Expat Kindle | Where Can I Buy A Kindle

“What are you the international salesman for Kindle Touch?”

That’s what a friend of mine asked after I was telling him about the new Kindle Touch.  I guess I was inadvertently making a sales pitch.  And it wasn’t the first time.  I currently live in China and over the past 6 months, at least 10 of my friends have purchased a Kindle Touch after talking with me.  Some of them knew what a Kindle was but hadn’t got one yet.  I just couldn’t help preaching about it because after three months in my hands, I was still very excited about it and I still am.

It’s simple.  My Kindle Touch is now my favorite gadget.  I’ve had all sorts of great gadgets from high end laptops to my iPhone that I was excited about but none with the staying power as my Kindle.

Expat Living is the Place to Be

Living in a foreign country can be stressful with a different language, culture and other hidden pressures. Another reason I believe I’m so taken with the Kindle Touch is the relaxation aspect I get from reading quality books again. As much as I like to travel and discover new things, stepping out of the current culture I’m in for awhile is not only relaxing but healthy.  I’ve become lost in so many books and the world around me just disappears for awhile.   It’s a bit of a reset button.

I think most expats are linked at the hip to their computers.  Which makes sense because being online is our link to friends, family, business, news and entertainment.  As much as I’m thankful for the internet, I sometimes desperately want to go on an information diet.  Forget about computers, news and the constant bing..bing…bing!

Switching from a computer to a Kindle Touch doesn’t seem like that big of a change.  After all, the Kindle is a computer also.  But here is the kicker; it in no way feels like that.  If feels like a book after a couple days use and with no back light you don’t have light beaming into your brain before you sleep. It has taken some of the unwanted noise out of my life.

I’m reading for pleasure again like I did 15 years ago (I’ve been working and traveling that long), I have 4 or 5 books on the go, picking one depending on my mood.  I lost the habit of multiple books without my favorite bookstore around the corner.  Now I have the largest book store in the world at my fingertips and it also happens to be my favorite bookstore of all time.  Now that’s good expat living.

Smiling Thai Girl in the Coffee Shop Doesn’t Know That I’m a Famous International Book Smuggler

I spent two weeks in Thailand over the Chinese New Year.  Normally, I would need to stop in Bangkok for a couple days to pick up some books.  Bangkok has a few decent bookstores.  The selection is limited but I can usually find and few gems that I’ve been looking forward to reading.  I insist on traveling light so 3 or 4 books is my limit when traveling.  Not on this trip.  Straight to Ko Samui with 75 books on my person (that’s Border and Customs talk you know).  About 50 of those were old classics downloaded for free.

Sitting on my bungalow veranda, reading books I really wanted to read, watching the sun go down with a Rum and Coke beside me was pure relaxation.  Bliss.  Yes, you could say that I’m a man of leisure.

Toward the end of my two weeks, I finished the second book in a three-part series.  As mentioned above, I had many other books to read but I guess I’m a bit compulsive and talked myself into needing that third book right away.  And why exactly should I wait again?  I could think of no possible reason so the thinking changed to get book, be happy.

No problem….walked over to a café that had free Wi-Fi… ordered a coffee from the smiling coffee girl….asked for the Wi-Fi password….got coffee…..downloaded book before finishing my coffee….thanked smiling coffee girl….back to my perch….good to go…. AAhhh

And if I had the Kindle Touch 3G + Wi-Fi, I wouldn’t have had to move.  But, it was a beautiful day and it was nice to stretch my legs by walking through the resort.  Of course it had nothing to due with the fact that the pretty, smiling coffee girl needed customers. The tribulations I have to endure.

And, by the way, using the Kindle Touch on average about 2-3 hours a day, I didn’t charge it once.

Amazon Wish List Now Functional

Amazon’s wish list used to be just that, a wish list. but now it’s a holding pen for my future books.  The wish list would function like this for me in the past — put books on wish list throughout most of the year, go home, order 15 books off that list, then, while packing to leave, painfully decide which books I would take with me and which I would leave behind….every time.

Now….Want book  Get book  Read book.

