New Kindles! Kindle Fire and Kindle Touch

Amazon just announced the latest generation of Kindle devices: The new Kindle, the Kindle Touch and the Kindle Fire! As a Kindle geek, I will be ordering these to get a hands on view when they come out, but for now these are looking like some great new devices! Which one suits you, will depend on your reading style and what you want out of the device.

Check out all of the new devices and a preview of them after the break!


The Kindle Fire

The Kindle Fire is the new flagship of the Kindle fleet, which replaces the Kindle 3G (which has been redubbed the Kindle Keyboard 3G). It's a 7" android tablet under a pound with a completely custom Amazon interface. We know that it's running android 2.3 and that Amazon approved apps like Angry Birds will run on the device. We also know that at $199, it's a full $50 less than the NOOK color and $300 less than you're basic iPad.

For me, the killer feature for the Kindle has always been the free global 3G and that's a feature that is understandably missing from the Kindle Fire. It's meant to consume media and act as an Internet tablet (email will be on there too), which means that this is going to be great for people who are usually within range of WiFi. However for people who are highly mobile there is no 3G connection, free or paid, which might be a deal breaker.

The Kindle Touch

The Kindle Touch comes in two varieties and is the true heir to the Kindle 3 throne. The last generation of Kindle was a keyboard only affair, which left a lot of people out and now Amazon is aiming to fix that. This is a fully touch screen device which is less than half a pound and has the great E-ink display that I've raved about in the Kindle Keyboard 3G. It will come with or without free global 3G and with or without advertisements. In total, you'll have four prices for this device: $99 (no 3G, with ads), $139 (no 3G, no ads), $149 (3G, with ads), and $189 (3G, no ads). From my perspective, I think the sweet spot on this device is the $149 3G device: First, the advertisements from what I've heard are tasteful and local, Secondly, The global 3G service is awesome, but unlike the Kindle Keybord 3G the wireless connection will only be able to access the Kindle Store and Wikipedia. You'll still be able to browse the web over Wi-Fi, but if you want full global 3G, the Kindle Keyboard 3G is the way to go now( That version can be had for $139 with special offers or $189 without).

One of the new features I'm also looking forward to trying out is the "X-Ray" feature, which allows you to look up events or phrases in the books you're reading. When you download the book, it sounds like Amazon also downloads wikipedia articles based on the what is happening in the story: If you're reading a book and Blackbeard the pirate is involved, you'll be able to (theoretically) read up on Blackbeard just by tapping on his name.

The New Kindle

The final device Amazon announced today was a new basic Kindle. It has the same screen, is the smallest of the Kindles, and only comes in a WiFi flavor. However, if you opt for the version with special offers, you're looking at a killer stocking stuffer: $79 with ads or $109 without. For me, the extra $70 for the touch screen and free 3G seems like the better way to go, but if you're looking for an honest and basic eReader, this one comes in $50 under the Nook Simple and currently the cheapest on the market of the major players.

Mongolia (Across Russia, Part 9)

After so many days in Russia, stepping off the bus in Ulaanbaatar was entering a whole different world. Siberia still had many of the tell tale signs of being distinctly Russian, but Mongolia was distinctly and unmistakably Mongolian. The only similarities were many of the same communist style buildings (the plans surely given to the then communist Mongolian People's Republic by the USSR), but a city is more about what happens in those buildings and between them, rather than the buildings themselves and here it was clear that we were not in Russia anymore.

Our schedule was tight: We arrived in the evening, I would meet up with my friend's from Sweden who by chance would be in UB at the same time headed the opposite direction, we would depart for the country side to stay with a nomadic family overnight, come back the next day, have the afternoon to sight see and then the next morning, it would be to the Chinggis Khaan International Airport to fly back to Sweden. This was the last stop of our trip. It would also be one of my favorites.

 After the break, we will head in the countryside for some stunningly beautiful shots of the Terelj National Park, the equally fascinating Zaisan Memorial in UB, and more...

