Browsing using 3G - is this free?

leaston · 11-19-2010, 12:04 PM

Hi,

I'm not a Kindle owner yet, hence the dumb question

I have read quite a bit about browsing and downloading on the Kindle, but I've yet to find any comments about which connection is used. I have wifi at home, but if I want to check my Google email or Googlereader feeds when I'm away, can I use the 3G connection for free to do this? Or, is this limited to being used for Amazon browsing only?

Cheers,
Leaston

Tiersten · 11-19-2010, 12:12 PM

If you're in the UK with a UK Amazon account then yes, it is completely free to browse all websites. There isn't a restriction on what websites you can visit unlike some countries which only get the Kindle store and Wikipedia. Downloading personal documents still has a charge but you get charged for that everywhere.

leaston · 11-19-2010, 12:19 PM

Thank you for such a quick reply Tiersten! Great stuff, that's sold me on the 3G version then.

TheKindleWorm · 11-19-2010, 12:26 PM

Yes I have a UK Kindle 3 and the 3G can be used while you are away (UK and many locations abroad) to browse non-Amazon websites.

I have recently come back from a cruise and the 3G browser worked in Spain, Portugal, Madeira and the Canary Islands with no problem whatsoever. It was very handy for emailing in particular. And also for having news feeds delivered to me for which there was a small charge because I was receiving them via 3G.

If I had paid to have wifi on board our cruise ship - that luxury would have cost a min of £35 for something like 190 minutes! So it was great to have my Kindle and not pay a thing. Although obviously days at sea meant days without any connection - only works when you dock somewhere.

Tiersten · 11-19-2010, 12:26 PM

The browser works but its a bit fiddly to navigate the page because you've got to use the little 5 way navigation pad. Its okay if you've got to use the internet for something but I wouldn't use the browser for extended browsing.

The browser is still listed as an experimental feature so be aware that there are still some bugs but Amazon seem to be slowly working their way through those.

Leep · 11-19-2010, 01:11 PM

Quote:

Its okay if you've got to use the internet for something but I wouldn't use the browser for extended browsing.

Definitely slow and somewhat painful with no mouse, no touch screen and just the five way controller. Impossible to stop on some links/buttons, but can do email in a pinch.

cheers

desertblues · 11-19-2010, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tiersten

The browser works but its a bit fiddly to navigate the page because you've got to use the little 5 way navigation pad. Its okay if you've got to use the internet for something but I wouldn't use the browser for extended browsing.

The browser is still listed as an experimental feature so be aware that there are still some bugs but Amazon seem to be slowly working their way through those.

The 3G has good coverage. When I was in Paris, for some reason my mobile hotspot wasn't working/ the hotel didn't have any wifi for my iPad (!), but I could check my mail on the Kindle.
But not for extensive browsing. I mean; it's an ereader.

VerizonLover · 11-19-2010, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by leaston

Hi,

I'm not a Kindle owner yet, hence the dumb question

I have read quite a bit about browsing and downloading on the Kindle, but I've yet to find any comments about which connection is used. I have wifi at home, but if I want to check my Google email or Googlereader feeds when I'm away, can I use the 3G connection for free to do this? Or, is this limited to being used for Amazon browsing only?

Cheers,
Leaston

Well, you could jailbreak it, install the usbnetwork hack, then setup an iptables rule to pass all incoming traffic from the usb interface to the PPP (wan) interface and vice-versa for outgoing. Don't know if that would raise a flag or not on your account though...

Or even better, just tether your phone (you have unlimited data on you phone, right?

)

Tiersten · 11-19-2010, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VerizonLover

Well, you could jailbreak it, install the usbnetwork hack, then setup an iptables rule to pass all incoming traffic from the usb interface to the PPP (wan) interface and vice-versa for outgoing. Don't know if that would raise a flag or not on your account though...

There is a firewall blocking all other access and the only allowed connections are via the Amazon web proxies. It is not recommended that you attempt this since you'll just get your Kindle banned.

leaston · 11-19-2010, 03:58 PM

I wouldn't use the Kindle for anything other than downloading books, reading feeds and probably checking email (Yahoo, GMail). But, to even have the option of doing those is fantastic. My expectations with the browser aren't high, so any of the above are a bonus really.

