Kindle Australia

Kindle Buyer's guide 2012
Amazon has launched new generation kindle on 28 Sep 2011. And the good news is the kindle 4 is now available to ship to Australia!

This article includes the following topics about new Amazon kindle. :-

• Which kindle should I buy in Australia?
• Best place to buy a kindle 4/kindle touch in Australia (updated)
• Kindle price comparison table

Which kindle should I buy in Australia?

Kindle fire VS e-ink kindle

If you want an e-book reader in Australia I recommend the new e-ink kindle. Kindle Fire is an Android tablet which is primary functions are for musics, videos, internet and games. It is currently available to US only due to digital contents restriction. Some features of kindle fire will not work outside U.S. including streaming videos and the App store!

The e-ink kindle

The basic kindle is the light version for starter. It has same e-ink display as kindle touch. There's no physical keyboard. Navigation and typing have to be done using 5-way controller. Battery life lasts for 1 month and no support for audio files and text-to-speech. This kindle is perfect for pure readers who only use kindle to read.
See: Kindle 4 for international shipping

The kindle touch is top-of-the-line kindle available right now. It has full options including touch screen, text-to-speech and longer battery life (2 months). Also featured on kindle touch is "X-ray" which allows you to scan a character, historical figures, and interesting phrase. With touch screen, you can easily surf the web, take notes, or look up words on your kindle. Kindle touch WiFi is now available to ship to Australia.
See: Kindle Touch for international shipping

Although Amazon has released kindle touch WiFi for international shipping. Kindle touch 3g is still restricted to U.S. Market. If you really need 3g function, see "How to buy kindle touch 3g in Australia".

Where should I buy a new kindle 4 in Australia?

I recommend buying a kindle at Amazon US store. Price is always cheaper than Australian retailers. You kindle will be automatically associated with your amazon account so buying e-books is just one step ahead. Amazon sometime offers special price on kindle accessories such as cover and charger when you buy a new kindle.

Kindle price comparison in Australia

Step by step guide to buy a kindle/kindle touch in Australia

1. To buy a kindle from amazon, make sure you go to Kindle sale page for Australia.

• Kindle 4 for international shipping - click here
• Kindle Touch for international shipping - click here

If you accidentally land on a wrong page, you may find a blue bar like this one.

2. Choose Australia and add kindle/kindle touch to your shopping cart. Explore kindle accessories store and add cover/adapter as you need.

Don't forget to check for special discount on kindle accessories when purchase with a new kindle.

3. Proceed to check out. If you don't have an Amazon account, you have to create one at this step. During check out, you have to provide shipping address and payment method. There are two shipping options you can choose :

• Expedited International Shipping costs $11.98 (approx. 8-16 days)
• Priority International Courier costs $20.98 (approx. 5 days)

During check out, guaranteed arrival date and total costs will be displayed before your order is final. No extra tax will be collected when your kindle arrives in Australia.

Don't be tricked : Kindle with special offers

You may notice that there are kindles with special offer which have lower price on Amazon.com. "Special offers" means they come with sponsored ads and cheaper price. The ads target customers in the U.S. So they're currently not available for international shipping.

If you're going to buy a kindle from local store, don't forget to check if it is a kindle with special offers. Some retailers in Australia imported this ads-included kindle and sell it at unreasonably high price.

We have to thanks Tayla who mentioned this in her comment.
See also: Kindle Australia review

Updated 4 Feb, 2012 Kindle touch (WiFi only) is now available for international shipment and you can order it directly from Amazon.com for only $150.
See "Kindle buyer guide's 2012 for Australia".

Kindle touch 3g is still available to order in the U.S. only.  However, buying kindle touch 3g in Australia is possible. In the following section, you'll find out-

• A guide on where and how to buy a kindle touch 3g in Australia. (updated)
• Kindle touch price in Australia (comparison table)

How to buy a kindle touch 3g in Australia

This is the best and cheapest way to get a kindle touch 3g in Australia as far as I've researched.

