Nook vs Kindle

**ACG** · 10-30-2010, 03:57 PM

After helping my parents move, and in turn having to move the many boxes of books I had stored at their house to my small apartment, I have been thinking of getting an eReader to lighten the book load.

After reading online, I think I am leaning toward the Nook with the 3G+Wifi. The color one looks amazing (and would be great for some of the cookbooks I would want to add), but having the 3G and the ability to surf the web/check email almost anywhere for free seems to make it a great low cost gadget to travel with.

Any feedback from people who have used one or both would be greatly appreciated.

**uly55es1** · 10-30-2010, 04:53 PM

Originally Posted by ACG

After helping my parents move, and in turn having to move the many boxes of books I had stored at their house to my small apartment, I have been thinking of getting an eReader to lighten the book load.

After reading online, I think I am leaning toward the Nook with the 3G+Wifi. The color one looks amazing (and would be great for some of the cookbooks I would want to add), but having the 3G and the ability to surf the web/check email almost anywhere for free seems to make it a great low cost gadget to travel with.

Any feedback from people who have used one or both would be greatly appreciated.

Here ya go.
A Kindle World blog: Video Comparison of 4 E-readers + another Nook and Kindle Face-off

More information than you need re. E-readers but what the heck.
A Kindle World blog

**fifi le pew** · 10-31-2010, 12:48 PM

The color nook does not have e-ink technology (the original nook did) Thus, while cool, it is not great as a dedicated e-reader, in my opinion. If you don't know, e-ink is the technology that allows words on the screen without being LCD or backlit.

I have a kindle and love it. When I read on a computer or ipad, my eyes get tired after a half hour or so and I have to take breaks. With the kindle, I read for hours and it's just like reading a book. In fact, I bought my kindle with the thought of using it strictly for commuting and travel, but have not purchased a "regular" book since I got my first kindle 2 years ago. I read on it for at least an hour a day and LOVE it.

Of course, it depends on your anticipated usage. If you plan to read color documents, comics, textbooks, art books,or other things where images are key, then the nook looks cool. However, for me, 99% of my reading is novels, so I don't need color and would never want to lose the e-ink reading platform.

The browser is not ideal, but I have used it to check e-mail, do basic web searching while on travel and it is great to have, especially since it also works overseas and you have no roaming charges.

I love to read, and absolutely love my kindle.

**ACG** · 10-31-2010, 01:20 PM

Thanks for the feedback. I read and watched tons of reviews online and it left me completely confused... you can find 100 reviews that make the Kindle seem better and then find 100 that make the Nook seem like the better eReader. I really want to hear from people like Fifi who is just a regular person who has real hands on experience.

does anyone know where someone can go check out the Kindle in person before buying?

**toxigal** · 10-31-2010, 01:42 PM

not sure if it will make a difference in your decision, but the nook is compatible with downloadable library books while the kindle is not.

also, just to add confusion, don't dismiss the Sony Reader!

edited to add: they now have Kindles at target.

**ACG** · 10-31-2010, 01:45 PM

Originally Posted by toxigal

not sure if it will make a difference in your decision, but the nook is compatible with downloadable library books while the kindle is not.

also, just to add confusion, don't dismiss the Sony Reader!

now you're just messin' with my head! ;-)

and please do not suggest an iPad. I know it's a reader & so so so much more & I would have one if it were in my budget.

**toxigal** · 10-31-2010, 01:56 PM

Originally Posted by ACG

now you're just messin' with my head! ;-)

and please do not suggest an iPad. I know it's a reader & so so so much more & I would have one if it were in my budget.

i wouldn't suggest an ipad to someone lookgin for an ereader!

i'm leaning towards the nook myself. trying to decide how important 3G access is for me. probably not so much if i make the jump to a Droid soon.

**ACG** · 10-31-2010, 02:16 PM

Originally Posted by toxigal

i wouldn't suggest an ipad to someone lookgin for an ereader!

i'm leaning towards the nook myself. trying to decide how important 3G access is for me. probably not so much if i make the jump to a Droid soon.

The iPad comment was just a general comment (some friends have suggested it and I just point out Haunkah is coming up.. ha ha).

I do like the idea of having the 3G - thinking an erader with access to my email while traveling is all I really need, not my entire laptop. Having the free access thru 3G would be a serious convenience.

One thing I did learn that leaned me away from Nook is what I saw about the notes & highlighting feature. It seemed to me that while you can highlight and make notes, there is no real way of recalling them without just flipping thru the pages until you come upon your highlighted passage. While I might not use it a lot, the times I would use it it would be specifically to quickly and easily recall as specific passage at a later time. If there are any Nook users out there you can let me know if this is true or this issue has been fixed.

I also like the how the Kindle looks up words for you - they appear almost like a footnote without leaving the current page. The Nook takes you to a completely new page with just the definition being displayed.

I do love the idea of the Nook's expandable memory using SD cards. The color version is nice, but thinking that is not a deal breaker (although would be nice since I buy a number of cookbooks).

**ecochuck** · 10-31-2010, 05:39 PM

In case you did not know, you can downline a Kindle onto your computer for free.

**ACG** · 10-31-2010, 05:41 PM

Originally Posted by ecochuck

In case you did not know, you can downline a Kindle onto your computer for free.

Yup, I know. I don't want books taking up space on my computer right now. I have an older laptop and have used up just about all my free space already.

