Kindle eBooks, Kindle 3 Optional

No matter which of the winter holidays you celebrate this season, there is a good chance that you’ll need to buy gifts for one or more of the special geeks in your life. It can be difficult to find the perfect gift to please the technology junkies on your list but if you know an avid reader, this year you’re in luck. There are a lot of quality eBook readers on the market this holiday season, and Amazon is stepping up its game against the competition with the latest generation of its popular Kindle line. Amazon recently released the Kindle 3, the latest generation of their popular e-reader device. The Kindle 3 is sleek and compact, coming in smaller and lighter than most books and thinner than most magazines at 4.8-inch by 7.5-inch by about 1/3-inch thick and only 8.5 ounces.

Despite the reduction in size since the previous generations, the Kindle 3 holds twice as many books as its predecessor, weighing in with enough onboard memory to store a library of, on average, 3,500 books. The new E Ink Pearl screen is significantly improved over the last generation, featuring better contrast, smoothly rendered edges for images and text and no visible glare, even in direct sunlight. The Wi-Fi only version is priced at a reasonable 9, while the version with both Wi-Fi and free 3G network access comes in at 9. The 3G system is a little more expensive, but it features a built-in connection to a free global wireless service that supports the device. This means that the model includes free access to the Kindle Store and online features like the onboard experimental web browser, whether you are at home or abroad. The Kindle 3 makes the perfect gift for anyone that you need to buy for that loves to read and is never found without a book, or the perfect present to give yourself.

Amazon Announces Kindle eBook Gifting

Loading the Kindle 3 with some appropriately geeky titles is a great way to personalize your gift. You can purchase eBooks in the Kindle store and have them sent to the device, where they will be waiting when it received. Amazon recently introduced a new eBook gifting system on their website, which means that it is now possible to send any book on the site to a recipient by email. If you are buying books for someone that already owns a Kindle, this can be a great option. The recipient will receive a download link at his or her email address to follow and download the book. This is a new service offered by Amazon that works in much the same way as their standing gift certificate system. However, by selecting a thoughtful title you can give a gift that is just as convenient as, but far more personal than a traditional gift certificate.

Gifting eBooks without a Kindle

What is even more exciting about Amazon’s announcement is that you can still purchase digital editions and send them this way, even if the person you’re buying for doesn’t have a Kindle. Amazon is encouraging the use of their free Kindle reading apps to read eBooks on Windows PC, Mac desktops, iPad, iPhone, BlackBerry, Android and Windows Phone 7. The free reading apps use the same Whispersync technology as the Kindle, which syncs the library across all registered devices. This means if you’re reading an eBook on the Kindle you can pick up from the same page you were reading when you open the book on your iPhone later. The Kindle Store features a lot of great eBook titles to suit everyone on your list.