Kindle 3 Review
[ Update: The Amazon Kindle 3 is now available as an ad supported version for only $139 ]
Just when everyone’s thought the only way Amazon can top its Kindle 2 is by adding color and touch, the new Kindle 3 proves us wrong. Like its WiFi-only sibling, the Kindle 3 comes with a more compact form factor and ergonomic button placement, faster page turns, sharper and changeable fonts, bigger memory, improved PDF, better accessibility, up to 1 month battery life, and more. The Kindle 3 is the living proof of Amazon’s unwillingness to compromise great reading experience for anything.
Features – Hardware and Software
The Kindle 3 carries over lot of Kindle 2 reading-centered features, including social networking, free 3G access to Kindle Store (and its wide selection of competitively priced books and other reading materials), 60 second book downloads, free 3G access in over 100 countries, and cross-platform book sharing.
On the other hand, the Kindle 3 makes big improvements on the Kindle 2 over (1) ease of carrying the device, (2) ease of using it, and (3) readability of the device.
The Kindle 3 still sports a 6-inch eInk screen. To make the Kindle 3 more portable, however, Amazon has reduced its size to a svelter 7.5 x 4.8 x 0.335 inch form factor. The size reduction also allowed for a lighter weight of 8.7 ounces. The result is a smaller, thinner, and lighter device. Though the size got smaller, the memory got twice larger. The Kindle 3G + WiFi has 4GB memory, which can carry up to 3500 books at a time.
The battery life is also doubled: with the wireless turned off, the Kindle 3 can last up to a month, making it even more ideal for traveling. You don’t need to bring a charger even if you’re planning to spend a long vacation away from home.
The Kindle 3 has also been given a facelift to achieve a more ergonomic design. Amazon seems to have given a lot of thought as to what to scrape out and what to retain. The page turn buttons flanking both sides of the screen are now just one-quarter of an inch wide and are labeled with > and < arrows instead of words (as found on the Kindle 2).
The buttons come in a rocker style that press towards the edge, making them easier to press and quieter, too. The joystick got smaller, and is now found under the screen along with the Home and Menu buttons. The number buttons have been removed (to access the numbers, press the symbol button), and the keys are arranged more closely to each other.
Nearly half of the improvements on the Kindle 3, though, have to do with readability. The Kindle 3G is sporting a new eInk Pearl screen offering 50% more contrast. You can breeze through the menu, and the pages turn noticeably faster, too, than on the Kindle 2. You can now change the font type (choices include Condensed, Serif, and Sans Serif) or the line spacing (choices include small, medium, and large).
The Kindle 3 also supports non-English fonts including Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Cyrillic. Built-in PDF reader is better than ever, allowing you to add highlights, notes, and look up definition of words in the dictionary. It can also access password-protected files.
The new Kindle reader still offers free 3G access in the US and in over 100 countries all over the world. Also, Kindle owners will now be able to enjoy the benefits of WiFi, such as accessing the web or store when outside a 3G area.
The browser is now WebKit-based, and can be accessed either over 3G or WiFi. When browsing the web, you can set the page into text-only mode to make reading easier by choosing the Article Mode.
It’s not just the normal-vision readers who are going to benefit from the enhancements and new features of the Kindle 3G + WiFi. The device can read out loud item descriptions and menus, too, and so is great for people with low or impaired visions.
The Kindle 3 is available in Graphite and White.
The Bottom Line
Amazon’s decision to not add a touchscreen and color support to give the Kindle 3 better readability is quite laudable. Without any argument, Kindle 3 is the eReader that provides the most value for your money.
ProsBy not adding distracting features like video and animated games, the new Kindle reader lets you focus on reading. The price is very compelling; you can get the Kindle 3 for the same price as the Kindle 2: $189.With the Kindle 3, you’d never worry about losing a single book. Amazon automatically creates an online backup copy of your books, and you can re-download them anytime. The Kindle 3 also supports cross-platform sharing, allowing you to read the same book on multiple devices including PC, Mac, iPad, iPod/ iPhone, Android, and Blackberry. Whispersync technology automatically synchronizes last page reads and annotations across devices.The Kindle 3 has free access to AT&T WiFi networks. Over a WiFi network, downloads are faster and personal documents and Audible audiobooks (yes, the Kindle 3 can now download audiobooks wirelessly) can be downloaded for free.A bonus feature: the new cover comes with retractable light that you can use for reading in the dark.ConsIt has nearly the same set of disadvantages as the Kindle WiFi. The new Kindle still doesn’t support ePub, book sharing, and library books. It doesn’t support color, so magazines and comics are still rendered in gray form. There’s no SD expansion slot, but with such a very large memory, you’d only need one if you plan to stuff your library with more than 3500 ebooks.
What’s in the box:• Kindle 3G + WiFi eReader • U.S. power adapter (supports 110V-240V) • USB 2.0 cable • Rechargeable battery • Quick Start Guide
Main Features• Lighter (8.7 ounces), smaller (7.5" x 4.8" x 0.335”) form factor • Free 3G (with global coverage) and WiFi • Wireless access to the Kindle Store, which now carries over 630,000 paid content, over 1.8 million free titles, magazines, newspapers, and blogs. • Battery life lasts up to a monthKey Features• 60-second book downloads • Bundled with experimental features: Text-to-Speech, Voice Guide, Webkit-based Browser • Packed with reference features: free access to Wikipedia and built-in dictionary • Book snippet sharing via Facebook and Twitter • Organize your books into collections • Portrait and landscape viewBonus Features• Password protection • Built-in dictionary • MP3 player
Do you think the 3G is worth the extra $50?
no, not unless you plan to move to the moon. in which case both 3g and wifi would be useless.
