3G or no 3G?

NickyWithNook · 10-07-2013, 11:15 AM

I have a Nook Simple Touch which I use for reading my Nook books, and a Kindle 4 which I use for reading my Kindle books. I don't really like the K4. I like a touch screen. And I like the idea of having a lit ereader.

I don't want to have to mess around with stripping DRM so I can read books on either. It's easier for me to just have two ereaders. (Yes I have a rooted ereader but my husband and daughter mainly use that.)

My birthday is this week and I have received birthday money, and I've decided to get the new Paperwhite, but I don't know whether it's worth getting the 3G. How much of a difference does it make? I do probably 60% of my reading at home where I have wifi, but I do read places where I have to wait for my kids, and those places often don't have wifi.

What would you do?

pendragginp · 10-07-2013, 11:22 AM

During these times when you're waiting for your kids, are you reading books you've already downloaded? Is it going to be important to be able to get a new book synced immediately while you're there? Because that's basically all you'll be able to do with the new Paperwhite. You can't just go on the internet anymore with the newer Kindles, even if they are 3G. (That's why I hang onto my older 3G Kindles along with my PW 1st gen; with the older ones you can.)

I found that the added cost of the very limited 3G wasn't worth it for me - I just make sure I have enough reading material of different types to get me through a wait.

jswinden · 10-07-2013, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NickyWithNook

I have a Nook Simple Touch which I use for reading my Nook books, and a Kindle 4 which I use for reading my Kindle books. I don't really like the K4. I like a touch screen. And I like the idea of having a lit ereader.

I don't want to have to mess around with stripping DRM so I can read books on either. It's easier for me to just have two ereaders. (Yes I have a rooted ereader but my husband and daughter mainly use that.)

My birthday is this week and I have received birthday money, and I've decided to get the new Paperwhite, but I don't know whether it's worth getting the 3G. How much of a difference does it make? I do probably 60% of my reading at home where I have wifi, but I do read places where I have to wait for my kids, and those places often don't have wifi.

What would you do?

The benefit of 3G would be in browsing for and buying a book from Amazon while away from WiFi. If you think you will be in those situations often enough to warrant the added cost, then it might be a good option to get 3G. I wouldn't do so myself as I keep plenty of books on my Kindle(s) for future reading. As far as syncing goes, I'm not sure if Whispersync works over 3G, but if so that is another benefit. Once again though, it might not be worth the extra cost to have instant syncing as oppopsed to syncing after you return to a WiFi area.

stickybuns · 10-07-2013, 12:00 PM

My K3 has 3G because when I bought it, I didn't own a smartphone. The experimental browser came in handy on a number of occasions, but I think I only used the 3G access to download a book once... And that was just to show a friend how book downloading worked. Besides, from what I understand, you can't use the experimental browser via 3G on anything after the K3.

This time around, I decided to save $60 and go with the wifi only model. It takes under a minute to purchase and download a book while I'm connected to my home network, and so far I haven't run into any book buying emergencies while watching my kid play on the monkey bars.

If you are thinking of doing some extended traveling in a place without Internet cafés or wifi enabled hotel rooms, then it might come in handy.

Bookworm_Girl · 10-07-2013, 01:38 PM

Happy Birthday! How many times did you wish you had 3G with your current readers? If it was many times, then it might be worth the upgrade. Personally I find that I load enough books as backups that I don't find myself without something to read. I have had readers with 3G and even though I travel frequently and read outside the house, I found I wasn't using it enough to justify the extra cost. So now I just buy Wi-fi only. Good luck!

tomsem · 10-07-2013, 01:50 PM

For me it is not primarily a matter of access to the store and my library. Mostly I like it for wikipedia lookups when I'm reading and also at other times.

There is also Translate and Report Content Error. I'm often out and away from wifi when I hear about a book that sounds interesting, and I like being able to add it to my Wish List on the spot. Presumably it will be enabled for goodreads integration when that feature arrives.

In addition, the web browser can access anything on amazon.com (including manage your kindle), audible.com, shelfari.com, though it is rather slow.

HarryT · 10-07-2013, 03:13 PM

It's a very significant price difference. Personally I don't think it's worth the difference.

Penforhire · 10-07-2013, 04:28 PM

It isn't worth the price difference to me. As long as I can travel with at least a dozen books pre-loaded through wifi I won't feel pinched by the inability to buy over-the-air.

On the other hand, I have recommended it to the very few people I know who are not computer literate. For them, having a device with no need to ever attach it to a PC or deal with wifi issues was worth it.

oecherprinte · 10-07-2013, 04:39 PM

I own the kinde 3 keyboard with 3G and I like it a lot. I bought a lot of travel guides while I was on the road using 3G. But then I live in Germany where there are not too many free Wifi Spots. I also ordered the PW2 with 3G.

tashk · 10-07-2013, 05:20 PM

Some smartphones come with a "WiFi hotspot" feature. Once enabled, it creates a WiFi network. The Kindle can connect to this WiFi network and use the smartphone's internet connection. This is how I go online with my non-3G Kindle when I'm away from home.

