Which Kindle 3G or not 3G that is the question

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bibble235

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#75809 23-Jan-2011 19:34

Hey clever people out there?

Which kindle should I buy?

If vodafone do enable the browser for the 3G kindle I would kick myself for buying a WiFi. I would use it for browsing the Beeb and a few well know newspapers and would also use it for mail.

What are the chances that Vodafone will allow complete access do you think?

Iain

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#430300 23-Jan-2011 19:44

The Kindle 3G connects to a special roaming APN, administered by Amazon. Vodafone has no say if you can browse or not.

You will also find out that eInk is not really fast enough to give a good experience for long time browsing.

I got a 3G because I can get new books at any time, anywhere - that's the main function of this device.

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bibble235

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#430301 23-Jan-2011 19:49

Thanks for the reply,

I did not realize Vodafone do not control this,

I not seen the advantage of downloading books on 3G as you probably only download 1 book a month (if you have the same work schedule as me). And therefore my on WIFI home network would suffice

Or is there other content I would download daily? E.g. Free newspaperd?

Iain

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#430304 23-Jan-2011 19:54

You only have newspapers or magazine subscriptions with a US account, which requires a US credit card for these subscriptions.

I do buy some books over 3G - sometimes I have the Kindle on me and find a new title while passing by a bookstore, and I buy that on the spot.

You will find you can read a lot faster on the Kindle. I have bought a lot of books in the last two months...

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tardtasticx

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#430320 23-Jan-2011 20:41

I'd get the 3G, its not that much more, plus they might release new features that utilize 3G more, so you'll kick yourself for not getting it later on. hahaha. And my mum and one of my mates has a kindle 3G, and they've blocked most websites over 3G, but you can get Wikipedia over 3G and a couple of other sites still, but every other site can be done over wifi which they dont filter. Plus its nice having the option to download a book practically anywhere, and almost instantly.

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#430410 24-Jan-2011 01:31

tardtasticx: I'd get the 3G, its not that much more, plus they might release new features that utilize 3G more, so you'll kick yourself for not getting it later on. hahaha. And my mum and one of my mates has a kindle 3G, and they've blocked most websites over 3G, but you can get Wikipedia over 3G and a couple of other sites still, but every other site can be done over wifi which they dont filter. Plus its nice having the option to download a book practically anywhere, and almost instantly.

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#430425 24-Jan-2011 08:19

I'd have thought that given the uptake of smartphones more people would look to the wifi option. You have smartphone for browsing, and with android, and soon iOS, you can connect through your phone's 3g connection over wifi. This is the solution I went with. Wasn't sure i'd utilise the US$50 value out of the 3g version.

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#430438 24-Jan-2011 08:56

NzBeagle: I'd have thought that given the uptake of smartphones more people would look to the wifi option. You have smartphone for browsing, and with android, and soon iOS, you can connect through your phone's 3g connection over wifi. This is the solution I went with. Wasn't sure i'd utilise the US$50 value out of the 3g version.

The problem with using the smartphone as a WiFi AP for your Kindle is that

a) 3G on Kindle is free, forever
b) the price of 3G distribution is already built into the eBook price
c) if you are roaming overseas and decided to browse and buy a book you'd be paying an additional $4 - $10 per book just in roaming fee. Buy four books while roaming and 3G option paid by itself.
d) 3G Kindle just works, no configuration changes anywhere

Now, of course each one has different needs. I was overseas, two countries in the last week alone. Travel a bit more and you are already saving.

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#430454 24-Jan-2011 09:47

I can definitely see the need in your case where travelling is a consideration, and that is definitely a great feature in that regard. But I wouldn't imagine needing to use US$50 worth of data outside my home network, and generally stock up prior to travelling. Just seemed like a significant premium for someone who isn't going overseas as often as yourself. In your case, definitely worthwhile. Mine, not so much.

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#430455 24-Jan-2011 09:49

Yes, you can certainly stock up if needed - I have about 20 unread books on my Kindle - I found one series and bought all ten of them together to read the whole thing in a single go...

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#430485 24-Jan-2011 11:08

NzBeagle: I'd have thought that given the uptake of smartphones more people would look to the wifi option. You have smartphone for browsing, and with android, and soon iOS, you can connect through your phone's 3g connection over wifi. This is the solution I went with. Wasn't sure i'd utilise the US$50 value out of the 3g version.

My reasoning was the Kindle was for my partner, and as she isn't the most technologically savvy, the 3G model meant she can get her books no matter where she is.

The extra $50 is really for the less hassle on my part

miguelwrang

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#430884 25-Jan-2011 09:42

freitasm: You only have newspapers or magazine subscriptions with a US account, which requires a US credit card for these subscriptions.

Are you sure about this? I see that the NYT is available in the Asia Pacific kindle store.

Also, is your 3G kindle linked to a US account? If so, do you worry that they might find out that you're not actually based in the US?

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#430902 25-Jan-2011 10:33

miguelwrang:
freitasm: You only have newspapers or magazine subscriptions with a US account, which requires a US credit card for these subscriptions.

Are you sure about this? I see that the NYT is available in the Asia Pacific kindle store.

Also, is your 3G kindle linked to a US account? If so, do you worry that they might find out that you're not actually based in the US?

Mum signed up for the NYT for a couple of weeks using her NZ credit card. She stopped soon after because there wasn't much stuff in there that related to her. They have the 14 day trial still I think.