**ShoshTrvls** · 10-31-2010, 07:32 PM

I'm a very happy kindle owner -- I actually just purchased the new Kindle3 and gave my Kindle2 to Ellery. There's really not much I can add to what's been said -- the small size makes it easy to slip into a purse, the e-ink screen is easy to read, and the free 3-G makes it possible to download books, magazines and newspapers anywhere (say, during lunch while a friend is telling you about a great book they just read). And the Kindle3's web browser is far superior to the Kindle2's, making simple web-browsing quick and easy. And I like the fact that I can have my kindle reader on all my devices (computer, netbook, blackberry, kindle) and all will sync up automatically. Often I'll go out to grab a bite to eat for lunch, bring my blackberry, and read for 1/2 hour. At night, I'll sit down with my kindle, turn it on, and it will already be at the page I left of at at lunch.

I also haven't bought a hard-copy reading book since buying the kindle.

The nook really doesn't excite me. I've seen it in the store and I just don't find the color screen worth switching for; when I decide to get a tablet, I'll get a tablet. But if I want an e-reader, I'll stick with my kindle.

**Oladybug** · 10-31-2010, 07:38 PM

Originally Posted by ShoshTrvls

I also haven't bought a hard-copy reading book since buying the kindle.

Neither have I. It's a definite can't-live-without gadget for me.

**GMonkey** · 10-31-2010, 08:01 PM

I have the original Nook and hubs had the Kindle 2, which went to the kid when I gave him the Kindle 3G/WiFi. He is going to need the international capabilities soon. For pure B&W book reading, the Kindle 3 is the best. It's smaller, lighter, sharper. B&N FINALLY changed up their website making it more pleasurable to purchase books, but it was a bit of a pain until last week. Nook also has a "lend me" feature and the library feature, but I have yet to take advantage of those. I am purchasing a new netbook soon, so I'll probably just download Nook onto that if I want textbooks, or to see something in color.

**l.marie** · 10-31-2010, 08:10 PM

MobileRead Wiki - Main Page

That may be more info than you wanted.

**uly55es1** · 10-31-2010, 11:20 PM

Hubby and I own three K1s. We like the SD card capability and thus are reluctant to move onto the newer devices. Another reason we have not "upgraded" from that device is it still suites our needs. We are pretty basic in our usage of e-readers. Just down load what we want and read from beginning to end. One of the down sides of an e-reader is not being able to jump ahead and flip pages in a story like you can with a DTB. We also do not read many PDFs nor do we look at illustrations and charts. We mainly just read text. I do subscribe to Instapaper and send some of the longer articles that I find on the web to the kindle to read at my leisure and to keep. As far as reading magazines and newspapers I do not bother with that either. Tend to read the paper on my desk top.

While I like the idea of having my cookbooks in digital form I tried doing that with my netbook and the kindle pc version of the software. That did not work out to well for me since the device got in the way on the counter and I was concerned with it getting dirty. I had the same problem with using cookbooks so I now keep my cookbooks in digital form and just print out the recipe I am working with on to a sheet o paper and put it in a plastic sleeve. That works much better for me and I still do not have a lot of cookbooks cluttering up my house.

I also use calibre to organize my e-library. http://calibre-ebook.com/about

**Illiniwek** · 11-01-2010, 12:36 AM

We like our Kindle.

**toxigal** · 11-01-2010, 10:12 AM

i'm amazed that more people don't want to take advantage of being able to download library books for free!

**giraffe42** · 11-01-2010, 10:46 AM

I will just say that I agree with everything said about the kindle so far and add that the battery life is amazing. Up to 1 month with 3G/Wifi turned off. I travel a lot and need to check things on the internet quickly and the kindle is great for that since the 3G is global (ok, so it's not everywhere but most developed countries) and free. There is also a great amount of free books available from Amazon itself and there is a webpage on Amazon that links to other sites (Project Gutenberg - free ebooks online download for iPad, Kindle, Nook, Android, iPhone, iPod Touch, Sony Reader is one) where you can download free books in Kindle format. If you happen to get a book in a format that is not compatible to the Kindle all you need is Calibre - a software that will convert those books to be compatible with the Kindle and then you can just transfer it via USB or e-mail it to <your.name>@free.kindle.com

The last part - the E-ink display is amazing for reading - no eye fatigue at all, very light. I also purchased the cover for it with the light and while it's a rip-off (hey, it's an accessory and also the Kindle 3G is more affordable than the previous ones) it is very useful in protecting the Kindle and also lighting it up when it's dark with a bright LED. The cover uses the Kindle's battery so look out for that.

**uly55es1** · 11-01-2010, 06:49 PM

Originally Posted by toxigal

i'm amazed that more people don't want to take advantage of being able to download library books for free!

Right now there is a limited number of books available for download from the Library. That is why I haven not bothered with the nook.

On another matter if you would like a list of Kindle freebies this is a pretty good site:
ofkb

You can also get freebies from the University of Chicago once per month.
http://www.press.uchicago.edu/ebooks/free_ebook.html

**Grappler** · 11-02-2010, 07:42 AM

I have the original nook and I love it. I read every review online before buying and what swayed me to go with the nook was the fact that I could actually go into a B&N store and hold it, check it out, etc before buying. But I don't think you can go wrong with either one based on what I've read.