is not wanting 3g a case of not knowing what you're missing?

[ucfgrad93]

I have a K3 with 3G & wifi, but I hardly ever use it. I keep it turned off unless I am looking to buy a book. I don't search the web on it because quite frankly it is a painful experience. But that said, I do like the fact that I can get a book whenever I want to.

[DuskyRose]

Originally Posted by Ditchleyportrait

some do say it's easier to read on e-ink.

For me, absolutely.

I don't mind reading at odd moments on the iPhone. But not for long periods of time.

The iPad is okay for magazine-type reading. A bit of this, here and there. Browsing. A quick peek at forums to see what's hot at the moment.

But I find that looking into the screen for long periods of time tiring on my eyes. I can go about an hour before I've got to do something else.

For long periods of time, where I'm just wanting to READ with no distractions, eInk kicks ass. That's what I pick up for my serious reading time, not the other two. I can go hours, just like with a regular book.

But it's a personal thing. I just know what works for me. I've heard from plenty of people who like it just the opposite way.

[carld]

I like the 3G access a lot. I don't use it all that often, but apparently I'm the only person in the world who isn't in constant range of a wifi signal, so if I do want access while I'm away from home it's 3G or nothing.

Edit: Being kind of cheap, I have the smallest possible data plan on my smart phone. I simply do not use it for internet access at all. So if I want to check gmail or browse the web while I have some time to kill somewhere, my 3G Kindle is there and free.

[gastan]

Originally Posted by Ditchleyportrait

so these guys who claim to not need 3g, do they just not know what they're missing? i think so. the convenience!

Meh. I'm missing a lot of nothing. The quotes below have said it all.

Originally Posted by JD Gumby

Eh. If I need to connect my ereader to the 'Net for some reason when I'm away from home, I'll drop in to one of the many, many, many wi-fi hotspots in the region (all the free-standing McD's have 'em, as does the local rec centre/library, and there were 4 different public hotspots in range of the nearest mall's food court, last time I was there). And if I'm traveling, most hotels seem to have access as well these days.

Originally Posted by carpetmojo

No, probably, like me, a lot of them, guys and gals, don't need it, hard though it may be for you to understand.........

And I'm afraid your attempts to put forward a convincing case for your statement fall a little way short of persuasive, if not somewhat on the shrill side.....

Karma for that one, carpetmojo.

Originally Posted by Terisa de morgan

If 3G is good for you, it's nice, you've the proper device, but don't try to tell me that I don't use it because I'm a poor girl who doesn't know what she is missing. I feel it a bit dismissive.

Originally Posted by sakura-panda

Not knowing what I'm missing? I'm *not* missing the money that it would have cost me to buy a 3G enabled reader; it's still in my pocket.

[mbelec]

I don't miss having to buy books with DRM or being unable to convert them as I wish through calibre. I also don't miss the little keyboard on the bottom of the device.

Ignorance is bliss.

[CazMar]

I really don't want advertising, book offers, interruptions when I am reading. Reading is my time, heaven help anyone or anything that interrupts it!
I'd rather pick out books to read at a dedicated time and read reviews etc before deciding. I can wait to read books and would rather not impulse buy (some of my worst purchasing disasters!).

[pidgeon92]

Originally Posted by CazMar

I really don't want advertising, book offers, interruptions when I am reading.

Is there a 3G device that is doing this?

[GreenMonkey]

I don't do DRM books, either, so I don't ever buy something via the device itself. Once in a while I do a DRM book, mainly for a history class or something, and I buy that on the web, crack the nasty DRM on my laptop, and load it up that way.

I can see, for a non-fiction reader, like for history books, that it might be nice to look up something on wikipedia or wherever while reading something else, perhaps.

The built-in dictionary is needed once in a great while, but I can't say the above scenario where I wanted internet has ever come up.

If it did, I'm sure I could bust out my Android tablet or a nearby computer or my phone.

3G has no value to me. I think it's unwise of B&N to kill it entirely as they seem to be moving toward - it's very handy for the non-tech-saavy / non-internet connected types. Older people or whatever.

I always run my readers in airplane mode. Almost never use the wireless stuff.

[voracious71]

I like having the 3G on my Kindle, it has come in handy on several occasions. But, it's a personal decision.

[Blue Tyson]

Originally Posted by carld

I like the 3G access a lot. I don't use it all that often, but apparently I'm the only person in the world who isn't in constant range of a wifi signal, so if I do want access while I'm away from home it's 3G or nothing.

Edit: Being kind of cheap, I have the smallest possible data plan on my smart phone. I simply do not use it for internet access at all. So if I want to check gmail or browse the web while I have some time to kill somewhere, my 3G Kindle is there and free.

No, you aren't. Plenty of places will not. I actually use mine at home even though I do have a wireless network, because hey for the odd web page or dropbox download why not use someone else's bandwidth? Also don't have to bother switching to another network. Plus free - which is good at Australian mobile data costs.

[amward]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

When I read a book, I read a book. I don't take notes, I don't highlight, I don't bookmark, I don't use dictionaries, I don't use encyclopedias... I read.

If I need more info, I wait until I'm done reading. Then I look it up on my desktop the next time I sit in front of it.

• do I need instantaneous information? -- no
• do I need instantaneous downloads of ebooks? -- no
• do I use the web browser on my Kindle? -- no
• do I need 3G? -- no

Am I a satisfied and happy reader? -- yep

Ditto

[banjobama]

I have a spectacular 3G smartphone, that I paid a lot of money for, which I can use to look up random things online if I want to while I'm reading. It would be redundant if I was to buy an ebook reader with the same capability.

I have so, so many books loaded onto my reader that I have no need whatsoever to be able to download them independent of my laptop.

[carld]

Originally Posted by CazMar

I really don't want advertising, book offers, interruptions when I am reading.

Whatever device you think that is, it isn't a Kindle.

[Suzanna]

I don't need 3G because I have wifi. I'm able to connect to the Kobo store from anywhere in the house. I've used the Kobo browser and wifi to connect to Project Gutenberg and download free classics. I've also used it to connect to my computer (or my husband's computer) from bed and download books from Calibre (you can set up Calibre to act as a server.)

If you have wifi you really don't need 3G unless you're going to be somewhere that doesn't have internet or if, like the OP, you don't have internet at home. (And seriously, I'd go insane if I didn't have internet at home!) And honestly, ebook readers have so much storage space that it's easy to load up on books so you don't run out if you're going to be somewhere for a prolonged period of time that doesn't have internet access.

When I had just the Kobo Original, which doesn't have wifi, loading content onto my Kobo while it was connected to the computer and charging was no great hardship. To be honest, while I can use wifi, I rarely do because I usually have so much reading material on my ereader that I never need access to the store *right now*.

[luqmaninbmore]

Originally Posted by rkomar

Some of us refuse to buy books with DRM. Until the shops that we are tied to with 3G predominately sell DRM-free books, that service is pretty much useless to us. So in our case, it isn't just a matter of not knowing what we're missing.

Edit: I wanted to add that I know that the 3G access is funded by book purchases, so I would feel a bit guilty about using it for web-surfing while not buying any books.

Why on earth should you feel guilty? You purchased a device with 3G as a feature. Amazon may gamble on making the money back in book purchases, but that is neither a legally binding contract nor a morally obligatory promise. Corporations exist to suck value from the surrounding community and funnel it up the social ladder, all the while externalizing risk and cost. If you can reclaim some value for yourself you should feel good about it.