If you’ve read any of my previous columns, you know that I’ve always been a big fan of ebooks. I started out with a Kindle 2 and then proceeded to buy an iPad. I loved both of these devices for different reasons, but I finally decided to replace both of them for reading ebooks with something new: the Kindle 3.
This column is broken into two pages. On the first page I explain why I bought my Kindle 3 and on the second I share the reasons why I’ve found it to be better than my iPad for reading ebooks.
Why I Bought A Kindle 3
I’ve had a Kindle 2 for quite a long time and I’ve enjoyed it. But there were things about it that I didn’t like and so, after doing a bit of research, I decided to buy a Kindle 3.
Here are the five reasons why I bought my Kindle 3:
5. Slightly Smaller Than the Kindle 2
The Kindle 2’s size was never a huge issue with me, but I still felt that Amazon could have chopped it down a little bit. I was quite pleased to notice that they had, in fact, done just that with the Kindle 3.
Amazon says they knocked about 17% off the weight of the Kindle 2 and you will notice the difference if you hold the Kindle 3 for any length of time. It’s so comfortable to hold it in one hand even while it’s in its case. You hardly notice you are holding it at all; it’s that small and light.
4. Longer Battery Life
The Kindle 3 has much better battery than the Kindle 2. It can now last up to an entire month if you turn off the wireless feature. Wow. Not bad at all.
I hate having to recharge my electronic devices; it’s aggravating and requires me to keep track of the charge in each of them. This is particularly noticeable with my iPhone and iPad. I wish both of them could last as long as the Kindle 3.
Even with the wireless connection turned on, the Kindle 3’s battery still seems to last significantly longer than the Kindle 2 with the wireless turned on.
3. Better Screen & Fonts
The Kindle 3 has an updated e-ink screen and the contrast is 50% better, according to Amazon. Trust me when I tell you, it’s noticeably better than the Kindle 2. Much, much better. The updated screen alone makes it worth buying a Kindle 3 even if you already own a previous Kindle.
If you combine the new screen with the better fonts in the Kindle 3, you come up with a truly winning combination. Text is sharper and looks darker (and thus easier to read). The readability factor on the Kindle 3 is just a lot better than previous Kindles.
Amazon's third generation Kindle.
2. Cheaper Price, Better Storage & Wi-Fi Only
Another big selling point for me with the Kindle 3 is its price. At $139 it’s a pretty sweet deal, especially since I could get it as wi-fi only and skip the 3G service (the 3G version costs $50 more). I’ve never found that I really needed the 3G service that came with my Kindle 2 since I used it mostly at home and I always had a ton of books on it.
So getting an updated version of the Kindle at a cheaper price, without the 3G service was a fantastic deal for me. As I noted above, I keep a lot of books on it and with the Kindle 3 I can now keep up to 3500 books with me even if I don’t have a wi-fi connection available to download more.
1. Faster Page Refreshes
The Kindle 2’s slow page refresh has always annoyed me. I read that the Kindle 3 had a faster page refresh and I wasn’t disappointed. Pages turn much quicker than on the Kindle 2, it’s hardly even noticeable at this point.
I can’t stress enough how much better this is than the Kindle 2. Amazon says page turns are now 20% faster than in previous Kindles. It feels a lot faster than that though and it has really improved the reading experience.
On the next page, I’ll tell you why I’ve found the Kindle 3 to be a much better ereader than the iPad.
Pages: 1 2
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I will give you the number one reason why you bought kindle 3 and stopped using ipad for reading- you have too much money to spend.
Nah, his Kindle 3 cost less than his sunglasses.
Heh, heh. No, I’m not swimming in money nor do I own an expensive pair of sunglasses. I love to read though, it’s one of my hobbies. So a great reading experience is definitely a part of my quality of life and worth spending a bit of money on.
For the record, my sunglasses are prescription glasses. If you saw them you’d know that they aren’t exactly up to speed in terms of being fashionable.
BTW, some of you might be wondering why I didn’t get a Kindle DX.
I looked at the DX, it’s a great ereader. But the size didn’t appeal to me, nor did I like the lack of page navigation buttons on the left.
Plus it costs a lot more than the Kindle 3.
So that’s why I didn’t buy a Kindle DX. Amazon has some work to do to lower the price and it desperately needs page navigation on the left. I can’t imagine always having to use my right hand to turn a page. Ugh.
I love my Kindle3 – now my Kindle2 is a backup. Although I have never experienced any sort of technical failure with either device, it lessens the potential stress of having to exist in a Kindle-less state.
I am a serious reader – ~10-12 books a week so I eagerly jumped into ereaders 3 years ago. And – yes, I do have a full-time job; it’s a must with a literary habit like mine. This enables me to continue to engage in my own version of hoarding without any of the nasty side-effects (books taking over all my living spaces, other people realizing that I am completely off-balance & scheduling interventions, dusting dusting dusting, etc.)
HouTx,
I totally agree about the storage thing, that’s why I got into ereaders too. I used to have boxes of books until I ran out of space.
These days I keep just a few print books on my dresser and the rest are all ebooks. It’s wonderful to have a book collection without worrying about how much space it will take up. Plus I bring my books with me wherever I go via my various devices.
Good review Jim, I am picking up a Kindle 3 for my oldest as an Christmas present.
Very glad that the column was of use to you, Derek. What an awesome gift for your kids! Getting them to read is one of the best things you can do as a parent.
Kudos!
Jim,
I have the Nook because I can download books from my public library. As far as I know, Kindle’s don’t have the feature. 21 day lend time is plenty for me. Download super easy. Love it and don’t have a single complaint.
Great reviews BTW,
Jan
Good point, Jan. That feature on Nook is very cool, I hope they add it to Kindle at some point. I’d definitely use it.
If the feature were to be added to Kindle, Jim, I would definitely get one for JS as his next gift. My Sis in Law just loves her Kindle.
BTW as I read the Nook in waiting rooms, people want to see my “Kindle” — is it going the way of Kleenex and Xeroxing? :-)
Thank you very much for this comparison,
As an avid reader and someone who would only be able to afford one of these devices, you have answered exactly the questions I had concerning which one I should buy.
regards,
John.
Thanks, John. I’m very glad to know that it was useful to you.
I hope you enjoy your Kindle (assuming that is what you decided on).
Yep,
The kindle wins.
John.
Jim,
I agree completely with your review. Someone gave me a Kindle 3 as a gift, and I use it to read PDFs. It saves on printing them out, and saves my eyes too! It’s lightweight and looks great in bright light. It could handle PDFs better though, some of them are unreadably small without magnification and there’s not much that reflowing software or amazon’s online conversion service can do for them. Maybe in Kindle 4 or 5.
For books, I still prefer paper, and $140 will buy a lot of used paper-based books. If I had to buy it for myself, I’d wait until a really decent ebook reader was produced.
Pietro