A different type of traffic outside the city

Traffic in the city is a mess and generally lawless. Literally. Our driver when faced with a long line of cars and an empty lane reserved for oncoming traffic, simply decided to drive on the wrong side of the road, just like everyone else. On the main street, Peace Ave, there are lanes which are technically reserved for buses but these are merely suggestions. Traffic when we were there was worse than usual, because of the upcoming naadam festival, but it was a relief to get out of the city which quickly fell away to countryside.

After a short drive, we arrived at the camp just in time for dinner. On our way in, we had seen a bunch of very touristy operations but were relieved to find that we would be staying with a family-sized camp. The others had upwards of 20+ gers, while this one only had three for tourists.

After a tasty and simple lunch, I did something I had never done before: I went horseback riding. The views were amazing, but I am not sure how I feel about the riding aspect. It was a new experience, but I ended up feeling bad for the horse. He didn't really want to hike up that hill, and I like to hike so I think I would have liked to do it on foot. In fact, the next day I did do it on foot.

That evening was sort of the last spectacular night of the trip. Tomorrow night would be work as we got ready for the plane, so this was it. The near end of the trip.

The youngest member of the family we were staying with came by the ger just as it was getting dark and lit the small stove with amazing proficiency. Part of his secret? Birch bark. It's easy to light and burns slowly.

Once the sun had set, another treat came out. The clouds that had been rolling through all day and left over from the rain the day before lifted and the stars were out in full force. Being from Seattle, light pollution has killed the vast majority of the stars there, but here it's pretty dark and the true night sky was out. If you're curious about the effects of outdoor lighting and how many stars you can see in your area, the International Dark Sky Association and this resource are great places to start. /Urban Planner Hat: Plus, if you want more stars in your city, for yourself or your kids, there are things that can be done to prevent light pollution just by promoting better choices for outdoor lighting.

The next day, it was time to head back, but first I took the chance to hike back up and take a few more pictures. On our way down, I thought that I saw some alpine wild strawberry plants, so I was hoping to find some ripe strawberries, but it was too early in the season for that.

On our way back, we saw a kid with an eagle on the side of the road. It's one of the tourist attractions, where for two bucks you get to take some pictures and hold it. We convinced our driver to pull over and I'm glad he did: It ended up being one of my favorite moments in the trip.

As a bird lover, it was great to be so close to such a regal bird. It's a heavy bird when you're holding it and he's got a powerful grip to go with those talons. It's amazing to think that these birds are used for hunting game like deer and wolves here. In many ways, it's the connection with tradition that makes Mongolia so notable. The basics of Mongolian-ness, horsemanship, archery, wrestling, falconry, and the nomadic way of life, are still alive and well. In fact, just after we were done here we caught sight of the Mongolian calvary riding across the countryside.

Once we got back to Ulaanbaatar (after yet more traffic), I hopped on the bus and headed to the Zaisan Memorial. After a brief detour because of a missed stop, a little hitchhiking (seriously) back to the memorial, and a hike up the hill, I made it to foot of the monument itself.

I think it's pretty clear who built it.

The memorial was built after World War II by the USSR as a symbol of friendship between the two nations, the achievements of the Russian space program, and in honor of Mongolia's contribution to World War II. The view from the memorial is fantastic, overlooking the entire city, but within the memorial is a 360 mural which is fascinating and evocative.

With the sun setting, it was time for one last look around the city before our flight home the next day. Mongolia was a great place to visit and the three days we had simply wasn't enough. I'll be back for sure.

A Break from Russia: An Amazing Flyover of the World

One minute worth of our blue marble rolling under the international space station. Simply amazing. I wish I could see this view some day.

Ulan-Ude to Ulaanbaatar (Across Russia, Part 8)

Our next stop after the wonderful Lake Baikal was Ulan-Ude, which was a transfer stop to Mongolia. We had decided that taking the bus from Ulan-Ude to Ulaanbaatar was a good choice, since it actually takes less time than the train and costs a fraction of the price. Some things in life you never expect to know and for me the price of crossing from Russia to Mongolia ($40 per person) is definitely one of those pieces of information.

