To Kindle or Not to Kindle...

That is the question. Good day all, this is the Angry Systems Administrator here looking for some advice. As a Systems Administrator/Engineer, I have a lot of computer books and manuals.

These books and manuals are used by me to both keep my skills up and also to refer to if I run into something and don’t have an answer to off the top of my head. These books, since they are highly specialized, don’t have a wide audience and so they are expensive. They are also very thick and very heavy.

Carrying around a good cross-section of manuals and books is a great way to break your spine. I have hundreds of pounds of these books in my home. I still need them, and when I need to look something up I have to wait until I get home. Of course I could keep the books at my Real World Job, but I’ve been laid off in the past and trying to clear out 300lbs of assorted books in a very short time is rather difficult. These days, even when I’m in a permanent position, I tend to not bring a lot in with me.

So, I’ve begun looking into getting a Kindle. Until recently. I wasn’t able to actually hold one in my hot little hands. Then I found out I could get one at Best Buy and went there to look at one. They are very light of course, but I thought they were rather small. I’ve also looked at the Ipad and I’ll be giving my opinion of those in another post. While I liked the screen size, it’s to expensive and does far more than I need.

So, what I’m doing is asking all our readers who use the Kindle what they think of the various models.

First, I’m going to start with the low-end Kindle. According to Amazon, this model is WiFi only near as I can tell, which means you need to be near a hot spot in order to download books you order. On the other hand it is also the lowest priced version out there. According to the Amazon page, it should hold up to 1400 books.

The next model on the list is the . This model has both WiFi and an AT&T connection so you can order and download your book right away.  It also has a larger capacity so it can hold up to 3000 books. This unit is $20 more, but basically just an improved model.

The next model of Kindle looks like an improved version of the Kindle Touch. The major difference is it comes with both a WiFi connection and a 3G connection. From what I can read, the 3G connection cost is eaten by Amazon. Of course, there are always conditions on things like this and here is what I found on the Amazon site:

Your Kindle uses wireless connectivity to allow you to shop for and download Digital Content from the Kindle Store. In general, we do not charge you for this use of wireless connectivity. Your Kindle may use wireless connectivity to make other services available to you for which we may charge you a fee, such as personal file download and subscriptions when you are located in another country. The fees and terms for such services are located in the Kindle Store and may change from time to time. If your Kindle functions with third-party services, such as WI-FI access points, a third party may charge you fees for the use of those services.

Well that looks reasonable. I haven’t heard any horror stories regarding surprise bills from Amazon…yet!

This brings me to the next candidate, the . About the only difference I can see between this model and the Touch 3G is the keyboard. I think it allows you to add notes to what you’ve been reading. This could be very useful for someone like me who is in the technical fields. I do make notes in books and things usually regarding errors or if the subject is close but not quite matching the problem I’m researching.

Next up is the . I am interested in this model since it does have a larger screen. It also has a keyboard. However it also appears to suck power from the battery. With the WiFi off it will last 2-3 weeks where the others will last 1-2 months. There is also the additional cost of the unit. This one tips the scales at $379. I’m not sure I want to spend an extra $100ish on a couple of extra inches of screen space.

This brings me to the latest model, the . This is the latest version of the Kindle by Amazon and is basically a low-end tablet. It appears to be designed to compete with the Ipad, but at a far lower price. The other major differences are the memory capacity. This one has 6GB of space and can hold up to 6000 books. It will also allow you to download and watch videos as well as assorted apps. It’s the same screen size as all the others models, (excluding the DX version of course) and appears to have really crappy battery life.

So, which model should I get and what has your experience been with the various models? Please add your comments or send me email from my contact page.

I look forward to your advice.

Thank you.

~The Angry Systems Administrator~

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