It’s been two months now that I had been using my Amazon Kindle 2 global wireless edition. I’ve wanted to get a Kindle ever since Amazon came out with the Kindle 1 last 2008. I wrote about it in the post entitled “The future of reading . . .The Amazon Kindle.”
I didn’t rush and got a Kindle 1 immediately. Being a “veteran” of electronic devices, I knew that this was 1st generation device and that I am better off waiting for the newly improved “2nd gen” device.
I was so excited about the Kindle that I constantly monitored its progress. I placed it in my Christmas wish list. Oftentimes, I find myself searching for it in the internet, reading reviews and staring at the picture of the Kindle. I am such a voracious reader and I was really attracted to the Kindle. Of course there are five main reasons why I was attracted to the prospect of having an electronic reading device, first it looks nice, “high-tech”: and sophisticated (Just like in Star Trek ! Sorry, I’m a trekkie and a sci-fi fan) secondly, I can get books much cheaper. Thirdly, I don’t have to carry a lot of books when I travel. Fourthly, I believe that reading electronic files instead of paper books will help save the environment. Lastly, I’m a gadget fanatic.
Amazon then came out with the Kindle 2. On March 2009, I wrote a post about entitled “Why the Amazon Kindle 2 sucks.” I told myself; finally, Amazon ironed out the kinks in the Kindle 1 and came out with a much more improved device. Again, I didn’t rush to get the Kindle 2. I figured out that for certain they will reduce the price after several months. (At that time it retailed for $359 U.S) Also, other devices competing with Amazon Kindle came up so I considered these devices as well.
I waited and waited for months like a tiger waiting patiently for its prey. I kept staring at the pictures and reading some more reviews. I compared other ebook devices but I concluded that the Kindle was the certainly the best for me.
One year after, sometime in March 2010, I was really itching to purchase the Kindle. This was because of several reasons. First, they came out with the “Global wireless edition.” Secondly, they decided to ship to the Philippines and I can purchase ebooks online without hassles. (Some people used a workaround when this was still not available in the Philippines) Thirdly, because the dropped the price to $259.00.
Then suddenly, Apple came up with the ipad. That time, the ipad was still not selling but was announced to be released sometime between April and May. I was torn between two lovers. Although the ipad was $300 more expensive, it was more than an ebook reader. It was a computer and a very cool one indeed.
I read some more reviews. I was close to deciding for the Kindle when Amazon announced that it has released an ipad app to let ipad users purchase and read Amazon books. This brought me back to my first dilemma of being torn between two lovers.
After some sleepless nights (Not really just a figure of speech hehehehe) :-), reading some reviews and weighing the pros and cons I figured out that the best device for me is the Kindle. My purpose is to read books and not play games, be connected to the internet or do some work with a computer. Besides, the Kindle is best for reading because of its use of black and white eInk technology. They say that reading with the ipad causes eye strain.
So finally on the third week of April 2010, I placed an order for the Amazon Kindle 2 global wireless edition. I also ordered some accessories like a light, screen protector and casing.
I was surprised that it just took 5 days for it to arrive. I tore the box like a 5 year old eagerly opening his Christmas presents. I then ordered my first ebook “How to Think like Benjamin Graham and Invest like Warren Buffett” and had it downloaded straight to my Kindle. I also experimented with purchasing an ebook via my computer and syncing it to my Kindle. It was such a breeze. I toyed around with the features. I was really happy and satisfied. Everything works just fine. The free 3G internet connection is kind of slow though. I am not at all surprised because of the current wireless 3G internet infrastructure we have in the Philippines. But it suits my purpose. Besides I don’t surf a lot using my Kindle. I just purchase books with it from time to time.
I bought my Kindle to Hong Kong on the third week of June. The free internet connection was a little faster there. So far I’ve read more than thousand pages of books and .pdf files on my Kindle.
You might be reading this post and must be scratching your head, where is the regret in my purchase of the Kindle 2. It seems that I am a very happy and satisfied customer.
Well, I just opened my computer today and found out that Amazon dropped the price of the Kindle to $189.00 (U.S) whahahahahahaahahhaahaaaa !!!! I should have waited for 2 months more; I could have saved more than $60.00. (I hate you Barnes and Noble people – makers of the Nook, another ebook reader. They are the ones who started the price slash prompting Amazon to slash the price of the Kindle)
Well, That’s life. Sometimes you win sometimes you loose. The most important thing is that you keep reading. 🙂 If you want to get a Kindle, please get it at my Amazon eStore so that I will be able to recover my $60++. 🙂 If you don’t want to get a kindle perhaps you want to get some hydroponic systems. 🙂
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bro,
so cheap na from 15k++ slash down to 8k++ that’s great! is there a possibility that the price will slash down again to 5k++…hehehe…anyway, how much is the freight charge bro?
