Kindle anyone? (4/20/11 - Library access "Overdrive" in 2011)

[Luanne Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Luanne]

Older dd has expressed an interest in getting a Kindle. Since this is nothing I have any interest in, at least not yet, I know next to nothing about them. Can anyone give me a quick and dirty run down of what I should look for? I know currently there are models for $139 and $189. I've been told the more expensive one is better as you can access it from more places. Is that the only difference. I'd appreciate input from anyone who has one, or from people who ended up with another e-reader instead. TIA.

[bnoble Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bnoble]

That's the only difference. Unless you travel a lot, it is probably unnecessary, as the less expensive version has wifi and can be used anywhere you have wireless internet coverage.

I like mine a lot, though my iPad has mostly replaced it. I'm buying one for my daughter, and re-cycling mine for my sone. I no longer buy "dead tree" books; electronic ones only.

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

My son needed one for School because he needed a book right away and no one had it in the area so he bought it and downloaded it to the Kindle. He feels the cheaper model is better because of the battery life, The others have more features but the battery dies in under 8 hours where he can get a month out of his. He likes the idea he can high light a paragraph and it saves it his quick view notes. I will see if he has anything to ad and if he can spare some time from School to respond here.

[Nancy Platinum Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close Nancy]

I've had one since August. I got the $139 one because I didn't think I'd need to use it that much where I didn't have WiFi. I check the Kindle forums everyday and have downloaded lots of free books. I like mine.

Nancy

ps. If you have any specific questions, I'll try to answer, but I'm no expert on it.

[Luanne Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Luanne]

Thanks bnoble, Frank and Nancy.

Frank, I'll be interested if your son has more input.

Dd started thinking about getting one because there are a lot of her books she wants to keep and dh has been bugging her about the storage of them. She's thinking if she can store her favorites on a Kindle, she can get rid of the hard copies.

[Glitter Brunello Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Glitter Brunello]

I have the older model, even less high tech than the new lower cost one, and I love it.

I would take the wifi ($139) one instead of the 4g - I rarely have a problem being able to download and the battery life is fantastic. Ok, so I can't download a new book at the beach, but so what? I can still read everything that's on it.

[Luanne Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Luanne]

The house dd is living in doesn't have wifi. Would the cheaper model still be better for her?

[Glitter Brunello Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Glitter Brunello]

The house dd is living in doesn't have wifi. Would the cheaper model still be better for her?

Kindle accesses AT&T wifi hotspots for free, it doesn't need personal wifi, though it accesses that too. Question is whether AT&T reaches where she lives - it may and you may not know it.

Here's a good article:

Kindle 3G Vs. Kindle WiFi: Who Wins Where | Best Ereaders

[Luanne Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Luanne]

Kindle accesses AT&T wifi hotspots for free, it doesn't need personal wifi, though it accesses that too. Question is whether AT&T reaches where she lives - it may and you may not know it.

Here's a good article:

Kindle 3G Vs. Kindle WiFi: Who Wins Where | Best Ereaders

Well, she has an AT&T cell phone and can use that where she lives. Does that help?

I just want to make sure to get her the model that she'll be able to use.

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

Thanks bnoble, Frank and Nancy.

Frank, I'll be interested if your son has more input.

Dd started thinking about getting one because there are a lot of her books she wants to keep and dh has been bugging her about the storage of them. She's thinking if she can store her favorites on a Kindle, she can get rid of the hard copies.

I just emailed him I hope by tonight he can answer

[pittle Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close pittle]

I wanted one for a long time, but could not justify the price until recently. I bought the $139 WIFI one in August and really do like it. I recently went on a 5 week vacation and had downloaded a bunch of books before I left. While in Puerto Vallarta, I wanted to download one more for the flight home and was able to do so using WIFI so that was great. If we did not have WIFI, I would have had to search a WIFI hotspot somewhere. So, if she does not have WIFI at home, she will always be looking for a place to download her books and the 3G version might be best. It works anywhere that has AT&T and is $50 extra upfront but no fees in the future for downloads.

One feature I love with the Kindle is that you can use the Whispernet to have the same book on your laptop or desktop, and smartphone. The Kindle will hold 3500 books.

The Kindle is great in that you can take as many books with you as you want at any time and it all fits in a small space. I bought the leather cover just before I left for vacation and really did like it better than just holding the Kindle. It feels more like a real book and protects the Kindle somewhat.

[Luanne Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Luanne]

Thanks. If I end up getting her the more expensive Kindle she can buy her own cover. I did get a recommendation to buy the 2-year warantee. Is that worth it?

[Nancy Platinum Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close Nancy]

I used Square Trade for my warranty.

Nancy

[Luanne Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Luanne]

I used Square Trade for my warranty.

Nancy

What is Square Trade?

Never mind, I just googled it. Thanks for the input. I'm guessing (didn't check against the cost on amazon) that the warantee is less on Square Trade.

[Glitter Brunello Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Glitter Brunello]

Well, she has an AT&T cell phone and can use that where she lives. Does that help?

I just want to make sure to get her the model that she'll be able to use.

no, the phones use 3g/4g, not wifi