Kindle 3G/wifi

H

_Hecate_

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I recently bought a Kindle 3g/wifi and on 3g I can browse any website. I heard that web access were restricted to wikipedia and the amazon site in South Africa. I'm just hoping my access is not a glitch :D

Any other kindle users have the same access?
 
Any website is available - It is a pain to navigate, however, but to check the occasional e-mail etc it is fine.
 
For now...I'm gonna try and hack the thing and use it as a modem. :)
 
oober...let us know if you succeed :D

Anybody try out that alternative "operating system" you can load on it?
 
oober said:
For now...I'm gonna try and hack the thing and use it as a modem. :)
Click to expand...

Please don,t, they will then restrict all of us other users to the Amazon store only. Hopefully your sim will be blacklisted before you do too much damage...
 
Kindle 3G websurfing in south africa

Can anyone comment on:
- is the net accessible in SA on the 3G kindle?
- how and over what network? (dont understand how its possible w/out a network provider)
- is it any good?
- IYO is it worth the extra $50 ?

Thanks alot
 
Yes the web is accessible from SA via 3G. The box said Voda..so I'm assuming the sim is from Vodacom. Speeds are fine, its not a webbrowser of choice as its black and white, no flash and to navigate a site can be a bit tedious.

If you have wifi at home and you'll be doing most of your reading at home or area's with wifi hotspots I'd suggest just getting the wifi one otherwise definately the wifi/3G.
 
Its not a Vodacom sim .The device works anywhere in the world (almost). It's roaming on Vodacom network. They have roaming agreements with operators in all countries where kindle is available.
 
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saintmoi said:
Can anyone comment on:
- is the net accessible in SA on the 3G kindle?
- how and over what network? (dont understand how its possible w/out a network provider)
- is it any good?
- IYO is it worth the extra $50 ?

Thanks alot
Click to expand...

Yes it is accessable.

By default it uses EDGE, but you can go into settings and press a certain keycode [alt-311 i think] to make it search for all available networks and then you can pick an operator. I did this and it picked up all the operators MTN,Vodacom etc . I have not tried picking MTN, but you can then switch to Vodacom 3G [from Vodacom EDGE] to get 3G speeds . [so if your Kindle is stuck on EDGE, you need to do this] .

The browser is blah, it loads most sites, but navigation on the kindle is horrible , i hate it personally. You have that funny little 4-way square button [suitable for a PHONE and not for a tablet sized screen] to move around with on a relatively big screen . So it takes me ages to scroll around sites and is just painful. It's fine if you got no other choice, but i have a much better experience on my phone. If the Kindle was a touch screen device, it would be totally different, but as it is, navigating with a little button on a black and white e-ink screen which renders alot slower than an LCD , no good.

I'd say yes, simply for the convenience of buying and receiving your books and looking up a few words/pieces of text from books online [reading reviews and such]. I was sitting this holiday on the beach and heard about a good book, i could buy and receive it right there. THAT SAID I guess if you are well geared with WIFI then the 3G is not useful at all [at home i don't use the 3G as my Kindle links up to my ADSL-Wifi router which is a ton faster] . I wouldn't go for the 3G version if you want it for extensive browsing as it is far inferior to what a phone can do . Ultimately $50 is about R350 which is almost cheaper than the leather cover, so it's a relatively inexpensive "upgrade".
 
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Re. Browsing and uploading books

Thanks v much for all the info

The verdict re. internet browsing = nice extra to have, but really not at all the most comfortable, and doesn't need any extra sim / cellular phone network subscription etc?

You can check and send web based mail, social networks, google, etc.?

Thanks again
 
Think of it as an ebook reader with a basic browser front end intended to locate and download ebooks, that's kinda it. If you believe it will give you an okay browsing experience, then you will be disappointed. Downloading is limited to native formats that it can handle.
 
Other Kindle 3rd gen Qs

Thanks v much again for all the info.
Will opt for wifi version thats fine.

Some other Qs if i may:
- is reading the kindle in the dark an issue, not complete dark but dark as in night without direct lighting?
- is a screen film protector recommended IYO?
 
saintmoi said:
Thanks v much again for all the info.
Will opt for wifi version thats fine.

Some other Qs if i may:
- is reading the kindle in the dark an issue, not complete dark but dark as in night without direct lighting?
- is a screen film protector recommended IYO?
Click to expand...

In the dark it is an issue yes. You WILL need a light, i suggest getting a booklight that clips onto the kindle. Amazon also sells a cover with a built in light for kindle. Either way, the kindle's screen has NO lighting [it's not like a pc screen] , it's like paper , if it's dark you can't see squat. Basically if you can't read a normal book in the darkness you are wondering about, you can't read the kindle either.

Dunno, i would rather get a good cover. I don't have a screen protector because i don't really do anything on the screen itself. Screen protectors is primarly good on devices which are being touched on the screen alot and/or moved in and out pockets [like phones] . You do get protectors , but its kinda like asking "is it recommended to put a protector on my LCD TV Screen ? " .

And yes you can use email / facebook / twitter on the kindle , but expect a phone like experience NOT a pc like experience .
 
A good cover will prevent the screen from light daily scuffs so if you are going for a cover no need for a screen protector IMO.
 
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