Saturday, June 16, 2012

My Kindle

Not long before I moved to Ecuador I asked my daughter and her family for a Kindle for Christmas.  I was very lucky and got the Kindle Fire--the most amazing gadget you can imagine, especially for someone moving to a non-English-speaking country!
You can get tons more info at amazon.com
I read a LOT and there is no practical or inexpensive way to get English language books here.  Kindle
to the rescue.  In addition to fabulous books (many of them free), I also have applications that help me out wherever I go.  I have a translation app that is invaluable.  I can type in a complete sentence and it will pop up in Spanish and I can communicate in those situations where pantomiming and my limited vocabulary just aren't quite enough.

Of course there are fun apps as well.  I have a couple of great word game apps that I definitely enjoy when I need to pass some time without having to think too hard.

I'm not all that big on listening to music but you can also download music.  One thing to keep in mind when in any foreign country is that music (or videos) you could get back in your home country may not be available in your current location.  I can no longer watch any television shows on Hulu or the individual networks and the "unlimited streaming videos" I'm entitled to as an Amazon Prime member no longer has any value because I can't watch any of them down here.  Don't get your heart too set on downloading licensed media.

I can also access the web from my little Kindle and it gives me the ability to do a few things out an about that I wouldn't normally be able to do.

All in all, my Kindle Fire is one of the things I find most indispensable here.




5 comments:

  1. Hi Cynthia,
    What translation app do you use? I was hoping to get one on my husband's fire.

    Thanks!

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  2. Hi Finnian--
    You can find it at http://cynthiaecuador.blogspot.com/p/my-amazon-store.html along with other things I recommend on my Amazon affiliate page. I really love this translation program because it works offline--so many of them depend on the internet to find the translation.

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  3. Cynthia, love your blog, but preferred the print font more. While lovely the current script/font is harder to read.
    Thanks,
    Sonja

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  4. Cynthia, have you tried using a USA VPN that logs you on through a US IP address to get HULU?

    The one I use is VPN4All. You can get a free trial here to see if it will work for you. Once your IP address is in the US, I would think HULU would work.

    https://www.vpn4all.com/

    I got it to make sure it will work for accessing my bank accounts, etc. when we go to Ecuador, hopefully in Spring 2013. If I access my accounts from a US IP address, they tell me I won't have issues with the fraud detection gods trying to block me. But now I know from you that I may also use it to get my usual Amazon fixes as well! ;-)

    Love, love your blog! I'm learning so much about Cotacahi!

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    Replies
    1. Hi, Rachel--

      So good to have you here. I'm so glad you like my blog. It's been a lot of fun writing it and I always look forward to doing it.

      Yes, since I wrote this blog post I discovered a VPN and love it. I'm still having computer issues (should be solved soon) but after that, yes, I'll be able to do HULU, Pandora, all of it.

      If you want to take a look at the one I decided on, it's http://hidemyass.com/vpn/r7130/. That's my affiliate link.

      I don't have any difficulty accessing my Wells Fargo account but I suspect other banks may have their own rules and regs.

      If you get to Cotacachi, I look forward to meeting you in person. In the meantime, it's lovely meeting you here.

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