Listen for a bit and when you go back to the Kindle version, IT will be right where you left off on the audio version. If you get both a Kindle version of a book and the Audible audiobook version of that book, your Amazon account will snyc the two of them together so that if you read 100 pages of the book on your Kindle, the next time you open up Audible, the audiobook version will be right where you left off. non-cellular Kindle models being indicative of the ratio of units sold), and there's likely at least a million 3G-connected Kindle devices that are set to lose connectivity next year, and probably more.Ī sword hangs in the air over the cellular connection of a million+ Kindles, and Amazon is silent.If you’re like me and sometimes you want to read and sometimes it’s more convenient to listen to an audiobook, WhisperSync for Kindle was invented for both of us. Extend out these numbers for an order-of-magnitude estimate (assuming lots of things, like the ratio of reviews between cellular vs. While I can't find official numbers, back in 2018, Amazon said it had sold tens of millions of Kindles, estimates at that time pointed to something like 90 million active e-reader devices in the US, and some 67-85% of the US ebook market is controlled by Amazon, depending on who you ask. The best move, in Sag's expert opinion, is for Amazon to follow similar carrier strategies and either offer free replacements or a discount for existing owners toward new LTE-connected models:Įither way, Amazon should probably tell customers what's going to happenĪt the time of writing, we are a mere seven months out from AT&T's 3G shutdown, and Amazon has yet to publicly acknowledge the effect that will have on a decade of 3G, AT&T-connected, previously Whispernet-branded Kindle devices. But it's still not really a solution, and even if it were possible, the potentially millions of 3G-connected Kindles out there would then only have connectivity within the range of a 900MHz-broadcasting Echo speaker or Ring camera (or the obvious Wi-Fi, for Kindles that have that). Again, it would require an update, Sidewalk doesn't have anywhere near as much coverage, and there could be other technical challenges or hardware incompatibilities, but it may be possible for Amazon to connect older Whispernet Kindle devices that way. Amazon's new Sidewalk network is still in early days, but it also uses 900MHz frequencies for connectivity for some devices. However, the Kindle Keyboard hardware also supports a 900MHz GSM/2G fallback - as, I suspect, many of the more recent 3G-connected models do - which opens a curious door. Some 3G Kindles also have Wi-Fi, but not all do, which means some models may effectively turn into bricks or live their life tethered with sideloaded ebooks.In the absence of an official explanation or roadmap, we reached out to a couple of network and device analysts for expert commentary on the possibilities. Whatever it's planning is still secret - and that's assuming it's not just going to leave 3G Kindle owners in the lurch after AT&T refarms its spectrum. So, what's going to happen to all the 3G-connected Kindles out there when they don't have data anymore?It's a big question, and we asked Amazon about it as we spent the last month trying to dig up details about it, but the company refused to answer our repeated inquiries on the subject. See, Amazon's 3G Kindles for most of the last decade use AT&T's network for their Whispernet data connections. Although AT&T is handing out free smartphones to affected subscribers, there's one other big category of gadgets that will be affected by the shutdown, and so far, none of the companies involved have said a word about what they're going to do. AT&T's plans to shut down its 3G network next year will have a wider impact on devices than just your uncle's dated flip phone.
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