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3G or wi-fi?


specialk

Question

After researching several ebook readers online, I'm going with the Kindle. Now, do I need 3G or is wi-fi good enough? With Kindle, 3G is an extra $50, but there are no contracts/usage fees.

Here's my situation. I don't have (or want) a wireless router at home. I won't be doing much web browsing on the Kindle. Most Amazon books I get would be from me checking out Amazon's site on my home computer, making a list of what I want, then using Kindle to get them.

Are there enough wifi hotspots these days to not have to worry about a connection, or would I have to start hanging out at the ATT store to get the books downloaded? Most all books will be the free ones at Amazon, here:

http://www.amazon.com/s/?node=2245146011

From a list I might grab 2 or 3 at a time. I might rarely buy an ebook. Any ideas? I don't know nothin' about this wireless stuff.

Thanks!

Another site for Kindle owners. 8 Surprising Things You Can Do with Your Kindle:

http://www.technewsdaily.com/6-surprising-...ur-kindle-2501/

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<Long-winded babbling deleted>

If you have no wi-fi at home or plans for wi-fi, I think the 3G would be worth the extra money. It will just work nearly everywhere.

If money is tight, you can just connect the Kindle directly to your computer via USB and get your stuff on it that way, but your online features won't work when you are away from the computer.

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If you have wi-fi at home, that's all you'll likely need for most things, like buying books etc. If you're going to get a subscription to newspapers etc, then you'll still get it "out there" with 3G.

I got the one with 3G "just because" but haven't seen a need for it besides the quick wiki search.

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Why don't you want a wireless router? Security issues? Use WPA2 encryption with a strong password and don't broadcast your SSID and you'll be pretty darn safe.

Yeah, I know. I just like wires I guess, :D

I have an iMac computer with Bluetooth and Airport built in. Are either of these considered wi-fi or wi-fi compatible with the Kindle, maybe?

Like I said, I inhabit a world that is used to wires.

Thanks, Mitch, for letting me know I can wire the Kindle to the computer.

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Why don't you want a wireless router? Security issues? Use WPA2 encryption with a strong password and don't broadcast your SSID and you'll be pretty darn safe.

Yeah, I know. I just like wires I guess, :D

I have an iMac computer with Bluetooth and Airport built in. Are either of these considered wi-fi or wi-fi compatible with the Kindle, maybe?

Like I said, I inhabit a world that is used to wires.

Thanks, Mitch, for letting me know I can wire the Kindle to the computer.

Airport is Apple's name for the wireless utility. It will receive wireless, not transmit. You'd still need a router.

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I think wi-fi should be enough.

Go to a coffee shop with free wi-fi. Download 20 books.

You won't need to get into another wi-fi hotspot for the next 3-6 months (depending on how fast you read).

You'll probably bump into another hotspot at some point during that timespan.

As long as you maintain a list of what you want next, just grab books any time you hit a hotspot and you should never run out of reading material.

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It turns out there's a Sams Club near where I work that's an ATT wi-fi hot spot.

I talked myself into it, talked myself out of it, talked myself back into it, talked myself back out of it.

Ordered the wireless model yesterday. :D

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