The cost of an ebook is usually $9.99.  Sometimes a couple dollars more but the industry is changing and changing quickly.  There is a very hard, downward pressure on ebook pricing.  One of the most popular self publishing authors charges .99 cent for his books.  John Lock writes dark, comedic assassin novels and so far this year has sold 400,000 books.  His theory is that at .99 cents there is no hesitation in the purchase.  Which is true, I have three so far.  About 20% of Amazon top 100 books are self published and cheap.

Sync it

A further element that I love is the syncing.  Via Whispersync you can sync all of your books so they are on the right page.  So if you are on the subway or in a taxi, you just open your Kindle Touch app on your iPhone, Droid phone or iPad and there it is, every book is on the last page you read.

Dream Come True

The Kindle Touch is your best friend if you live or travel around the world. There should be absolutely no contemplation involved in purchasing a Kindle.  This is a dream come true device and a one of a kind reading experience.

 

Thanks,

Clint

Kindle Touch is Amazon’s #1 bestseller for the last four years.

It’s also the most-wished-for, most-gifted, and has the most 5-star reviews of any product on Amazon.

 

• All-New, High-Contrast E Ink Screen – With their new E Ink Pearl Tech they get 50% better contrast
• Read in Bright Sunlight – No glare.  In fact, it is at its best in sunlight
• New and Improved Fonts – New crisper, darker fonts
• New Sleek Design – The body is now 21% smaller reading area is still 6″
• It’s only 8,5 ounces, which is less than a paperback
• Battery Life of Up to One Month – It’s true it will last 3 or 4 weeks depending on usage with the Wi-Fi off
• Up to 3,500 books
• Built-In Wi-Fi –Download books in less than 60 seconds
• Faster Page Turns – Seamless reading
• Enhanced PDF Reader – With dictionary lookup, notes, and highlights
• New WebKit-Based Browser – Browse the web over Wi-Fi (experimental)
• Faster Page Turns – Seamless reading
• Enhanced PDF Reader – With dictionary lookup, notes, and highlights
• New WebKit-Based Browser – Browse the web over Wi-Fi (experimental)

 

 

“Amazon’s newest Kindle Touch is the best ebook-reading device on the market.. It’s better than the Apple iPad, the Barnes & Noble Nook, the various Sony readers, and certainly better than any smartphone… It’s still black-and-white, but really, that’s for the best. The screen almost glows outdoors. In comparison to the iPad, which turns into a pretty but useless mirror in sunlight, the Kindle only gets more readable. This is a gadget that loves the beach… It’s razor-thin and feels great in the hand, small and light enough to hold comfortably for as long as you care to read (unlike the 1.5-pound, 10-inch iPad).” ‒ Fast Company

My life will never be the same now that I have a Kindle Touch 3G

“Sure I’m a first-time buyer but I’m a long-term fan of the written word. My situation is that I travel, a lot, and I don’t often go to cool places like Lady Gaga does and I don’t fly to places to fire people the way George Clooney did in that movie. Thus, I typically have time to kill which means reading and drinking. I never know what I will be in the mood for with either and so up until now I would lug around a few books with me, taking up valuable space in my carry-on. However, now my troubles are behind me and there is nothing but blue skies I see.

• It is portable.
• You can hold it in one hand just like the guy in the picture.
• You can sample a ton of books for free.
• You can subscribe to the NYT’s and the Economist and not feel guilty for throwing 95% of them away without ever having read them.
• Lots of books by authors you feel you should be reading are free: Henry James, Thomas Hardy, George Eliot, Aldous Huxley
• You can easily switch to a crossword or sudoku if you’re not in a reading state of mind.
• Old women in diners will ask you what you’re doing with your computer.”

 

I can’t imagine a better e-reader

“The Good:

• The e-ink screen is simply better than paper. In very low light conditions the display is crisp and clear without being harsh or distracting.
• There’s no natural curve to the page like there always is with a paper book and for that reason, eliminates the shadow you get from an off-center light source at the book spine.
• It is the perfect weight. It feels “significant” but not burdensome. NOT flimsy or cheap as some reviews have claimed.
• Comfortable. The Kindle Touch rests easily in the hand and, even though you NEVER see it in ad pictures, a thumb on the screen doesn’t leave a smudge. The screen is smudge free and can be handled without concern.
• Function. The buttons have a very subtle but solid “click” when pressed. Very quiet, but you know when you’ve pressed the page turn button without it being an “event”.
• Battery. After the out-of-box overnight recharge, I’ve read ~1 hr per night for 2 weeks and still show a full battery. I can’t promise it will go the touted month with Wi-Fi off, but it’s strong so far.

