Kindle or Kindle 3G if you're on a submarine?

[deathroll]

New son-in-law serves on a submarine. He does not own a kindle or a tablet and we were thinking of getting him one for Christmas.

I know that Kindles work (can be read but cannot download books) on subs. Question is, would he benefit from the 3G feature? Kindle makes a model that requires Wifi downloads and another that allows for 3G downloads. There's a (small) price difference but I'm not sure which might be available black Friday or cyber Monday.

Any thoughts?

Thanks.

[deathroll]

Sorry guys, wrong forum.

[CDog]

3G won't likely work underwater. Do subs offer wi-fi? Then you could choose almost any tablet (iPads are the way to go, BTW).

[tilly]

3G won't likely work underwater. Do subs offer wi-fi? Then you could choose almost any tablet (iPads are the way to go, BTW).

This is correct.

[FloridaxGators1]

This is correct.

Get an android tablet.. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, 8.9 or 7.7...

Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using Gator Country

[AFCyberGator]

He can only use the device on shore. Inside the sub, no devices capable of transmitting are allowed in operation. The sub is a secure facility for one. The boat is cramped and jam packed with electronics and radio interference. It spends months under water without cell phone reception. It only allows limited internet access through the radio comm link, if any. Most submariners I know do not use their cell phones very often, much less wi-fi gadgets.

[tilly]

Get an android tablet.. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, 8.9 or 7.7...

Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using Gator Country

Actually I agree...I'm a Droid Guy. I was just agreeing with the wifi/sub statement.

[95Gator]

New son-in-law serves on a submarine. He does not own a kindle or a tablet and we were thinking of getting him one for Christmas.

I know that Kindles work (can be read but cannot download books) on subs. Question is, would he benefit from the 3G feature? Kindle makes a model that requires Wifi downloads and another that allows for 3G downloads. There's a (small) price difference but I'm not sure which might be available black Friday or cyber Monday.

Any thoughts?

Thanks.

If the sub gets wifi and it probably does, and they would give him a pw, should be good with no wifi.

And how did this turn in to a iPad droid discussion. Wants a kindle.

Get the kindle fire, a small affordable middle area between tab and kindle. Full color screen and runs on android honeycomb, googles tab OS. $199

Sent from my iPad using GatorCountry

[PSGator66]

I don't know that answer but God Bless your son in law and I say thanks for his service.

[AFCyberGator]

I have been in the military for 16 years, and my advice is to not get any gadgets that require Internet or frequent battery charges. On a submarine, the sailor shares his rack (bed) with 2-3 other sailors, works long hours, and rarely gets any free time. Submariners get their Internet fix on the rare "port calls", or visits to someplace with land and wi-fi.

My recommendation: save the black Friday or cyber Monday deals for gift cards, baby wipes, and Kool-Aid powder. I do not recommend sending anything that takes up space in a "sea bag" or ship stowage. I won't even touch the Android vs Apple versus Kindle discussion.

[BariTubaBone]

nook ftw

[orangeblueorangeblue]

Kindle Fire really isn't a middle ground between a tablet and an e-reader. It's a tablet with a media-friendly interface.

But the main appeal of an e-reader is the e-ink, which is much easier on the eyes while reading. The Kindle Fire does not have this.

The Kindle does not require wifi for getting books, you can move them manually from a computer, too.

[BariTubaBone]

Kindle Fire really isn't a middle ground between a tablet and an e-reader. It's a tablet with a media-friendly interface.

But the main appeal of an e-reader is the e-ink, which is much easier on the eyes while reading. The Kindle Fire does not have this.

The Kindle does not require wifi for getting books, you can move them manually from a computer, too.

This is really what it boils down to. I got my nook a few months ago and am incredibly pleased with it. All e-ink readers use the same ink technology, so the interface is really the deciding factor. The nook was the only touch-screen at the time, and it was very comfortable to hold for extended reading. All-in-all, it was pretty perfect from top to bottom from a purely reading standpoint. I think kindle now has a touchscreen version, which should be pretty darn nice. Also, Kindle has more books available, but that is moot because files can now be converted, so there is no more Amazon vs Barnes and Noble content issue.

If a pure reader is what you are looking for, you can load that sucker up with more books than he can read for his entire navy career before he sets foot on his vessel. I have a very large library I would be happy to share with you to give to him (but note they are currently in the .epub format supported by my nook, so they would need to be converted if you went the kindle route). PM me.

