Kindle Touch vs Nook vs Kobo (first e-reader)

[sfknitchkey]

Hi all,

I've been a long-time lurker, but abandoned my desire for an ereader over the summer when I had a few financial situations that didn't permit me the extra money to spend on one. Now with Christmas coming up, it's an option again, and just in time for new models.

What I want:
e-ink
solid battery life
dictionary feature
smooth interface
ability to rent library books
price tag around $100
ability to read the occasional PDF file for class
3rd party accessories (lots, easy to find)
easy to use and navigate

What I don't care about:
book file format
3G
advertising
expandable memory
games
color screen
Android (I have an Android phone for all things 'droid)

I'm leaning toward the Kindle Touch, but I know so little about the Nook or Kobo. I had an ex that worked at B&N selling Nooks, hated them, and kind of turned me off them, but I mean, it's not like his opinion is above all. I'm totally open to honest reviews.

I've listed those three brands because I'm familiar with them, I've heard good things, and I generally like to stick with "mainstream" brands on electronics. Just a personal preference.

Help me out, please?

[Tony1988]

All three do what you want. Kindle you are tied to Amazon. Nook and Kobo are more open. I have held all three and though I didnt like the Nooks look at first, it is the most comfortable to hold. As for PDF's none of them do it really well. Get a tablet for that. EInk readers are not good at Pdf's.

[ProfCrash]

I would go to a Best Buy and test all three. They all do pretty much the same thing. I have a Kindle and love it but I know folks with Nooks who love those. I don't know anyone with a Kobo.

[JxK]

All the 6" ereaders make for a rather atrocious pdf reading experience. So if said feature is a deal breaker for you, I'd recommend a 10" tablet. Otherwise, the three you mentioned are all quite similar. I personally prefer the nook str for its excellent form factor. When looking for an ereader, I feel that the value in comfort and the ability to "disappear" cannot be understated.

I also prefer epub to azw/mobi/kf8. YYMV of course, but if you have the opportunity, try and handle the three devices yourself before buying. No amount of internet searching can replace tactile feedback.

[vigna04]

I'm having trouble deciding too! Can't pick between one of the Kindles or the Nook... =/

[dbeman]

You truly can't go wrong with either device. There are Amazon enthusiasts who will tell you that Kindle is the only choice. There are nook users who will list why the ST is superior. And Kobo folks who tend to be a bit more quiet but who enjoy their device just the same.

The problem with test driving each unit at retail stores is that many stores only have demo units available; which don't give you a good feel for how the device works. If you live near a Barnes & Noble you can get your hands on a fully functional demo unit to really test it out.

If one were to objectively list the pros & cons of each device I think they would come our fairly close to even. When I looked at all the pros and cons I wound up hitching my wagon to Barnes & Noble and haven't regretted it since. My wife went with a Kindle and she seems just as happy.

One tipping point toward a Kindle Touch for this holiday season at least is that I've heard rumors of a Black Friday offering (perhaps Target?) that is offering a Gift Card with a Kindle purchase. Since the retail price of all of these units is pretty much set in stone this is the closest thing you'll come to finding them "on sale" short of buying a refurbished device.

Edit: I just discovered that Staples is offering a $20 Gift card with a Nook ST purchase and read an unconfirmed rumor of Best Buy selling the nook ST for $80.00. Both are Black Friday deals.

[ProfCrash]

I have read that if you hit the back button, you can move a Demo Kindle out of Demo mode and really play with it.

The other option is to check the bookstores and figure out which one you are most comfortable with.

In all honesty, the devices are all getting to the point that they are pretty similar to each other. There is not much that differentiates a Kindle from a Nook from a Sony from a Kobo.

I would say that Nook and Kindle are your top two choices. The new Sony is having some problems with pages flashing forward and then then touch screen being unresponsive. There is a topic on this in the Sony forum, the poll there indicates that close to half of the Sony TS1 users on this site are experiencing this problem. The Kobo has a slower page turn and does not have as many goodies as the Kindle and the Nook.

