Wed, 07 Oct 2009 Amazon brings Kindle to the UK, but at a price (Updated)

Mark Hattersley said on Wed, 07 Oct 2009

£200 is actually a lot less than I thought it'd be, and at least this way there's no rip-off Britain argument. I like to buy more things direct from Amazon in the US and just pay the import tax.

Might have to get one. Be interesting to see how this versus the Tablet pans out. I'm expecting Apple's device to be much more powerful and capable. But I like eReaders.

dc@mw said on Wed, 07 Oct 2009

After reading all about the '1984' deletion debacle, the Kindle worries me. Books are not 'owned', but licensed, and Amazon has the ability to wipe or even amend documents on your reader without your knowledge.

In architecture we have to follow a plethora of statutes, standards, design guides, codes of practice etc. Up till now these have been published documents which are fixed at the time of briefing. They accurately define the design criteria followed in the event of contractual argument.

Recently, we have found design guidance (primary healthcare) which is no longer published conventionally, but in the form of a website. This removes certainty, as the website can be altered at any time, and leaves designers adrift. How this will play out in law is beyond me.

E-readers like the Kindle, which have the power to surreptitiously alter documents, bring the same uncertainty to whatever published documents they support. Truly Orwellian.

Kadoogan said on Wed, 07 Oct 2009

Nice to see there is at least one legit way for a Brit to get a Kindle, but I'm not regretting the fact I already have a Sony Reader and therefore not in the market for a Kindle. Wonder how they justify the extra $2 for the books? That bit seems a rip-off.

gregorsamsa said on Wed, 07 Oct 2009

I'll probably get this or another eBook, but not at current prices. Love the eBook concept, but think they've still a little way to evolve &, besides, I much prefer proper books.

Geoff said on Wed, 07 Oct 2009

Not for me thank you. There is nothing better than a 'book' for reading, especially if it is for pleasure. Is this something you would take to the beach? If you need lots of reference titles in one place, then great this may work in an educational environment. But surely a net book or an iPhone is just as good or even better an 'Apple tablet'. Seems to me like the Kindle is a bit of a waste of money, just another phase.

Nick said on Wed, 07 Oct 2009

Any idea why they can't sell them directly from launch from Amazon.co.uk? And will customers have to send repairs etc back to the US. The UK post is bad enough.

Darles Chickens said on Wed, 07 Oct 2009

The world's biggest online retailer can't organise itself to offer a simple, uncomplicated, UK-centric transaction in the UK? Either do it properly or don't do it at all, guys.

Gav said on Wed, 07 Oct 2009

Any word on whether or not the iPhone Kindle app will be available outside of the US?

sip said on Thu, 08 Oct 2009

The photo is a bit misleading - it shows the Kindle DX (9.7" screen) which retails for $489.

The article does say it is the 6" model, which is far inferior to the Sony PRS series (the iRex models are too expensive to compare here) but almost every eBook Reader on the market allows you to install and read .rtf; .txt; PDF and proprietary file formats, which the lesser Kindles don't. You have to go through a procedure which involves Amazon doing the conversion for you.

I prefer to have control over which files I can install on my reader...

London Guy said on Thu, 08 Oct 2009

I'm not the world's best example of someone who loves reading. Whilst my wife love to read she would never use a Kindle because like me we instinctively want something that is palpable. I do a lot of reading online but with novels that you grip on to whilst reading it's not the same experience. I've used one myself and it doesn't feel natural. It would be great for instruction manuals and technical docs.

As for the price I think they have it all wrong. You can buy real books for far less than the price of an eBook, then pass them on to friends or charities. eBooks should be selling for half their current price.

The buying experience I had for a client was shocking. Thinking of the space and weight she'd save she wanted to buy the eBook versions. Only 1 eBook was available. To add insult to injury some of them were available on US sites but you can't buy from abroad! This is like DVD regions but far worse!

Daniel said on Thu, 08 Oct 2009

hhm"New: Kindle Books can be read on your iPhone or iPod touch"

James said on Thu, 08 Oct 2009

I love getting an actual physical book delivered in the post. The crisp newness of it, the smell of the paper, the act of flicking through it, or just turning a page. Even seeing it on your bookshelf.

On the other hand, those crisp new pages, over time, become dusty and discoloured. If you're a book fan, your collection can use up an obscene amount of storage space. The only way to search is with a limited index at the back. And there's no copy and paste - if you want an extract, you have to clumsily hold the book in one hand and type with the other, while your other thumb threatens to fall off.

Much as I love physical books, I have to accept that they're on the way out. The Kindle looks decidedly yuk, and ebook readers have a long way to go yet (something that Apple will hopefully accelerate). But I think, for the good old fashioned book, the end is nigh.

Kadoogan said on Thu, 08 Oct 2009

I find that my ebook reader (Sony PRS505) is great for fiction. Saves a ton of space that would be taken up with actual books. I have an iPhone as well but the eInk screen on the reader is far better for the eyes, and provides far greater battery life.

As far as non-fiction that tends to rely on images etc goes, the printed page is still the only reasonable option.

I would agree that even for fiction the feel of a real book is something you miss, but the advantages outweigh that aspect for me.

As with the legal music download sites (even more so when they first appeared) DRM and pricing are still problems that need sorting. There is no excuse for an ebook to be priced higher (or even the same) as the paper version.