Buying eReader: Nook or Kindle? Please help.

[GreenMonkey]

Originally Posted by jocampo

Here we go again! People have explained this here thousand of times! Why Nook fans keep insisting on the same?

The format means nothing! I had a Nook and sold it, why? because B&N, public libraries, Kobo bookstores, did not have my IT books, only Amazon. You must choose an ereader base on the available books. Even though, you buy a book on B&N which format is ePub, what are you gonna do? You can't read it anywhere but the Nook because is DRM protected.

Format means a lot to me. I almost never buy DRM'd books, and if I do, I strip the DRM immediately. But B&N epub can be read on a couple of other devices. And standard Adobe DRM'd Epub from Kobo, etc can be read on a number of devices.

I think if it wasn't for Amazon's strength in the market due to their early presence, we'd be almost standardized on Adobe-DRM'd epub by now.

[jocampo]

I read a phrase long time ago that still is on my mind and was about digital formats and their expected life: "Longevity and digital formats cannot coexists together"

The only future proof and true standard right now for books is a real book, one made from paper. No one! And I truly mean it, can tell for sure what is going to happen with any of current ebook standards. Their continuity and support are tightly dependent of many variables and factors that are not under control, like market and demand or even new and unknown technology which at that point can make obsolete any of what we consider now the de facto standard. So, betting all your "poker chips" to a particular standard now, for a long and happy future is just incorrect and not accurate.

ePUb could be the truly official standard (practical terms) if DRM protection was not there. But, as long as Barnes and Noble and other major bookstores who sell ePub continue selling books with DRM protection, such books are not better or less closed format than azw or Amazon.

[jocampo]

Originally Posted by boswd

2. Yes it is correct. Text is bolder and is on par with peal ink, I'm sorry but Pearl ink was never the second coming in the first place.. I put them up side by side, trust me I'm not celebrating the birth of Peal Ink this coming Saturday like you kindle fans are.

I think you are the only one saying Nook 1st gen has equal or better screen contrast than Kindle 3 or most recent Sony (which uses same pearl screen)

Maybe it's time for new glasses or, get new ones because you need ones.

Here's a comparison of pearl screen vs old technology, also used by Nook 1st gen:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...9&postcount=10

[boswd]

Is that v1.5? Nope AND its not even a nook in those photos!!! Joe in v1.5 in the nook they bolded the text I dont know what else to say. Go to best buy and compare if want idont care

[speedlever]

Originally Posted by jocampo

snip
Kindle Cons
-You can't read books for free, like with B&N but download samples
-Not ePub support (but this is arguable and depends of user's preference, see my comment at the beginning of the post)
-No expandable memory
-No replaceable battery

************************************************** ************

The only true con there is the lack of expandable memory. The other cons are relatively easily dealt with if you know which end of a screwdriver to hold (meaning slightly techy). Not even sure what you mean by con #1, unless you mean the in-store experience.

Originally Posted by boswd

snip

2. Yes it is correct. Text is bolder and is on par with peal ink, I'm sorry but Pearl ink was never the second coming in the first place.. I put them up side by side, trust me I'm not celebrating the birth of Peal Ink this coming Saturday like you kindle fans are.

I agree that there is no great difference in the display legibility between Nook 1.5 and K3. I think the K3 is better, but not a deal maker/breaker better.

Disregarding format issues, the main difference is if you like real vs virtual (touchscreen) controls. And that is no contest in my book... K3 wins big here, imo... unless you have an Apple touchscreen. (what am I sayin'? ) The screen lag issues I noted on the Nook have not been visible on the iPad. The iPad has been a rare TS exception... and quite enjoyable thus far.

[boswd]

Originally Posted by jocampo

I read a phrase long time ago that still is on my mind and was about digital formats and their expected life: "Longevity and digital formats cannot coexists together"

The only future proof and true standard right now for books is a real book, one made from paper. No one! And I truly mean it, can tell for sure what is going to happen with any of current ebook standards. Their continuity and support are tightly dependent of many variables and factors that are not under control, like market and demand or even new and unknown technology which at that point can make obsolete any of what we consider now the de facto standard. So, betting all your "poker chips" to a particular standard now, for a long and happy future is just incorrect and not accurate.

ePUb could be the truly official standard (practical terms) if DRM protection was not there. But, as long as Barnes and Noble and other major bookstores who sell ePub continue selling books with DRM protection, such books are not better or less closed format than azw or Amazon.

while I agree with your last statement BN's ePub with their own DRM is in reality no different than AZW (Amazon) but here's the kicker Joe that you seem to dismiss. Kobo, Sony, Fictionwise, Google the list goes on does NOT put their own special DRM specific to their bookstore. Yest they all use ADE ePub. and again here is the other kicker you seem to dismiss. The nook, the sony's, the kobos ALL ACCEPT this form of ADE ePub, in fact I think EVERY SINGLE ereader on the market accepts this except for wait for it........ Amazon's Kindle.

