I have posted a few times in the last little while around my challenges in buying ebooks from Kalahari, then on converting ebooks for use on the Kindle, and more generally on buying ebooks in South Africa.

In response to one of these posts I received a question from Henriet van Rhyn, covering the most obvious question which I hadn’t covered : “Please advise which Kindle to buy, seeing that there are so many versions available on Amazon these days. ”

I answered in the the comments to the post where Henriet posted the question, and after some thought decided it makes more sense to convert this into a full blown post. So below I repeat what I had put into the comments, with a few minor adjustments and ammendments.

Looking at Amazon on 29 June 2011 (as a South African), there are 3 different Kindles to choose from. I don’t bother listed local re-sellers as I haven’t found any of them to be competitive and Amazon just make it so easy to order from them.

• Kindle (WiFi) = $139 (6″ screen)
• Kindle (3G+WiFi) = $189 (6″ screen)
• Kindle DX (3G+WiFi) = $379 (9.7″ screen)

As a USA resident you would also have the option of buying an advert subsidised Kindle for $114. This model is pretty much the same as the WiFi version ($139) but with adverts displayed at various points. Since this is not an international version and can’t be purchased here in SA I don’t cover this any further.

My first Kindle was the WiFi only version. I figured I had wifi connectivity around the house and had Joikuspot hotspot software loaded on my Nokia so had no need for 3G. Little did I know that Kindle didn’t work with Joikuspot (or most Android hotspot software). I lost that Kindle (left it on the plane and couldn’t get it back – thanks for nothing SAA).

Having had the wifi Kindle for 2 months or so before I lost it I knew I had to get another. I had also started using Calibre (download here) and had thought that the 3G could be used for delivery of generated e-magazines. Again, I was mistaken. 3G is only used to deliver notifications that I needed to hook up to wifi to receive my e-magazine. It did however allow me to order books directly from the device and have them delivered pretty much instantly. Great way to shop for new books if you are sitting in a coffee shop or somewhere away from home. There is also talk that the built in web browser can use the 3G connection. I have never got this to work very effectively but some may find this useful.

Having had both versions of the 6? device, my thoughts are as follows. Both are wonderful reading devices which will serve you well. If you travel a bit or are away from home often, or don’t have wifi internet access at home, then go for the 3G version. If you can afford the extra $50 (R350) and don’t really think you need it, then go for the 3G version anyway. The 3G works through a built-in SIM card (via Vodacom I believe), you pay no monthly fees for this, never need to RICA this – it just works.

You MUST buy a leather case for your Kindle. Whether it is the deluxe one (with the built in light) for $60 (R420) or the plain one for $35 (R245), it protects your Kindle and is just a must.

When you order the 3G Kindle ($189) with case ($60) from South Africa you are going to pay $27 odd shipping and another $48 for import duties, giving a total of $325, or R2313 (at current exchange rates).

This is a bit cheaper than what you can expect to pay in the shops here in South Africa (eg. R2199 at Digital Planet – without case) and is delivered by courier to your house. Some of the $48 may be refunded to you (I got a refund on the first Kindle I bought but not the second, no idea why).

If the R2313 is just out of the price range, then go for the wifi only, plain leather cased version ($139 + $35 for the case), $27 shipping and $33 duties, so $233 total (R1 665). Don’t forget this is with the case when comparing to local in-country prices.

The Kindle DX is quite a bit more expensive so I won’t even bother going through the same exercise. It comes out as $537.20 (R3828). If you have the cash and are reading more magazines and textbooks maybe it is worth the extra cash for you.

That’s it for the options. There are rumours of a colour Android based Kindle tablet to be released later in the year. It is likely to be quite a bit more expensive, and possible just below the iPad range in price. This would likely connect into the Amazon music store and the Amazon app store (for US based people) – probably won’t work in SA any time soon. If you want an electronic book reader, take the current Kindle. It is great.

Update on rumours of new Kindle’s (14/7/2011)

This morning there are a number of new articles bouncing around the net on this matter. The short of it is that the rumoured Android tablet is likely to be released before October (in September?). This will not signal the end of the current epaper Kindles, and in fact two new versions of the current Kindle could be released. One may have a touch screen overlay, no real news on what the other will offer. Perhaps a little cheaper? Faster screen updates (page turns?). There is also the possibility of better integration with the music store. There is also much debate as to whether peoples would want two devices, the Kindle and the Tablet. No real consensus on that. It is highly unlikely that the updated Kindles will have any new “killer” features, although they will be smaller/lighter/faster etc. I stick to my view, the current Kindle is great for reading, if you love reading, get one. Whether you get it now or wait for the new version you will be happy. Enjoy.

Link to news story on new kindles : Techspot article here

Looking for more information, take a look at the Kindle and Ebook frequently asked questions.

 

Tags: 3g, amazon, best value kindle, kindle, Kindle DX, rica, sim, south africa, Which Kindle, wifi

Categories: Fun things to do, Gadgets, Mobile

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