Why You Need an Amazon Kindle 3

The Amazon Kindle 3 and Amazon Kindle DX are the latest generation of ebook readers from Amazon. The following Amazon Kindle 3 review will tell you why this has been their top selling product for two years running.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably seen someone reading a Kindle on the train, at a coffee shop or at the beach. At the very least, you've read reviews of the product on Hubpages and dozens of other sites, including Amazon.com.

If you're an avid reader and are in the market for an ebook reader or are looking to upgrade from your existing model, here are a few solid reasons why the Amazon Kindle is the only choice for you. Sure, there are other brands of ebook readers out there, but for a true reading experience that mimics, and actually improves upon, reading an actual paper book, the Kindle cant be beat. Here's why...

Amazon has upgraded their popular Kindle with this latest release to incorporate many features that fans have requested over the years, as well as a few new and unexpected features.

Amazon offers free global wireless coverage via 3G networks in over 100 countries and territories worldwide. You can shop online in the Amazon store, download books and browse the web via the Kindle's built in WebKit based browser wherever you are in the world, at no additional cost. There are no Kindle 3g roaming charges. This is great for people who do a lot of travelling, for business and pleasure, as you won't need to scramble around for a Wi-Fi hotspot or pay exorbitant roaming fees for 3G access.

Purchase a book and it will be downloaded to your Kindle in 60 seconds over your 3G or Wi-Fi connection.

The Kindle Wi-Fi + 3G and Kindle DX models come with a preloaded SIM card so its ready to go right out of the box. No activation, no monthly fees or carrier contracts required and best of all, no data charges, ever.

So whether you're at the beach or on an expedition in Africa, your Kindle will always be connected.

The Amazon Kindle weighs just 8.7 ounces and is 1/3 of an inch thin, making it lighter than a regular paperback book and thinner than a magazine.

If you read for long periods of time then you know how heavy a book can get after a while, not to mention the cramps in your hand from holding it open and flipping pages. The lightweight, pencil thin Kindle on the other hand can be used for hours on end, whether you're sitting up or lying down, with barely any noticeable strain on your arms or hands.

The Amazon Kindle was designed to fit in your hands snugly, whether you hold it with one hand or both, giving you easy access to the page-turn buttons on either side of the screen. A lot of people are clamouring for a touch screen in the next generation of the Amazon Kindle but I find that the physical page-turn buttons work much more efficiently and comfortably, and feels more natural to use than having to swipe the screen each time you want to turn the page. Yes, swiping the screen gives you the impression of turning a real page but simple mimicry is not what the Kindle is about. It's about taking the experience of reading a book and improving on it, something it has done in leaps and bounds.

Thanks to the simplicity of the Kindle's User Interface (UI), both young and old can use the device with little to no hassle whatsoever. Once your Amazon account is setup, purchasing and downloading ebooks from the Kindle Store is a breeze, even for novices. Thanks to the 3G or Wi-Fi connection, your books will be downloaded wirelessly to your device in 60 seconds.

Even transferring ebooks from your Mac or PC to the Kindle is a cinch. You connect the Kindle to your computer with the included USB sync cable, and simply drag and drop your ebooks into the respective folder on your device, just like using a flash-drive.

The Amazon Kindle store is packed with over 700 000 books, over 550 000 of which will cost you just $9.99 or less, including a large selection of New York Times best seller titles. The ebook versions are cheaper than regular paperback and hardcover edition, and you only have to wait 60 seconds before you can start reading your latest purchase, saving you both time and money.

To top it all off, there are over 1.8 million out-of-copyright books available to download free of charge.

The Kindle 3 is fitted with a high contrast, e-ink screen using pearl technology which according to Amamzon gives you 50% better contrast for sharper text and images.

Reading on the fantastic e-ink screen causes no eye strain whatsoever, so again reading for long periods of time is not a chore. The screen refreshes quickly with each page turn for a seamless experience and can be read in bright light or outdoors in the sun without any glare or distraction unlike traditional backlit LCD screens which are found on other devices such as the iPad.

As the Kindle screen has no backllight you will have to read in a lit environment or alternatively you can purchase one of the many quality lighted Kindle case covers that have a built in LED light so you can read in the dark.