By Michael Alan Hamlin

This is the season to be jolly, and I am. I’ve been buying books and DVDs for years from Amazon, but recently I bought myself a special toy… I mean, tool: a Kindle. When Amazon announced in early October that it would make the Kindle available in many international markets, I was delighted to see that the Philippines was on the list, while some developed markets such as Singapore, weren’t. There was a great deal of speculation on local blogs and in news reports about how the Kindle, eBook reader, would connect to the Internet, and where it could be purchased. One blogger assumed it would come with a SIM slot to “allow international users to connect to the web via 3G or Wi-Fi.” A columnist speculated over where it could be purchased, assuming that one of the telcos would soon announce exclusive distribution as they do with some smartphones. It turns out that most of the speculation was wildly off base. The third week of October I received a promotional e-mail from Amazon announcing that I could now order the international version of the Kindle. As a chronic early adapter, I responded immediately, ordering the Kindle (6” Display, US & International Wireless, Latest Generation) for $259 and a leather cover for $29.95. I also tried to purchase the extended warranty, but that unfortunately, isn’t available in the Philippines. With shipping & handling— including a “deposit” for customs duties and taxes—my order came to $361.18, which I paid for using my PayPal account, another service that online shoppers can now use in the Philippines. I alerted my office to watch for the shipment in the next week or so, based on my previous experience with Amazon. I was delightfully surprised when it arrived within four days.

The Kindle came in a small box—elegant for cardboard—inside a larger box. Now, this may seem silly, but I gently opened the first container as if it were some delicate antique rather than a futuristic electronic device. I cradled the smaller box for minutes in my hands, admiring its simple but sturdy engineering. Then I carefully pulled on the tab that opened a slot along the right side of the box. As I slowly opened the container, the white Kindle came into view, and folks, it was beautiful. I picked it up from the box for the first time, and marveled over its simple elegance, and thin design. I hurriedly read the instructions, and turned on the device. The Kindle is easy to read because it uses an ink-based technology—rather than electrons—to “print” each page as the previous page is “turned.” There’s no back light, so it can’t be read in a dimly lit space, but the amazing clarity of the screen makes reading easy on the eyes.

The Kindle comes configured to the purchaser’s account. If you are giving it as a gift, the receiver will need to register the device unless you don’t mind the object of your generosity using your credit card or PayPal account. Owners purchase books and register using the built-in wireless—it’s not clear who the service provider is—which is 3G and generally very fast. In minutes,

I had purchased my first book, a just-released update on social marketing. It cost $17. The next purchase was Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography for $2. The book was converted by volunteers, and is in the public domain. I’m an opinion columnist, not a technology reviewer, so my purpose with this column is not to help you make a wise purchase decision. Partly, it’s to brag, because I’m fairly certain that I’m close to being one of the first people in the Philippines to have ordered the international version of the Kindle (I’ve read that Jaime Zobel de Ayala II has one on his desk along with several other neat devices, but I bet it isn’t—or wasn’t—the international version.). But the bigger reason is even more mundane. I’m just delighted that it works. That for once we have a cool device Singaporeans can lust after. And that it was all so elegant and simple to acquire.

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