To buy a kindle touch from Australia, you need to order it from amazon.com and have it delivered to an U.S. address first. Then we will use an international mail service to ship it to Australia. Such service is available at Borderlinx.com.

Here's a step by step guide to help you buy a kindle touch in Australia

1. First, go to Borderlinx.com and create an account. You'll get a virtual U.S. address once you have registered.

Example of a virtual U.S. Address (Do not enter address above, register to get your own)

2. Go to kindle for U.S. shipping page

• kindle touch 3g (for order from Australia) - click here

3. Add your kindle touch to shopping cart. I also recommend buying kindle touch accessories from amazon.com because they are not easy to find in Australia. So browse the kindle accessories store first.

4. Proceed to check out. At this step you have to enter a Borderlinx address as a shipping address. Billing address can be your real address in Australia. And you can make a payment your Australian credit card.

Kindle will be delivered to Borderlinx shortly, depending on shipping speed you prefer. There are four shipping options available

• Amazon Next Day Shipping is $18.98
• Amazon Two Day Shipping is $11.98
• Amazon Standard Shipping is $6.98
• Amazon Super Saver is Free

5. When your kindle arrive at Borderlinx, the company will send you a confirmation email. Confirm your items, and wait for your kindle touch to arrive in Australia!

Notice: Do not add a power adapter available under "Add to cart button". If you do so, you will get a U.S. charger. A power adapter for Australia is available here.

How much does it cost?

Approximately, buying kindle touch using Borderlinx shipping service will cost extra $30 on top of the kindle price. (I think this price is acceptable because kindle shipped directly from Amazon.com also costs extra $20 for shipping) You can use a total cost calculator at Borderlinx to estimate the price. For kindle touch, enter the values displayed below.

If you have any questions about Borderlinx, a live support is here to help.

Kindle touch price comparison in Australia

*Price from Amazon + Borderlinx may vary depending on added kindle accessories.

I hope this article helpful. If you have any questions or suggestion, please leave me a comment.

See also: Kindle buyer's guide 2012 for Australia

I've ordered a new kindle 4, together with a Marware Eco-Vue cover and a power adapter from Amazon.com. My items are already arrived in Australia. Shipment took only 4 days, shorter than expected.

Lighter and thinner

My first impression on kindle 4 is it's very light and thin. Height dimension decreases because there's no physical keyboard while screen dimension remains unchanged. It feels more comfortable to hold in one hand than my old kindle 3. Kindle 4 body is made from high quality plastic with metal frame on top and bottom.

Screen quality

Kindle 4 e-ink screen is same as kindle 3. Text is crisp and easy to read. Unlike iPad, kindle screen does not produce glare when reading under any light source.

Controller and on-screen keyboard

Control are easy to use. Navigation experience is almost same as kindle 3. Kindle 4 has no phisical keyboard (which I rarely use on my kindle 3). On-screen keyboard, which will popup when you press keyboard button, allows you to type by selecting each letter with 5-way controller. Typing with virtual keyboard is not as sluggish as I thought, when holding down the controller, the selector will move faster.

Page turning speed in kindle 4 is noticeably faster. But I think the power-on button is too small and somewhat hard to push.

WiFi only, No 3G

Kindle 4 has only WiFi connection which means that you have to download book via WiFi or USB cable. However, this is not a problem for me.

Marware Eco-Vue cover

I also purchase a Marware Eco-Vue cover from Amazon.com. It looks great with my kindle. High quality material and neatly made. There's elastic strap to hold the lid close. Kindle are hold firmly in place with 4 corner strap. Worth it price.

Summary

In conclusion, I give new kindle 4.5 out of 5 stars. Slimmer, lighter, faster. All essential functions at more affordable price.

See also: Kindle 4 Buyer Guide Australia

Kindle 3 with or without 3g (now named kindle keyboard) are still available at Amazon. The prices for kindle keyboard remain $139 and $189 for WiFi-only and kindle keyboard with 3g respectively.

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