3G or not 3G?

jem16 · 10-12-2010, 05:49 AM

Trying to make up my mind about whether or not I need 3G and the extra cost of £40.

I have WiFi at home and see this as the most likely place to download books. 3G might be handy on the odd occasion but not so much for downloading books - perhaps other things. A few questions;

1. I know 3G is included and no monthly charge. However is there an extra charge put onto the cost of downloading a book if you use 3G as opposed to WiFi? Obviously UK would be main use but is there a charge in other countries?

2. I use GMail - is it possible to connect to GMail or am I limited to what I can browse with the experimental browser?

scott h · 10-12-2010, 06:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jem16

Trying to make up my mind about whether or not I need 3G and the extra cost of £40.

I have WiFi at home and see this as the most likely place to download books. 3G might be handy on the odd occasion but not so much for downloading books - perhaps other things. A few questions;

1. I know 3G is included and no monthly charge. However is there an extra charge put onto the cost of downloading a book if you use 3G as opposed to WiFi? Obviously UK would be main use but is there a charge in other countries?

2. I use GMail - is it possible to connect to GMail or am I limited to what I can browse with the experimental browser?

i like the 3g. In the us, browsing is free, there is small charge to transfer stuff via 3g. I don't believe Amazon charges extra for the 3g transfer from books bought from them.

I am in wi-fi area enough, so I have it set to only transfer things to me when I'm in wi-fi.

I do use the 3g for light browsing and email on occasion. So far, I've seen no restrictions. Gmail works just fine.

TheKindleWorm · 10-12-2010, 06:58 AM

I have the 3G model and for me it was worth the extra cost particularly as we have regular weekends with my sister-in-law who has no Internet connection at all. The kindle always comes in handy for that.

If you receive personal documents by 3G there is a charge but I'm not sure about buying books abroad - not something I have tried. You can limit what you might be charged on the Manage your Kindle page on Amazon if cost is a concern.

Gmail is no problem - I regularly check emails and write new ones on the Kindle. Never had an issue with this - it's a very handy feature. Some websites work better than others on the Kindle, just a matter of trial and error.

jem16 · 10-12-2010, 07:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scott h

In the us, browsing is free, there is small charge to transfer stuff via 3g.

What kind of stuff do you mean?

Quote:

I don't believe Amazon charges extra for the 3g transfer from books bought from them.

Ok - thanks.

Quote:

I do use the 3g for light browsing and email on occasion. So far, I've seen no restrictions. Gmail works just fine.

So there appears to be no extra charge on browsing, use of email?

jem16 · 10-12-2010, 07:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheKindleWorm

I have the 3G model and for me it was worth the extra cost particularly as we have regular weekends with my sister-in-law who has no Internet connection at all. The kindle always comes in handy for that.

Could be useful for that but I have my iphone for that use. Was really thinking on the odd occasions I go abroad and don't use my iphone as roaming charges are prohibitive. Then the Kindle might allow basic use for browsing or email.

Quote:

If you receive personal documents by 3G there is a charge but I'm not sure about buying books abroad - not something I have tried. You can limit what you might be charged on the Manage your Kindle page on Amazon if cost is a concern.

No intention of receiving personal documents but would be interested in whether or not book downloads would cost.

Quote:

Gmail is no problem - I regularly check emails and write new ones on the Kindle. Never had an issue with this - it's a very handy feature. Some websites work better than others on the Kindle, just a matter of trial and error.

Thanks.

TotallyEpic · 10-12-2010, 07:09 AM

Book prices include the cost of transfer, even though they say its free, but no, you don't pay any extra than the price of the book.

You can limit the charges you pay on your Kindle page, and if you set it to £0.00, you will not be charged for anything, or allowed to do anything that you would be charged for.

jem16 · 10-12-2010, 07:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TotallyEpic

Book prices include the cost of transfer, even though they say its free, but no, you don't pay any extra than the price of the book.

So no matter where I download a book, in the UK at home or any other country when on holiday, there is no extra charge? So if a book was free it would be free anywhere?

If I'm outwith the UK do I connect to Amazon UK to buy my book?

