Holly in FL Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 I was considering buying a Kindle 3G for my hubby for his birthday...but, there are quite a few lower reviews on Amazon regarding problems. I understand that I have to put it into perspective here...out of 13,000 reviews...only 1200+ are a 1-3 star. However, I'd like some opinions from anyone here who has one. I have three friends that have the Wi-Fi...but, not the 3G and they love theirs. Of course, I haven't asked if they've had any problems since I hadn't really done any research on them till recently. Thanks! ~Holly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter's Moon Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 I've had mine for a year, and love it. It's got 3G (and is the Kindle 2 model, not the Kindle 3 that's available now), and I've had not problems with it at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom in High Heels Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 I have the new version of the Kindle with 3G. I LOVE IT. I'm afraid I'm developing "Kindle-itis" as it's always attached to my hand. I love that I can have books in 60 seconds. The screen looks like paper. I could wax poetic about the Kindle, but I'll refrain. I don't think you will regret your purchase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jelbe5 Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 I have had mine for about a month. I love it. I have the $139 one. I have only put free books on it so far . . . there are many sites where you can download classics for free. The sceen is amazing - very crisp. You can also put audio books on it if you want. The only bad thing is at this time you cannot borrow ebooks from the library. Our library does not have this feature yet, which is another reason I went with a Kindle. I think in the future this mat be possible with the Kindle. I think you and your dh will be happy with one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linders Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 Just Wi-Fi, no 3G. It will be the 22nd century before I read all that I've already downloaded so I don't need further opportunities to download. Easy to carry around, easy to read, very long life on one charge. Using it way more than I thought I would. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrixieB Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 (edited) I got the WiFi version for Christmas. I'm very happy with it. My dd loves it, and has used it at least 10x as much as I have. So far I've paid for only one book; it was a Bobbsey Twins book my dd wanted to read, and I couldn't find a free copy anywhere. So I spent the 99 cents to make her happy. All of the other 100+ books on it were free downloads, mostly classics. Oh, and I didn't buy the Amazon Kindle case. The one I got was made by M-Edge. I haven't had any issues with my Kindle freezing or restarting. It behaves just fine. Edited January 22, 2011 by TrixieB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeaganS Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 I've had mine for a few months, and haven't paid for a book yet, although I've downloaded about 200. I LOVE it! I didn't know if I would, but I did. I have the $139 one and am very pleased with it overall. Even my "behind-the-times" MIL loved it and is probably getting one soon. The only problem I've had with mine is that for the first week or 2 it kept restarting when I would try to turn it on, which was annoying. It seems to have stopped though, so I don't know what was up with that. I have the Amazon case (this one except without the light feature). I read that this particular case is possibly what caused my Kindle to freeze, but I don't know that for sure. Anyways, I think it's a great product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurel Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 I love, love, love my Kindle. I had a Kindle 2, but for Christmas, dp got me a Kindle 3 with 3G. (Kindle 2 got handed down to kids.) I bought my sister a Kindle 2 as a graduation/birthday gift last year, and my mother a Kindle 3 WiFi (only because she has no cell service where she lives) for Christmas. We all love them. I've had no problems. It has made traveling so much easier for me. I love that I always have a book with me. (And, even if I forget my Kindle, I've got the Kindle app on my phone, so I can continue reading in a pinch.) For the other side, here's a good thread to read: Why I've decided I don't like my Kindle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whereneverever Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 I have a Kindle 3 with WiFi and I love it. Really, really love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jlynn Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 My husband surprised me with one for my birthday last summer. I would never have bought it otherwise. But honestly, I read more now than I did before! I love the fact that I can search for books on Amazon while sitting on the couch, but at the same time don't have internet on it (like the ipad) or I would get too distracted looking online! Its great for what it is...a light weight e-reader. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 I didn't ask for one, but my husband bought me the 3G Kindle 3 for my birthday back in October. I love love love it! It goes everywhere with me. I only bought one book so far, but it was a book club selection and the waiting list at my library was too long. I have enough free books to keep me reading for a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginevra Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 I have a Kindle (it's not the 3G, I think it's the 2?) and I love it more than words can say. I love downloading free books. I love being able to get bestsellers at lower cost than the physical book would be, all in a minute from my bedroom. I love that I can take hundreds of books with me anywhere, but in a slim gadget the size of a paperback. I love that I can highlight and add notes. Even my dh, who is not a book fanatic, is amazed that I love the Kindle like I do. He thought I would sorely miss the physicality of an actual book but I really don't miss that even slightly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly in FL Posted January 23, 2011 Author Share Posted January 23, 2011 Thanks so much, everyone! ~Holly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 I love mine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplain Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 If your library has a subscription to Overdrive, and you think your husband might want to check out and download ebooks from the library, consider a different e-reader. Kobo, Nook, and Sony all play nice with Overdrive, but Kindle doesn't. The Kindle's lack of library ebook support was a deal breaker for me, and I preferred the Sony's touch screen over the Kindle's keyboard. I've had my Sony Reader for a little over a month, and I've already checked out and read over a dozen library ebooks. