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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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makemischief
Joined: 04 Nov 2005
Location: Traveling
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 Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 2:42 am Post subject: |
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| diver wrote: |
| makemischief wrote: |
| I've bought Kindle books and books from the Sony eReader store, both while in Korea. No problems either time. Took just a few seconds to download. Not as fun as paper, but so very much cheaper. |
For the people that bought books while in Korea, what is the billing address on your credit card? |
I have it set to my parents' house in the US. A US (or UK or Canadian) address is likely required for it to work. |
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diver
Joined: 16 Jun 2003
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| Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 3:23 am Post subject: |
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I've been playing around with amazon a bit more. It looks like I can use a Korean card with a Korean billing address to download books from Amazon. Then I'll have to get someone back home to buy the Kindle and ship it.
I had been looking at B&N because the ePub format works with the iRiver story. I wanted the Story because I could deal with any A/S issues here in Korea without shipping the unit overseas. However, as soon as I clicked on a book in B&N, I got the "You cannot purchase books in your area" warning. I know there are other sources for epub, but the selection didn't seem that great. So I may have to go with the Kindle.I might just bite the bullet and buy a book to see if I can do it.
Thanks for all the advice, everyone.
On a side note; My email to Barnes and Noble about the availability of the Nook had me chuckling:
Dear Customer,
Thank you for inquiring about nook, the world's most advanced eReader!
Currently, nook is not available for sale outside of the United States.
It's only available in the US, but they have called it the WORLD'S greatest ereader. |
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DeMayonnaise
Joined: 02 Nov 2008
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| Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 6:19 pm Post subject: |
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| diver wrote: |
| makemischief wrote: |
| I've bought Kindle books and books from the Sony eReader store, both while in Korea. No problems either time. Took just a few seconds to download. Not as fun as paper, but so very much cheaper. |
For the people that bought books while in Korea, what is the billing address on your credit card? |
The US. As fas as Amazon is concerned, I live in the US and just download everything to my kindle. |
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Druzyek
Joined: 02 Feb 2010
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| Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2010 3:53 am Post subject: |
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| I got a nook from a poster on this forum but it didn't come with a case. Short of having one shipped from America, can anyone suggest an alternative? Maybe the case for one of the Korean eBook readers will fit close enough if I can find one to try out before I buy it. |
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offtokorea
Joined: 02 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Fri Jul 09, 2010 9:36 pm Post subject: |
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| Are there other ebook sites where we can purchase epub ebooks in Korea? I want a Nook, but I also want to be able to access a large variety of books while in Korea. Pirating is always an option, but I want my books to be correctly formatted, none of this txt stuff. |
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eljuero
Joined: 11 Aug 2009
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| Posted: Fri Jul 09, 2010 11:27 pm Post subject: Buy in Korea? |
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| Druzyek wrote: |
| I got a nook from a poster on this forum but it didn't come with a case. Short of having one shipped from America, can anyone suggest an alternative? Maybe the case for one of the Korean eBook readers will fit close enough if I can find one to try out before I buy it. |
Is it possible to buy a Nook retail in Korea? Sorry if I'm asking old info. |
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Druzyek
Joined: 02 Feb 2010
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| Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2010 6:49 am Post subject: |
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I'm afraid not  |
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eljuero
Joined: 11 Aug 2009
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| Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2010 7:07 am Post subject: Thanks |
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| Druzyek wrote: |
| I'm afraid not |
Looks I'll be going to What the book for awhile!
The truth is, a lot of books I've been interested in are not e-books of any kind. I wonder where the pay off point is with the new technology - there's a ton of cheap paperback versions of things..... |
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offtokorea
Joined: 02 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2010 8:16 am Post subject: |
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1. It's a fun new shiny toy!
2. You don't have to lug your library around with you (I like to have a selection of books at my fingertips).
I certainly won't be giving up paperbacks. It's not all or nothing. |
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laguna
Joined: 27 Jun 2010
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| Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2010 11:25 am Post subject: Re: Thanks |
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| eljuero wrote: |
| Druzyek wrote: |
| I'm afraid not |
Looks I'll be going to What the book for awhile!
The truth is, a lot of books I've been interested in are not e-books of any kind. I wonder where the pay off point is with the new technology - there's a ton of cheap paperback versions of things..... |
Space.
Try taking hundreds of books with you every flight here and back home. |
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eljuero
Joined: 11 Aug 2009
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| Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2010 2:12 pm Post subject: Re: Thanks |
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| laguna wrote: |
| eljuero wrote: |
| Druzyek wrote: |
| I'm afraid not |
Looks I'll be going to What the book for awhile!
The truth is, a lot of books I've been interested in are not e-books of any kind. I wonder where the pay off point is with the new technology - there's a ton of cheap paperback versions of things..... |
Space.
Try taking hundreds of books with you every flight here and back home. |
Yeah, that's the temptation for sure. I guess I wouldn't or don't keep a lot of books I've read. The relative availability of books in English in Seoul is pretty good, but I don't know how I'd feel if I were in an outer province or took a job working in a less English-friendly country. The ability to download the Times or grab a novel could keep you sane at different stretches minus the bulk you're referring to.
