What the heck is a "dongle"?

A dongle is any piece of hardware connected to a computer port to achieve some purpose. In this case the dongle is a USB device that connects to a USB port to give you access to a 3G cellular system.

@dpworkin

So… I’m assuming the 3G dongle only works if I subscribe to something, right?

Something that dangles, but if it’s large enough it’s called a dongle

@cockswain

How did I know you were going to rear your ugly head in here? At least you didn’t link anything. ^_^

I’m on fire today. I wish I could get some work done

Wait for the iPad. No dongle necessary, and it will change the entire business of ebooks. Buy something else now and you’ll wish you hadn’t in 3–6 months.

Something that hangs, isn’t it?

Yes for any 3G connection you will have to buy a data plan.

Get the Nook. It kicks ass. The iPad is nice and all but not for eBooks. You will want a reader that uses e-ink. It’s just like reading on paper. Using the iPad as an eReader will just lead to eye strain.

I was playing with Kindles at work the other day and I was so frustrated by the clumsy interface after getting used to and loving my iPhone. I kept wanting a touchscreen to maneuver instead of the ugly old joystick menu. I do think that either the iPad or some other reader will be a much nicer eReader. That doesn’t answer the dangle of the dongle question, but my 2 cents of the eReader issue.

I have been looking into the iPad, and I am so not paying $500 or more for a “computer” that doesn’t support USB, Flash, or multitasking, and is already sold-out to AT&T.

Bingo, @Seek_Kolinahr.

Oh – I wouldn’t buy one yet, but I think enhancements like USB, etc., will be coming down the pike. Oh course, it is possible (ahem) that I may be wrong. I also think some of these changes – like a more intuitive interface – will come out in the next wave of Kindles.

a penis

@janbb Dongle enhancements?

The Sony “Dash” looks pretty nifty. And it’s only $200.

I can’t seem to find out whether it supports e-books. Anyone know?

@cockswain With a name like yours, you have to ask?

Nevermind. The Dash isn’t portable. It’s a fancy alarm clock. Scratch that. Dammit.

Check out the Notion Ink Adam or the Plastic Logic QUE.

Woah. If the Notion Ink releases at under $400 with the nifty screen, I’m sold.

Reviews across the board are saying that the Nook provides an inferior user experience. I’ve never used one, so take with a grain of salt.

A dongle refers to a wireless receiver and transmitter in order to communicate wirelessly to another device, be it a wireless router or bluetooth enabled device, such as most cell phones.

I use a bluetooth USB dongle to connect my computer to a wii remote for smart board type functions.

Dongles aren’t necessarily receivers and transmitters. Some dongles are hardware DRM, others have other purposes.

@dpworkin is totally right. Another common use is encryption keys. The dongle will generate several keys per minute/second and use them to authenticate some action.

@Seek_Kolinahr – Personally, I’m wary of e-book readers. Most of them support DRM (Digital Rights Management) which allows the publisher to reach into your reader and delete or revise your e-book without your knowledge or consent.

As I recall, this actually happened once with the Amazon Kindle—there was a dispute over some copyright issue with an e-book, so Amazon deleted the e-book from the Kindles of all customers who bougt it. When the dust settled, Amazon promised never to do that again, but I don’t trust a device where a publisher has that power even if they promise not to use it. Once I purchase and download an e-book, it should be mine where nobody can touch it, and the only way it can be deleted or updated is if I initiate the process.

By the way a 3G USB dongle is what @dpworkin and others have said. 3G is a cellular internet service that you subscribe to. You plug the “dongle” (a tiny wireless router about the size of a USB thumb drive) into a USB port on your computer or (if you’re like me and have more USB devices than ports) your USB hub. Then you can just sign on to the internet through the same cellular network used by cell phones (but, yes, you have to subscribe to 3G service). The advantage (unlike things like RoadRunner and FIOS) is that your laptop can connect to the internet anywhere you can make a cell phone call from (which is nice if you travel a lot and want to get online while visiting family or on business, and don’t want to depend on “free” internet service at hotels). The last time I checked (a few years ago) 3G service wasn’t cheap (though it may have come down recently)—the dongle was $300 to buy, and the service cost about $60 a month—you can get super-duper high speed RoadRunner or FIOS for that price.

@HungryGuy

One major reason I’d rather have a tablet, that I can use to download a gagillion free PDFs and read those. ^_^

I’m not generally into media-piracy, but I feel I buy enough hard-copy books to excuse myself from this small infraction. ^_^

@Seek_Kolinahr – I’m not into media piracy either, but I think that once you buy something, pay for it, and download it, it’s yours and nobody should be able to retract that after the fact. And I, too, prefer to buy hardcopy of things like books and CDs. Once I own a CD, I can rip it onto my playlist, import it onto my Xbox to turn it into a “fake” radio station in GTA, make mix CDs for my car, etc. A lot of media that you download electronically comes with DRM and you’re not allowed to do any of that with it. iTunes is a prime example. You lose your player, your hard drive dies, or the technology simply changes (8” floppy—> 5–¼” floppy—> 3.5” floppy—> CD Rom—> USB Thumb Drive…), and you’ve lost a huge investment in media—and some of the older stuff isn’t even available any more to replace if you wanted to.

@HungryGuy

Agreed, 100%.

@Seek_Kolinahr – Wonderbar! :-D