The e-Ink Kindle 2’s Whispernet service is one of its most important features, for without it, it’s just another expensive plug-in gadget with content DRM’d up the nose.
But what if you live in an area where the service isn’t covered? Amazon notes on its website that the service (using Sprint’s network) doesn’t cover Montana and Alaska, but it’s clear from the map provided online by the telcom that many more areas suffer from poor coverage.
Over the last year, several Kindle users have reported poor Whispernet connections in the Salt Lake City airport, in Wyoming, Idaho, Nevada (except Vegas), Nebraska, and many others.
Whispernet, a cellular wireless (EVDO) connection, matters because it allows the Kindle to hook up to the web within seconds and helps you buy books and magazines over the air, all without using a computer. Since Amazon holds your account info (and more relevant, your credit card’s) you don’t have to waste any time ‘at the register,’ if you will. Many users have noted that the feature is the biggest differentiator against its main competitor, the Sony Reader, and point it as the reason they’ve given up the latter.
Our own Charlie Sorrel has already observed that this is a great tool to use when traveling – just take it with you and check out real-time update on useful sites like WikiTravel.
You can also synchronize data between Kindles, and with the Whispersync system, you’ll likely soon be able to push books between mobile devices, like phones and maybe even netbooks.
But before you go over to Amazon.com to pick up a Kindle 2 on a wave of hype, we think you should really figure out whether the device picks up Whispernet service in your area (and you should also take a look at our review). Because EVDO transmits wireless data through radio signals, rural areas are more likely to suffer the poor lines.
In the Sprint map, orange stands for its highest-speed EVDO coverage and green is the lower speed 1xrtt coverage. In the US, 1xrtt (1 times Radio Transmission Technology) has a peak of 144 kilobits per second, which is about 6 times faster than a dial-up line and is slightly slower than 3G speeds. It has been defined as a 2.5G connection. This means that you can still receive your books over the air, but much slower. We’ve heard of a book taking 3-5 minutes to download instead of 10 seconds.
Check out the full Kindle Sprint map right here, and you can also use Sprint’s EVDO coverage for all devices map here
Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired
