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Kindle - Wow!


Simon-the-censored
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I'm in the States now, but having used both the nook and kindle, the nook is easier to use imo.

Most of my ebooks have been on my pc for years and it's been a lot easier to put them on my nook compared to the kindle as they were all mostly in epub format.

From the above, the kindle seems a little restrictive (mainly because of France), but also because it doesn't recognise the industry standard epub format that every other reader does, thereby making the choice of buying books from amazon only (which of course is amazon's desire).
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It all seems totally barking mad to me - I always believed copyright to be a 'global' thing - so I can only assume NickP's take on the issue is probably the correct one.

I might be wrong, but I don't think it is a global thing, if I need to use copyrighted material from France I have to ask the author, and in the case of pictures sometimes the photographer and the owner of the item in the photograph !!! [:-))] How much of that is compulsory and how much good manners I'm not sure.

I seem to remember  David Cameron wanting to change our copyright laws . Here

Will is the forum copyright expert

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I still find all this very odd. My Kindle was bought in England for Christmas. I've downloaded more books in France than there. I've bought books via my Kindle, but most often using my PC in France, in largish numbers. IIRC Amazon's publicity says you can download anytime, anywhere with the 3G! It seems a rum do!
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At the moment, my advice to everyone is not to buy a Kindle if you spend a lot of time in France.  I would never have bought mine if I had known this was going to happen.  I now have two investigative teams looking at the two accounts that I created - my original one and a new one I created a couple of days ago.  They take two working days before they contact you, I understand.  An email explains that I might have to fax information to them.

Amazon's emails and telephone call service have been exceptional but the blocking message, which comes up when you try to download a book, does not have a correct link.

All this is a nightmare, bearing in mind that I am just about to have six weeks of hospital treatment and needed my Kindle to while away the time.

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 I looked through the forums on the links I sent yesterday and I suspect (its just theory from what I have read)  that you would probably be OK if you down loaded 4 -5 books at a time, then a few days later another 5 etc. Downloading more than this red flags the account and problems occur - then you have to go to the .com site.
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[quote user="Russethouse"] I looked through the forums on the links I sent yesterday and I suspect (its just theory from what I have read)  that you would probably be OK if you down loaded 4 -5 books at a time, then a few days later another 5 etc. Downloading more than this red flags the account and problems occur - then you have to go to the .com site.[/quote]

I was initially blocked after two books.

The problem with the Dot Com site is that (a) the books that you are going to get are going to have American spellings and
(b) you have to buy in dollars.

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Cathy I second what gardengirl has said - I'm one of the biggest advocates of Kindle and simply can't understand the problems you've had.

I have NEVER used my .co.uk Kindle in the UK and have absolutely no problems with it here in France. I double checked all the functionality on mine last night after reading your posts! All working just fine.

Best of luck with Amazon and do let us know what happens....Whatever the case it's not as important as your health.

Simon :-)

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Hi guys, I have joined this Forum because of this discussion.

Like many of you, having been delighted to get a K as a present I have been really disappointed to be unable to access the Kindle UK store. I too get the message saying the store is available to UK customers only.

Using Expat Shield I can 'see' the store, but as soon as I try to register my card, of a UK bank account but registered to my French address, amazon lock me out again.

The amazon.com store is useless. Firstly, too expensive - try comparing prices on the two. Then the books - few British authors, or the ones I want to read, are available from the American store. Nor are most British publications.

Many forums are fizzing with anger over this; Irish, Canadians, Anglophones all over the world and many of the 650 000 expats in Europe furious that the Publisher's Licensing Agreement with Amazon is exercising this censorship.

Anyone would think that Publishers didn't need our money!

I cannot understand how Simon has had no problem. I do know of people who have got round it by registering in the UK & somehow being able to have a UK address for your invoice address. You do also have to create a new amazon account with a UK email address (I just made a hotmail one, worked for a while!)

As for 'investigating' people's accounts... I'm apoplectic! European Treaties insist upon the 'Free circulation of goods and services' within the EU and I reckon Amazon & the Publishers are the ones contravening the law here.

I send emails to amazon & the publisher's association about this and plan to take it further. I want my Kindle!

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My Kindle should be getting to me next week but I think I might hold off registering it until I go to the UK myself in a couple of weeks - maybe doing the registry with a UK isp will help me to get over the initial problems and I can download a cart load of free stuff whilst I'm there.  But I am very sorry if it really isn't going to work over here because I was hoping to cut down on the volume of books I own by buying more "virtual" ones in the future.  A lot to think about.  To be fair to Amazon, they did issue a big warning to me when I ordered the thing but as so many posters on here had no problems with this I went ahead.  Clearly, they are being brought into line by somebody and are enforcing rules which before were avoidable.

Have you also noticed that the free postage option is available in many countries round Europe and yet not France?  I reckon this is part of the same thing - good old protectionism by stealth.

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I don't know if this would perhaps help, but when I order anything from UK supermarkets to be delivered to my daughter's UK address, I use my UK debit card to pay. The supermarket sites won't accept my French billing address, but if I leave it that the delivery address is also the billing address (which it isn't and never has been) the order is accepted and delivered.

It might be worth trying.
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[quote user="Mr Coeur de Lion"]I thought of a proxy server too, it might help. I don't think you have to put your card details on though do you? If it's only the free books you're after? Just buy the regular books via .com or obtain them elsewhere.[/quote]

Coops and CdeL - what is a proxy server?

Pommier - the problem seems to be that Amazon picks up that your computer is in France and so having a British delivery addess or debit card or billing address does not work.

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Cathy Hi - that just can't be right.

There must be loads of UK residents that come over to France and access a French located PC (internet cafe's, friends house, hotel business centres) to access their emails etc and their Kindle Account for downloads.

It's got to be something to do with how the Kindle is ordered and registered.

Simon :-)

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