Just curious - do you really enjoy reading from your nook? Honestly don't find it weird on your eyes? |
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Fox
Joined: 04 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2010 5:01 pm Post subject: Re: Thanks |
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| eljuero wrote: |
Just curious - do you really enjoy reading from your nook? Honestly don't find it weird on your eyes? |
E-ink technology is really remarkable. If I look at an e-ink screen straight on, it really is like reading off of paper. If you tilt it almost sideways in very bright light you can see a slight sheen at times, but as long as you look at it more or less straight on it's just like reading a book.
When I'm on the computer for extended periods, my eyes get dry and tired. When I read my e-reader, I'm totally fine, even if I do it for hours.
Also keep in mind that there are lots of free ebooks available; even if you aren't comfortable with pirating, there are many books whose copyrights have expired and which are available free on the internet. An investment in an ebook reader opens all those books up to you without any need of purchase, in a format which you can comfortably read them. It doesn't take too many such downloads to pay off the investment in the first place, and after that you're saving money. |
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eljuero
Joined: 11 Aug 2009
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| Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2010 6:42 pm Post subject: Re: Thanks |
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| Fox wrote: |
| eljuero wrote: |
Just curious - do you really enjoy reading from your nook? Honestly don't find it weird on your eyes? |
E-ink technology is really remarkable. If I look at an e-ink screen straight on, it really is like reading off of paper. If you tilt it almost sideways in very bright light you can see a slight sheen at times, but as long as you look at it more or less straight on it's just like reading a book.
When I'm on the computer for extended periods, my eyes get dry and tired. When I read my e-reader, I'm totally fine, even if I do it for hours.
Also keep in mind that there are lots of free ebooks available; even if you aren't comfortable with pirating, there are many books whose copyrights have expired and which are available free on the internet. An investment in an ebook reader opens all those books up to you without any need of purchase, in a format which you can comfortably read them. It doesn't take too many such downloads to pay off the investment in the first place, and after that you're saving money. |
Thanks for your thoughts - by the way, I tried looking up "kindle" on a torrent site I use......where else could one search for pirated ebooks? PM if you don't want to post?
Thanks again - EJ |
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4567654
Joined: 21 May 2010
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| Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2010 8:55 pm Post subject: |
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there are 10's of thousands of quality pdf's available on the internet. i've spent more than 5 years amassing a gigantic collection. more than 95% of that collection is non-fiction. if you like crap fiction, or pop fiction, or sci-fi, or comics, as above, it's even easier, and you shouldn't have any problem finding more than enough to read on the internet.
as far as non-fiction, for example search the pirate bay for global warming climate change ebook pack. that's 490 non-fiction, high-quality .pdf ebooks, published after 2000. there are multiple sites for ebooks-only, some are private. most people are only interested in taking and downloading, and those people rarely are accepted in more exclusive circles, for obvious reasons.
imo not having books available in one particular format is not a reason for rejecting any one ebook reader.
amazon's topaz formats are tricky, but possible, and calibre ebook freeware converts to and from the major formats.
calibre-ebook.com/download
for more de-DRMing discussion see, I love cabbages blog. or look here for all things ebooky - http://www.mobileread.com/
i have a DX, and i would never consider any other device that did not have e-ink or one that had a smaller screen. ever.
when you're reading pdf's you'll need the bigger screen. also, whatever ebook reader you choose, use this new freeware to crop the unused white margins from pdf files, with no de-res :
sourceforge.net/projects/briss/
this will help maximize the displayed dimensions of text.
i don't need color, i don't need a touch screen, i don't need wireless, i don't need an mp3 player,I don't even need a keypad.
ipad is distractions-galore. i have enough trouble staying away from my computer while i read in the other room. and i've read real books to ruin my eyes already - reading on a backlit is torture.
i turn off the kindle's wireless and leave it off. one 45-minute charge lasts more than two weeks. i doubt the battery life will ever be a problem. i've dropped it from standing height onto a hard floor several times, with no ill effects. my amazon account is linked to the US, so i can buy brand new books as soon as they come out.
what we should do is get all the ebook reader owners together and start a group buy. 10 dollars a month could get 10 people 10 or 12 brand new ebooks, in any particular format.
read this for background on ebook pirate groups:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebook_scene |
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eljuero
Joined: 11 Aug 2009
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| Posted: Sun Jul 11, 2010 3:29 am Post subject: |
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| 4567654 wrote: |
| there are 10's of thousands of quality pdf's available on the internet. i've spent more than 5 years amassing a gigantic collection. more than 95% of that collection is non-fiction. if you like crap fiction, or pop fiction, or sci-fi, or comics, as above, it's even easier, and you shouldn't have any problem finding more than enough to read on the internet. |
and etc......
Thanks for the informative post and putting your opinion out there.
I'll be checking out the Pirate Bay site as well as Gutenberg (sp?). I've browsed a bit before. While there's an impressive number of books on a couple of sites I've seen, I think the question is - can you get what you want and will you, the reader, really use the device. It sounds like quite a few people are pretty happy reading the e-ink technology.
One thing I noticed is that even some authors like John Irving - which you may or may not find in a foreign used bookstore in paperback are cheaper on amazon. I was looking for a particular classic at What the Book, which I think is a pretty good store - just didn't have that particular classic on the shelf.
It wouldn't take too many paperbacks to make it worthwhile when one considers shipping costs right?
Thanks again for the helpful info. |
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