Kindle as a gift what do I need to know

[jacksmomtobe]

Ok so we are considering give BIL who is home for the Holidays from Africa where he is working for the Peace Corp a Kindle. What do I need to know? We have an IPAD and an old nook so I'm not familiar with the Kindles. What versions are best? A friend said that the Classic books are free for the Kindle. Is this correct? He has mentioned while over there he has been reading the classics. He will be re-stationed in the capital of Namibia for his last stint when he returns there in a a few weeks. He has indicated the technology set up there is good. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thx!

[egoldber]

Almost anything with an expired copyright is free to download from Amazon and places like Project Gutenberg.

[misshollygolightly]

My parents live overseas in an undeveloped area with extreme weather. They LOVE their e-readers (they have several). Having a good screen protector is crucial, as is a good protective sleeve or case. They also prefer e-readers that light up for night reading, as they don't have 24-7 electricity in their home. I know you can buy clip-on lights for a lot of the e-readers that don't light up, but those are still a pain for my parents to deal with b/c of the batteries, etc. Hope this helps!

[Philly Mom]

I have an old school 3G Kindle. I love the 3G. My case, has the light built in and it works off the power of the Kindle itself. Check to see if the 3G will work in his country. If it does, get the 3G version. I find it much easier to download books when I am traveling. Most Kindle cases sold by Amazon should have the light built in unless you are getting the Paperwhite which illuminates on its own.

[BabbyO]

DH got me the cheapest Kindle available (it shows ads on it when turned off) almost a year ago. I LOVE it. I think reading it is very easy... more like a book than a screen. Most classics/expired copyrighted material is free. I've also found that I can borrow books from my library for my kindle. It is a bit more of a process, but really not that difficult.

DH got me a case/cover with a built in light that uses the battery life of the kindle. I use it nightly and still only have to charge it maybe 1x every week or two.

This is my cover (a bit pricey at $60): (http://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Lighted-Leather-Paperwhite-Keyboard/dp/B004SD1ZPY/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1357664547&sr=1-2&keywords=kindle+cover+with+light)

This is my Kindle ($69 with special offiers - ads): (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007HCCNJU/ref=sr_tc_sc_2_1?&pf_rd_r=F6CCBBE26C4D4BEFAAB7&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_t=301&pf_rd_i=kindle&pf_rd_p=1396097462&pf_rd_s=structured-results-2&qid=1357664666&sr=1-2-tc)

ETA: I haven't traveled abroad, but I have NO trouble downloading books on my kindle with wi-fi.

Here is a quick comparison:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007HCCNJU/ref=sr_tc_sc_2_1?&pf_rd_r=99A63590A32A4885B09C&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_t=301&pf_rd_i=kindle&pf_rd_p=1396097462&pf_rd_s=structured-results-2&qid=1357664981&sr=1-2-tc#kindle-compare