# Kindle Fire in Australia... waiting, waiting, waiting...



## lea_owens (Dec 5, 2011)

(Also, a question at the bottom for Fire people... skip over my whinge to that, if you like!)

I have been eagerly reading the reviews on the Kindle Fire and it is my #1 item on my Christmas list and 'spoil myself' list and 'must have' list... but I'm in Australia and I'm told we can't have them until 2012, which means I'm like the kid standing outside the lolly shop, my nose pressed against the window, as I watch everyone else in there enjoying what I want. *sigh*

I have read the Australian reviews which state it will be available some time in 2012, yet I still have to go to Amazon and go through the motions of clicking the 'buy now' buttons, even adding the accessories I want, and for a moment I feel like maybe, just maybe, I've managed to get out of the store with my bag of lollies, but then I'm pounced on by store security with the message (in red, just so I know I'm being told off):

Important Message
Kindle Fire, Full Color 7" Multi-touch Display, Wi-Fi is not currently available to ship to the selected non-US address. To shop for Kindles available to ship to you, please visit the non-US Kindle product page.

And I have to go and stand outside again, empty handed, just looking in the window at everyone else who is enjoying a Kindle Fire.

(((*And a question* - when I *am* allowed to leave the shop with one, I see that people have been writing that their Kindle books are automatically loaded up on the Fire... will I still be able to use my Kindle 3G Keyboard device, so if I purchase a book on that will it be available on both my Keyboard and the Fire? I really like my Keyboard for reading, especially in bed at night with its little light - so easy on the eyes - but I'll want the Fire for so many other things PLUS reading, so I'm hoping any book purchased will automatically go to both.)


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

As long as your Fire and e ink kindle are both on the same amazon account, you can read all your books on either device, or both at the same time if you like. The books on the Fire aren't actually on the device until you download them. It shows the covers of all of them in the archive in the carousel. So they are visible, but not there yet.


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## lea_owens (Dec 5, 2011)

Thank you, Atunah! That makes it quite clear. I'm glad I can use both devices. Now, if only Amazon would hurry up and release it to Australia!


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## docmama28 (Mar 6, 2010)

Oh yes, you most certainly will be able to read on both.  On my Amazon account I have my mother-in-law who lives 800 miles away in Atlanta, my son at Univeristy in Wisconsin 1,500 miles away and my father who is in another country (Domincan Republic) and me here in South Florida.  The only book I've had trouble with is the Steve Jobs biography, it seems only 3 people can read it at a time across my devices.  My son has a K3 and the rest of us have Fires, and so far everyone is happily reading from the same library of books!


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## Lyndl (Apr 2, 2010)

My son bought one for my DIL for Christmas, off EBay !!  I wonder what will happen when she tries to register it.


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## lea_owens (Dec 5, 2011)

Hey, Lyndl - I'm over in Qld. Let me know if it works when it's registered. I've heard of other people buying them from ebay but haven't heard if they they can access the system or not. I am SO looking forward to getting one.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Note that there are sometimes restrictions on the number of devices that a book may be placed on; it would be extremely rare for it to be one, though I do think I have heard of that, a while ago.

Betsy


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## Lyndl (Apr 2, 2010)

I will try and remember to post after Christmas and update you on what happens to the Fire


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

At least one member here is from Australia and has gotten a Fire.  She has a mailbox set up in the US I believe where they'll forward packages to Australia.  There's nothing that says it can't be USED in Australia, just that they aren't yet allowed to sell them directly. . . . .


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## lea_owens (Dec 5, 2011)

That's interesting, Ann - I wondered if that was the case as, like you, I haven't seen anything about them not being able to be used here in Oz, just that they're not for sale to Australia. Quite a few of my friends have those forwarding mailboxes set up in the U.S. as they buy horse gear from there all the time and some U.S. sellers don't post internationally. As soon as I hear from someone that they have a Fire down under (sounds rude!) and it's working properly, I'll be getting one!


