Amazon Kindle 3 review

Follow this link if you’re looking for the new keyboard-less Amazon Kindle 4 (2011).

After its dalliance with providing the Kindle from an International store, Amazon has decided that for its latest model it will ship a UK-specific model. While that’s of interest in itself, it’s perhaps the price that’s the most astonishing thing: the 3G model (WiFi is also included) here is just £149, but those on a tighter budget can buy the WiFi-only model for just £109.

If you think that corners have been cut to get the price down, you’d be wrong. While the third generation Kindle is made from plastic, it feels incredibly well-built. At 247g, it’s both light enough to carry everywhere, but heavy enough to feel tough.

Even so, we recommend buying a carry case to protect the screen. There are two official versions available: the standard leather ones cost £30, while the case with the built-in light that’s powered by the Kindle costs £50.

The 6in screen is fantastic. It has a resolution of 600×800 pixels, making text look sharp. It’s the new E Ink Pearl screen, with 16-levels of greyscale an better contrast, so reading in any condition is simple. While Sony has decided to fit its latest Readers, such as the PRS-650, with touchscreen displays, Amazon has stuck with a standard screen and regular control buttons.

In practice this makes very little difference to use. Page-turn buttons are located on both sides of the screen for left- and right-handed people. They’re perfectly positioned, and turning pages is quick thanks to the responsive screen.

Underneath there’s a standard keyboard, which you can use to enter notes on books, search for text and, most importantly search the Kindle store. This is the real beauty of the Kindle: the integrated store. Directly from the device you can download new books and pay for them through the associated Amazon account.