The 3G is definitely worth it. It’s international, so it’s the difference between being able to buy a new book right there on the beach and having to wait. Ditto for bus terminals, while sitting on trains, during long car journeys, etc.
Too bad they didn’t increase the screen size to 7″ or 8″
Honestly, international would only be useful for those who travel to foreign countries often or enjoy books from other countries (ergo access with 3G to foreign e-book sites).
This looks more like an advertisement for the Kindle 3 than a review; no photos, and the video is from Amazon.
Oh, and wait, the reader isn’t even out yet, is it?
We never claimed this is a hands on review. This is a detailed article about the upcoming Kindle and we promise you we’ll have a hands on review once we get the Kindle we ordered (can’t wait!). And we’re sorry if the review looks like an advertisement to you. We simply think the Kindle is the best e-Reader out there.
When will the Kindle be available?
Thanks for the info. Nice site.
Does the Kindle 3 comes in white as well? Will they ship it to the Philippines?
Still no support for library books. That’s the feature everyone wants. Looks like nook still wins. Amazon needs to stop being so greedy and allow EPub.
My video review of the new Kindle 3 is up:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYtuk98vuMg
Dave.
Having just received my Kindle 3 – Wi-Fi only as a gift, I am VERY impressed. It’s fantastic. I have the Verizon Mi-Fi, so I always have a hot spot handy anyway, so didn’t need 3G. Hats off to Amazon for their latest generation Kindle, and especially at such a great price!
I think the Kindle 3 is NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME. The out of box experience is terrible, the documentation stinks. The tech support is terrible and the company’s attitude is revolting.
I am sorry to say that I suggested a new Kindle for my Mother in law because she wanted a book reader and because she doesn’t drive and I thought it would be easy to hook her up to her existing WEP key secured wireless router. Was I ever wrong.
The Kindle had crappy documentation. She was having issues trying to hook to her WEP secured router, so she called Amazon for help. When they weren’t able to help her, she called me. She told me the Kindle kept prompting her for a password. A password, I asked? Why does it want a password? Do you mean the WEP key, I asked? No, she said it keeps asking for a password. So since Amazon had nothing about this on their site, I went out to the source of all information, that is users on the Internet and several people had commented that Amazon is stupidly asking for you to enter a password. Oh, well, I thought, let’s enter the WEP key at the Password prompt. So I walked her through finding her SSID in the Kindle setup and then how to enter her WEP key in the correct case sensitive manner. That too failed. So we tried again and again. I made sure that she had the zeros and the alpha Os correctly identified and that the alpha characters were in the correct case. But we were not able to get connected. So then I suggested that with the SSID known and the WEP key also known, that she call Kindle tech support and ask them to help her connect. After several tries she got to one of the more senior techs and he checked the date and time settings on the Kindle. It is now September the Kindle was set to some random date in January. Now that was what was blocking the router, he said. Now you would think that this situation could be resolved by manually setting the date correctly. And you would think that Amazon would not ship out a product set wrong and that even if set wrong, that should not block connection to the router. Well that’s what I thought, but evidently I was wrong about that too. The senior tech said that she should take her Kindle to some wireless hotspot like Starbucks or Burger King. Hook up with that unsecure router to set the date and then take the Kindle home and then she would be able to connect to the secure router.
So do you have this all straight? Amazon makes a flawed or defective product and the customer has to take the device to an unsecured router in order to initialize it…. I was angry. Remember she doesn’t drive.
So I called Amazon and spoke with a tech, Since he knew nothing he do some research. After doing so, he came back on the phone and told me that the Kindle date can be set manually. I asked the tech to call her back and walk her through it himself and I asked him to send me the link on how to do that. I never got those instructions, but he did attempt to reset the date and time correctly. He couldn’t set that. He concluded that the Kindle was defective from the factory and is going to send her a replacement device.
What load of BS. This product has it all; bad documentation, untrained staff, bad support and a product that was just not ready or tested before it was unleashed on the public. The sad thing is that this is not the first device they ever made. You would think by now they would know how to do it!
can you swap reading material from a kindle2 to a kindle 3 if both are registerd to the same person?
@RichF
I find it hard to believe that someone succeeds in messing up something so simple.
Amazon should contract you for monkey testing.
Internationally you do not need 3G, WIFI is everywhere it goes hand in hand with coffee shops — which the whole world has gone mad about! I travel continually overseas and see no problem getting books using WIFI only.
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The LG Skiff ereader, really gone? This was the greater promise of industry electronics…
Hi Paulo
The Skiff reader was actually developed by a company called Hearst Publishing and not LG. But you’re right, the project itself was cancelled.
Would the WIFI only version work for someone in the military stationed overseas?
Hi Christine
The Kindle WiFi supports any WiFi hotspots out there. You just need to make sure there is a WiFi coverage where you are stationed.
I have an old Sony PRS and I’m going to get new Kindle 3 now. Will I be able to download in books from my Sony e-library? Is is complicated?
is it possible to put pdfs that you I had to pay for from my computer onto the kindle?
Hi
Yes, it is possible to upload PDF’s from your computer directly to the Kindle 3.
great!
I was all set to buy the new Nook soft touch. But then I read a detailed comparison telling things that the new Nook could NOT do.
http://www.teleread.com/paul-biba/nook-vs-kindle-features/
Does anyone know if the battery life still can last for a month with 3G on? Or do I need to turn the 3G off to save battery? Hehe or is it possible to turn the 3G off manually? I may turn it on whenever I need it.
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