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## Pushka (Oct 30, 2009)

Hi there Lea.  I have the Fire and I am in Australia.  It is very easy to get the Fire up and reading as an ebook reader, surfing the net, sideloading books and apps.  As for the App market, if you have a USA bank-issued credit card and USA address then you can download the apps from the Amazon store  from Australia. Even for the free Apps. I have a USA credit card and can do this.  In order to stream TV programmes and the like, then you must have a USA IP address to stream it through.  Which generally means you are located in the USA.

They are talking about releasing the Fire in Australia next year - which hopefully means all the "rights and licensing" issues are about to be signed off on making all the above unnecessary.  But for the moment, that is the way it is done.


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## CJArcher (Jan 22, 2011)

I think I'll wait until we can officially get one here in Oz next year then. Think I might put it on my birthday wish-list if they're available by August.    All this talk of side-loading and using US credit cards just makes my head hurt.


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## Lolliegoth (Dec 12, 2011)

Hi all,

Just wanted to make people aware. I purchased a Fire from eBay (I live in Australia). The Kindle was slow and needed several re-starts to get going. Like many others, I had issues trying to register. Amazon 'chat' was really good. They identified it needed a software update. Did that and didn't resolve the registration issue. They requested the log files but the Kindle crashed today and went into hypernate (more like a coma actually). Amazon agreed to replace it with no prompting, however they can't outside the US. Got in touch with the eBay seller who responded as follow:

_"nobody has had issues with these, we have sold over 150 of these without issues. You are probalby doing something wrong. everyone has been able to register without issue. You have had it well over a week now. I cant do anything with it as it has been used.

The warranty is provide by amazon, not me, contact them or find someone who knows how to use the item who can help you update it if it needs to and also register it.

Seeing you've had it well over a week, opended and used and your having trouble using it, you best bet again is contact amazon,sell it on ebay or we can give you 70% back (not including shipping paid) and you just send it back."_ - (shipping was free by the way though the Fire cost $325).

eBay and PayPal are a nice little bargaining point so they (the seller) have agreed to take the unit back and send me a new one. I'll let you know how that goes. Any probs, it is still registered to me so I can provide an address to Amazon in the US and then get the replacement.

Basically beware - if you have problems it can be a pain and time waster. Warranty is essentially void outside of the US without finding a third party shipping company or friends to forward on.

I was going to wait until it comes here in January but wanted to do a review for our growing number of Kindle friends where I live. I'll still get one 'cause I essentially want a bigger version of my iTouch and this gives it to me with broswing and side-loading.


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## Pushka (Oct 30, 2009)

I am sorry you are having issues but I can confirm that if you had bought direct from Amazon then regardless of where you are, you have a warranty. I also believe that amazon covers the kindle under warranty even if you bought it from someone else. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## lea_owens (Dec 5, 2011)

I only wanted to buy from Amazon as I've bought my two Kindles from them (one for me, one for my mother) and the service was fantastic. Back when I bought my first Kindle I was told, "You'll get it cheaper on ebay" by one person and about ten others said, "If you buy it from ebay, you won't get the back-up you get when you buy it direct from Amazon", so I went with the numbers and stuck with Amazon.

Lolliegoth, I hope your ebay seller comes through for you and does the right thing... you're right, though, bad feedback & complaints to Paypal & ebay about poor selling practices are a good bargaining point, so I do hope you get a replacement.

There doesn't even seem to be a scheduled release date for Australia, except the notion that, following the pattern of previous releases of US models, it might not be until JUNE (yes, June, 2012, six months away) before we see the Fire down under. (_fire down under_ *puerile snicker*).

So, waiting, waiting, waiting. I'll end up just paying the extra, getting an iPad and I'll put a Kindle reading app on it.


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## Lyndl (Apr 2, 2010)

I just remembered I'd promised to report on my DIL's Fire.  it works fine, she had no issues registering or using it.  I guess she's lucky


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## lea_owens (Dec 5, 2011)

Thanks, Lyndl... I'm just waiting for it to be officially released by Amazon here so I don't run the risk of not being able to use it fully. Looking forward to it arriving Down Under.


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