In many ways the new Kindle US, International Wireless is ideally suited for US owners who travel (much more than for International customers). This post is basically a guide to help you get the most out of your Kindle US & International.
If you haven’t bought one yet, read my international kindle review to decide.
Kindle US, International Guide – Where to Start
- Kindle US, International Guide from Amazon - Start by going to the Kindle Documents page and choosing the Kindle US, International Guide in Amazon’s AZW format. This ought to be on your Kindle – However, you want to make sure. You can also download the PDF version for your PC.
- Consider a Warranty - While the Kindle ships with the Kindle Limited Warranty it does not cover drops and accidents. Do consider the 2 year warranty. Replacement Kindles cost $180 or more if you don’t have a warranty.
- Kindle Customer Service and Help - Get help by calling 1-866-321-8851 or via email at kindle-cs-support@amazon.com.
- Kindle Forum – You can also ask questions and talk to other Kindle Owners at the official kindle forum.
After that it’s time to dive into the Kindle itself and the Kindle Store.
Using the Kindle US, International in the US
You might want to start with how to use the Kindle itself and how to buy books -
- Video Kindle 2 Guide - If you haven’t owned a Kindle before check my video guide on the Kindle 2. It’ll teach you the basics and also Kindle US, International tips and tricks and more.
- Shopping the Kindle Store – Check out my Kindle Store Guide.
After that you might want to jump into free kindle books -
- New Free Kindle Books - There are 10 to 15 new books every week.
- Manybooks.net has 25K free public domain books – choose the Kindle (.azw) format. There are also 14,000 free public domain books in the Kindle Store.
In the US Whispernet is Free, Wireless Downloads are Free
Outside of the US you don’t get Free Internet at all, and wireless downloads cost an extra $2 (even for books you’ve already bought). However, inside the US you get some big benefits that you can make full use of -
- Browse the Kindle Store from your Kindle.
- Buy books and get them delivered wirelessly in 60 seconds.
- Newspapers, Magazines and Blogs get delivered wirelessly.
- Free Internet. Check the video guide on the Kindle 2 for tips and tricks.
- Free Wikipedia.
Now, let’s move on to Travelling with the Kindle.
Using Kindle US, International outside the US
Amazon has a section for travelling with the kindle outside the US. Here are the key things -
Whispernet Coverage outside the US
Check what countries get WhisperNet at my kindle international wireless coverage post (which lists them by continent and has all the maps) OR check out the kindle us, international wireless coverage map (the official one, although it doesn’t list countries).
There are 84 or so countries outside the US that get WhisperNet. They do NOT get Free Internet and (probably) do NOT get Wikipedia or Google access either.
Roaming Charges
There is no Free Lunch. When you are in non-US countries that do get Whispernet you get charged -
- $1 per MB for personal documents transferred wirelessly to your Kindle.
- $2 for any books you buy wirelessly i.e. if you browse the Kindle Store and buy a book you pay an extra $2.
- $2 for any books you download from your archive i.e. books you have bought in the past cost $2 just to download to your Kindle again.
- $2 for individual issues of magazines and newspapers.
- $5 per week for newspaper, magazine, and blog subscriptions.
To save money and avoid roaming charges -
- Buy books from your PC, download them, and then transfer to your Kindle via USB.
- Transfer personal documents to your email on your PC and not to your Kindle (do this by emailing them to yourkindlename@free.kindle.com – they will be sent back after conversion to your email inbox).
- Books in your archive (and issues of newspapers and magazines) – Either download them before leaving the US or download them to your PC and transfer to Kindle via USB. See the Manage My Kindle post for how.
Viewing and Updating Your Country
You might be tempted to change your country for a short duration (duration of your trip) and avoid charges – However, please check with Kindle Customer Support first.
They probably have guidelines about how to handle permanent moves and long trips.
Charging Kindle US, International outside the United States
Charge your Kindle via the USB cable. The Kindle’s charger supports 100V to 240V – However, you will have to find a physical adapter for the country you’re in. USB charging is just easier.
Closing Thoughts on Kindle US, International
The addition of WhisperNet in 84 countries is a big convenience - be careful about the roaming charges and you should be fine. You can still browse the Kindle Store and paying $2 extra if you really want to read a book is OK sometimes.
Amazon were probably forced to move quickly due to the threat of competitors. Hopefully, they will have a chance to negotiate a cheaper fee ($1 a download would be reasonable) down the line.
