Be advised that it is still useful as a standalone device if you can activate Voice Guide mode.
You can add usb networking by copying a pre-installed usbnet folder to your kindle USB Drive. You can enable USB networking by adding the "auto" file as described in the documentation.
P.S. My karma is only half a million more than
cscat's (give or take) but I am not in a qualifying country. Then of course, I already have three kindle 3's (one with damaged eInk cable, using Voice Guide mode), and a DX, and a DXG, and a K4NT, and a Touch. No need to get greedy here...
If
cscat wants to develop with it, let him have it.