Kindle Canada Review - Kindle International Now Available in Canada

After a delayed release of about a month do to wireless service issues, the Kindle International is now available in Canada. There are some differences in wireless availability and ebook selection outside the US, so it's important to learn all the details before deciding to buy a Kindle International from Amazon for $259 USD.

First off, the device is available in over 170 countries, with free wireless service in 100 of them. You can visit this Kindle International Review page to view a complete country list.

What is a Kindle?

If you are new to ebook readers, the Kindle is similar in size to a regular DVD case, but thinner, and weighs 289 grams. It has a built-in wireless modem that allows for downloading ebooks, newspapers, and magazines directly to the device itself. The wireless service is free and doesn't require any monthly payments or roaming charges. Because of this, you don't have to use a computer to download your books, although you have that option if you prefer it.

The Kindle uses a technology called electronic paper that mimics the look of a printed book, giving it a high contrast ratio with rich, dark text. It's like high-definition for books, and is very easy on the eyes unlike LED computers and phones. Another benefit of this technology is that it's extremely energy-efficient; a battery will hold a charge for roughly 7,500 page-turns, or 2 weeks of regular reading.

Digital Content Selection

Kindle Canada owners have access to around 300,000 ebooks from the online Kindle store. Most new release and bestseller ebooks cost $11.99 USD, much less than their hard-cover equivalents.

A nice perk with Amazon, they allow you to download the first chapter of a book as a free sample. And the Kindle comes with 2 GB of memory to hold about 1,500 ebooks and personal documents.

Most ebooks from Amazon are English-language, but there are a few thousand foreign language titles too, including over 1,100 French ebooks.

In addition to ebooks, Kindle International users have access to several dozen international newspaper and magazine subscriptions that are far cheaper than their paper cousins. A number of Canadian newspapers are available, including the National Post and all of Canwest's big city daily newspapers. There are some French newspapers as well: Le Monde and Les Echos.

Aside from Amazon, you can find a number of websites that have free, non-DRM protected ebooks that will work on a Kindle just fine. One example is Project Gutenberg Canada. Another website, MobiPocket, has nearly 10,000 free English ebooks along with approximately 100 free German language ebooks, 700 French, 275 Finnish, 170 Dutch, and several other languages too.

It's important to note the device doesn't support PDF and EPUB natively, but you can convert these files types using free software, so Google's vast library of free ebooks is an option too.

Free 3G Wireless Service

The free wireless gives Kindle Canada users access to Amazon's online store 24 hours a day. There are no monthly charges, contracts, or wireless fees for using it. In addition, Kindle International users outside the US can access Wikipedia with the free wireless.

For the most part, wireless service is currently limited to the southern regions of Canada and Alberta. To get a close-up look at the coverage in your area, you can visit this page to view the Kindle Canada wireless coverage map.

Kindle International Total Cost

Compared to other ebook readers on the current market, the Kindle International is very competitively priced. It costs $259 USD, and thanks to the weak dollar, $259 USD converts to about $275 CAD. Shipping costs about $21 and there's an additional import fee of about $30. The best way to check the exact cost is to add the Kindle International to your cart, enter your information, and then let Amazon show you the total cost before checkout.

If you still have some questions and want to learn more about the Kindle, you can read a detailed written review, view photos, and watch a video demo of how it works on this Kindle International Review page. And if you have any questions, feel free to email me on my contact page.