I'm looking for e-mail and web solutions for short journeys, i.e. without taking my laptop. I had read that it was possible to use Kindle 3G readers to check e-mail.

I had the chance to use one last week. I found that websites, including installed ones like BBC News, were difficult if not impossible to use. For e-mail, it didn't work for me.

I tried www.web2mail.com to access my various e-mail accounts. That didn't work because it led to another browser page being launched, which isn't allowed. I have webmail accounts with 1and1.com and virginmedia.com. These didn't work, possibly for the same reason.

Yahoo and Gmail are said to work. Is this true? Are there other ways to check my e-mail with Kindle 3G? Or am I simply asking too much?

Thanks for your help.

Yes, it definitely works with gmail. I used gmail with my Kindle 3g quite recently.

It is slow and awkward, but works for basic email messages.

I would NOT want to use it for doing a great deal of emailing. But when I found myself in places where I was unable to use my netbook, I was glad to have access via my kindle.

Reading email on a Kindle is like eating peas with chopsticks. It can be done, but it's time consuming and messy.

In the end you'll be begging for a fork (or an iPhone).

This has been discussed in the past, it's used only for emergency, when nothing else available. And it is SLOW and MESSY and FRUSTRATING!

By the way, i eat peas with chopsticks all the time, along with peanuts

What you need is an Android Tablet. I feel that a Kindle is really only smart for heavy readers or people with limited access to electricity.

I have a Kindle and a Galaxy Tab. I use the Galaxy Tab daily, but when I go backpacking and don't have a charger I bring my Kindle. I would never bring my Galaxy Tab backpacking since it is heavy and there is not enough battery life. I don't really use my Kindle anywhere else since it is so much easier using my Galaxy Tab.

iPad

I don't even take my laptop on trips any more. Books, videos, games, email ... The ultimate travel tool IMHO

Gmail does work, but you'll need to use the basic interface, without the monotonically increasing numbers of bells and/or whistles. And it's slow.

Do you never find yourself in hotels where you can't connect to the internet with the iPad? It happened to me just this week at the Ritz Carlton in Singapore. Their login page requires some pop-up, possibly flash-based functionality, which won't work with iOs devices. I don't think an Airport Express would have helped either, although I didn't have one with me to try.

But even if I could rely on the iPad for everything else, I'd still use the Kindle for reading.

Thanks very much for all your feedback, folks.

Judging from your experience, I've come to the conclusion that I was trying for too much. What made the Kindle 3G potentially interesting was the free web facility, though the web display was already disappointing when I tried it.

I guess I'll have to lug my laptop around after all. AFAIK (which may not be very much), alternatives require $$$ when roaming internationally. I use data SIMs when in one place for more than a few days - e.g. Switzerland @ 5 CHF a day 'unlimited' - but was hoping for a 1-2 days solution without laptop.

And of course the free 3G service at Kindle is described as temporary. If too many people used it, Amazon would probably be looking for an additional revenue stream.

Or a Blackberry.

Except for the lack of Flash, some of the sites I visit just don't work without it.

You won't be begging for an iPhone with AT&T here in NYC.

Email or any kind of online access using the Kindle is painstakingly slow and annoying.

Yes, I have seen that a couple times. I used to carry the iPad AND a laptop, and there would be times the laptop would connect and the iPad would not.

The bigger problem, in my experience, are places that only have wired Internet access. I may have to buy a travel router to take care of that.

Just tried a Kindle at The Source here in Canada & it would NOT allow me access to my Rogers Yahoo Mail.
It said it does not support that browser? Any ideas?
Can I convert my Rogers Yahoo Mail to Yahoo Mobile?
I will be travelleing to Australia for a 10 week cruise & would like to have e-mail access on my Kindle.

Not familiar with rogers yahoo mail. I can get both yahoo and gmail but incredibly slow and clumsy. You might want to call amazon customer service and ask them to help.

The Nook Color works quite well with email, and reasonably well with websites if you want an e-reader with reasonable tablet capabilities for $250. I saw some refurbs for sale http://www.buy.com/prod/nook-color-b...221376447.html for $189. I like this reader because it has backlighting that makes it usable in dark rooms or planes.