Kindle 3 e-reader versus IPad

Loobeylou

I am after a Kindle 3 e-reader or an IPad. (From my limited knowledge I understand the IPad does more). So far I have only read reviews on the Kindle 3 and have yet to research the IPad.

However, I just don't get one or two things, and perhaps some kind person out there can elaborate.

Firstly I have a connected home computer. The Kindle is WiFi - something which is totally new to me. So presumably I can use it not only at home but away on holiday or whatever.

However, there are two versions of the Kindle 3, one is 3G and WiFi, and the other is just WiFi (I think!). Can anyone explain why I would need to have one over the other?

Presumably if I get one I have to set up an account on it, so that I can download books. Can anyone give me some advice on how I go about all of this and whether it is a complicated process?

Do I then pay for the account or not. And do you need security features on it as you do with a computer? Is the security bit something that you would perhaps need more if getting the IPad rather than the Kindle?

penrhyn

Why don't you read up on the specifications on both devices?
You can download a Kindle application for you PC to see how it works, you'll need an Amazon account, howver there are loads of free books available from the Kindle store.

Kindle from £109
iPad from £420

Carer

Ok here goes:
I have a a kindle 3 and it's fantastic.
There are two versions, wifi and 3g.
Wifi connects from home or wherever you have wifi signal and the 3g can connect on the move like a mobile.

When you purchase the kindle it gives the option to be linked to your existing amazon account (if you don't have one you can set it up).

This just means it's all ready to go when it arrives, all you have to do is put in your wifi details (you will need a router with wireless capability but most people with broadband will have that already) and the rest is done for you. I bought the wifi version, I couldn't justify paying the extra for a fuction I would probably never use (the 3g). You only use the wifi or 3g when actually downloading a book, and as I do that at home (have several hundred books on there atm) I see no point in the 3g option.

There are several hundred free books on the kindle store (so far I have only ever purchased one book, all the rest have been free). All you do is click the buy button and it arrives on your kindle in a few seconds.

There is no fee for a kindle account, it's just linked to your amazon details for ease of use. You can download books from other sources too, which again, is very easy to do. No security is needed.

It's very lightweight, extremely easy to use and a joy to have, I love mine. Battery life is amazing, lasts around a month.

The Ipad is a tablet pc, a completely different thing altogether.

Loobeylou

Carer - Many thanks for the explanation - I do have broadband but have no idea about the "wireless router" - is a modem the same thing as a router? Probably not ... ?

I also would tend to download from home, and it would be a saving in the cost of the Kindle - I'm not away often enough to necessarily need the 3G version, but I'm totally clueless in the router department, and have no idea on dealing with this so that I have a wireless router. Maybe the cost of getting one and setting it up outweighs the cost of the 3G Kindle but I have absolutely no idea about these things.

If anyone can clarify then please go ahead!

On looking into this further I realised that I do already have an Amazon account set up due to a previous purchase.

Thanks also to penrhyn - I have got the Kindle app on my computer now and have just managed to transfer my account to Amazon.co.uk from the US version - wondered why all the prices were coming up in dollars!

kabayiri

LoobeyLou, what is it for?

If it's for reading books then the Kindle looks like the device for you. It can do a couple of other things, but that is it's forte.

The iPad aims to address a different market, and some would say it's a new market. Multimedia, browsing the web, messaging. To me the iPad is a bigger experience along the lines of what you can now get on some phones.

buglawton

Anyone tried a Times subscription a the latest Kindle? Could an elderly person manage it?

Loobeylou

To be honest I think it's the Kindle I'm after rather than the IPad ...

Carer

What we need to know is how you connect to the internet. Does the cable from your pc go into a wall socket or into an adsl/cable router? A Router with wireless will almost certainly have an antenna and usually 4 sockets for plugging in pcs.
If you Google wireless router you can see pics - can't post links yet sorry.

Loobeylou

My PC is plugged into a BT Voyager 105 USB ADSL Modem, which has two leads from/to it - the system is plugged into a BT wall socket. It certainly doesn't look anything like the wireless routers on the Internet with the anntenna.

Carer

your router isn't wireless then.
It's not much of an issue, you can download the books to your pc and just put them on the kindle using the supplied usb cable instead.

Loobeylou

OK many thanks Carer - must admit I hadn't even thought along that route, but it all makes sense in view of the fact that I now have the app on my computer.

Can anyone think of any good reason why I shouldn't go down this route and that the WiFi and 3G would be a better option? Presumably if I download the books before going away, I can then just read them at leisure and will not need internet connection which can be a bit hit and miss at the hotel we go to.

But presumably I could still get on to the Internet in a WiFi hotspot? Would I need any add ons to take with me?