[quote=""Ken""]I am about to purchase a Kindle. Before doing so, I wondered if I could possibly benefit from the experience a lot of you will have gained by now.
First, the main reason I want one is so that I can transfer a lot of my historical research from my laptop to the easier reading format provided by the Kindle (I find it difficult or uncomfortable to read a long document or an e-book on my computer). I am also of course interested in downloading future books to the Kindle, but I already have an extensive library of my favourite NF and HF books. I'm not sure that I want to go to the expense of purchasing the same books in e format.
Has anyone had the experience of transferring documents from their computers to the Kindle? I understand that the documents need to be in PDF Format, which covers the majority of my research docs (my WIP is however in 'Word,' so that will have to stay on my laptop).
I have broadband internet at home, but do not have a WiFi router. Does this mean I will have to go to a WiFi hot spot in order to be able download books? I could of course buy the Kindle with WiFi and
3G. Normally 3G in the UK is ok and not too expensive,
But The moment you start to use it, say in France, the costs rocket! Amazon states that the 3G is provided 'free!' Is this as good as it sounds? Has anyone had the experience of downloading books while overseas using 3G?
Any help you can give will be most appreciated!

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I am based in the UK.
What Amazon has said about 3G being free for downloading books is true but how long it will stay that way -- who knows? However, I have had no problems with their 3G although some places are better than others. By that I mean that when travelling on a train, it tends to be dodgey when you are in the station but picks up quite quickly outside.
You can get internet access as well but this tends to be clunky and awkward -- but that might be because I haven't quite mastered the most effective use of the navigational key -- but on the other hand it might just be clunky and awkward. I must admit since using the Kindle Internet, I now find the Internet much easier on my phone which I used to find awkward but now find a lot easier than the Kindle.
I have transferred documents to Kindle. Word 2003 works (but it is said to be experimental). But you can easily convert to a .txt file (save as -- and select .txt). You could also convert them to PDF. If you don't have program already Cutepdf is free and exceptionally easy to use (you just send the document to the printer, selecting the Cutepdf printer from the printer drop down menu) and just so long as this has wrap text selected you should be OK. Alternatively, you can download a free program called Calibre which will convert from Word to Kindle or ePub etc etc. It is also incredibly useful for cataloguing ebooks, documents etc.
My Kindle has both WiFi and 3G and so long as you follow Amazon's instructions about which email address to use, you can convert documents this way but unless you want to pay, you need to use WiFi. Downloading of all Amazon purchased books is free via 3G.
If you want to keep editing your WIP then it would have to stay on your laptop because as yet there is no facility to edit such documents but only to keep notes and highlights. So the Kindle is fine for reading, downloading Amazon books (or freebies like Gutenberg) but it is no replacement for a computer (as yet).
I simply transfer from my PC to Kindle via USB using a simple copy and paste. However, I did have to change my virus scanner as the free one I was using from my provider meant that my PC didn't recognise the Kindle. But Norton works OK.
Does that help?