I'm a bit of a geek and will no doubt get the itch to hack it at some point, but only after having it for a while and when the novelty has worn off!

TheKindleWorm - Why were you charged for news feeds? Did you have them converted and emailed via the Amazon service? Unless I'm away from home, I intend to use wifi to load feeds myself via Calibre.

TheKindleWorm · 11-19-2010, 05:29 PM

You only get charged for having personal documents (which is what my news feeds were as they came from kindlefeeder.com) delivered via 3G. As I was abroad, 3G was the option I had. You can download personal documents freely if you're connected to wifi. It wasn't exactly expensive anyway - I think we're talking about 10p for each document I received. If anyone is concerned about possible charges from receiving personal documents - just visit the Manage your Kindle page in the Amazon Kindle Store and set the Personal Documents charge/limit to 0.00 or whatever max you're comfortable with.

11-19-2010, 12:04 PM	#1
leaston Addict Posts: 248 Karma: 1135030 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: West Yorkshire Device: Kobo Forma	Browsing using 3G - is this free? Hi, I'm not a Kindle owner yet, hence the dumb question I have read quite a bit about browsing and downloading on the Kindle, but I've yet to find any comments about which connection is used. I have wifi at home, but if I want to check my Google email or Googlereader feeds when I'm away, can I use the 3G connection for free to do this? Or, is this limited to being used for Amazon browsing only? Cheers, Leaston

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11-19-2010, 12:12 PM	#2
Tiersten Guru Posts: 987 Karma: 8641 Join Date: Aug 2010 Device: Kindle 3G+WiFi	If you're in the UK with a UK Amazon account then yes, it is completely free to browse all websites. There isn't a restriction on what websites you can visit unlike some countries which only get the Kindle store and Wikipedia. Downloading personal documents still has a charge but you get charged for that everywhere.

11-19-2010, 12:19 PM	#3
leaston Addict Posts: 248 Karma: 1135030 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: West Yorkshire Device: Kobo Forma	Thank you for such a quick reply Tiersten! Great stuff, that's sold me on the 3G version then.

11-19-2010, 12:26 PM	#4
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	Yes I have a UK Kindle 3 and the 3G can be used while you are away (UK and many locations abroad) to browse non-Amazon websites. I have recently come back from a cruise and the 3G browser worked in Spain, Portugal, Madeira and the Canary Islands with no problem whatsoever. It was very handy for emailing in particular. And also for having news feeds delivered to me for which there was a small charge because I was receiving them via 3G. If I had paid to have wifi on board our cruise ship - that luxury would have cost a min of £35 for something like 190 minutes! So it was great to have my Kindle and not pay a thing. Although obviously days at sea meant days without any connection - only works when you dock somewhere.

11-19-2010, 03:58 PM	#10
leaston Addict Posts: 248 Karma: 1135030 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: West Yorkshire Device: Kobo Forma	I wouldn't use the Kindle for anything other than downloading books, reading feeds and probably checking email (Yahoo, GMail). But, to even have the option of doing those is fantastic. My expectations with the browser aren't high, so any of the above are a bonus really. I'm a bit of a geek and will no doubt get the itch to hack it at some point, but only after having it for a while and when the novelty has worn off! TheKindleWorm - Why were you charged for news feeds? Did you have them converted and emailed via the Amazon service? Unless I'm away from home, I intend to use wifi to load feeds myself via Calibre.

11-19-2010, 05:29 PM	#11
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	You only get charged for having personal documents (which is what my news feeds were as they came from kindlefeeder.com) delivered via 3G. As I was abroad, 3G was the option I had. You can download personal documents freely if you're connected to wifi. It wasn't exactly expensive anyway - I think we're talking about 10p for each document I received. If anyone is concerned about possible charges from receiving personal documents - just visit the Manage your Kindle page in the Amazon Kindle Store and set the Personal Documents charge/limit to 0.00 or whatever max you're comfortable with.

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