The important thing is you get a Kindle that is usable across the world and as Amazon improves its international service this ought to become quite an advantage.
Filed under: kindle international Tagged: | kindle guide, kindle us international guide
congratulations!!! this is the most informative article I’ve found in the last four days i’ve reading non-stop and searching for information about the international kindle.
Please I need you advise:
I live in mexico, I have a house in the US that I go to once every two months. Credit card, billing and shipping address to the US house. my amazon setings also to that address. I ordered the kindle, to a US address, to a custom broker, i’m getting it tomorrow.
I Know it wil lbe registered as a US customer, which is better for me because of the content of books is better in the US kindle store.
the question is, I have the option to have it registered in mexico or in the US,what are the pros and cons of each place? especially taking in consideration the charges for downloading, browsing and searching for books in the kindle store
thank you very much
Maria, by registering in the US you get –
1) More Books
2) Free Internet when in the US and free wireless downloads.
What you lose –
1) All books downloaded via WhisperNet will cost an extra $2 during the 10 months you are in Mexico.
Given that Mexico ought to get most of the US books (it gets 290K out of 360K) it makes more sense, in my opinion, to get free downloads in mexico.
Also, perhaps if you have an iphone or ipod touch you can get kindle for iphone to buy books not available in mexico – although that’s not much of a solution.
thank you for responding so quickly, one more question, in your international kindle review you said there were three exeptions, for free internet, japan, hong kong, end mexico, does it include Us kindle traveling to those countries?
Hi, I live in the U.S. and in Europe half of the time. I’m aware of the possibility to use your computer to download books and then transfer to the Kindle via USB to avoid roaming charges, but I have always dreamed of a device that allows me to perform at least very basic web browsing and of course e-mail-checking all over the world without the usual roaming charges.
I have not purchased a Kindle yet, since I’m not sure
a) should I buy the international version in Europe or the U.S.?
b) could I change my home country say every 3 months?
c) could I have e-mail-access both in Europe and the U.S. without (or with reasonable) charges?
Thanks for any advice!
If you buy in the US you get free internet browsing everywhere. In Europe you don’t – the plan is to introduce free internet browsing worldwide sometime in 2010 (unconfirmed).
Dn’t know how often you can change your home country. when your home country is Europe you won’t get international browsing. When your home country is US and you buy books they’ll cost $2 to deliver if you don’t use USB when in Europe.
There are no charges for email. However the browser is limited – you have to use the mobile versions of email sites (and perhaps also enable ‘advanced’ mode). eink is slow so factor that in when you think of using it for email.
Thanks, free internet browsing – sounds very good!
Hi, I want to get friend a kindle 3 for christmas and I have been looking for a few days to find some information and I can’t seem to find a definitive answer. My problem is that I live in england and she lives in the US. I can’t buy a kindle from the US store because they won’t ship it to me and I don’t want to ship it to her directly as it is a present and I want to give it to her when I see her at christmas. So my question is, If I brought a Kindle 3 from amazon.co.uk and set it as a gift so it wouldn’t be associated with my amazon account would she be able to set the country to the US at christmas and still have the all the functionality that it would have if she got one from the US store?
Thanks for any advice
Yes. Please do confirm with Amazon as there might be a difference in the power plug they give – though the charger words around the world the physical plug might be UK specific.
hi! I am from Hong Kong and I have a few questions.
I have just purchased Kindle3, waiting it to be shipped to HK.
I wish to ask is it true that I will have to pay an extra of TWO USD each time if i buy from bkstore while im browsing it in my kindle? Is the charge only applicable if i use the 3G network, the wifi or both? and if i buy a book from amazon on PC and i transfer it to my kindle using USB, will the charge be applied to too?
also, I hear rumors saying that the free 3G network only lasts from one year, is it true? can i browse websites for no charge using the browser? like yahoo.com or all those?
Thank you !!!
Prices vary. The prices will usually be higher. Not necessarily by $2. Some prices may be lower too – but majority will be higher.
Charge is always applicable.
No Free 3G. That’s only for US users and only for Kindle 3.
I thought it says Kindle Keyboard 3G, Free 3G + Wi-Fi, 6″ E Ink Display, 3G Works Globally – for international shipment. So it’s like it’s impossible for me to use the browser?