Kindle 3g Review
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I recently bought an Amazon Kindle 3g ebook reader for a family member and was so thoroughly impressed that I immediately bought one for myself as well. For those unfamiliar with the Kindle electronic book reader, it's a small (7.5 × 4.8 × 0.34 inches) device that lets you download and read books in digital formats -- as well as pdf files and other documents.
the screen:
The quality of the black-and-white, non-illuminated display is amazing. It looks almost like black laser print on glossy white paper. There is no visible limitation on the display's viewing angle in any direction. Of course, as with a book, you will need a light source. Unlike a backlit LCD, however, bright light -- including sunlight -- only makes this display look better.
The beautiful display goes a long way toward making reading ebooks as convenient as reading a paper book.
In my case, reading ebooks with a Kindle is considerably more convenient than reading a physical book. I find the screen's contrast to be better than a paperback and the weight, at 8.7 ounces, feels noticeably lighter than a hardback.
It is also nice to not have to deal with curving pages, which are especially bad near the beginning and end of paperback books.
reading features:
The biggest advantage, however, that the Kindle holds over dead-tree books may be the scalable fonts. There are eight font sizes available. While I can easily read the smallest Kindle text, I find that I read faster with fonts larger than typical book type.
Page turning is easier as well. The next page button is large and conveniently located. Just above that button is a smaller previous page button. There are matching pairs of these page-turning buttons on each side of the Kindle.
The built-in dictionary is easily accessed while reading. Just click the up or down arrow and a dictionary pointer appears. Just move the pointer to the target word and a brief definition pops up at the end of the page. If that's not enough, it also lets you press a single key for the full definition.
The Kindle also allows you to rotate the display for a landscape view instead of the normal portrait orientation. That is particularly useful for some diagrams and certain file types, as well for web browsing, which we'll discuss below.
In the first few days after my Kindle arrived, I loaded it with over 180 books. While some of the books were quite large, they only consumed about 5% of the Kindle's 3.2 GB of available capacity.
free books:
Even better, those first 180 books cost me nothing. Most of these free books are out-of-copyright classics transcribed into digital format by the Gutenberg Project. Check the end of this review for a list of free ebook resources.
audio:
One of the nicest features of the Kindle is the text-to-speech function. Yes, you can have your Kindle read to you -- in either a male or a female voice. You can listen through the built-in stereo speakers or you can plug your headphones or earbuds into the standard jack.
You can also load up the Kindle with music files and play those while you read, if you wish. The music playing function is quite limited and will only play your songs in order, one after another. Other than the pause/play and next-song key combinations, it's missing the normal music player controls.
networking:
In addition to being an outstanding book reader, the Kindle 3g includes Wi-Fi capability and free 3g wireless Internet access.
There is a simple web browser in the experimental section of the Kindle menu that gives you general access to whatever websites you wish, at least in the US. With the browser, you can download free ebooks from a variety of websites. (Note the word, experimental, above. It suggests to me that the browser isn't complete and it leaves open the option of replacing -- or even removing -- the current browser.)
battery:
Note that leaving the wireless function enabled will reduce the Kindle's battery life to maybe a week of moderate use. However, without the wireless enabled and without using the optional lighted case, you should get several weeks of daily use without recharging the built-in Lithium-Polymer battery.
Overall, the Kindle's battery life is excellent.
The Kindle charges from either an A/C adapter or from a USB connection to your computer. Both the A/C adapter and a USB cable are included in the box.
annoyances:
The web browser is, of course, slow when using a 3g connection. I haven't used Wi-Fi but it should be much faster than 3g -- with a decent Internet service.
The next problem is the 5-way controller that substitutes for a mouse. It's usable if a bit clunky for most Kindle functions. However, the web browser requires heavy use of the 5-way controller and, for that, it's tedious, at best.
Sorry to pick on the web browser again, but the font size function -- which works beautifully in book reading -- fails in browsing. You can't set font sizes globally, by session, or even by website. You can only set font sizes by page. I've found that I need to change the font size for most pages. Your mileage may vary. At least it's easy to change the font size.
Perhaps the browser limitations are deliberate. If the Kindle became popular for web browsing, Amazon might have to restrict the Internet access to control costs.
the verdict:
The Kindle 3g is outstanding in its role as a book reader that also happens to be capable of acquiring books independent of a computer. With no ongoing access charges and the online availability of tens of thousands of free books, you can get your money's worth without ever revisiting the Kindle Store.
current prices:
The Kindle 3g costs $189 and includes Wi-Fi in addition to the free 3g service. I bought this model because I don't have Wi-Fi at home and I like having the free backup Internet connection.
The Kindle 3 with Wi-Fi only costs $139 and is identical to the 3g model except for the lack of 3g capability. If you don't need 3g, and especially if you have Wi-Fi at home and don't travel, you can save the $50 difference.
free ebook links:mnybks.net (fits small displays)
Manybooks.net (Many Books main site)
freekindlebooks.org (fast downloads)
Project Gutenberg (main Gutenberg site, top downloads page)
Amazon store top 100 free ebooks (left column priced books, right column free books) |
| | mail this link | -Ray Yeargin, March 31, 2011
(Updated: April 3, 2011)
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