It seems like the record label companies and book publishers have forgotten about the rest of us. Though, to be fair the restrictions are, I suspect, probably imposed by countries rather than the producers themselves. After all, why would any business want to deliberately limit their target audience? When Apple decided to impose a fee on all in-app purchases, Amazon circumvented it and re-directed their customers to their Kindle store on the web instead. But no matter whether the problem is with the producers or with the legal authorities governing each country, the end-users are the ones being left out.

So here it is, your get-out-of-jail-free card.

There are two parts to this operation, which I have dubbed Operation Kindle Snatcher. In part one, you’ll need to be able to make purchases from the Kindle Store.And in part two, you’ll need to get the Kindle reader on your device.

When I logged in with my Amazon account and went to the Kindle Store, it showed my location as Asia & Pacific Region, but I could not browse through any of the ebooks let alone make a purchase.

So, here’s what you have to do:

1. Create an Amazon account or login to your existing one.
2. Once logged in, navigate to the Kindle Store
3. Click on Manage Your Kindle > Country Settings
4. Click Change and add a US address
5. Go back to the Kindle Store. You should be able to browse and purchase ebooks now.
6. Part 1 – checked. Now, on to Part 2

Is this legal? Well obviously registering for a US address that you don’t own would be considered illegal, but with a simple and quick setup with vPost (for Singapore and I’m sure similar services are available in other countries, too) you’re allocated a US shipping address that you can use when registering your Apple ID and Amazon Store accounts. As for purchasing ebooks, I’m not a lawyer but the way I look at it is this – if I am legally allowed to walk in to a bookstore and buy a physical book why then I am not allowed to purchase the electronic version?

Now on to Part 2. Because there are so many different devices from iOS, Android, Blackberry, Windows Phony Phone 7. I’ve decided to cover instructions for only the iOS and Android. For other devices, you can access the Kindle Cloud Reader.

Kindle Cloud Reader
Also known as the if-Apple-kicks-us-out-of-the-App-Store reader. Access the Kindle Cloud Reader (http://read.amazon.com) on the Safari browser for your iOS device. Login with your Amazon account and you’re in. If you’re on any other device, you’ll need to download a browser that supports user agent switching and select iPhone/iPad. Kindle Cloud Reader also works on Safari and Chrome for both Mac and Windows.

Now, this being the year 2011 and we’re back to dial-up speeds on our mobile data networks, reading from the cloud might not be the best option. But it is an option and the simplest one at that.

Kindle app for iOS devices
You can’t just change your address of your existing account because Apple will require that you enter a valid US credit card. So, you will need to create a new account with a US address without a credit card. Follow the instructions here to create an iTunes App Store account without a credit card. Once you’re done with that, logout from your usual account and login with the new one. Download the Kindle app. Login with your Amazon account. Voila!

Kindle app for Android devices
Surprisingly, it was harder to get the Kindle app in the Android Market that it was for the App Store. I tried using a Market Enabler to temporarily switch my SIM code to display a US SIM code, but it didn’t work. I tried changing my country settings for my Google account to US, but that didn’t work either. I tried downloading the app from the Android Market website, but it detected that my mobile phone was not “compatible.” I tried googling for the APK file, but I could not find anything on the XDA forums and the websites that did allow me to download the APK file wanted me to pay for it.

I had tried everything that I could possibly think of and nothing seemed to work. After successfully installing the app on the iPad, you’d think that the mighty “openness” of Android would mean that it’d be a slice of cheesecake with raspberry sauce. I decided to call up a friend and he sent me the file in 3.8 seconds! Facepalm. It turns out you just need to know where to look. There’s a website that archives Android apps called APKTOP. Search for Kindle and you’ll get the link to download it. Simple. Just be sure to allow installation of non-Market applications on your device by going to Settings > Applications > Unknown sources (checked). Download. Install. Sign in. Presto!

Thanks for reading. If this article helped you or if you know anyone who might find these instructions useful give it a tweet, a like or a plus one.

Update 1: I just hit a brick wall. Amazon periodically checks the location you’re accessing the Kindle Store and if it doesn’t match your address you won’t be allowed to purchase any ebooks. Most users never get detected, but as luck would have it I’m not in the lottery. The instructions above are still valid, but you’ll need to add a VPN connection when accessing the Kindle Store to avoid Amazon’s prying eyes. I don’t think it is worth the money to pay for a VPN service so I’m going to try Tor instead. I’ll update this post again if I’m successful. – 10 Sep 2011

Update 2: Brick wall demolished. Indeed the solution is to use a VPN service, but most are not free or if they are free their speeds are just too slow for any practical usage. Fortunately, a friend of mine, who encountered the same problem, told me to use Your Freedom. It comes with a free plan and after some configuration I was back in business. – 11 Sep 2011