To get to Ulan-Ude, we took the #362 night train from Irkutsk. As with all the Russian trains, it arrived and left punctually, but this train wasn't like our other trains. Besides the samovar, which was almost identical to the nicer trains, this one was older and definitely part of a completely different strata of trains in the RZD system. It was visibly older with more wood and less comforts, but one bonus was that the old wooden framed windows could be opened.

After the break, we'll take a look at the largest Lenin head I've ever seen and the trip from Ulan-Ude to Mongolia!

When we arrived in Ulan-Ude, we quickly found our hostel, the Ulan-Ude Hostel/Travelers House. It's extremely central and overall a pretty friendly hostel. The super nice owner, Denis, lives there with his wife, who also is a dressmaker (in the morning, we looked into the communal area to see a woman in her wedding dress being fitted!). If you're passing through, this is I think the best option in the city for price and location. It's located just across the street from the main sight of Ulan-Ude: The head of Lenin.

Lenin presides over the main square and this head is a particularly massive one. We only had one day, so we weren't able to see the other sites in the area (and it was rainy), but overall this is the main sight to see in the city. I think if we were there longer and had better weather, we would have liked to go see some of the other sights such as the monastery, the Old-believers settlement (a sect of the orthodox church that split off from the main Russian Orthodox church due to a disagreement about which texts to use), or another trip out to Lake Baikal (but this time on the eastern shore).

The morning after it was time to go. We had picked up our tickets from Baikal Naran Tour, which is roughly located here in this building. To book the tickets, you can go through your hostel or book them directly with them by sending Svetlana an email. All we had to do was to show up to the right place at 7:30am and get on the bus.

For those worried about the bus, it really isn't that bad. It's just long and this particular bus was a little tired. There were cheers when we cleared a big hill and at one point, the driver opened up a panel in the ceiling to fix the A/C while we were moving. This bus is a work horse and like many things in this area, it's probably on it's second or third life as a bus (It's not uncommon to see buses with Chinese or Korean characters on them). The trip is long, but at least on our bus we had a friendly and jovial group of travelers made mainly up of locals heading home, including what had to be the happiest baby on earth.

For 12 hours, he was just happy and entertained by everything. The mother and father were paragons of parenting, and it really showed in how this kid was behaving. He was very social and content in a situation that would have other kids throwing a fit.

We left at 7:30am and arrived at the boarder at 11:30. The process took a total of two hours to get through and back on the road in Mongolia. The process involves numerous checks and rechecks of all your documents, from the moment you cross into no man's land. Here's how it all went down:

• 11:30: Arrive at the border area. Wait in line to get to border crossing.
• 12:00: First check. A Russian guard enters the bus and checks your documents. 
• 12:15: Everyone exits the bus and enters the border security building, with their stuff. Everything goes through an x-ray before lining up for the actual exit visa check.
• 12:30: We're in line for the passport control. When you get up to the guard, you hand over your visa registrations, arrival card, and passport. They ask you to take off your glasses and compare your picture to you. If they don't like it... you might be in trouble. I almost didn't get through because my picture from 2002 is me with an extra 40 pounds.
• 13:00: All clear. Everyone gets back on the bus. 
• 13:20: Almost to Mongolia! But first, another Russian guard gets on and checks all of the passports for exit stamps. 
• 13:40: We're in Mongolia! Everyone off the bus again with their stuff and into the Mongolian checkpoint. This is far more casual and for US passport holders, it's just a matter of getting a stamp. 
• 14:00: All done and baggage checks. There are money changers in the building itself, who will exchange currency. As with everywhere here, crisp bills only. If there is so much as a crease, fuggettaboutit. 
• 14:27: Everyone back on the bus and headed out. Mongolian guards get on the bus and check for entry stamps and visa. 
• 14:35: We're officially in Mongolia! Just afterward, money changers get on board and offer to change money there. 

Your first sight in Mongolia. That is also where you have lunch. :)

From here, it's basically a straight shot into Ulaanbaatar. It takes another 8 to 9 hours, but you're almost there. Join me next week for some sight seeing in Ulaanbaatar, a trip into the countryside, and my favorite, the golden eagle.