NickyWithNook · 10-07-2013, 06:23 PM

I feel convinced to get the one without 3G. It is a really big price difference and if I want to look something up on Wikipedia, I can look on my phone.

tomsem · 10-07-2013, 06:48 PM

I would say if you are already paying for a smartphone, there's really not much point to having a 3G Kindle, except maybe the 'travel to exotic places' scenario. You can tether, or just leave the Kindle at home and read on the smartphone. My 'wikipedia' use case also becomes irrelevant since that is much better on a smartphone.

But of course a smartphone and associated data plan is not free, and I don't have one and don't plan to get one at any time soon. Hence a 3G Kindle made some sense to me despite the one-time cost of the feature. And after nearly a year, I have no regrets about doing so. I've done hundreds if not thousands of 3g network accesses that would not have been possible otherwise.

I'm not sure if or when I'll get another Kindle and don't know if I'd get 3G next time if I have to pay full cost. I've seen great 'close out' deals on 3G Kindles, most recently Kindle Touch 3G for $50 at Radio Shack (but I'd have had to drive 3 hours to grab that deal..), so another strategy would be to get a refurb, used or discounted 3g Kindle to save some money.

Haesslich · 10-07-2013, 08:28 PM

For me, I wanted the convenience of 3G - no tethering, no making sure my phone was charged and had enough data remaining, etc. I want to buy a book? Fine. Wiki or translation? Done. Grab that file in my Personal Documents I only need once or twice a month? Got it, no extra fiddling required

You'd have to figure out for yourself if any of the above statements suit you, or if you don't mind entering WPA keys or the extra steps to activate a hotspot on your phone. For me, if I wanted a wifi only reader, I would stick to my Kindle Touch or one of my Kobo readers.

ucfgrad93 · 10-07-2013, 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

It's a very significant price difference. Personally I don't think it's worth the difference.

Agreed. The only benefit to 3G is being able to get a book when you are away from home. For my next Kindle, I will skip the 3G.

NickyWithNook · 10-08-2013, 11:36 AM

I got it and it's wonderful! Love it! I'll get spoiled by the light very quickly, and I'll want a Nook Glow. Nooks are supposed to have new models soon so I'll see how I feel when they come out.

Great product from Kindle. It's really sharp and the light is perfect.

10-07-2013, 11:15 AM	#1
NickyWithNook Guru Posts: 750 Karma: 3942770 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: American living in Australia Device: Kobo Libra Colour, Kindle Fire, Kindle Pwhite (Don't use Nook anymore)	3G or no 3G? I have a Nook Simple Touch which I use for reading my Nook books, and a Kindle 4 which I use for reading my Kindle books. I don't really like the K4. I like a touch screen. And I like the idea of having a lit ereader. I don't want to have to mess around with stripping DRM so I can read books on either. It's easier for me to just have two ereaders. (Yes I have a rooted ereader but my husband and daughter mainly use that.) My birthday is this week and I have received birthday money, and I've decided to get the new Paperwhite, but I don't know whether it's worth getting the 3G. How much of a difference does it make? I do probably 60% of my reading at home where I have wifi, but I do read places where I have to wait for my kids, and those places often don't have wifi. What would you do?

10-07-2013, 08:28 PM	#13
Haesslich Fanatic Posts: 572 Karma: 1138182 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: Kobo Touch,Glo,Mini,Aura/HD/One,H20, Sony PRS-300/600, Kindle 3-PW	For me, I wanted the convenience of 3G - no tethering, no making sure my phone was charged and had enough data remaining, etc. I want to buy a book? Fine. Wiki or translation? Done. Grab that file in my Personal Documents I only need once or twice a month? Got it, no extra fiddling required You'd have to figure out for yourself if any of the above statements suit you, or if you don't mind entering WPA keys or the extra steps to activate a hotspot on your phone. For me, if I wanted a wifi only reader, I would stick to my Kindle Touch or one of my Kobo readers. Last edited by Haesslich; 10-07-2013 at 08:31 PM.

10-07-2013, 11:22 AM	#2
pendragginp Guru Posts: 985 Karma: 4567263 Join Date: May 2009 Location: The End Of The Earth Device: Several	During these times when you're waiting for your kids, are you reading books you've already downloaded? Is it going to be important to be able to get a new book synced immediately while you're there? Because that's basically all you'll be able to do with the new Paperwhite. You can't just go on the internet anymore with the newer Kindles, even if they are 3G. (That's why I hang onto my older 3G Kindles along with my PW 1st gen; with the older ones you can.) I found that the added cost of the very limited 3G wasn't worth it for me - I just make sure I have enough reading material of different types to get me through a wait.

