Should I buy the kindle 3G or a basic kindle?    by Brian Menard

Buying your first "eReading" device is a lot like buying your first stereo. You want the best quality for the best price. Ultimately, no matter how much you spend, somebody else's sounds better. Just like stereo's, eReaders are available from a large number of companies. For the purpose of this article, let's assume you have already decided you are getting a "Kindle". You are simply trying to decide between the basic Kindle vs. the 3G version.

Kindle certainly has a great reputation and Amazon is an amazing company. In case you're not familiar with Amazon,("Welcome to Earth"), you can easily verify their reputation for "Hassle free" shopping and an unsurpassed return policy. In fact, most of my purchases are now done through Amazon for this reason. Kindle is "Amazon's" golden child. Somehow they had the foresight to recognize the market for a high quality eReader (The Kindle) and the rest is history. With the newer 3G verson available as well, it comes as no surprise that consumers are a bit confused.

So the question is; which Kindle should you buy, the basic Kindle or the 3G. There are a few ways you can approach this delemma. The first and most obvious is; how much can you comfortably afford. If money is no problem, then this is a "no-brainer". Buy the 3G Kindle. You can't go wrong. Will this unit still be obsolete because of additional technological improvemnets in a few years? Absolutely. It's the name of the game. However, your basic Kindle will still work every bit as well as when you first bought it and I'm certain that Amazon will always maintain formatting standards which will insure the full availality of all of their eBooks on even the basic Kindle.

Most of my friends have the basic kindle and they are all thrilled with them. Just ask anyone you know that has one, they'll gladly tell you how much they love their kindle. Clearly, the Kindle is here to stay. They don't seem too concerned about upgrading to the 3G Kindle because they are all extremely satisfied with the basic kindle they have. So what can the 3G Kindle do to improve your quality of life? Here it is in a "nutshell". If you would like to be able to download books while at the beach or vacationing, you will likely be much happier buying the 3G Kindle. The primary difference between the basic kindle and the 3G kindle is really a matter of access. Would it be nice to have the 3G option available to download new titles to your Kindle when you are away or travelling? Probably. But how important is this option to you in your life? Answer this question and you'll know which version of kindle, (the 3G or the basic version), is right for you.

One last thought on this subject; because there are so many kindles already "out there", you may be happy to know that you can find both the basic and the 3G "used" Kindle versions available at Amazon as well.
For more information on this 3G vs. the basic Kindle discussion, please visit this page..."Kindle 3G Or Basic Kindle"