Hey everyone, I'm hoping I can make use of your expertise. I'm planning on buying an ereader within the next month, and have a couple questions. (I am debating between the Nook, Kindle...and just found out about the Kobo. Those seem to be about my price range)
Which reader has the best library setup? I plan on getting me ebooks from many different sources, so I want the reader that is best at organizing my library.

Can calibre convert FROM the amazon files? I plan on converting all my ebooks to the same file type, and also plan on stripping the DRM off any I purchase (I paid for them, I plan on keeping them usable!) Also, if anyone could nudge me in the right direction for a good program for that is would be appreciated!

Another question is how do the books show up on the different devices?

Actually, that sums it up a bit quicker than I originally thought. But thanks for the help!

Hey everyone, I'm hoping I can make use of your expertise. I'm planning on buying an ereader within the next month, and have a couple questions. (I am debating between the Nook, Kindle...and just found out about the Kobo. Those seem to be about my price range)
Which reader has the best library setup? I plan on getting me ebooks from many different sources, so I want the reader that is best at organizing my library.

Welcome to the group. :D

I'll speak to this portion of your post. Of the three you mentioned, I'd order them Kindle, Nook, Kobo. The Kindle is the most advanced at the moment, since Amazon just did a refresh of the line using the latest technology. Of the three, it has the best display using Pearl eInk technology. The other two are still using older technology. The Kindle also has 2-3x the battery life of the other two.

The Kindle's biggest flaw is it's inability to read ePub, which is more or less an industry standard. As a result, you can NOT check out library books with it. You can with the Nook and Kobo. That's the only reason why I don't have a Kindle. Library books are important to me.

If the following features are important to you, then do NOT get a Kobo because it's missing all of them:

- web browser (Wikipedia, email, etc)
- MP3 player (audiobooks, music)
- image viewer
- speaker
- text 2 speech (turns text into speech) - also missing from Nook

The Kobo is the least desirablee of the three because of its specs and missing feature set. If it was priced at $99, it would be worth considering; but not at its current price ($139).

If library books are NOT important to you, then go with the Kindle. If they are, then go with the Nook. I'm currently using a borrowed Sony 300 until I get my ereader. I'm holding out for a Nook 2. B&N has a big press event next Tuesday, so they're about to release something. What it is I'm not sure. There's lots of speculation, including a possible color ereader. We'll just have to wait and see. A new Nook would definitely affect any recommendations you receive.

I'm waiting until Black Friday to get my ereader. There's always the possibility of price drops and gift cards; especially since all three of these ereaders will be availablee in big box stores. Kindle (Best Buy, Staples, Target); Nook (Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, Walmart); Kobo (Borders, Walmart).

Thanks for that info. Any one else able to help out? I am really curious wich one merges the conted best (purchased from their store and downloaded vs sideloaded from a different source)

If you get the Kindle from Amazon, you have 30 days to return it, paying only postage.

Gives you plenty of time to use, download, and see how it works for you.

As for library usage......do you belong to a library that carries a selection of ebooks you are interested in? Not all libraries are created equal. It will do you no good to have a reader that allows for library downloads if your library isn't well stocked.

If it is....thats another story. :)

What do you mean by library set up? Do you mean personal library or borrowing books from the library? It sounds like you mean personal library but it never hurts to make sure.

If you mean personal library, then the Sony has the best set up, followed by the Kindle. The Nook is going to get an update that sounds similar to the Kindles but it is unclear if it will work for all books or just B&N purchased books.

I would recommend doing two things.

1) Go to a Best Buy and check out the devices there. You will get a better feel for the ergonomic features of each device by handeling all three. Hopefully the units are all working and you can get a feel for how each one operates.

2) Check out the bookstores for each unit. There is no sense in buying a device and not being able to get ahold of the books that you want to read.

I am biased towards the Kindle. I have the K1 and the DXG. They are what I know and love so that is all that I can talk about.

Where do you live ?
Because of geo-restrictions, shop you have acces to in your area will mater.

The Kobo is the least desirablee of the three because of its specs and missing feature set. If it was priced at $99, it would be worth considering; but not at its current price ($139).

FYI, the Kobo IS currently priced at $99 at Borders through October 31.

I do mean personal library. I'm not going to be checking out library books with it (really, my library has like 3 fiction ebooks I could get) and the closest B&N/Borders is about 45 minutes away, so their in store "perks" don't really matter.

Then I would say the Kindle. It has a rudimentary library system. The Nook will have one in a little bit, I don't know when the 1.5 update is due out.

Hey -
Newbie here, and I just purchased a nook. I use it in conjunction with calibre, and find that it's great as a reader. At first I was puzzled by the fact that it needed an outside light source at night, but <finally> figured it was a a small price to pay for being able to read in the sunlight.
The reason I picked nook was because of its ability to read .pdf's.I previously bought a ton of books in that (non-drm) format. These books I had been reading on my Palm device (which you can't read in the sun). Although nook does read .pdf, sometimes it gets garbled in the translation, so I'm converting everything to .epub. Calibre is excellent for converting everything for me.
If you like to go on the web alot, I would suggest the 3G; otherwise the Wi-Fi works. I just got the Wi-fi since I have wi-fi at home and can connect that way.
I understand there are ways of stripping drm's, but they include using Python and you need a rudimentary knowledge of programming.
The new color nook seems to be a ipad wannabe. There's alot more web browsing available on it. It's also backlit display, which can be an eyestrain. At $100 more a pop, I'm sticking with my current e-reader.
So ...... the reason I picked the nook was because I didn't want to be locked into the Amazon store. Coupled with calibre's organizational capabilities (much easier than mobireader!) and the fact that I'm able to resize text - when you get to be over 50 that's a big plus! SD card is also plus; I've put 2+gB of music on that as a just-in-case I don't have my mp3 player. I'd prefer to use my batteries for reading.