10-07-2013, 12:00 PM	#4
stickybuns Evangelist Posts: 405 Karma: 479729 Join Date: Feb 2011 Device: Kindle 3, Kindle Paperwhite 2	My K3 has 3G because when I bought it, I didn't own a smartphone. The experimental browser came in handy on a number of occasions, but I think I only used the 3G access to download a book once... And that was just to show a friend how book downloading worked. Besides, from what I understand, you can't use the experimental browser via 3G on anything after the K3. This time around, I decided to save $60 and go with the wifi only model. It takes under a minute to purchase and download a book while I'm connected to my home network, and so far I haven't run into any book buying emergencies while watching my kid play on the monkey bars. If you are thinking of doing some extended traveling in a place without Internet cafés or wifi enabled hotel rooms, then it might come in handy.

10-07-2013, 01:38 PM	#5
Bookworm_Girl E-reader Enthusiast Posts: 4,873 Karma: 36536965 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Southwest, USA Device: Kindle Oasis 3; Kobo Aura One; iPad Mini 5	Happy Birthday! How many times did you wish you had 3G with your current readers? If it was many times, then it might be worth the upgrade. Personally I find that I load enough books as backups that I don't find myself without something to read. I have had readers with 3G and even though I travel frequently and read outside the house, I found I wasn't using it enough to justify the extra cost. So now I just buy Wi-fi only. Good luck!

10-07-2013, 01:50 PM	#6
tomsem Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,939 Karma: 27060151 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: USA Device: iPhone 15PM, Kindle Scribe, iPad mini 6, PocketBook InkPad Color 3	For me it is not primarily a matter of access to the store and my library. Mostly I like it for wikipedia lookups when I'm reading and also at other times. There is also Translate and Report Content Error. I'm often out and away from wifi when I hear about a book that sounds interesting, and I like being able to add it to my Wish List on the spot. Presumably it will be enabled for goodreads integration when that feature arrives. In addition, the web browser can access anything on amazon.com (including manage your kindle), audible.com, shelfari.com, though it is rather slow.

10-07-2013, 03:13 PM	#7
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	It's a very significant price difference. Personally I don't think it's worth the difference.

10-07-2013, 04:28 PM	#8
Penforhire Wizard Posts: 2,230 Karma: 7145404 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Southern California Device: Kindle Voyage & iPhone 7+	It isn't worth the price difference to me. As long as I can travel with at least a dozen books pre-loaded through wifi I won't feel pinched by the inability to buy over-the-air. On the other hand, I have recommended it to the very few people I know who are not computer literate. For them, having a device with no need to ever attach it to a PC or deal with wifi issues was worth it.

10-07-2013, 04:39 PM	#9
oecherprinte Zealot Posts: 115 Karma: 20 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: Kindle3 3G, Kindle Paperwhite 2	I own the kinde 3 keyboard with 3G and I like it a lot. I bought a lot of travel guides while I was on the road using 3G. But then I live in Germany where there are not too many free Wifi Spots. I also ordered the PW2 with 3G.

10-07-2013, 05:20 PM	#10
tashk Hello, I'd like to know w Posts: 22 Karma: 69062 Join Date: Mar 2012 Device: Kindle 4 NT, Paperwhite 2013	Some smartphones come with a "WiFi hotspot" feature. Once enabled, it creates a WiFi network. The Kindle can connect to this WiFi network and use the smartphone's internet connection. This is how I go online with my non-3G Kindle when I'm away from home.

10-07-2013, 06:23 PM	#11
NickyWithNook Guru Posts: 750 Karma: 3942770 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: American living in Australia Device: Kobo Libra Colour, Kindle Fire, Kindle Pwhite (Don't use Nook anymore)	I feel convinced to get the one without 3G. It is a really big price difference and if I want to look something up on Wikipedia, I can look on my phone.

10-07-2013, 06:48 PM	#12
tomsem Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,939 Karma: 27060151 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: USA Device: iPhone 15PM, Kindle Scribe, iPad mini 6, PocketBook InkPad Color 3	I would say if you are already paying for a smartphone, there's really not much point to having a 3G Kindle, except maybe the 'travel to exotic places' scenario. You can tether, or just leave the Kindle at home and read on the smartphone. My 'wikipedia' use case also becomes irrelevant since that is much better on a smartphone. But of course a smartphone and associated data plan is not free, and I don't have one and don't plan to get one at any time soon. Hence a 3G Kindle made some sense to me despite the one-time cost of the feature. And after nearly a year, I have no regrets about doing so. I've done hundreds if not thousands of 3g network accesses that would not have been possible otherwise. I'm not sure if or when I'll get another Kindle and don't know if I'd get 3G next time if I have to pay full cost. I've seen great 'close out' deals on 3G Kindles, most recently Kindle Touch 3G for $50 at Radio Shack (but I'd have had to drive 3 hours to grab that deal..), so another strategy would be to get a refurb, used or discounted 3g Kindle to save some money.

Advert

Advert

10-08-2013, 11:36 AM	#15
NickyWithNook Guru Posts: 750 Karma: 3942770 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: American living in Australia Device: Kobo Libra Colour, Kindle Fire, Kindle Pwhite (Don't use Nook anymore)	I got it and it's wonderful! Love it! I'll get spoiled by the light very quickly, and I'll want a Nook Glow. Nooks are supposed to have new models soon so I'll see how I feel when they come out. Great product from Kindle. It's really sharp and the light is perfect.