I just got my iPad two days ago. I bought iPad primarily because I wanted to read eBooks and save the environment (actually my bookshelves kind of full). The Cloud-9 feeling of owning an iPad does not live long when I could not find Amazon Kindle app in iTunes App Store.

After some Sherlock-Holmes investigation, I found out that Amazon Kindle app is only available in iTunes US store and some other countries – definitely not in Singapore. Well, your dad probably ever told you that you should not give up on your first attempt, thus we all are looking for another way.

And I found a way to get it installed, but only to find another major problem. I couldn’t buy any Kindle books from Asia Pacific region. If you are like me, that’s probably another moment you utter the word, “Sh*t!”

With a little bit of common sense and luck, I worked my way out; a happy man I am, I bought The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Delivering Happiness. Let me share with you the steps, and hopefully it will work for you, so the excitement of working your fingers like in Minority Report - on the iPad, lives on.

How to Install Amazon Kindle on Your iPad

Ignore this step if your iTunes account is already a US account.

• Create iTunes App Store US Account, follow Apple’s instructions on how to create an App Store account without a credit card (Remember to select United States for the country, and google for a US address).
• Then go to your iTunes application, sign out from your current account, click on Store>Sign Out menu, then click on Store> Sign In again, once signed in with your US account, it should prompt a message to redirect you to iTunes US App Store, click OK to continue (Don’t worry the apps you have purchased using your Singapore account, they can still be sync-ed with your iPad)
• Go back to iTunes Store, search for Amazon Kindle, and you should see it now, and install it right away (Tip: You may be interested with other US only apps, like Google Mobile App, Last.fm, and Yahoo! Entertainment).

How to Purchase Kindle Books

• Create an Amazon account if you do not have one, enter your Singapore address and your Singapore Credit Card information as well.
• Next, go to this page, change the country to be associated with your Kindle account, scroll down a little bit under Your Country heading. It should be empty. Add a US address (Google for one if you have no idea).
• And now you are ready to purchase, search for a Kindle book and click the Buy button. If it prompts for payment, choose your Singapore credit card, and it works like charm. The book will be automatically downloaded when you start your Amazon Kindle on your iPad, pretty neat.

And just in case if you are wondering if you can use the same trick for iBook purchase, I’m really sorry, you can’t, cause it checks for a US credit card. If you know of a way, please let me know.

I’m happy with Kindle Store for now. By the way, what are you reading? I may be able to get some inspirations from intelligent people like you. And well, you can check out mine as well at BookJetty.

Happy reading, and I freaking love my iPad.

UPDATE:

• A friend suggested that you can use US Unlocked service to get a US credit card. That could be an answer to your iBooks purchase, but it charges an nominal rate if you do not mind.
• After purchasing the book, you may be getting an email from Amazon asking you to verify that you are a US resident. If you are, that will be easy, if you are not, I am not very sure of the implications as well, a quick google search bring me to one of Kindle threads in Hardware Zone, it doesn’t specifically mention what will happen, and I just did not have the time, to go through all of the links in Google.
  
  My advice would be, please do not go with a purchase spree, as the worse-case scenario your account may be suspended (that will be very cruel for Amazon to do that), or future Kindle books purchase will no longer be allowed, or nothing may happen all. I take my chances, one or two books at a time, and get the best of what I can get at the moment.