Before buying a Kindle
After I decided where to buy a Kindle Keyboard, I ordered this ancestor of the other Kindle products (Kindle, Kindle Touch and Kindle Fire HD) from Amazon, of course. Deciding which Kindle to buy wasn’t as straightforward a job as it may seem because, at the time, there were three new types of Kindle e-readers available. Mainly Kindle Fire HD, 7″ for £159.00 with 16 GB and £199.00 with 32 GB released in The UK.
So, I asked myself a question:
What is the main reason I need kindle e-reader?
And my answer was straightforward – reading e-books and PDF documents, but also reading news, blogs and articles on the Internet. This answer clearly buried the Kindle Fire HD (by the way just released in the UK) because I didn’t want an e-reader with a under lighted display, which causes problems for my eyes after one hour of reading.
At that point, I left Kindle Fire behind and I was deciding between the Kindle, the Kindle Touch and the Kindle Keyboard. This is where one of my friends helped me navigate the local market. My friend has a Kindle Keyboard and he showed me a local store where I could find two other models to try out for free before buying one.First, I tested the Kindle and the Kindle Touch in shops placed right next to each other so I could easily compare the size, weight and overall look of both devices. While testing those two Kindles, I was soon convinced that the Kindle Touch is a lot smoother to navigate and control as a whole. I liked the fact that I didn’t have to click through a whole page to get to a desired item on a page full of hyper-links, for example.
However, a significant drawback of the Kindle Touch and Kindle Fire I’ve found is that it is missing side buttons for turning pages, which are a great feature on other Kindle models. Also, I still prefer devices with buttons instead of a touch screen because I simply don’t like touching screens and leaving my fingerprints on them.
So, I thought I had definitely decided to buy a Kindle Touch. But, I had yet to visit my friend and test a Kindle Keyboard.
Checking out this last device was a pleasant experience as I was really impressed by it. I knew the Kindle Keyboard was the right choice for me before Kindle Fire straight away. What I liked was that Kindle Keyboard is built to fit my hands better than the Kindle Fire. It was just nice to hold it with my thumbs under the screen when reading books instead of constantly looking for the right place to put my hands on a Kindle Touch, which only has small edges around the touch screen—there is simply nowhere to keep your thumbs.
Then I had another dilemma: whether to buy model with 3G wireless, or WIFI only. After I searched what seemed like the whole Internet, I found that a free 3G connection is a really useful feature for one reason. You have Internet access on the go wherever you move with no contracts and no fees!
Unfortunately this great idea from amazon is missing on Kindle Fire or Kindle Fire HD, 7″ in the UK ! This convinced me very quickly to buy a model with a free 3G wireless connection. I just could not believe I could have mobile Internet access for absolutely free.
So, the decision was made to buy a Kindle Keyboard!
Kindle Keyboard !
First impression after my new Kindle Keyboard arrived
My new Kindle arrived in a rather large, well-packed cardboard box from Amazon. The box contained the e-reader and a USB cable to charge and connect the Kindle to computers. I was a little surprised not to find a user’s manual like those that come with similar electronic devices. In this case, though, I understood that it would be a bit foolish to provide a printed manual with an e-book reader.
After a month of constant use
After this period I was just happy that I had bought a Kindle Keyboard because I am actually still enjoying this great e-book reader.
Technical data
The Kindle Keyboard weighs only 247 grams and is 8.5 millimeters thick – a lot less weight than a paperback book with 500 pages! The size of the E Ink Pearl display is 6 inches and it is just the right size of reader to keep it small enough to slip into a pocket. My model has a free 3G connection and a built-in WIFI module to connect to the Internet over my home WIFI signal or anywhere in the city center or at a local coffee shop. I’ve found the battery life to be a bit overestimated, but this is just because I am using the Internet connection most of the time. If you turn wireless off, it will extend the battery life considerably.
Now please take a look at the video for a full review of the Kindle Keyboard, including information on navigating and testing the Internet browser, the audio player, the text-to-speech function, and how to set up the Kindle for the first time after purchasing it.