Bro. I don’t think ma slash pa ni further. Of course probably next year pag mo gawas ang bago nga model basi ma slash pa ni but that is unsure kay when the Kindle 2 arrived, they didn’t sell the Kindle 1 anymore, except of course the second models sold by people on ebay. Shipping is only $27.00 via Fedex na na arriving in less than 5 days ! So you pay only a total of $216.00. I envy you bro kay P 10,500+ ra imo gasto ! hehehehe Samatang ako I spent $286.00 ! So ni gawas naka save ka og about P 3,000+. 🙂
When I recently read your blog about the Kindle 2 Global Wireless Edition as being so desirable and that its price was slashed from its original of US$359 to US$259, and finally to US$189, I was so tempted to purchase one for myself from Amazon. But then I said to myself that US$189 (plus US$27 shipping cost that’s a whooping US$216 or roughly PhP10,044) is still so huge an amount to fork out from my deep, drained pocket. I need to be frugal since I need to pay for my ballooning, huge credit card debt. I then realized that some people like you are just so lucky to have all the money to spare for their high tech electronic gadgets when they want it, while some unlucky ones could hardly make both ends meet for their needs.
I could understand the regret you had when you bought Kindle 2 at a higher price. You would not have regretted had you not known that the gadget was sold at a lower price after your purchase. That is what they call in psychology as “relative deprivation”. But then maybe you would all the more regret now upon knowing that the software “Kindle for PC” (“Kindle for Mac”, “Kindle for iPhone”, etc.) is now available for download to netbooks.
Albeit I am financially unlucky, but I realize that the Lord has infinite wisdom to balance things off. For us financially unlucky ones, luck is in our side with this development. I don’t have to scrape my already drained resources with US$216. All I did was download the “Kindle for PC” to my 4-month old netbook (not yet fully paid on 12-month 0% interest) and voila! I am now able to read ebooks like Kindle 2 owners do. I forthwith surfed Amazon’s Kindle Store for free ebooks. I have found Alice in Wonderland as the first free ebook downloaded. I have downloaded 20 more free ebooks (like Aesop’s Fables) from Kindle Store. I learned that there are still more free ebooks at Guttenberg project and others yet to be discovered.
I am not planning to buy ebooks; I will scour for free ones instead. Although I respect the intellectual property rights of authors, I think ebooks should be distributed for free so as to promote this type of reading culture. With paperless reading, we save our trees and ultimately Mother Earth. That would be an altruistic feeling for all socially conscious authors around.
Albert: Yes I am aware of the Kindle software on the PC. But I needed the wireless reader because it’s the closest thing to holding a paper book. Besides you can’t read with a laptop when lying down in bed. 🙂
waaaaa… i want this so much! huhuhu. no budget nga lang..
Sir safe ba ato info sa credit card dinhi?I mean first time ko ma purchase using the card and gusto nako ang kindle nga tag 139 dollars..thanks
mnueva: Yep. Safe raman. I’ve purchased several books in Amazon including my Kindle using my credit card. So far ok raman. A tip though, use a credit card with a very low credit limit para og mag-kinaunsa at least gamay ra imong exposure if somebody hacks their system and steals information from your card. Pero so far this has not happened as e-commerce sites are usually employing the latest in encryption and firewall technologies.
My mom who’s in California won an auction in ebay for the Kindle 2 and I can’t wait to have my hands on this technology. I love reading books and hopefully this gadget satisfies my love for books. I’ve been reading in advance about the Kindle and I was wondering about updating the firmware. I still don’t know the firmware of the device if it’s updated but do I still have to update it once I receive my Kindle? And when I searched Amazon’s website, they showed a price per download of ebooks and it costs $11.00++ per book (has anyone tried downloading from Amazon?- am curious how much it will cost).
Good luck to all!!!
hi zigfred.
just wanted to know if you are using your local Philippines credit card to purchase books for your kindle or are you using a foreign/US-issued card? there were some discussions before that you can’t use a local card to buy books for the Kindle.
another question, what is the difference between the international Kindle vs. the US Kindle? is there such? or is there just one Kindle?
thanks for the advice. nice article!
deee: Hi dee. Yes I used my local Philippine credit card to purchase my kindle and books for my kindle. Do not mind the discussions about not being able to use your local credit card to buy books for Kindle. That’s already history. Last year Amazon allowed the use of Philippine based credit card on their site.
International kindle vs. U.S Kindle ? The difference is, in International Kindle the 3G Internet connection is free in more than 100 countries. I went to Hong Kong with my Kindle and I got 3G internet connection there without me paying a single cent. For U.S Kindle, you only get internet connection within the U.S.A.
Have fun with your kindle !
thanks!
Can I ask if amazon kindle is available in the local market or sa amazon.com lang? Thanks
Raymond: Yes, I’ve seen some kindles in SM Mall of Asia and some selected stores. But they are only a few of them. The best way to buy it is through Amazon’s website as it is cheaper and they ship to the Philippines.