Quote:

You can limit the charges you pay on your Kindle page, and if you set it to £0.00, you will not be charged for anything, or allowed to do anything that you would be charged for.

That's handy to know. Thanks.

Peake · 10-12-2010, 09:53 AM

There are restrictions abroad on the web browsing/internet access. I don't recall which country, I wasn't charged extra when a book I bought was downloaded, but I could only access the Kindle store and wikipedia. No email

Regards,
Peake

jem16 · 10-12-2010, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peake

There are restrictions abroad on the web browsing/internet access. I don't recall which country, I wasn't charged extra when a book I bought was downloaded, but I could only access the Kindle store and wikipedia. No email

Regards,
Peake

Thanks.

Would be helpful to find out where I could use 3G for browsing/email.

FF2 · 10-12-2010, 02:32 PM

I may ultimately be sorry but I went with wifi only on my new k3 figuring I would be rarely in need of a book fix when wifi was not available. I did not think too much about BROWSING, as frankly, I did know much about the browser. I decided that I could apply the extra $50 to the purchase of ebooks (actually, I purchased the Amazon case with booklight but would have purchased that anyway).

I guess browsing with 3g might be more secure than using certain wifi sites - that could be a consideration. My work wifi notes that it is not secure so I tend to limit what I log on from it.

curstpriest · 10-13-2010, 12:45 AM

3g is pretty useless. Web browsing isn't exactly fast by any means on the kindle - it can't even follow most links/external links, it reminds me very much of 128k ISDN. Seems slower than my 3g phone (probably the browser's fault). If a site has a mobile (phone) version you should be ok. But it's really really really really slow on 3g. Like 5 seconds for text only pages minimum. If there are images and such expect to wait significantly longer. Many pages will hang/not display correctly. Some pages will take so long to load that the device will run out of memory and fail to display the page at all.

If you are going to use the web for blogs and stuff, and you are going to use Google reader, then 3g is probably worth it, but other than that, its use is minimal. Wiki/dictionary stuff is also viable.

Unless you are getting DX model, you will also have wifi to fall back on.

If 40$ is not a lot to you, just get it. I mean, who cares... it's only 40$?

desertblues · 10-13-2010, 02:27 AM

Well;I'm on holiday in Paris. The wifi of the hotel for my iPad isn't working , but I can at least check my mail on my Kindle 3G (though slow); so yes, I'm happy I spend the extra $.

Josieb1 · 10-13-2010, 06:14 AM

I have both, but use the 3G as my main kindle, I have wifi at work but nothing will download due to the work firewall but my 3G does download at work so for me its worth it. I am a sucker for the samples and always download anything that catches my eye.

alpha03 · 10-13-2010, 07:31 AM

For me the choice was simple. Free 3G for Kindle is not available in Dubai, so I bought my kindle wifi and I am happy with it.

mewmartigan · 10-13-2010, 08:06 AM

I bought the WiFi becuase I am rarely in a spot without it. I only read books so I don't depend on daily updates of newspapers or anything like that.
I always have at least 4 or 5 books on the Kindle I haven't read so its no biggie if I find myself somewhere with no wifi for a few days.

You mentioned that you have an Iphone. I would definitely take that web browser and gmail access over the Kindle's any day.

10-12-2010, 05:49 AM	#1
jem16 Member Posts: 11 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: iPhone	3G or not 3G? Trying to make up my mind about whether or not I need 3G and the extra cost of £40. I have WiFi at home and see this as the most likely place to download books. 3G might be handy on the odd occasion but not so much for downloading books - perhaps other things. A few questions; 1. I know 3G is included and no monthly charge. However is there an extra charge put onto the cost of downloading a book if you use 3G as opposed to WiFi? Obviously UK would be main use but is there a charge in other countries? 2. I use GMail - is it possible to connect to GMail or am I limited to what I can browse with the experimental browser?

