Note3 Setup ad Configuration Hurdles

I received the Note3 yesterday and do like the feel of the device.  I like the backlight for nighttime reading and how it looks in direct sunlight.  

I played around with drawing and taking notes and worked well enough.  Then I got to the reasons I bought the device which is to allow reading in sunlight, long drives, etc.  

I went to use Kindle straight away as I'm experimenting with Kindle Unlimited.  I could not get it to open which led me to activate Google Play which required some authorization that circumvented Google's official authorization of using Google Play on this device.    I then had to wait for a manual authorization of this circumvention for Google Play to work.

In the meantime, I used the built-in browser and my laptop to search for and find an older version of the Kindle APK as detailed in their notes.  Since clicking on the provided link to download "something" unrecognized by the device that could not be opened.  I was able to install the older APK and launch Kindle.  Certainly, the B&W experience is not optimized for the Kindle app navigation but reading on the device once into the book is good. 

I tried to open the included NYT and WSJ apps but both of these did not operate.  Only until this morning was I able to navigate to Google Play and update both apps that then allowed them to function.  Both work well enough for reading.  

I'm unsure about keeping the device.  Seems a rather expensive option to Kindle PaperWhite and an actual pad of paper.  

Thoughts from the community?