypsy Jan - 12-19-2010 at 05:54 PM

http://www.cjr.org/the_audit/ipad_review_new_york_times_vs.p...