Finally some great news for Kindle fans and prospective owners here in the UK. The Kindle Touch device is now available for pre-order from Amazon.co.uk with a release date of April 27th 2012. Actually released early on the 20th!

The pre-order pages are as follows:

• Kindle Touch Wi-Fi only
• Kindle Touch 3G

I've ordered the Kindle Touch wifi only model because I don't personally think it's worth paying an extra £60 to get a 3G model.

If you're buying the reading device for yourself or as a gift for someone who doesn't have a wifi Internet connection then you really need the 3G model so books can be bought and downloaded from the device itself.

For anyone who has a wifi connection (and most people do) then the 3G model adds in the convenience of being able to purchase new Kindle books and download any existing books from Amazon pretty much anywhere you go which is great if you travel around a lot and are not always in the vicinity of a wifi hotspot that you can use.

The 3G connectivity is definitely not an essential feature for the majority of people but if you're an impatient sort or if an extra £60 is no big deal then it's kind of a nice little extra feature.

Kia Zi Shiru, author of Black Sheep helpfully added in the comments: "the 3G on the touch model is different from the 3G on the keyboard model... On the touch you can't actually browse the web while on 3G, only the amazon website and wikipedia." Yes, she's right. If you've had a Kindle Keyboard 3G model and enjoyed being able to browse the web via 3G, you might be disappointed on the restrictions that Amazon have placed on the new 3G Kindle Touch model.

Me - I'll just stick to making sure I download plenty of reading material to my Kindle before I travel and put the extra money towards a case instead to protect the screen!

You can see Amazon's selection of Kindle Touch Cases here:

• Kindle Touch Cases

Luckily I've already started exploring different covers with a Kindle Touch Article on Wizzley which outlines a few of my picks available on the Amazon UK site already. Although I'm going to take a while longer making a choice on a cover than whether to get a wifi or 3G version of the device.

Thank you Amazon - I'm finally looking forward to getting a next gen Kindle device!

Related Kindle Reading:

• Which Kindle Touch Cover?
• 20 FAQs on the Kindle Touch Lighted Cover
• 3G or Wifi Version of the Kindle?

I gave up waiting for a Kindle Fire to officially appear here in the UK and went and bought an iPad instead! Not the latest 3rd gen iPad I might add. I took advantage of the price drop of the iPad 2 (UK iPad 2) and decided that would be more than good enough to meet my needs which were essentially internet, movies, Kindle app, games and music.

Really, I'm done on speculating on when Amazon will release the Fire in the UK and there's no sign of any Kindle device coming out over here which makes me want to upgrade from my trusty Kindle Keyboard. So I started to look at other options and the iPad almost fit the bill for me, especially with the nice little price decrease.

The iPad's not meant to replace my Kindle Keyboard although I do intend to read Kindle books on the colour tablet with the Kindle app. Only time will tell which device I end up using more. So far, I've spent most of my time using the new tablet for watching movies, shows on the iPlayer app, videos on YouTube and browsing the internet.

Here's my iPad pros and cons after just a few days:

Initial iPad 2 Pros:

1) The Screen - the colour screen on this tablet is amazing. Just awesome. I can't compare it with any other tablet but I was blown away at the detail on watching videos. 10 inches is a very nice size for watching movies in your lap or from a short distance.

2) Choice of Apps - there's so many apps to choose from and all my favourite apps (iPlayer, Evernote, Dropbox, Kindle, Amazon Store, eBay) are free too.

3) Brilliant Internet Browsing - the Internet is very easy to use on a 10 inch iPad screen. I can use full versions of websites instead of mobile ones with no problem at all.

4) Good Note-Taking - I was surprised at how easily you can take notes with the iPad. The letters on the touchscreen keyboard are nice and big and I can type pretty fast on it.

5) Good Battery Life - it's got about 10 hours approx of battery life which is more than the Kindle Fire at around 7.5. Mine seemed to exceed this because I got through 2 days of really full-on usage before the iPad needed to be recharged.

Initial iPad 2 Cons:

1) The Size and Weight - ugh. Although a 10 inch screen is glorious for personal movie watching, it doesn't fit in my bag! And it's a lot heavier than a Kindle Fire is so I won't be holding this one handed. I just plonk it in my lap instead.

2) The Touchscreen - it's super responsive and works brilliantly but I really hate those fingerprints smeared over the screen. You can up the screen brightness which does make you notice the fingerprints less but I know they're there! That's where touchscreens don't work for me but this would be just the same for the Kindle Fire so I guess a stylus is in order to keep the iPad screen clean.

3) The Price - an iPad, even at the reduced iPad 2 reduced price, is still so much more costly than a Kindle Fire. Now I have the iPad, I totally think the cost is justified because it truly is a quality tablet and works to perfection but I'll still be a little annoyed if the Fire hits the UK shores anytime soon!

Struggling to think of any major negatives with the iPad so far. I'm really loving it. Does this mean I won't bother getting a Kindle Fire when it comes to the UK? It's too early to tell with that. If Amazon announced it shortly then it would have to be a 'no' as I've blown my budget now - but maybe if it wasn't released until nearer Christmas ...

I'm not suggesting that you should opt for an iPad instead of a Kindle Fire. Just worked for me that's all. That's it - off to watch Merlin on iPlayer now :)

Marie

Related Reading:

• Keep Prints off Your Kindle Fire with a Stylus!
• Will a New Kindle Fire Me Up? (Not now I've got an iPad!)
• Covers for Your Kindle Touch

Planning ahead for when (and if) we do finally get the Kindle Touch in the UK, I've been busy looking at and daydreaming about a cover for it. Black is out of the question since I had a gorgeous black flip cover for my Kindle 2 and a black leather case for my Sony PRS-600 which I never really got on with. But since Hubby has caught on to the Kindle, he's opted for the black Amazon Leather case without a light and I don't want my new device getting mixed up with his old one!

### Update to post 27 March 2012 - you can now Order the Kindle Touch from Amazon UK!

I'm a romantic and I love Jane Austen novels, so I was delighted when I saw this amazing Pride and Prejudice Cover for the Kindle Touch by Kate Spade. Sadly, it's not available in the UK via Amazon and it can only be shipped within the U.S. so I'm not likely to get hold of one unless I'm lucky to get one via eBay.

I definitely think that would make a gorgeous gift for a Kindle Touch owner who loves her classic literature.

If you're looking for a Kindle Touch cover (US or UK) take a look at my article which looks at available covers and what I like about each one:

• Kindle Touch Covers

Where a UK version is available, I've added the link to it at the bottom of the write-up for each cover. The reason why it is possible to purchase some Kindle Touch covers on Amazon UK despite having no Kindle Touch device is because many of these also fit the 4th Gen 'Kindle' - currently £89 on the UK site.

For people who are importing Kindle Touch devices or snapping them up on eBay, it's good news that covers are available here too. The most notable UK Kindle Touch Covers I can currently find are:

UK Kindle Touch Covers Round-Up

• Marware Atlas Kindle Cover in 4 Colours
• Tuff-Luv Apocalypse Case and Stand
• Marware Eco-Flip Flip Cover
• BUILT Neoprene Sleeve in 5 Designs
• Duragadget Leather Case and Stand for Kindle Touch
• Tuff-Luv Purple Cover with Hand Strap for One-Handed Reading 

If you're interested in buying a Kindle Touch from the UK, check out this useful thread over at the KUForum: How to Buy a Kindle Touch from the UK

Or are you going to sit it out and wait for one to be officially offered here like me?

Related Reading:

• Is the Kindle Touch Imminent in the UK?
• Comparison of Current Kindles