The Bad:

• Honestly, I can’t claim to be disappointed in any part of the Kindle Touch’s performance. It came out of the box, connected to my Wi-Fi after the typical security check and has never missed a beat since. It reads flawlessly and is comfortable and efficient. I sent a previously purchased Kindle book (tried it on the wife’s iPhone…) to the Kindle Touch and it was there in ~45 seconds. Even remembered the last page I was on, as advertised,”

 

Everything Amazon Claims is True–It’s Wonderful

“I just looked over all the Amazon claims for Kindle Touch again, and my experience after nearly a month is that they are all completely true.”

 

Our Library is Fantastic

“It was easy to trasfer our library from our old Kindle to our new Kindle Touch.  It wasn’t a transfer but a duplication because both Kindles have our books.

Bottom line:  We both love our new Kindle Touch and we recomend it to everyone.  You won’t regret it.”

 

 

 

 

Included in Box

• Kindle Touch wireless reader
• U.S. power adapter
  (supports 100V-240V)
• USB 2.0 cable
  (for connection to the Kindle power adapter or to connect to a computer.)

 

Display	Amazon’s 6″ diagonal electronic paper display, optimized with proprietary waveform and font         technology, 600 x 800 pixel resolution at 167 ppi, 16-level gray scale.
Size (in inches)	7.5″ x 4.8″ x 0.335″ (190 mm x 123 mm x 8.5 mm).
Weight	8.5 ounces (241 grams).
System Requirements	None, because it’s wireless and doesn’t require a computer.
Storage	4GB internal (approximately 3GB available for user content).
Battery Life	A single charge lasts for up to a month with wireless off. Keep wireless always on and it lasts for up to 3 weeks. Battery life will vary based on wireless usage, such as shopping the Kindle Store, web browsing, and downloading content.
Charge Time	Fully charges in approximately 4.5 hours via the included U.S. power adapter. Also supports charging from your computer via the included USB 2.0 cable.
Wi-Fi Connectivity	Supports public and private Wi-Fi networks or hotspots that use the 802.11b, 802.11g, or 802.11n (in b or g compatibility mode) standard with support for WEP, WPA and WPA2 security using password authentication; does not connect to WPA and WPA2 secured networks using 802.1X authentication methods; does not support connecting to ad-hoc (or peer-to-peer) Wi-Fi networks.
USB Port	USB 2.0 (micro-B connector) for connection to the Kindle U.S. power adapter or optionally to connect to a PC or Macintosh computer.
Audio	3.5 mm stereo audio jack, rear-mounted stereo speakers.
Content Formats Supported	Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, Audible (Audible Enhanced (AA, AAX)), MP3, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; HTML, DOC, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP through conversion.
Included Accessories	U.S. power adapter (supports 110V-240V), USB 2.0 cable, rechargeable battery.
Documentation	Quick Start Guide (included in box) [PDF]; Kindle User’s Guide (pre-installed on device) [PDF]. Additional information in multiple languages available online.
Warranty and Service	1-year limited warranty and service included. Optional 2-year Extended Warranty available for U.S. customers sold separately. Use of Kindle is subject to the Kindle License Agreement and Terms of Use.

 

“The Kindle Touch is ingeniously designed to be everything the iPad will never be: small, light and inexpensive… Now, the Kindle is almost ridiculously lightweight; at 8.5 ounces, it’s a third the weight of the iPad. That’s a big deal for a machine that you want to hold in your hands for hours… certain facts are unassailable: that the new Kindle Touch offers the best E Ink screen, the fastest page turns, the smallest, lightest, thinnest body and the lowest price tag of any e-reader. It’s also the most refined and comfortable.” ‒ New York Times

 

 

You simple must have a Kindle Touch. I demand it!