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 i can't even use the wi-fi or 3G because it won't work in Malaysia but I still LOVE LOVE LOVE my kindle. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyP Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 I have the Kindle 2 with 3G. I got it about a year ago and I really love it. I'm so spoiled to reading books on it I feel put upon when I have to hold an actual book for long periods of time. I also really love it for reading on the treadmill. I enlarge the print and it's about a million times easier to read than a regular book while I walk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeswife Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 I've had mine for a few months, and haven't paid for a book yet, although I've downloaded about 200. I LOVE it! I didn't know if I would, but I did. I have the $139 one and am very pleased with it overall. Even my "behind-the-times" MIL loved it and is probably getting one soon. The only problem I've had with mine is that for the first week or 2 it kept restarting when I would try to turn it on, which was annoying. It seems to have stopped though, so I don't know what was up with that. I have the Amazon case (this one except without the light feature). I read that this particular case is possibly what caused my Kindle to freeze, but I don't know that for sure. Anyways, I think it's a great product. I have a wifi only one as does my oldest son and we love them. We were having the rebooting issue with the non-lighted case mentioned above and when I called Amazon, they gave me a refund for both of the non-lighted cases as well as a $50 credit so we could buy the lighted ones and since getting those we've had no rebooting issues at all. They didn't even balk when I told them about the problem their first question actually was "Do you have the non-lighted cover" when I said yes, they said "Throw them out, we'll be giving you a $50 credit as well as a full refund so you can buy the lighted ones which don't seem to be causing this problem. So as the the Kindle 3, I say go for it they are great just stay away from the non-lighted amazon cover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly in FL Posted January 23, 2011 Author Share Posted January 23, 2011 Thanks for the input regarding lighted case vs non-lighted. ~Holly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly in FL Posted January 23, 2011 Author Share Posted January 23, 2011 If your library has a subscription to Overdrive, and you think your husband might want to check out and download ebooks from the library, consider a different e-reader. Kobo, Nook, and Sony all play nice with Overdrive, but Kindle doesn't. The Kindle's lack of library ebook support was a deal breaker for me, and I preferred the Sony's touch screen over the Kindle's keyboard. I've had my Sony Reader for a little over a month, and I've already checked out and read over a dozen library ebooks. :) Thanks. I'll take a look at those, too. ~Holly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emmy Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 I have the least expensive kindle - the wifi one - and I really love it. I've downloaded bunches of free books and paid for 2 I think. I've also loaded all of my knitting patterns to it in pdf form so I have them with me wherever I go - it's awesome. I don't think I'll ever give up books, but I do like the kindle for the immediate downloads, ability to download classics, and for books that I don't think I would keep and re-read over and over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funschooler5 Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 If your library has a subscription to Overdrive, and you think your husband might want to check out and download ebooks from the library, consider a different e-reader. Kobo, Nook, and Sony all play nice with Overdrive, but Kindle doesn't. The Kindle's lack of library ebook support was a deal breaker for me, and I preferred the Sony's touch screen over the Kindle's keyboard. I've had my Sony Reader for a little over a month, and I've already checked out and read over a dozen library ebooks. :) I was under the impression that Calibre ( http://calibre-ebook.com/ )will turn almost any ebooks into Kindle format. It's a free program...I've converted my own pdfs but haven't tried it with ebooks from my library. I think it should work! P.S. I love my Kindle!! I have the $139 one, and a case with no light (haven't needed one yet, but the case has a place for one). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplain Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 It isn't the format that is the problem with Overdrive ebooks. It is that Amazon isn't interested in making the Kindle compatible with Overdrive. If you think about it, it isn't really in their interest to do so, as plenty of bestsellers are available on Overdrive. If you can borrow them from your library as ebooks, you won't be buying them from Amazon. Technically, you are correct that it can be done with some effort. But it violates the user agreement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Love mine. I ahve the wi-fi one not 3G. I use my mom's wi-fi connection because we don't have one. There's lots of free books, which are the only ones I can afford right now. It won't replace paper books for me but I love having it. I got mine for Christmas and haven't had any problems with it yet. I think it's very user friendly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WiseOwlKnits Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 I have the $139 Kindle. I got it for Christmas. It's awesome!