We had blogged last time as to how it might be smarter to wait and watch the kindle launch and eventual progress rather than jump out and buy one! Well maybe we got it wrong. Amazon has gone on a very aggressive note in India to promote the kindle. As per our source who attended the press conference Amazon is providing Kindle with AT&T’s US and International wireless services and this is at no monthly wireless bills and no yearly contracts as of now. There is also no software to install and no syncing required.
The debatable point here is that is this wireless connection 3G or is it edge/gprs available on phones in India? Also who is AT&T’s partner operator here in India?
Is AT&T entering India markets soon?
AT&T was once a 2G player in India and exited the Indian markets in 2005 by selling its stake to IDEA Cellular. There is also news that AT&T now wants to enter the Indian market and will do so by buying the 3G spectrum at the upcoming 3G Auctions. So it does seem that AT&T will be able to provide 3G speeds to the kindle in due course of time.
What Speed Is The Kindle Providing?
Coming back to the question of whether the speed provided currently is 3G or Edge/Gprs we did some digging into the amazon site whether the kindle is available for sale and found the following details on their International wireless service coverage. Check the map here. As the map states the only kind of coverage available in India is Edge and GPRS. So unless AT&T has tied up with a 3G player like BSNL or MTNL the download speed you get wont be 3G.
Now Finally – Should you buy a Kindle?
Well if your spend on books is about 10,000 rupees a year then you should seriously consider buying the Kindle. This is because at 259$ which is about Rs. 12,150 approx and assuming the digital books cost you about Rs.4000 a year. After 2 years your buy would become a profitable one. Well this is from the cost perspective but from a techie perspective and just as a gadget enthusiast we might go back on our statement and recommend buying the kindle as of now there is zero cost of data download besides the cost of the actual digital book. So in essence kindle if you are a book reader!
Well, there is one more reason to buy the Kindle (which is my main reason for shifting), is that you will save paper. While I love the feel of a good book in my hand, but its still paper, and as much as I will miss books, I think I will feel better using a Kindle.
Oh yeah, and the gadget quotient of Kindle is super high, of course.