10-12-2010, 06:58 AM	#3
TheKindleWorm Guru Posts: 860 Karma: 177868 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: East Anglia UK Device: Kindle 3G, iPhone 3G, iPod 4G, PB 360, Sony 600 sold, Kindle 2i sold	I have the 3G model and for me it was worth the extra cost particularly as we have regular weekends with my sister-in-law who has no Internet connection at all. The kindle always comes in handy for that. If you receive personal documents by 3G there is a charge but I'm not sure about buying books abroad - not something I have tried. You can limit what you might be charged on the Manage your Kindle page on Amazon if cost is a concern. Gmail is no problem - I regularly check emails and write new ones on the Kindle. Never had an issue with this - it's a very handy feature. Some websites work better than others on the Kindle, just a matter of trial and error.

10-12-2010, 07:09 AM	#6
TotallyEpic Enthusiast Posts: 31 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2010 Device: Kindle 3 3G + Wifi	Book prices include the cost of transfer, even though they say its free, but no, you don't pay any extra than the price of the book. You can limit the charges you pay on your Kindle page, and if you set it to £0.00, you will not be charged for anything, or allowed to do anything that you would be charged for.

10-12-2010, 09:53 AM	#8
Peake Member Posts: 22 Karma: 32 Join Date: May 2009 Device: none	There are restrictions abroad on the web browsing/internet access. I don't recall which country, I wasn't charged extra when a book I bought was downloaded, but I could only access the Kindle store and wikipedia. No email Regards, Peake

10-12-2010, 02:32 PM	#10
FF2 Wizard Posts: 1,105 Karma: 1025784 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: WiFi Kindle3	I may ultimately be sorry but I went with wifi only on my new k3 figuring I would be rarely in need of a book fix when wifi was not available. I did not think too much about BROWSING, as frankly, I did know much about the browser. I decided that I could apply the extra $50 to the purchase of ebooks (actually, I purchased the Amazon case with booklight but would have purchased that anyway). I guess browsing with 3g might be more secure than using certain wifi sites - that could be a consideration. My work wifi notes that it is not secure so I tend to limit what I log on from it.

10-13-2010, 12:45 AM	#11
curstpriest Confused Posts: 402 Karma: 5538 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Bay Area Device: Kindle DXG	3g is pretty useless. Web browsing isn't exactly fast by any means on the kindle - it can't even follow most links/external links, it reminds me very much of 128k ISDN. Seems slower than my 3g phone (probably the browser's fault). If a site has a mobile (phone) version you should be ok. But it's really really really really slow on 3g. Like 5 seconds for text only pages minimum. If there are images and such expect to wait significantly longer. Many pages will hang/not display correctly. Some pages will take so long to load that the device will run out of memory and fail to display the page at all. If you are going to use the web for blogs and stuff, and you are going to use Google reader, then 3g is probably worth it, but other than that, its use is minimal. Wiki/dictionary stuff is also viable. Unless you are getting DX model, you will also have wifi to fall back on. If 40$ is not a lot to you, just get it. I mean, who cares... it's only 40$?

10-13-2010, 02:27 AM	#12
desertblues Home for the moment Posts: 5,127 Karma: 27718936 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: travelling Device: various	Well;I'm on holiday in Paris. The wifi of the hotel for my iPad isn't working , but I can at least check my mail on my Kindle 3G (though slow); so yes, I'm happy I spend the extra $.

10-13-2010, 06:14 AM	#13
Josieb1 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,009 Karma: 18018738 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: UK Device: Kobo Forma, Libra2, Clara 2e, Kindle PW SE & Kindle 2022	I have both, but use the 3G as my main kindle, I have wifi at work but nothing will download due to the work firewall but my 3G does download at work so for me its worth it. I am a sucker for the samples and always download anything that catches my eye.

10-13-2010, 07:31 AM	#14
alpha03 Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 340 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: kindle	For me the choice was simple. Free 3G for Kindle is not available in Dubai, so I bought my kindle wifi and I am happy with it.

10-13-2010, 08:06 AM	#15
mewmartigan Guru Posts: 852 Karma: 8242060 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: Kindle Oasis (2019)	I bought the WiFi becuase I am rarely in a spot without it. I only read books so I don't depend on daily updates of newspapers or anything like that. I always have at least 4 or 5 books on the Kindle I haven't read so its no biggie if I find myself somewhere with no wifi for a few days. You mentioned that you have an Iphone. I would definitely take that web browser and gmail access over the Kindle's any day.

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