If he can't get wifi on the sub, then a tablet is completely pointless.

[ces1948]

The kindle or nook will store hundreds of books in it's onboard memory plus you can add a memory card to increase that. The documentation on my wife's Nook say the battery will last 2 months based on 1 hour use each day an the wifi turned off.

[citygator]

Definitely the Nook for reading books. Long battery life, huge book capacity storage, light and easy to store, and intuitive to use. Big fan.

[wcj786]

There are pluses and minuses for each platform, so I will make an attempt to answer them. First, if your son will have access to a computer when onshore, go with the wifi version of whichever ereader you choose. The additional price of the 3G can not justify itself if he has access to a computer for download. Second, I currently work in a secure, classified area and no wireless devices are allowed. They have made an exception for wifi ereaders, as long as the wireless portion can be disabled.

Plus for Kindle: larger selection of books

Minus for Kindle: Proprietary ebook format (*.azw, *.tpz)

Plus for Nook: Uses the *.epub format

Minus for Nook: Less selection of books

In addition, although it does not speak to the issue of which ereader to get, if your son has any designs to write a book, Amazon offers the better royalty benefits and has a greater number of shoppers than Barnes and Noble.

B&N will sell an author's book, based on the price the author/publisher (can be the same) require, but their royalty formula is to provide the author/publisher 40% of the sale if the book is priced at $2.98 or lower. If it is priced between $2.99 and $9.99, then they will provide the author/publisher 65% of list price. If the list price is $10.00 or higher, then they will provide the author with 40% of list price.

Amazon will sell an author's book, based on the price the author/publisher (can be the same) require, but their royalty formula is to provide the author/publisher 30% of the sale if the book is priced at $2.98 or lower. If the list price is $2.99 or higher, then they will provide 70% in royalties.

While this speaks nothing towards which ereader is the better selection, it does provide insight as to which authors themselves would rather use. Both B&N and Amazon also require that any book listed through them can not be priced higher anywhere else, including the author/publisher's own website. So, an author/publisher will make more money through Amazon, as long as they price their book over $2.98. And, that difference can add up considerably for some authors who sell 100's of thousands of books (or even 10's of thousands).

Considering that there has now been a 4-fold increase in Kindles sold this Black Friday as opposed to last Black Friday, there will be more chances of getting that book sold in the 100's of thousands than ever before.

Whichever ereader you choose for your son, you can not go wrong. If he is a reader, it makes sense over any other type of gift, since it will take up much less space than a paperback, yet hold 1000's of books as opposed to just one paperback novel.

Good luck and enjoy. If he gets to Diego Garcia, have him look me up.

[bakaduin]

As others mentioned.........for why would anyone who wants to read get a tablet be it Galaxy, iPad, or Fire. Reading books on a tablet is awful. I have an iPad and it strains the eyes horribly. The benefit of these eReaders is the e-ink.

I just bought a Nook yesterday and I will give you my reasons for choosing it over the Kindle.

The comparably priced e-ink readers for the two are the Nook Simple Touch ($99), the Kindle Touch ($99), and the Kindle Touch with 3G ($149).

The Nook has a bigger selection of books (2.5 million+ compared to 1 million for Amazon). The Nook is ad-free whereas both Kindles have ads unless you upgrade for 30 bucks. The question with the 3G.....honestly you can just download books when you have Wifi you don't really need it IMO and it isn't worth 50 extra bucks (80 if you don't want ads).

[LeafUF]

Is the iPad really that bad for reading on? I have read a number of books using the Kindle app on my Android tablet and cant say it bothered my eyes at all. I also read a lot of comics on there and never have any issues.

[bakaduin]

Is the iPad really that bad for reading on? I have read a number of books using the Kindle app on my Android tablet and cant say it bothered my eyes at all. I also read a lot of comics on there and never have any issues.

I think if you read them on an e-reader you'd see a marked difference on eye strain. Also you can't read them outside because of the glare. This of course doesn't count for color things like a comic.

[LeafUF]

I think if you read them on an e-reader you'd see a marked difference on eye strain. Also you can't read them outside because of the glare. This of course doesn't count for color things like a comic.

Gotcha I don't doubt that the ereaders are better just don't find the tablets all that bad so long as you find a good setting. I already travel with a laptop and tablet so don't want to add another device just for books and for me the kindle app does the trick.