Amazon does it again with Kindle 3

Amazon.com recently released its much anticipated e-reader the Kindle 3. For those of you that don’t know what an e-reader is, it’s an electronic device that allows you to read electronic books, magazines, newspapers and blog posts.

When the first generation Kindle was released in 2007, the starting price was $399. After increased consumer demand and popularity, the Kindle 2 wound up at a competitive price of $259, after a starting price of $359. The price of the Kindle 2 was further reduced to $189 in June.

All the models featured a technology called Whispersync, which allows users to download books and other media directly from the device. Whispersync works over cell phone networks and is free to be used by Kindle users.

On July 28, Amazon announced it would be releasing Kindle 3G+Wi-Fi and the Kindle Wi-Fi. The 3G+Wi-Fi model is priced at $189 and the Wi-Fi only model is priced at $139. The 3G+Wi-Fi model allows users to either connect to a cellular network or a Wi-Fi internet connection.

Again, it’s free to Kindle users to use the 3G connection, but it is somehow included in the $189 price. The Wi-Fi allows users to connect to the internet, but only with a Wi-Fi connection. I recommend the $189 Kindle 3G+Wi-Fi because most times you choose to use the internet connection on the Kindle, you probably won’t be anywhere near a Wi-Fi connection.

The market leader Kindle 3 faces competition from Barnes & Noble’s Nook and the Sony Reader. The Nook features a 6-inch e-ink display and a smaller color touchscreen display at the bottom of the device. The Nook has a 3G model priced at $199 and a Wi-Fi only model priced at $149. The Sony Reader also features an e-ink display and 3G connectively. The Sony Reader also has a touchscreen model.

The Kindle 3 features 50% better contrast on its 6-inch e-ink screen as compared to previous generation Kindles. The body of the Kindle 3 has also been reduced in size from previous models. The device can also last a full month on one single charge if the wireless connection is turned off. It also features 4GB of memory, meaning it can hold up 3500 e-books. The Kindle 3 can also play music and podcasts.

I have had my  Kindle 3 for over a week now, and here are some of the things that stick out the most:

1) The contrast is really good. I have read it in intense sunlight and there is almost no difference between reading it indoors and outdoors.

2) The weight of the device is very comfortable. I can easily hold it in the palm of my hands for hours.

3) The Kindle features a text-to-speech function which allows the e-reader to read text to you––not exactly my favorite feature. At this point it appears to be a novelty. Amazon owns Audible.com, a digital content website that sells audio versions of books, newspapers and other media. If Amazon could somehow integrate Audible into the functionality of the Kindle, the text-to-speech function would be perfect.

4) The Kindle 3 also features a WebKit browser. The browser can handle websites like Wikipedia and Google. It can also access articles from The New York Times pretty well. I have tried using Facebook on browser, but the website tends to freeze. I have also tried using Gmail, but the browser cannot handle it. Google Reader works very well on the browser. All in all, I like the WebKit browser.

All in all, the Kindle 3 is simply a very good e-reader.