Kindle 3G Performance In Thailand

[kunjet]

i'm getting myself a kindle for xmas and deciding between with or without 3g

i was wondering what people's experiences were with the 3g in thailand to do simple things like check email, facebook, or google maps

also, if you have any experience with the "Special Offers & Sponsored Screensavers" please let me know

[jybkk]

Which Kindle are you considering?

The e-ink versions are the only ones available with or without 3G, and while they are perfect for reading, they are not meant for checking email, facebook etc...

The Kindle Fire is a more "traditional" tablet with LED display based on Android (so you can have gmail, facebook etc...) but doesn't have 3G connectivity.

I have a Kindle (which they now call "Kindle Keyboard") and I love it because the comfort of reading on it is even better than on a book, and million years ahead an iPad. But it's for reading only. I didn't get the 3G version since I'm most of the time in an area covered with wifi, so I can synchronize my books and newspapers regularly enough.

As far as I know, the "Special Offers & Sponsored Screensavers" are only available for US customers only. But if you can have someone who bring it back from the US for you, I'd say it's a pretty good deal. These special offers appear when your kindle goes off and disappear as soon as you turn it on. It's pretty unobtrusive and, due to the way e-ink screen work, it doesn't use any extra battery (e-ink display need power only to change the picture displayed. Once power is disconnected, the pricture remains on the screen, until you use again a bit of electricity to update the state of the pixels. This is why with wi-fi off, a Kindle can last more than a month of intense use without being charged)

[ludditeman]

I have the wifi Kindle3 keyboard with special offers.

The ads make quite good screensavers, certainly not a problem.

I wish I had got the 3g version as the wifi works really well for facebook, ThaiVisa, email and downloading books.

It would be nice to be able to do this out in the wilds without a wifi connection.

[trd]

I have the wifi Kindle3 keyboard with special offers.

The ads make quite good screensavers, certainly not a problem.

I wish I had got the 3g version as the wifi works really well for facebook, ThaiVisa, email and downloading books.

It would be nice to be able to do this out in the wilds without a wifi connection.

A 3G kindle wont' work in Thailand. Only wifi.

[rogerdee123]

I have the wifi Kindle3 keyboard with special offers.

The ads make quite good screensavers, certainly not a problem.

I wish I had got the 3g version as the wifi works really well for facebook, ThaiVisa, email and downloading books.

It would be nice to be able to do this out in the wilds without a wifi connection.

A 3G kindle wont' work in Thailand. Only wifi.

My Kindle 3G works fine in Bangkok. I don't know about Chiang Mai but in Bkk the 3G works.

[tutsiwarrior]

the kindle works well enough with downloading material to your laptop then dragging and dropping to the USB attached kindle...there shouldn't be any concerns with 3G, wifi, etc connectivity in this regard...

[trd]

I have the wifi Kindle3 keyboard with special offers.

The ads make quite good screensavers, certainly not a problem.

I wish I had got the 3g version as the wifi works really well for facebook, ThaiVisa, email and downloading books.

It would be nice to be able to do this out in the wilds without a wifi connection.

A 3G kindle wont' work in Thailand. Only wifi.

My Kindle 3G works fine in Bangkok. I don't know about Chiang Mai but in Bkk the 3G works.

Then why doesn't my American friend's Kindle not work here.

[REM]

I had a Kindle 3G, and it worked great in BKK. I never used it outside of the city, but the only place it had trouble was on the MRT. Granted the web browsing on my old Kindle was terrible, it might be better on one of the new ones.

But the 3G worked perfectly, and it's free!

[harrry]

On reading the Amazon site it says the Overseas versions with global free 3g are useable in your home country or overseas. US versions are useable in the US.

[merijn]

I have the 3G keyboard kindle from the us amazon.

When you order from outside the us you get automatically the international version.

According the website the 3G should work in the whole country and it wil switch back the edge or GPRS when 3G is not available.

[Monokuro]

Can confirm the 3g one works on Koh Lahrn as well

[TongueThaied]

Absolutely go with the 3G. I am out in the sticks with no WiFi or 3G, but got the 3G anyway as a hedge against the future. I started to download books from Amazon to my PC for later installation to my Kindle. The Amazon default was to send the books by 3G. On several books, I forgot to toggle that box, so the books were inadvertantly sent by 3G. Now most of Thailand is covered by 2G, otherwise known as Edge. Imagine my delight when the books ordered by 3G started automatically downloading from thin air directly to my Kindle -- all free. If you turn the wireless off in your Kindle, it saves battery power, but since my Kindle was new and I did not know how to work it yet, the wireless happened to be on, allowing me to make this discovery -- lucky for me! Sure it takes a little longer than 3G, but who cares. Just leave the Kindle on and all your books will download right into it with no fuss, no must, and most importantly, absolutely free. I don't even have any idea whose network was being used. So if you are in an unconnected area such as I am, the 3G is worth every baht.

[tominbkk]

A 3G kindle wont' work in Thailand. Only wifi.

What are you talking about? Mine connects to a network automatically.

[Phil Conners]

To avoid more confusion: Kindle used to just have two versions of the Kindle 3, now called the Kindle Keyboard: A 3G and a Wifi only version. Both worked everywhere. It seems they now have two different 3G models, a US-only and one that works worldwide. If you order your Kindle from here you will receive the global version. The gentleman with the non-functioning 3G Kindle probably bought his in US.

As far as 3G goes, it's just a term. It will still work in areas with GPRS or EDGE connectivity, no problem.

I have the Wifi only version and never missed the 3G functionality, but I have Wifi in the house, and only ever use it to read books and articles (using the excellent "Send to Kindle" plugin for Chrome which allow one-click formatting and sending of interesting webpages/articles to the Kindle). I have tried using the Kindle browser and email client but I don't like it, way too clucky and slow to use due to lack of touchscreen/mouse.

I had a very good experience with Amazon btw. I left my Kindle in my gym-bag with some keys that made a small nick in the screen. Nothing really serious, I could still easily read on it, but there was this little black mark in the middle of the screen that kinda annoyed me. I called up Amazon to hear if there was any way to repair it, maybe have a replacement screen sent over so I could replace it myself. To make a long story short, they sent me a new Kindle, at no charge at all. They even picked up the shipping charge both for the new Kindle and for sending the old one back. Presumably for tax/duty reasons they made a full refund of the payment of the old Kindle and billed me for the new, but it was all even in the end. They sent it Monday and I got it Friday. If only everything in life was that easy!

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I believe, based on various media reports, that Amazon is expected to come out with a future Kindle Fire model with 3G capability sometime into 2012.

So right now Kindle Fire, with the full-blown web browser and color screen unlike the prior Kindles, is a wifi only choice. But probably won't stay that way very long.

[Digitalbanana]

I have a free Kindle ap for Android on my Samsung SG2 phone. Didn't cost anything besides the big screen phone and loads of Kindle ebooks on torrent sites to review in case I ever decide to buy.

[BabySun]

I have Kindle3G and I use browser sometime - I managed to send posts here!or webmail,read news.They send me books over whispernet,even when they are free.But for my newspapers I have to look for wi-fi.

3G works almost everywhere,sometimes - 2G,but wi-fi is quite fussy and often it can not connect.I do not use mp3 - because I have mp3player.

Kindle works well as guidebook,it doesnt atract attention and you can read it in direct sun.If you pull notebook/netbook on street in India - big crowd will gather around and you will see little because of sharp light.

[kokesaat]

Is it possible to buy a Kindle 3G international edition for delivery to a US address? I'm going to Texas next month, would prefer to have it available while I'm on vacation in the US, then return to Thailand in March to use it here for the next few years.