The Times is listed on Amazon.com So is the Daily Mail, which makes me wonder, does Mohogony have a kindle yet?

I'm following this thread with interest and want to get some kind of e-reader before I start my travels in March.

Earlier this year I was 'forced' to join Liverpool Library to use their family history room. I was a bit narked at the time, but I discovered that they now do e-books which are loaned out for free if you are a member! I have downloaded their reader software onto my macbook and read several books, and it is all free and fab (books have a time limit on them so they disappear after x weeks (can't remember if it is 3 or 4). There is not much of a selection, but hey it's free. Anyway, as it happens I work in a library myself, and we will be introducing e-books in the next year or two (after I have left). Many UK libraries are doing this. Obviously you have to become a member - some require residency in the borough but others don't. Worth becoming a member while you are in the UK.

My question would be, can you use products like kindle to download these library books, or would a sony be better? I have a macbook and this works fine (so don't want to pay extra for an ipad), but want something small that I can throw in my handbag.

I am planning to end up in NZ for at least a year (sorry for poaching in the Aussie forum!! ) so international coverage would be useful.

With the library books question - it depends what format the books are loaned in - if you look on the Amazon specifications it will tell you - and check that against what the library tells you they are. You can get things onto the kindle using your PC , So Library->PC->Kindle_via_usb

Kindle is international - you can buy from your registered store anywhere in the world - you pay a small fee extra for the 'free' 3g usage when you are roaming otuside home country. If I take my kindle to usa and download a book using 3g then its 99c extra. If I do it via wifi or PC USB its free.

You can purchase from the US site using gift cards, or some people just get lucky and do it. Its improving all the time - amazon australia agreed rights with the aussie monopoly of book barons lately thta improved ANZ dramatically. But ... you can order from USA or UK stores with a little bit of shennanigans mostly involving Using your PC or Wifi instead of the 3g - if you use the 3g to buy from USA stores some people get emails saying "oi ! WTF! from amazon" but those doing it from PC or wifi dont

You just change your location in the Amazon profile to USA and pick an address (Like the hilton hotel, manhattan) or 345 madeupstreet, poughkeepsie. Then buy your book, and flip your location back to australia in your profile ( same for UK )

People are reporting that trying to order kindles at moment for Australia from Amazon.COM is causing a error - seems like there is some sort of snafu - check out the thread on Whirlpoolforums under Gadgets called "Kindles Australia Sold Out" you'll see lots of discussion on there about purchasing USA books, and , the problems with trying to order aussie versions of kindles.

To convert books from other formats into a format that willwork on the Kindle - you can use something called Calibre - which is free - and that lets you convert books from other sources ( Like... er... torrents ... :-/ ) onto Kindle then sync it over usb cable and its on the kindle.

I looked at the e-book readers in JBHIfi (300$!) and the one at BigW 98$ there is no comparison - Kindle walks all over them , screen clarity, size, weight, the only thing they have is the ability to do buy outside of Amazon. Im not fussed by that - ease of getting to books is main thing and the subscribed magazine model is what i wanted. Kindle just works....... does one thing really - really well. I havent looked at the sony one or the nook, but Im not sure about Nook in Australia and availability.

OK, think I get it. So if I change my address on Amazon UK to one of those I already have on there back home (my sister or a mate) and pretend I'm at THAT address, I can purchase from UK Amazon? Would only be for the books anyway as if I'm going to get the kindle I shall get it while I'm over there next month and just bring it back with me.

Think I just answered my own questions about library formats. This link should help:

http://www.overdrive.com/resources/d...okdevices.aspx

So neither the kindle nor the ipad is compatible with library e-book services. Overdrive is the biggest UK library supplier at present.

I have had no trouble using my macbook for this service. Looking more like a sony or similar for me. Note that sony don't seem to be compatible with spoken word books.

I think that might bugger you up - you might end up with a UK Sim card in it and have to pay roaming fees in australia.... better check with amazon. I am not sure what happens if you move a uk kindle to make it live in australia, i think it would treat all the 3g downloads you did as 'roaming'.

Of course if you only get the wifi version - then yeah - shouldnt be a problem. The kindle has 3 methods of getting books 1) USB cable on both of them , 2) Wifi on both of them , 3) 3G cellular only on the wifi+3g kindle.

The only one that has any charges to do with where in the world you download them is using the 3g option. The other two dont care because you are using your own network to download the books.

I just looked at the 3G coverage map of kindle on Amazon - don't bother if you live in Scotland! Seriously - check it before you buy.

A few IT folk i know say the extra 40 quid for the 3g aint worth it

It depends on your usage.

- If you want the newspapers delivered regularly, automatically, then you need to be 'on a network' (wifi) at home or somewhere, or, plug your kindle into your PC each day for thekindle to get them. With 3g - you just wake up and they are there.

- if you travel a lot or will be travelling overseas with it and want to get books, periodicials, etc from amazon you can with the 3g without having to find a mcdonalds etc or pay 30$ for your hotelwifi.

If you want it just as a book reader, where yo uwillonly download books at home to read onto it - then no you dont need the 3g.

40$ isnt that much. With no regular fees or whatnot to pay afterwards. But certainly you can get the non 3g one and save 40$ if you are happy to use it home or on a fixed network only it still does allt he same stuff.

i got 3g because i travel extensively overseas and wanted the ability to buy a book or get a newspaper in an airport/hotel/karaoke bar

That's why I got the Sony e-Reader (from the US) and I use my English credit card and buy books from sites in England where heaps more are available and you can shop around and buy from different places. (And you can download illegally, should you wish, which is a lot harder on the Kindle).

I'm very happy with my Sony. Although a mate has got the Kindle and that looks great too. I totally love the e-ink - it's great.

Yeah i think that Amazon australia used to have like 200,000 books compared to US 650,000 books but they're supposedly moreon par now only one publishing house is left to negotiate in Australia to make all avilable.

You can download books from the torrent sites onto kindle using Calibre on the PC to just convert them to kindle format.

Fair enough. If I wanted to (because obviously I wouldn't ever do it.... ) I'd download them from the torrent sites and not even have to convert them.

It's good that they're making more books available over here.

Cheers

Can you toggle between the 2 addresses to get the best deal from either site?