why do I always post questions for my friends list on Friday night?

[vaznetti]

Oh yes, because that's when I can remember that I have questions for you.

We're thinking of getting my mother-in-law a Kindle as a Christmas present: she has broadband at home and likes to plan things in advance. Is the 3G version really necessary?

Comments

[cofax7]

She doesn't need the 3G anyway. The connection on the cheaper model is still good enough to get all the books she wants; if she's not going to surf on the Kindle, there's no reason to get the 3G. At least, that's my understanding.

[vaznetti]

Thanks a lot! THat's what A. thought but we wanted to be sure. Actually, she'll probably update it via USB from her desktop most of the time anyway.

[dremiel.livejournal.com]

I shouldn't think so. I have a Kindle 2 (no 3G) that I use daily and I only turn the wireless on to sync. With wireless off the battery lasts at least a week with daily reading. With wireless on it lasts about a day. Unless she is going to be using it as a web browser there is really no reason to add the 3G.

BTW -She likely wants to manage her Kindle and it's content all herself but if you are a multi-Kindle family it is worth thinking about registering them all the same Amazon.com account. Yes, the billing it all on the same card and you can see what the other folks have purchased but you can also SHARE what the other folks have purchased! Any books purchased for one Kindle can be synced with any devices on the account. Books and PDFs that are imported via USB or email are only available to that Kindle.

My Husband and I share an account and manage my Mom's Kindle (she is 87 and has no internet access - I just send stuff to her Kindle or she calls me) and my brother just gave my teen his Kindle2 and bought a new one for himself so we're juggling 4 devices and it's fine.

[vaznetti]

Thanks a lot for this information -- it's really helpful.

At the moment, she'll have the only Kindle in the family, although my husband and I are thinking about e-readers for ourselves as well some time in the next 12 months. But for us it may make sense to get something other than a Kindle so that we can deal with different formats for work and work-reading as well as pleasure reading. But the ability to share Kindle books would be a big draw...

[dremiel.livejournal.com]

I use mine FAR more than I thought I would and while it seemed like a real luxury when my husband gave it to me, gee- almost two years ago, I would replace it in a heartbeat if it was lost or stolen.

I think your mom will love it and hope you enjoy whichever reader you end up getting!