Kindle 3 UK -- Amazon Electronic Book Reader Review

    Amazon Kindle 3 UK

 

A Kindle 3 is light, portable, and fun to use. Perfect for taking on your commute or for your holiday reading, or just for lazy afternoons at home and reading in bed.

Amazon currently have a 5 per customer restriction on the UK Kindle 3 and I predict they will be this year's hottest Xmas gift, so buy early to be sure Father Christmas will be bringing one down your chimney!

This was my first Kindle (in fact, my first electronic book reader) and I wasn't sure what to expect.

The Kindle 3 came well packaged in Amazon's 'frustration-free' packaging and was protected on both sides by film covers. This is no substitute however for long-term protection, as it is difficult to use the Kindle through the film. Sooner or later you will need to remove it and find another way to keep your Kindle clean, if that matters to you.

At first I thought there was a paper insert between the film and the actual Kindle 3 screen. Then I realised that the 'paper' was the Kindle screen! I was impressed at the innovative e-paper that is going to allow me to read my Kindle ebooks in all kinds of lighting. I love to sit and read in the sun so this is a real plus.

In the box with the Kindle 3 you also get a quick start manual (the full manual is, appropriately, provided as a free ebook on your Kindle 3) and a USB/charging cable. This has a detachable UK plug adaptor on it so you can charge either via the mains or your computer. Although you don't need to be connected to the computer to receive your ebook orders, you do for transferring non-Amazon books, documents and mp3s.

Amazon make it as easy as possible for you to set up the Kindle 3 ebook reading device.

Step 1: First you need to plug it in (either computer or mains) to charge it up. You will know when it is fully charged as the orange light on the side turns green.

Step 2: To be able to receive Kindle ebooks from Amazon, you will need to connect to your wireless network. You can also get a version of the Amazon UK Kindle with 3G connectivity, in which case this step is optional. For most of you it will be a simple matter of letting your Kindle 3 locate your wireless network and then entering your password. My connection had an extra security step which meant I got an 'invalid password' message even on entering the correct password. This issue was solved by entering the MAC address of the Kindle (available on the device in the Settings menu) into my router permissions.

Step 3: Register your Kindle. If you buy the Kindle 3 UK yourself I believe it will be pre-registered to your Amazon account. Mine was a gift so I registered it with my own email address in the Settings menu.

Even with the temporary wireless hitch (which most people won't experience) it was a quick and easy process to set up my Amazon Kindle 3 ebook reader.

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So far so good. But that protective film had to come off and I wanted to keep my new Kindle 3 nice and clean. If you get a 'page' on the book dirty, well there is no chance to turn the page.

Now this is the one down side to the Amazon Kindle ebook reader. It does not come with a case of any kind, nor even so much as a permanent screen protector. If you want to keep it pristine or if you intend to take it to work, on the train, on a flight or anywhere at all I feel you need to have a case for it.

I was lucky. My gift included a beautiful leather case in my favourite colour. I will warn you, the cases are not cheap and this is a little sneaky of Amazon as it means most customers will pay more for their UK Kindle book reader than they expected by the time they add a case.

3rd party cases are beginning to become available that cost less than the official Amazon UK Kindle cases, but the Amazon branded cases are very smart and guaranteed to work perfectly with your Kindle 3. Mine snapped right in. They also come in a beautiful range of colours, unlike some of the other options. I have a personal grudge against the assumption that women want pink gadgets -- and ONLY pink -- so for me it was worth the extra money to have more choice. Although I admit it, the pink Kindle 3 cover is rather nice after all.

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Now you have your new ebook reader and possibly a rather expensive case, it is time to get some free Kindle ebooks. You can do this via Amazon.co.uk with a simple click of the mouse.

1. On the Amazon.co.uk front page, click on Kindle in the left-hand menu.

2. Scroll down to Kindle eBooks.

3. From the left-hand 'Browse' menu find the second orange category 'Special Features'. Click on Free eBook Collections. Amazon will give you some options for obtaining free ebooks on their own site and via other great free resources such as Project Gutenberg.

4. Click Kindle Bestsellers on the left to see the 100 top free ebooks along with the 100 top ebooks to buy. Or just click on the Popular Classics link towards the top of the page to see all the free ebooks.

5. Click on the book title you like the look of. Then click on the orange Buy it now with 1-Click button*. Either you will now have to sign in or, if signed in, you can choose to download the ebook to your Kindle 3 device or to your computer. If you choose your Kindle, within seconds you should have your new ebook title appear on your Kindle!

* This is enabled by default on your Amazon.co.uk Kindle account. Bear in mind that you will also be buying the priced ebooks in this way. It is easy to get carried away and spend a lot of money. Always double-check the price (or that the book is free) before downloading your ebook.

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