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Trubu · 12-13-2009, 09:01 PM

I have both. In terms of form factor and industrial design, I like the nook quite a bit better than the Kindle 2. The contoured back really helps the nook to rest naturally in the hand, like a comfortable, beaten-up old paperback - it just feels a lot more inviting and "book-like" than the K2's flat tablet design. Sturdier as well - the Kindle always seems too fragile to me to use without a case, but I'd have no qualms about doing so with the nook. I also much prefer the nook's sleek front with the touchscreen and the smaller bezel to the K2's large bezel and mess of buttons. The wifi and SD card slot are nice too, although I don't really miss them on the Kindle.

As for the screens, I don't see any real difference in clarity or contrast between them (since they're identical hardware, I guess that's to be expected). Page turns on the nook are slower, but not as bad as some people have made them out to be.

On the software side, the Kindle 2 easily wins, since the nook's current firmware is a little unpolished, to put it kindly. The Kindle is just generally snappier and more responsive throughout the UI, and getting to the content you want to read is a lot quicker and easier than on the nook. The purchasing process is simple and painless too - unlike the nook, where I still can't read either of the two books I initially bought due to DRM and file format issues. The Kindle has the benefit of mature firmware, and it really shows.

So, functionally, the Kindle 2 is the clear winner right now - but I expect most of the issues I have with the nook to be resolved by firmware updates. Assuming that happens, I think it would be a toss-up as to which one is better, and would mostly come down to personal preference - things like the touchscreen vs. the Kindle joystick for navigation (no clear winner right now IMO - I think they both kind of suck).

If I were you, I'd hang on to the nook for at least a month or two and see how much it's improved by firmware updates, and then make a decision on whether to keep it or go with the Kindle.

12-13-2009, 09:01 PM	#3
Trubu Zealot Posts: 148 Karma: 503 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: Kindle 2, Nook, iPhone 3GS, iPad	I have both. In terms of form factor and industrial design, I like the nook quite a bit better than the Kindle 2. The contoured back really helps the nook to rest naturally in the hand, like a comfortable, beaten-up old paperback - it just feels a lot more inviting and "book-like" than the K2's flat tablet design. Sturdier as well - the Kindle always seems too fragile to me to use without a case, but I'd have no qualms about doing so with the nook. I also much prefer the nook's sleek front with the touchscreen and the smaller bezel to the K2's large bezel and mess of buttons. The wifi and SD card slot are nice too, although I don't really miss them on the Kindle. As for the screens, I don't see any real difference in clarity or contrast between them (since they're identical hardware, I guess that's to be expected). Page turns on the nook are slower, but not as bad as some people have made them out to be. On the software side, the Kindle 2 easily wins, since the nook's current firmware is a little unpolished, to put it kindly. The Kindle is just generally snappier and more responsive throughout the UI, and getting to the content you want to read is a lot quicker and easier than on the nook. The purchasing process is simple and painless too - unlike the nook, where I still can't read either of the two books I initially bought due to DRM and file format issues. The Kindle has the benefit of mature firmware, and it really shows. So, functionally, the Kindle 2 is the clear winner right now - but I expect most of the issues I have with the nook to be resolved by firmware updates. Assuming that happens, I think it would be a toss-up as to which one is better, and would mostly come down to personal preference - things like the touchscreen vs. the Kindle joystick for navigation (no clear winner right now IMO - I think they both kind of suck). If I were you, I'd hang on to the nook for at least a month or two and see how much it's improved by firmware updates, and then make a decision on whether to keep it or go with the Kindle.