Kindle 3 w/ 3G- Worth it?

SpookyPistolero

SpookyPistolero

Joined
Dec 13, 2005
Messages
6,105
Howdy folks-

I'm probably going to pick up a Kindle 3 for my wife today. She's been mentioning them here and there, so it seems like she would get good use out of it.

My only question is, is it worth the extra money for the 3G version? My wife does not travel. She doesn't fly, take long train rides, stay in hotels. She's generally at work, at home, or at the pool (as far as places she's likely to sit and read). So for a person with that lifestyle, does the 3G really offer enough to make it worthwhile?
 
What is the difference in cost? ~40 or 50 bucks? If so, go with the 3G. I seem to recall hearing that the 3G is the way to go but I have no personal experience and I'm not too tech savvy so take what I say with a grain of salt. I'm contemplating getting an iPad 2. (Even though I loathe Apple)
 
I don't think the 3G is worth it. The service is free because really the only thing you can use it for is to purchase books from Amazon, which you can do at home through WiFi anyway.
 
The kindle I bought my wife doesn't have it and we don't miss it. Like Wintermute said, it's wireless anyways so it's a cinch to order a book on your pc or laptop and have it on your kindle in seconds. Order enough to always have a book ready to read once you finish the previous one and it will never be an issue.

The kindle may last for years but the way I see it they'll be surpassed by better technology in two years anyways, why spend the extra money. FWIW, they work great and I really enjoy reading it so much that my wife wonders who's gift it was.
 
If you have a wireless network at your house, the 3G option is a waste of money. If you don't have a wireless network set up at home, the 3G is more convenient than driving down to the local McDonald's to use their Wi-Fi to download a new book. I bought the model with 3G and I've only used that feature once - just to see if it worked. It did, but it's about as fast as dial-up around here.
 
My dad spent about 3 weeks in the hospital and is a big reader. Being able to download books from his bed was key.

We have the older version with wifi and wireless - both are good, but it is likely not worth the extra cash.

Another option - I have a kindle app for my Blackberry which works pretty well - I can see books from her kindle and order from the BB.
 
The 3G has been great for me. WiFi is tied to places with WiFi, and I don't have it at the house. If you do, WiFi sounds like it might be fine for your wife, but with 3G I can literally be reading the book 15 seconds after clicking buy anywhere I'm at that has a signal. I've downloaded books while sitting at work in the middle of the night, standing in line to board a plane, riding in a car, and in a restaurant. Someone can suggest a book, and I can pull up the Kindle store right there to read about it, and see how much it costs. I like it:thumbup:
 
My son has an older version with 3G, my wife a newer without. She has no problems downloading books to hers, but my son usually has to go outside to get his to download. He has used it on vacation and it works great as long as he is in the car, at the pool, on the deck, etc. If she is not going to travel and just use it around the house, dont bother with the 3G. Going on vacation? Load it up before you leave.
 
Look at the color NOOK. You can hack them into being a full tablet.
 
I have wifi only on my Nook and it has been just fine. I think forking out the extra for the 3G would have been a waste of money.

And as far as loading it up before you go on vacation.... true, but not true. All you need is a hotspot and you are gtg!

By the way, I was very hesitant about forking over that much money to read a book! But now that I have it I am so glad I made that decision.
 
I have a Kindle 3G. It is nowhere near as good as my computer or smartphone because it is black and white. However, it is free. You can get to just about any internet page on it. I read the news (Fox News) do google searches, use google maps, get directions. All from my free device. Now, granted, I have other tools to do the same thing. However, if I lost my job and had to stop my expensive internet and cell phone plans, I would still have free internet. A one time payment of $50 is worth that to me.
 
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