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalicoKat Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 I've had one for a month now and I do love it. :D I have one of the covers with a light, sigh, it's love love love. I can read at night--all night long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyinMD Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 I've got the $139 one and while I do like it I have had constant trouble with it locking up and restarting. I was using it this afternoon for about 2 hours and it froze 4-5 times and restarted probably a dozen times. When that happens it loses it's page which is annoying. I've only had it a month but I haven't heard of others having as much trouble with theirs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 If being able to borrow library books is important to him, first find out if your library system (or any others in your state that you might be able to join) even have the capability. Not all libraries have ebooks, in fact many do not. Those that do often have a small selection, and the wait can be as long as the wait for a physical book. I've heard of people who bought both the Kindle and a Sony or other inexpensive reader, so they can have the best of both worlds. Our budget wouldn't allow us to do that, so I just made a choice (dh asked me which ereader I wanted) based on what worked for me. Have you talked to your dh about it, or are you trying to completely surprise him? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forget-Me-Not Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 LOVE LOVE LOVE my Kindle. I use it all the time. I carry it almost everywhere in my purse and it's great to pull out when I have a few minutes to spend. Mine is 2nd Generation and I haven't had an ounce of trouble with it. Our library system (and the one in the neighboring county) are beyond pathetic and the eBook selection was a joke, so that wasn't such a big deal to me. At the time that I bought mine, the Nook was bigger and slower than the Kindle and I hated the touch screen. The only thing that really gave me any pause was the fact that the memory in the Nook could be expanded, but my Kindle can hold 1500 books at a time and Amazon archives anything I've downloaded and removed, so that was just a non-issue for me. In the end, the Kindle won out because it was faster, smaller and because Amazon has a better book selection and book prices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly in FL Posted January 23, 2011 Author Share Posted January 23, 2011 If being able to borrow library books is important to him, first find out if your library system (or any others in your state that you might be able to join) even have the capability. Not all libraries have ebooks, in fact many do not. Those that do often have a small selection, and the wait can be as long as the wait for a physical book. I've heard of people who bought both the Kindle and a Sony or other inexpensive reader, so they can have the best of both worlds. Our budget wouldn't allow us to do that, so I just made a choice (dh asked me which ereader I wanted) based on what worked for me. Have you talked to your dh about it, or are you trying to completely surprise him? I'm trying to surprise him. I doubt access to library e-books would be top on the list. He is more into church history and the Reformation right now. I did check...and, our library has e-book capability. ~Holly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sun Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 I've got the $139 one and while I do like it I have had constant trouble with it locking up and restarting. I was using it this afternoon for about 2 hours and it froze 4-5 times and restarted probably a dozen times. When that happens it loses it's page which is annoying. I've only had it a month but I haven't heard of others having as much trouble with theirs. You should talk to customer service and get them to send you a new one. They'll ship it out for next-day delivery and give you a prepaid label to return yours. We have two Kindle 3s in our house, and we've never had either of them lock up. Nor has anyone else I know who has one. It's not typical, so get one that works right! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sun Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 And in answer to the OP's question, I love our Kindles. I haven't looked at the Amazon reviews lately, but when I was ordering ours, almost all of the 1 and 2 star reviews were from people who were upset that they hadn't gotten their Kindles yet--even though it clearly stated that they were backordered and had said that for weeks (I'd been pondering getting one for a while and watched the backorder time grow as I waited). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly in FL Posted January 24, 2011 Author Share Posted January 24, 2011 And in answer to the OP's question, I love our Kindles. I haven't looked at the Amazon reviews lately, but when I was ordering ours, almost all of the 1 and 2 star reviews were from people who were upset that they hadn't gotten their Kindles yet--even though it clearly stated that they were backordered and had said that for weeks (I'd been pondering getting one for a while and watched the backorder time grow as I waited). Thanks! ~Holly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 almost all of the 1 and 2 star reviews were from people who were upset that they hadn't gotten their Kindles yet--even though it clearly stated that they were backordered and had said that for weeks Sheesh. The things people get upset about. I don't like the Kindle because I didn't get my Kindle yet. :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeaganS Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 OK, so I'm crazy impressed with Amazon's customer service concerning Kindles. My first Kindle got lost in the mail and they immediately over-nighted me a new one. Then I've been having the issue with the cover causing the Kindle to freeze up, and I saw on this thread to just contact them, so I did yesterday. They told me to throw it out and are refunding me the money and giving me a $25 credit to get the lighted Amazon cover. That is fantastic! They did everything in their power to help me out, and I couldn't be happier. I also saw that they aren't selling my cover anymore, so it looks like they've pulled it because of this issue. Basically, for service alone I'd recommend the Kindle, but I love it anyways! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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