Having said that, you need to understand the Internet capabilities of your Kindle are for more than just downloading a purchased (or free) book every now and then. Your Kindle needs to "phone home" periodically to check for critical and useful updates, and sync information on various books so you can keep your place if you read on other devices tied to your Amazon account. In order to do these things, your Kindle needs to be connected to the Internet for more than just a few minutes at a time. It is nice to know your Kindle will be ready when that next really good update goes out. It won't happen if you keep the Internet turned off except for special occasions.
I would suggest leaving your Internet on (on your Kindle) when you are at home. You are close to a dependable power source and it should be easy to plug your Kindle in to recharge overnight if you need to. It only takes a couple of hours to fully charge, but if you have a heavy reading day, night time might be the only time you can let it out of your hands. Even with the Internet turned on all the time, you still can have 10 days or more of reading with your Kindle. According to Amazon, the battery life will vary and a lot depends on how you use the wireless, like shopping in the Kindle Store, web browsing, and downloading books. The best way for you to find out how your particular Kindle will hold up (with your habits) is to fully charge it, then use it normally with the wireless turned on until you get the battery low message. Don't have any mercy on it. Later on, run the same experiment with wireless turned off so you can see how it would hold up on a nice long trip. The Kindle is an impressive reader, no matter how you use it.
Kindle Skills - From the Desk of Mrs. Wizard - Want more? If you have a Kindle you will love this book! Get a sample and see.
Ask Mrs. Wizard: Please send me a personal email (mrswizard@mrswizard.com) if you have any questions. I answer all my emails and am more than happy to help any time I can. Your questions mean a lot to me, and may even inspire an article that will help others and make this a more valuable resource to anyone who reads it.
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