At $164, the Amazon Kindle 3G is the most inexpensive 3G e-reader.
The Kindle 3G with Special Offers is the same as Kindle 3G in features and functionality; but in the ‘Special Offers’ version, users receive special offers directly on the Kindle 3G; the special offers and sponsored screensavers display on the bottom of the home screen without interrupting reading.
The Amazon Kindle is an e-book reader developed by Lab126 Inc, a susidiary of the online store Amazon.com.
The wireless connectivity of Kindle enables users to buy content directly from Kindle Store from anywhere. The Kindle e-book reader uses “electronic-paper display” which “provides a sharp, high-resolution screen that looks and reads like real paper.”
Amazon released the Kindle (First Generation) on November 19, 2007; its introductory price was almost $400. But it was a sesational success; it was sold out in just a little over fve hours and remained out of stock for almost six months.
The Second Generation Kindle was introduced in the last week of February 2009. It was slimmer than the first generation Kindle and less expensive too.
Amazon intoriduced an “Interntional Version” of Kindle in October 2009 and stopped selling Kindle 2G.
Amazon launched the third generation of Kindle on July 28, 2010. It comes in two vesions. The first version, the Kindle Wi-Fi, connects to the Internet only through public or private Wi-Fi networks. The second version suports both 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity. The Wi-Fi Connectivity allows one to connect to Wi-Fi hotspots. The free 3G connectivity, which is the same as the ones that mobile phones use, allows a user to purchase and download content from any area which has access to mobile phone services.
Both the versions use the proprietory E-Ink “Pearl” Display which provides greater contrast than the earlier generations of Kindle readers. The higher contrast of Kindle 3G – claimed to be 50% more than that of the earlier versions – makes it possible to read even in bright sunlight without glare.
Kindle 3G weighs a mere 8.7 Ounces and has a battery life of over two months. It can hold upto 3500 books and has an Enhanced PDF reader with dictionary lookup, notes, and highlights.
Perhaps the icing on the cake is that users can select from more than 950,000 books, audiobooks, and periodicals – not to mention the 1.8 million plus free books which are not covered by copyright.
