Well, Weathergirl, I bought the Kindle keyboard, and then the Kindle Fire when it was released last October.
Although I really love the original Kindle, I wholeheartedly recommend the Kindle Fire.
Of course you can read books on it, but mine also holds music, films, photos, documents, games, and loads more. I have a dongle from 3 [£5.25 a month] which provides about 100 hours a month of internet time, so you can browse the net and write emails even if you're stuck miles from home.
In all honesty, when I bought the Kindle Fire, I thought it might end up in a drawer after a couple of weeks, but quite the opposite - I use it every single day and wouldn't be without it. I often do long commutes, too, and just being able to chill out with a pair of headphones and a good book when the train breaks down [again] saves your sanity!
Oh - and I'd suggest looking for cases on eBay - the ones on Amazon are identical, just shockingly overpriced.