Kindle 3G + WiFi Review

Tagline: Amazon’s revolutionary wireless reading device – now with 3G.

Summary: The latest Kindle offers the following new and/or improved feature compared to previous Kindle generations: high-contrast pearl e-ink screen; ability to read off Kindle in bright sunlight; new and improved fonts; sleeker design; more lightweight; longer battery life; double the storage; ability to download books in 60 seconds; free 3G wireless (within the United States); built-in WiFi; faster page turns; enhanced PDF reader; and experimental web browser.

5 Words/Phrases: Extremely convenient to have all my books in one device; absolutely no eye strain even if reading off Kindle for hours on end thanks to pearl e-ink technology; 3G and Wi-Fi enables me to download books anywhere in the world (extremely convenient when traveling, for obvious reasons!); keyboard and page turn buttons are easy to use; can highlight and annotate text fairly easily

Most Impressed By: Well, pretty much everything. The Kindle delivers on every single thing it claims. I travel a lot, particularly as a study abroad student, and it’s a relief to be able to have all my books in one light, compact device that has a month-long battery life (with wireless turned off). The fact that I can download English books in China through 3G or Wi-Fi is no small feat, either; bookstores that do carry English language books tend to be very expensive, especially compared to e-book prices. I am a fast reader and like to read books in one sitting (I finished each of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium books in one sitting, respectively) so the fact that my eyes feel no strain from staring at the screen for hours on end is a huge plus. The experimental features – web browser, mp3 player, and text-to-speech – are pretty good too, especially considering they are still experimental.

Aside from the ability to read books on the Kindle, I also really enjoy the PDF reader. I am reading my friend’s dissertation on my Kindle, which is much more convenient than printing off 80+ pages to read or reading them on a computer screen. Additionally, seeing as Kindle allows you to highlight and mark up text, I’ve been annotating the dissertation just like I would if it were on paper.

Least Impressed By: …nothing. Honestly, nothing. Perhaps the price could drop a little, but for all the Kindle offers and seeing the price of competing devices, I think the Kindle is reasonably priced.

Comments: Can’t say anything about other e-readers, like the Nook, as the most I’ve ever played around with one was with the display model in a bookstore. But you definitely can’t go wrong with the Kindle.

Overall Rating: 10/10

Cross-posted from breakthesky.net. Please leave any comments there.