Want to buy someone a kindle but was wondering which version to buy. Also how much memory does it have and does it come in different memory sizes? Thanks

The 3G version is good if the person you are giving it to does a lot of travelling but the WiFi version is fine for most people I guess.

There is enough memory for approximately 3,500 books and there is no way of expanding it that I know of.

Archiving books saves space. You can download them again when needed.

Indeed but who has over 3500 books, even if you read a book a day on your kindle that's nearly 10 years of space.

Can you use them for playing back music ? Maybe extra storage would be useful then.

I bought my OH and myself a 3G version each and tbh could have saved over £100 and just gone for the WiFi only version.

Unless your friend is going to be away from any WiFi for weeks on end, 3G shouldn't be needed.

I'm going away for 4 weeks later in the year and can preload the Kindle with more than enough books to see me through and even at that I will only be without internet access for no more than a few days at a time.

I guess an exception would be for people who subscribe to daily newspapers and the like on the Kindle.

I have the 3G version and the free web browsing is brilliant. ok it's very low resolution but it means I can read mobile versions of sites like the BBC for free anywhere in the world. I can use Facebook mobile on it too.

I think the Kindle is an awesome device and recommend them to anyone.

You can play music on them and to be honest it is surprisingly good. the speaker on the device is quite acceptable though I use headphones mainly.

One of the best gadgets I've ever had, and I've had a few.

Yep, the current free (limited) internet access is great for browsing. Wonder how long it'll last .......

Once you start doing stuff like browsing and playing back music, is it time to move onto a tablet ?

Only if you have more money than sense.

Don't know how much a kindle is but you can pick up a usable tablet for £120

Bit of an operative word there

Seriously though, you are right. There are compromises (older version of the O/S, resistive screens etc) but there are some good ones out there.

Back on topic, if I was buying one for myself, knowing what I know now, I would by a WiFi only one and spend the £41 saving on books.

That might be an idea OP - the WiFi Kindle plus an Amazon voucher.

Now I have my Kindle it has solved the 'what to get Dad for Christmas/birthday/father's day' conundrum.

It's Amazon vouchers all the way.

My wife & I brought the Wi-Fi version for the same reason. Plus there are so many places where you can get free Wi-Fi access these days in the unlikely event we needed to download more books we thought we'd do it that way. But then I usually have half-a-dozen books loaded ready to read anyway so it isn't a problem for us not having 3G

Does kindle work with hotspots that you can set up with smartphones ? Then you won't need 3g in the kindle itself

I think that's right.

yes it does.

It can play music, but it's not very good at it IMHO. Managing playlists, sorting artists etc. just don't work like on a dedicated mp3 player.

I've got a tablet too. But for reading books especially text/fiction, the screen on the Kindle is unbeatable. Can read in bright sunlight, or for very periods with no eyestrain. The tablet is better though for reading pdfs, or comics or anything with illustrations. The battery life on the Kindle is also far far better then a tablet.

It does work with any WiFi hotspot. The main advantage of the 3G Kindle is that it's free even abroad. But the Web Browser is very basic. You're better off viewing the mobile versions of websites.

What I was wondering is can it play music while you are reading ?


I used a kindle outside and no doubt it way better then tablet. I have really viewed comics on there (didn't know it could manage them) but I do on view pdf scans and comics on my tablet without problems. Better on the new hi-resolution ones but even my 1024x600 resolution tablet is pretty readable.

Battery life don't disagree with but then again I doubt many people are reading for 6 or 7 hours without being able to get to a power point.

I am reliably informed it can play music while you read. Which is handy for audiobooks if you like to read along.

If you fancied testing comics on the Kindle you could always try a sample - but as the other poster says it really isn't brilliant at performing this function.

I have stay away before and was unable to charge - I didn't realise I would be there all day and ended up having to get a hotel room for the night - but this is a rare occurrence really

I agree, I have tried reading manga on my kindle but it's a far better experience on the iPad due to the larger high res screen.

Yes comics are not that great on the kindle. I use my iPhone for comics and do my reading on the kindle.

That's true if you only use your Kindle in the UK but if you travel abroad then the Kindle 3G browsing is totally free - using your mobile as a hotspot would rack up huge data charges.

I'm just back from a week in Spain and used my Kindle for almost as much browsing (keeping up with what Murdoch & Co were doing) as reading books - and it didn't cost me a penny. A week's 3G roaming charges would have been more than the price difference between the WiFi and 3G models.

I honestly don't know how Amazon can afford to provide 3G web browsing for free.

Although I've not yet taken my Kindle on holiday, I went for the 3g version for this very reason. Even in this country, its a handy way to browse basic sites when away from home, without having to pay for wifi access.

I use a little Elonex reader for myself. I read lots of PDF's with photos and diagrams and it is backlit so I can read at night.
Question - my wife fancies a Kindle, but I think she'd get browned off by its poor photo reproduction and having to find a light source to read at night. Am I right about these things or is e-ink just as versatile as LCD?