Are old Kindle readers still usable?

[lordkenmore]

As the title asks: can an old Amazon Kindle reader work in today's world? I'm wondering, because I see them turning up at Goodwill every so often. Sometimes very cheap. (Amazing, since my local Goodwill usually is anything BUT cheap! LOL) I'm tempted, because such a gadget could be handy.

 

I've talked with over with a few people I know in regular life. A librarian says older units, as long as they work with wi-fi, will, he thinks, work with the library e-book service. But someone else has raised a concern that the reader might be "locked" to an Amazon account permanently, although it was just speculation on her part.

 

And, of course, as I write this another concern hits me: the battery health in something old...

 

Does anyone here have ideas/insight/knowledge on this?

 

[lowefficiency]

I don't have personal experience, but apparently they can be "locked" remotely, in the sense that if they are reported as stolen to Amazon, Amazon will blacklist the device from being able to download eBooks. But it sounds like the device would make it obvious that it is locked if this is the case?

Battery life might be a manageable problem if the device cost is cheap enough!

 

[iowabear]

I'm still using a 3rd generation Kindle from 2010.  I use it almost daily as I usually read for a bit before I go to sleep.

 

It works fine and battery life is still good, however I do keep wi-fi off 95% of the time.  I would like a new one but I refuse to upgrade until the old one dies.

 

People are either readers or they aren't...a Kindle isn't going to turn a non-reader into one.  So I would guess there are a lot of second-hand ones out there that have seen very little actual use.

 

 

 

[spacedogb]

I have the original Kindle and the kindle generation 2. Both can still download books via the Amazon "Whispernet. Still works amazing after all these years.