I would buy a Kindle in a heartbeat IF --->

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by meeera

You're also missing the part about how even in countries where 3G book download is supported, not all locations have 3G coverage. Many places in my State don't get 3G. Worse, Amazon says that it uses Vodafone here, which has one of the most abysmal track records with coverage in this country.

But at least the overwhelming majority of people in Australia live in cities (Australia has one of the highest percentages in the world of its population living in cities), where Vodafone coverage is reasonably good. The problem is far worse in countries with large rural populations.

[meeera]

Originally Posted by HarryT

But at least the overwhelming majority of people in Australia live in cities (Australia has one of the highest percentages in the world of its population living in cities), where Vodafone coverage is reasonably good. The problem is far worse in countries with large rural populations.

We live in suburbs (which still have 3G black spots, believe me - the coverage maps are made of hand-waving and fairy dust), but we don't holiday in them! But yes, this is a problem all over the world, some places worse than others.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by meeera

We live in suburbs (which still have 3G black spots, believe me - the coverage maps are made of hand-waving and fairy dust), but we don't holiday in them! But yes, this is a problem all over the world, some places worse than others.

3G coverage is a strange thing. Surprisingly, the best place in the world I've been to for coverage is Egypt! Virtually everything in Egypt is close to the Nile, and there are phone masts every few hundred metres along the river, so even when you'd think you were in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nothing but desert, there's still a great signal!

[soulfuldog]

Originally Posted by Geralt

No. Not everyone lives in USA/UK, whatever. I have no use from 3G kindle because its not supported in my country.

No 3G signal in your swamp Geralt, what is the world coming to these days!

[cybmole]

I can't help wondering - do the folks who simply must have 10,000 books installed also regard 3G as a must have - for book 10,001 ?

[Geralt]

Originally Posted by soulfuldog

No 3G signal in your swamp Geralt, what is the world coming to these days!

Verily I say unto you, the era of the sword and axe is nigh, the era of the wolf's blizzard. The Time of the White Chill and the White Light is nigh, the Time of Madness and the Time of Contempt: Tedd Deireádh, the Time of End. The world will die amidst frost and be reborn with the new sun. It will be reborn of Elder Blood, of Hen Ichaer, of the seed that has been sown. A seed which will not sprout but burst into flame.

Ess'tuath esse! Thus it shall be! Watch for the signs! What signs these shall be, I say unto you: first the earth will flow with the blood of Aen Seidhe, the Blood of Elves...

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by cybmole

I can't help wondering - do the folks who simply must have 10,000 books installed also regard 3G as a must have - for book 10,001 ?

I had a 3G K3, but with the PW the premium for the 3G is too high, IMHO. I imagine that most of us these days have Smartphones, and it's easy enough to use a WiFi "hotspot" app on the phone to provide WiFi for the Kindle, if needed.

[Pangolin]

Geralt hi, thanks for that link. Guys, would a 3G paperwhite from Japan work - given the stuff about coverage of course - in Europe?
That is prob a really stupid question but I have no idea Ignorant as a goldfish.

[Kumabjorn]

Probably, because 3G phones can be used interchangeably, ie a Japanese 3G phone can use roaming in Europé and vice versa. Having stated that, one caveat is that you will need to find out what frequency the Japanese 3G Kindle uses, it could be one that is limited to one specific network in Japan.

[ProfCrash]

I had 3G on all my Kindles until the PW2. I rarely use the 3G, the WiFi works fine and I am ok with the idea that I might not be able to get the book I want at that exact moment given that I have over 100 books on my TBR list.

[Katsunami]

3G on a Kindle?

No way. I'll tether it to my phone if I really have to. Also, in The Netherlands, there are now so many Wifi hotspots that 3G is almost superfluous. The possibility of stranding on a small train station in the middle of nowhere is the only reason I still have 3G (the bigger train stations have Wifi hotspots), so I can find the nearest bus stop, find information about what's needed, and plan alternative routes.

[ProfCrash]

Some of us are luddites and don't have a cell phone that we can use as a hot spot.

When the first Kindle came out all that was available was 3G. The DXG did not have a WiFi option. When I bought the K3, I choose the 3G option because I had used it from time to time and WiFi was really just starting to emerge in my area. PW2 I didn't bother with the 3G because of the ready availability of WiFi.

[Kumabjorn]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

Some of us are luddites and don't have a cell phone that we can use as a hot spot.

Hmmm, interesting. people with e-readers considering themselves Luddites. Have we already moved beyond the e-reader?

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

Some of us are luddites and don't have a cell phone that we can use as a hot spot.

When the first Kindle came out all that was available was 3G. The DXG did not have a WiFi option. When I bought the K3, I choose the 3G option because I had used it from time to time and WiFi was really just starting to emerge in my area. PW2 I didn't bother with the 3G because of the ready availability of WiFi.

If there's nothing else available, and you don't have a computer (and therefore, no internet), I can imagine that you'd fully rely on the Kindle, cloud and 3G.

I however, have Wifi everywhere: at home, at work, at the homes of all family members, the two lunch rooms I frequent, the theater I sometimes go to, train stations, and sometimes, even on the train itself, although 3G is still more reliable in that last case. If I wanted to, I could even set up my provider's Wifi Modem Hot Spot, which would gain me Wifi capability near any modem of that provider (in exchange, my modem would be a hot spot for other people, but of course it'd be seperate from the in-home network).

[ProfCrash]

heheheh

I don't need or want a smart phone. People keep telling me to get with the time. I keep telling them that a regular cell phone works fine for receiving calls and texts and I barely use the cell thing anyway. I have the internet at home, work, and 75% of the places I am out and about in if I need it. The reality is, I survived for my first 30 years of my life without a cell phone or email, I can survive for a few hours without email and the internet.

Then they tell me I am a luddite.

(shrugs)

I don't think they count e-readers, iPads, laptops and other similar electronic products as sufficiently technology savy