Kindle 3G Review (Typed while I am watching the Pirates beat the Nationals!)

[ednemo]

I received my new Kindle 3G this week and I am amazed at how small and light it is. As an avid reader I always have a couple of books with me and now I currently have 813 books on my Kindle ready to go.

When you turn it off the screen puts a screensaver print up that changes each time you turn it off. Kind of a neat feature. The screen is extremely easy on the eyes and I have now read for literally hours without any sort of fatigue.

The 3G feature is insane! I now have lifetime free 3G access to almost any website. (I have not yet come to a site I could not get to). Searches on Google and going to websites is shockingly fast. I was actucally contemplated subscribing to a daily paper...but now I figure why bother since I can get to Fox News and the Drudge Report.

I use a free program called Calibre to convert books to the Mobi format that read like a Kindle book. I have also added all of my tech books and can now legitately read computer books (or what I say are computer books) at my desk during down-time. My pdfs are crisp and clear and anything with small print can either be zoomed in on or you can rotate the screen for a larger view.

Today I tried out the voice mode and was amazed at it. Even if you are blind you can use the Kindle as it tells you where you are on the screen. (I turned this feature off pretty fast as I am obviously not blind being an active reader.)

I also tested the Text Reader and it was not too bad. It is excellent for technical books, but loses any drama if used for fiction.

I now have no idea how I ever lived without the thing.

Go Bucs!!!

 

[street soldier]

Thanks for the review. I'm getting one of these for Christmas, and I am really looking forward to it. I have quite an extensive book collection, but unfortunately I don't have the room to build a library in my home. The 3G Kindle was the solution.

If I understand you correctly, with the 3G you can surf the web and check out different sites? I thought that you would only be able to go to Amazon's site. This will be a great little bonus if I read that right.

Thanks again.

 

[ednemo]

Thanks for the review. I'm getting one of these for Christmas, and I am really looking forward to it. I have quite an extensive book collection, but unfortunately I don't have the room to build a library in my home. The 3G Kindle was the solution.

If I understand you correctly, with the 3G you can surf the web and check out different sites? I thought that you would only be able to go to Amazon's site. This will be a great little bonus if I read that right.

Thanks again.

Yes, you can go to nearly any website. I was shocked as I thought you could only hit a couple sites like Wikipedia. But I have been using it to news sites and even get my e-mail.

I have a room dedicated to nothing but books (and weapons). And...it is quite full. Of course now with the Inter-Webs I am able to download nearly any book my heart desires for the paltry sum of my monthly internet bill. Except I will continue to buy my comics of course.

 

[BoxANT]

Wow, I am extremely tempted to pick this thing up!

Did you get the leather cover with light? Do you think it needs a light?

 

[ednemo]

Wow, I am extremely tempted to pick this thing up!

Did you get the leather cover with light? Do you think it needs a light?

The screen is extremely sharp with a dull light grey background similar to normal book pages. It is NOT backlit. The backlight tends to cause eye-strain over time and use more power. (The Kindle has a 1 month on-time.) It does not come with a cover. They offer a cover with a book-light that plugs into the Kindle and does not use batteries (it uses the Kindle's battery). Amazon sells it for $59. I instead have purchased a padded neoprene case for mine. Now, if you are clumsy or just bad about dropping things, then the protective case is a must have. Because as small as the Kindle is, I doubt it would take a hard fall very well.

You can read the Kindle with the same amount of light you would need for a normal book (the print is a lot sharper than a normal book). But you will need a light if you want to read in the dark.

 

[BoxANT]

The screen is extremely sharp with a dull light grey background similar to normal book pages. It is NOT backlit. The backlight tends to cause eye-strain over time and use more power. (The Kindle has a 1 month on-time.) It does not come with a cover. They offer a cover with a book-light that plugs into the Kindle and does not use batteries (it uses the Kindle's battery). Amazon sells it for $59. I instead have purchased a padded neoprene case for mine. Now, if you are clumsy or just bad about dropping things, then the protective case is a must have. Because as small as the Kindle is, I doubt it would take a hard fall very well.

You can read the Kindle with the same amount of light you would need for a normal book (the print is a lot sharper than a normal book). But you will need a light if you want to read in the dark.

Thanks A 60 dollar book light is a little steep for me.