mommybee Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 I have some bday money and was thinking of getting a Kindle with it. So do I want the white or black? Do I need the 3G or not and why?? It's such a splurge for me that I want to make the right choice. TIA :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in Austin Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 Color doesn't matter. As far as 3G: how often do you see yourself in a situation where you would want to buy a book but did not have wifi access? If that is worth $50 to you, then buy it. If not, don't. I have a Kindle 2 and I certainly could live without the wifi: the thing holds 1000 books--you certainly can plan ahead to have something to read if you are going to be away from wifi. That said, there is something absolutely delicious about browsing a bookstore, reading samples, and buying a book while watching your kids playing in the park . . . If cost is a big concern, you can check craigslist. That's where I got mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIch elle Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 so 3g is worth it for us - esp. when we're on vacation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RegGuheert Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 It's $50 for 3G service as long as you have the thing, which is a good deal, IMO! You'll appreciate it when you are on a trip and want to find something different to read! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 My mom wants the 3G because she thinks that she can then cancel her internet service--is that accurate, do you think? She hardly ever uses it, & when she does, it's primarily for email. Dh thinks the 3G is more a description of what powers the kindle than free, unlimited internet for the life of the machine. Seems too good to be true.:confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RegGuheert Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 My mom wants the 3G because she thinks that she can then cancel her internet service--is that accurate, do you think? She hardly ever uses it, & when she does, it's primarily for email. Dh thinks the 3G is more a description of what powers the kindle than free, unlimited internet for the life of the machine. Seems too good to be true.:confused:No, you cannot browse the internet over 3G. ETA: What you CAN do with 3G is spend money for Amazon books from practically anywhere! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 I didn't get 3G because (1) we can't afford it, and (2) I never go anywhere, and if I do, there's always a place that has wifi (libraries, my stepmother's house in KY). My kids think this is a travesty, but they don't pay the bills. If money is an issue -- and you'd rather spend it on books or a cover -- I'd get the ordinary Kindle. If not, I'd spring for 3G in a heartbeat, just because I love high tech stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in Austin Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 Another option if you want 3G and are trying to save money would be to find a Kindle 2 on ebay or craigslist. I would think they should be <$100 at this point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolly Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 No, you cannot browse the internet over 3G. ETA: What you CAN do with 3G is spend money for Amazon books from practically anywhere! My ds spent hours on our trip this weekend browsing the internet. He couldn't watch youtube, but he certainly surfed plenty! It would work fine for checking email. That said, I don't think the 3g is worth it for most people. For one, they use ATT coverage which is not so hot. Our town is not even in it at all. We have to travel almost an hour to get to the edge areas. They have a map you can check to see if you would even be able to receive coverage. If on vacation, there are so many places that have free wifi you could hit if you needed a new download. Pretty much all hotels have it. Most fast food joints provide it. The internet use on the Kindle is fairly limited and a little annoying to me. For a very bored 13 yo boy, it can provide some entertainment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIch elle Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 No, you cannot browse the internet over 3G. But it's not easy and it doesn't look good either. (Menu - Experimental - Basic Web) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 No, you cannot browse the internet over 3G. ETA: What you CAN do with 3G is spend money for Amazon books from practically anywhere! So 3G = instant access to Amazon *only*? :tongue_smilie: Good grief. I'm glad to know. She'd be *so* disappointed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurel Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 No, you cannot browse the internet over 3G. ETA: What you CAN do with 3G is spend money for Amazon books from practically anywhere! Actually, you can browse the internet over 3G. I wouldn't recommend it except in a pinch, because I think it's slow, but I may just be spoiled. (I also rarely browse for books on my Kindle because it's slow, so all signs point to me being spoiled.) Aubrey, if your mom truly only uses the internet to check e-mail in a great while, then she probably could cancel it and just use the Kindle. Again, I wouldn't recommend it, and it's not what I would do, but it would be possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurel Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 So 3G = instant access to Amazon *only*? :tongue_smilie: Good grief. I'm glad to know. She'd be *so* disappointed! No, no, no, not true at all. See my above post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RegGuheert Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 Yes, you can browse the web on Kindle. But it's not easy and it doesn't look good either. (Menu - Experimental - Basic Web)Sorry, but I didn't say you cannot browse the web on a Kindle. I said you cannot browse the web over 3G. That's how it works on my Nook and I'm willing to bet the Kindle is no different. (And, yes, the browser on the Nook stinks also.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 My ds spent hours on our trip this weekend browsing the internet. He couldn't watch youtube, but he certainly surfed plenty! It would work fine for checking email. That said, I don't think the 3g is worth it for most people. For one, they use ATT coverage which is not so hot. Our town is not even in it at all. We have to travel almost an hour to get to the edge areas. They have a map you can check to see if you would even be able to receive coverage. If on vacation, there are so many places that have free wifi you could hit if you needed a new download. Pretty much all hotels have it. Most fast food joints provide it. The internet use on the Kindle is fairly limited and a little annoying to me. For a very bored 13 yo boy, it can provide some entertainment. So if you didn't have internet access at home (or wanted to cancel it) & only used the internet for email, would the 3G be a good idea? Mom's in a big city, so I'd be surprised if ATT doesn't have coverage there. Otoh, she rarely goes to places that offer free wifi, so that doesn't help her much. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolly Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 Sorry, but I didn't say you cannot browse the web on a Kindle. I said you cannot browse the web over 3G. That's how it works on my Nook and I'm willing to bet the Kindle is no different. (And, yes, the browser on the Nook stinks also.) Yes, you can browse over the 3G with Kindle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurel Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 Sorry, but I didn't say you cannot browse the web on a Kindle. I said you cannot browse the web over 3G. That's how it works on my Nook and I'm willing to bet the Kindle is no different. (And, yes, the browser on the Nook stinks also.) The Kindle is different than the Nook. You can browse the web over 3G. My 2nd gen Kindle (without WiFi) can browse the web. The Amazon Kindle page says "New WebKit-Based Browser – Free 3G web browsing (experimental)" so the 3rd gen Kindle is no different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurel Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 So if you didn't have internet access at home (or wanted to cancel it) & only used the internet for email, would the 3G be a good idea? Mom's in a big city, so I'd be surprised if ATT doesn't have coverage there. Otoh, she rarely goes to places that offer free wifi, so that doesn't help her much. :001_smile: Yes, in that case, the 3G would definitely be worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolly Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 So if you didn't have internet access at home (or wanted to cancel it) & only used the internet for email, would the 3G be a good idea? Mom's in a big city, so I'd be surprised if ATT doesn't have coverage there. Otoh, she rarely goes to places that offer free wifi, so that doesn't help her much. :001_smile: She could. It would probably be best if she were able to try it out using someone else's Kindle. It really is a little annoying with the speed and the tiny screen. It will work, however. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 Actually, you can browse the internet over 3G. I wouldn't recommend it except in a pinch, because I think it's slow, but I may just be spoiled. (I also rarely browse for books on my Kindle because it's slow, so all signs point to me being spoiled.) Aubrey, if your mom truly only uses the internet to check e-mail in a great while, then she probably could cancel it and just use the Kindle. Again, I wouldn't recommend it, and it's not what I would do, but it would be possible. She's barely willing to pay for better-than-dial-up, so I'm guessing the speed will be fine w/ her. I can hardly email her because she only turns her computer on once a month or so. A kindle might be a huge improvement for her. But she's not intuitive w/ computers, so I'm not sure. She's dying for one, though, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RegGuheert Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 Sorry about the wrong information. That said, I did a little more research and found this emailed information from Amazon: “Thank you for contacting amazon about the new Kindle. The new Kindle uses a new experimental web browser based on the industry-leading open source Web browser engine, WebKit. This means the updated browser is faster and easier to navigate. As it is an experimental feature, not all websites can be accessed through the Kindle device. The 3G will remain free and if it were to change, the information will be on the Amazon website. “Also you stated you are concerned over “You may use the wireless connectivity provided by us only in connection with the Service. You may not use the wireless connectivity for any other purpose” in Amazon’s terms and conditions. This is in regards to using the browser for any other purpose other than browsing. It will not have the same capabilities as the browser on your home computer, so any attachments can only be transferred to your Kindle device, as long as they are formatted to PDF, and cannot be opened on the Kindle device if you are successful in logging onto your googlemail. “It supports JavaScript, SSL and cookies, but does not support media plug-ins (Flash, Shockwave, etc.) or Java applets. “The web browser is not available in some international countries. However, most customers can access Wikipedia while outside the UK. “For further information about the web browser and other experimental features on Kindle, please see our Help page: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200504480 ” I'm not sure exactly what that means, but it does sound like the browser is intentionally limited to prevent general usage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurel Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 She's barely willing to pay for better-than-dial-up, so I'm guessing the speed will be fine w/ her. I can hardly email her because she only turns her computer on once a month or so. A kindle might be a huge improvement for her. But she's not intuitive w/ computers, so I'm not sure. She's dying for one, though, lol. The Kindle itself is easy to use, and intuitive when it comes to reading books. Super user-friendly that even my mother could do it. My mother is also technologically challenged. the web browser is not as intuitive, but once you've figured out how to get there, it's pretty easy. Ideally, it would be great if she could try one out before she bought it. Does she have a Target near her, so she could go play with one for a bit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 The Kindle itself is easy to use, and intuitive when it comes to reading books. Super user-friendly that even my mother could do it. My mother is also technologically challenged. the web browser is not as intuitive, but once you've figured out how to get there, it's pretty easy. Ideally, it would be great if she could try one out before she bought it. Does she have a Target near her, so she could go play with one for a bit? Yeah, I'll tell her to do that. She played w/ the Nook at B&N, & was sold on that until she saw the 3G. It's funny, because I don't think I've ever seen my mother drool over anything. :lol: Her birthday's in Nov, so I think my sis, bro, & I will go in together on it for her. (If she can wait that long!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommybee Posted September 17, 2010 Author Share Posted September 17, 2010 We have lots of wifi spots around here so I'm thinking I may not need it, but it would be fun to have!! I just wish all these techy things were cheaper in general so I could have them all!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted September 18, 2010 Share Posted September 18, 2010 She could. It would probably be best if she were able to try it out using someone else's Kindle. It really is a little annoying with the speed and the tiny screen. It will work, however. This fall, Kindle will be available for purchase at Staples, Best Buy and Target. Your mom could call first to see if they have one, and then go experiment with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommybee Posted September 18, 2010 Author Share Posted September 18, 2010 I just bought mine at Target! All they had was the 3G and although I probably could live without it I treated myself because I literally never do anything just for me. So excited to get it charged up.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forget-Me-Not Posted September 18, 2010 Share Posted September 18, 2010 That said, there is something absolutely delicious about browsing a bookstore, reading samples, and buying a book while watching your kids playing in the park . . . :iagree:I have a 2nd Gen, so it wasn't even an option to NOT have the wireless. If I were buying now, it would be worth the $50 to me to have that capability. LOVE that I can shop for a book anywhere. Also, I highly recommend the M-Edge case and accompanying booklight. I was hesitant about buying the booklight because I wasn't sure how much I'd actually use it, but I've been surprised. It's been WELL worth it. I can read in the living room if DH wants the light dim for watching TV, or I can read in bed without disturbing him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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