I Got a Kindle Touch 3G (and how I came to that decision)

I have been wanting to get into the e-book market because 1) it will encourage us all to read, and 2) save money on books I might want to purchase in the future, and 3) shelf space is gone anyways (we're stacking some books 2 rows now).  They've been out for a while and it seems time to get acquainted with this technology, and since I have had a $50 gift card laying around from Christmas, that helps.

I love technology!  (my friends who have seen Napoleon Dynamite are laughing.)

I gave the Nook for Barnes and Noble a good look.  What pushed me to the Kindle is 1) the text-to-audio is on Kindle (even though it is drab, I probably won't use it that much but it is nice to have, perhaps for Anton while he learns to read?) but not available on Nook; 2) Kindle has earphone jack to listen to audio books, Nook doesn't.  3) I am excessively devoted to Amazon already and Kindle keeps me in that family.  They seem to have the books I like at most competitive prices, particularly for homeschooling and Christian studies.  But still, I was open to the possibility that B&N would do better in their electronic reader.  I heard that they have more free children's books and some folks rate the Nook better out there on the blogosphere.  Thinking future purchases in technology, if I don't eventually get a tablet like IPad or Android, I may still  want to get a Kindle Fire after they improve it with free 3G or 4G service.  And so, I would want to access that same cloud material on the Fire as well instead of trying to go back and forth between different providers, formats and such.  I would have to become fluid with both markets if I had the Nook reader.  Major pain and waste of time.  4)  I think Kindle/Amazon has more free stuff for my interests, but I'm not 100% sure of that.  But they would at least be equal in free stuff to the Nook for my interests.

The reason I didn't get a Fire now for only $50 more than I spent is because 1) they do not have 3G capability yet.  You have to have wireless access for the Fire unless a book is downloaded.  2) You can't read a Fire in sunlight, so taking it to the pool is not a good option.  3) The Fire seems a lot like my smartphone.  I could just see myself obsessing that all the books had a color cover on them for the menu view, and how do I do that if it doesn't come with one in the download?  (I'd be like Mr. Monk.)  It seems like a lot of bells and whistles and distractions from the purpose I want it for:  reading.  But I'm still impressed with it.  A lot of my friends LOVE theirs.  I just thought it would be an overlap on technologies since I have a cool smartphone.

After I got the Touch 3G, I realized after exploring all that I can do that I could do fine without the 3G part.  I contemplated taking it back because it was about a $75 dollar difference.  In case you're not aware, the 3G is like cell phone service, but it is free!  What I would do without the 3G is just make sure the books I'll want to read when I'm away from Wi-Fi are installed on the device.  Without 3G, I am not be able to explore what is kept on the cloud, or acquire anything new...I'd have to be in a Wi-Fi connection.  What I learned just the other day playing with it.. the Kindle software I downloaded to my computer allows me to sync with the device when it is plugged into my computer via USB.  I can just right click the mouse on the book and select "download" and BAM, it is on my device (not just "cloud" access).  And, right click again, select "remove" and it is gone from the device but still on the cloud for access (you don't permanently remove it unless you go to your "My Kindle" on the Amazon website and delete it).  I might be able to do this same thing, moving back and forth from download to cloud, from the device and not just from the computer, but I haven't done it that way.   But hindsight is that I now see how easy it is to move back and forth from "cloud" service to the book being installed on my device.   (cloud service means it is streamed over the internet and doesn't take up memory space on computer or device and can access it from different devices)   So, 3G isn't as valuable to me after I learned that, but still nice. Chris says go ahead and keep the 3G.

Then I bought a hard case, and carrying case, and small cheap clip light.  ... spending more money, but I didn't buy the insurance option, so I figure it is necessary to protect it.   Oh, these little hidden costs!

My only complaint about not getting the Fire is I like to read at night before I go to bed and you need a light.  The e-ink technology is really cool but there is no backlight.  And if a book has color pictures...like a children's book, I won't be able to see their glory.  (I love children's books.)

So, that's my pathway to the Kindle Touch 3G.  I've used it everyday so far and have been reading a lot more.  I hope to read more of the Classics, both in English Literature and Christian Classics... and most of the ones I want are free!

Here are some articles that convinced me of my choice:
http://www.mobiletechreview.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Number=41718  -- pushed me to the Kindle over the Nook

http://www.challies.com/resources/what-kindle-should-i-buy  -- pushed me to the Kindle Touch 3G, over just the Touch model.