Kindle Dx

 

Get here more detail about Kindle DX Wireless Reading Device, Free 3G, 9.7" Display, Graphite, 3G Works Globally - Latest Generation.

It's no longer necessary to write about how desirable the Kindle is (or, for that matter, e-readers generally). Books and text and reading are with us to stay; only paper is becoming unnecessary. What we can discuss is how well a device performs its intended task(s), and how it compares to its competition on an absolute basis and for the price.

My wife and I share a last gen 6" Kindle and just received a new 6" display K3. I know, Amazon doesn't call it that, but how else can users refer to it? In twenty words or less, it is an improvement over an already excellent product. Smaller, but not too small to be held comfortably. Same size display, but sharper and crisper, better contrast. Easy to use, somewhat smaller keyboard that takes a little, but very little, getting used to. It took me a few hours to stop accidentally pressing some neighboring keys, but now using the keyboard is second nature. And the page turning buttons are silent, but have sufficient tactile feedback, excellent feel.

I found it very easy to duplicate our library from our older Kindle to our new K3, and to activate our home wifi. I don't like to say I "transferred" our books because that could be understood to mean they were taken from our old Kindle to our new one. I say "duplicate" because they reside on both Kindles. The instruction manual is detailed and somewhat lengthy, but very understandable. (It's 200 pages, but don't let that scare you; it's easy to find the parts you need, and you will never need more than a few pages at one time.) The manual is published on the device, as in the past, and can also be downloaded to your computer as a pdf file so you can read the instructions from your computer as you apply them to the K3.

If you have wifi at home, which we do, when you are in range of a wifi that you have activated in your K3, it automatically uses that wifi, instead of connecting to the 3G AT&T network, assuming, of course, you have a 3G+wifi K3. It works faster on my home wifi than on the 3G network, so much so that if I had really thought it through before I bought it, or if I were to buy another, I would probably go wifi only and save . The only reasons to get the 3G+wifi model would seem to be if you don't have reliable access to wifi or if you travel a good deal to places that don't have a lot of wifi access, but do have AT&T connectivity AND you have need to download books or periodicals on a regular basis or without delay while you are away from home or office. If you can plan ahead and stock up on a few good books, and you have reliable access to wifi, such as at home/office, McDonalds or Starbucks, I suggest you think twice about whether you want the 3G+wifi K3, or the wifi only.

Each K3 has its own email address and you can send documents to it, including Word and pdf docs, and photos. Of course, the photos are B&W, but very detailed and clear. The K3 permits surfing the web, although I haven't used it much for that purpose and, other than saying it works, I hesitate to pass judgment on how well I think someone who uses it for web browsing would like it.

I can't compare it to other dedicated e-readers because I haven't used them. People seem to be interested in how I think it compares to the iPad, which I don't own but have "played with" somewhat extensively at the Apple Store. My assessment is that there is no comparison. The iPad will do much more, but as an e-reader I think the K3 is superior. I don't need color for reading text, the K3 is a fraction of the cost, and its smaller size makes it much more convenient to tote around. However, what kills the iPad as an e-reader, as far as I am concerned, is its weight. I suspect most of us are the same in this regard, but I tend to read for an hour or two at a stretch. A pound and a half doesn't sound too heavy, but I held an iPad for five minutes, literally, and my hands ached. It is simply too heavy to use as a book reading device, while the K3 is light as a feather. For reading, a cheaper and significantly lighter K3 as a dedicated e-reader is, IMHO, the way to go (compared to an iPad). BTW, a recent (in Aug. 2010) report from Taiwan said Apple in making a 6" iPod, which, depending on size and weight, could change the equation. It will be interesting to see how the e-reader market develops. I said I can't compare the K3 to other competitors, and I won't, but I can say I am completely satisfied with Amazon as an e-book seller. I've only had a few occasions to need support (on my old Kindle), but that has also been entirely satisfactory.

Get here more detail about Kindle DX Wireless Reading Device, Free 3G, 9.7" Display, Graphite, 3G Works Globally - Latest Generation.

 

...