Originally Posted by
elizadoo
Wondering if either of these e-readers has decent internet access, or is it abbreviated like with cell phone (mobile) Google, etc?
Also, Amazon says their Fire 3G operates all over the world. Is this 3G for downloading books and movies only, or can it also be used for internet access so I can check my email, flight details, read the FT forum, book hotels while traveling, etc.
In other words, will it do almost what my netbook does, except store massive amounts of data and give me the keyboard?
Or does it work as just a big oversized cell phone? In which case I can bring a non-active smartphone with me and just hook into wi-fi wherever I am able.
Heading to Central America for a month in July, will be in Nica, Honduras, and Guate.
I have a Nook Color that I have modified using CyanogenMod 7. Fine e-reader, reasonable internet device with the modification, which allows access not just to B&N but to most of the Amazon bookstore as well. The modification is not difficult, but of course, "difficult" is in the eye of the beholder. If you don't like playing around with your devices, then this mod may not be for you; on the other hand, I've found it one of the easier modifications to do. Just download the files from
http://www.cyanogenmod.com for the Nook onto a microSD card, follow the directions exactly, and you'll have a device that can handle most tasks thrown at it, including the ability to make reservations at hotels, download maps, and generally surf the internet.
One of the major advantages of a 7-inch device over a 10-inch device when traveling is portability. I found that I could slide the Nook into a pants or rain jacket pocket where an iPad would have never fit. For content creation, a netbook is required, at minimum; but, if you're strictly talking about internet access and book reading, a 7-inch device will address most needs, especially where space is a concern.