Nook has e-pub which allows you to shop at more stores then Kindle. I am not sure it is that big a deal. Agency Pricing means that the books from the major publishers are priced the same at all the major stores and you cannot use coupons. So if you read books mainly from the bog publishers, then you are going to get the same price at Amazon and all the other book stores. Not to mention, Amazon has the largest e-book collection so you are likely to find the book you are looking for in their bookstore.

Amazon has great customer support. I have heard mixed reviews about BN. Sometimes it has been great sometimes not so stellar.

I have the K1, the DXG, and the K3. I love them all. My Mother has a DXG which she loves. My Brother and Sister-in-Law have a DXG and a K2 which they love. My Nephew has a K3 which he loves. And then there are aunts, uncles, and cousins....

I also know of all Nook, Sony, and Kobo familes.

Get a feel for the devices and figure out which ones feels best to you. Check out the bookstores and see which one is easiest for you to use and has the books you want.

[webada]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

In all honesty, the devices are all getting to the point that they are pretty similar to each other. There is not much that differentiates a Kindle from a Nook from a Sony from a Kobo.
...

So if you read books mainly from the bog publishers, then you are going to get the same price at Amazon and all the other book stores. Not to mention, Amazon has the largest e-book collection so you are likely to find the book you are looking for in their bookstore.

...

I can't disagree with these comments more, they are really ill'ed advice.

The readers are not the same. If you are strictly talking about the Pearl e-ink, screen size and resolution, then yes, they appeared to be the same but the ergonomics are not nor are the functions, usability and features. Just as example, Kindle 4 has audio features, mp3, readback, and an overall better dictionary function, highly useful for non native English speakers. Nook STR has better ergonomics and is a better "one hand" reader out of the pack. This is not to mention about 3G, wifi, panel quality, component quailties...etc.

Now, maybe you don't care for these extra features so you think all the readers are the same, but that's purely subjective of you.

And, lets talk about book prices. Compiling the recent NYTimes best sellers list, you will find that Amazon, on average, is couple of dollars cheaper than B&N. So no, not all major publisher have the same prices across. Amazon is KNOWN to pressure the publishers on book prices. And Amazon is NOT the largest ebook store. It may be the largest ebook SELLER but not selections. Amazon claims it has over 1 million ebook while B&N has over 2 million.

Please get the facts straight before posting.... its very misleading.

[ProfCrash]

Amazon does not include its public domain e-books in its count, Barnes and Nobles does. If you add in the public domain books and all the duplicate versions of the public domain books you can get BN to 2 million books and Amazon would have a much higher total. BN has narrowed the gap but still has a smaller selection then Amazon.

Amazon cannot charge less then BN for most e-books on the bestseller list because they are from the publishing houses that make up the Big 6 and are all involved with Agency Pricing which means they set the price and discounts are not allowed. So the price is the same from Amazon, to Sony, to B&N, to Kobo.

Ergonomics are a matter of personal opion, some folks prefer the feel of the Nook others the Kindle others the Sony others the Kobo.

And while there are differences, like the ones you mentioned, for the average buyer they do not matter. If someone is looking for an e-reader with text to speech they are likely to ask for it and then people will happily point to the Kindle. Since most people do not use Text to Speech or the audio player or the memory card slots or the web browser it is not always necessary to mention them. Especially when the OP includes a list of things they don't care about that includes: book file format, 3G, advertising,
expandable memory, games, color screen, Android (I have an Android phone for all things 'droid). That makes me think that they don't care about anything but reading so why bother going into them.

[SmokeAndMirrors]

I've got a Kobo Touch, and it'll do all the stuff you want. As others have said, PDF's can be annoying on a 6-inch screen. But Kobo has some of the better PDF support among 6-inch readers, so if you're going with a 6-inch and PDF's aren't going to be a major part of your use, the Kobo Touch is a good choice.

The Kobo Touch is the most open of the three by far, which was a big deciding factor in why I got it. The firmware also gets frequent updates and features, which is another positive mark in my book.

But as others have said, if you can, you should head to a Best Buy and fiddle with the demo's. That's really the best way to decide: get the actual reader in your hands.