Sooo again for the 100th time By owning a nook, a sony etc the advantage of owning a device that supports ePub is not so much the shopping on your home device's platform BUT joe and please reade and listen BUT the ability to shop at all the major open ebookstores and the Public Library's.

If you want your books to come with you know matter what device you own, WE have the option to buy all our books from Google or kobo or whoever and save them in folders on to computer.

You can twist and confuse people all you want but Kindle owners DO NOT have that much flexbility. Mobi just isn't that widely used, not nearly as wide as ADE ePub, that is just fact.
egads you can't even buy Mobi books from Mobi's website for your Kindle even though it's owned by Amazon. .

[OtterBooks]

The debate in a nutshell:
-You compared retailers and they both carried books you want at the same price. Mobi vs. epub argument, moot. You may someday find that you can't get something you want on epub but can find it on Amazon; but that could happen the other way too. However unless you're looking for niche items like specific tech manuals, or the 1945 edition of Grandma's Possum Recipes, it probably ain't gonna.
-You looked at the devices side by side, understand the differences, and preferred the Nook. Nook vs Kindle argument, settled.

Now find yourself a nice cover. If you read for hours, my advice here is that you will discover that this is more important than you think. Choose carefully and don't be afraid to spend a bit: for all practical purposes it becomes part of your device.

[KenJackson]

Originally Posted by jocampo

The only future proof and true standard right now for books is a real book, one made from paper.

You just broached a big topic.

A few years ago, Spectrum magazine had an article that claimed all of our records are in danger. One problem is the shifting world of digital formats, as you have indicated. Magnetic media are assaulted by ambient magnetic fields. Even CDs apparently deteriorate. The surprising one is that most paper in use today has a high acid content which causes the paper to deteriorate with age.

To make the point about general vulnerability, the article asked the reader if we've ever seen a clip from SuperBowl I. Have you? No? You never will. It was filmed by two independent broadcasting companies, but both companies accidentally destroyed the films. We have no video record of SuperBowl I!

Back to ebooks, you're right that standards keep changing, but I'm still guessing that EPUB will be readable the rest of my life--assuming I can keep it safe on some storage medium.

[OtterBooks]

I transcribe all of my books onto solid gold tablets and store them in a great stone pyramid. This way I can ensure that when I awake from my thousand-year slumber, my copy of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants shall be safely waiting.

[jessicalynn]

Ugh. One thing I have noticed since I joined this forum is that many of the kindle owners here are positively rabid about kindle being "the best". I posted a thread in the nook section awhile back about how I liked to shop around and the first two replies were from kindle owners insisting the could also shop around!!
I really don't get it. I don't care what device other people want to buy! And it is a simple fact that there are a lot more stores that sell epub than mobi! For people that don't feel like stripping the drm off their books, that can make a difference in decision making. Yes, with agency pricing shopping around doesn't mean as much as it could, but I've certainly enjoyed using kobos coupons to get several books in epub cheaper than amazon was selling them and taking advantage of a few promotionally priced books that randomly happened to be cheaper on other sites that sell epub than they were on amazon or barnes and noble.
Of course when you factor in stripping the drm and file conversion, it's a whole different topic, but again, many people don't want to do that for whatever reason!
But in the end, it all comes down to the individual. There are certain other things I like about my nook, like the swiping to turn the page because I like to knit while I read, so i can swipe with my pinky without putting my knitting down. This matters to me, but someone who does not knit while they read wouldn't care.
For the record I don't necessarily think the nook is "better" than the kindle, but it is better for me.

[OtterBooks]

I like to knit while I read, so i can swipe with my pinky without putting my knitting down. This matters to me, but someone who does not knit while they read wouldn't care.

Actually they would just press their pinky downwards instead of across. The amount of finger effort should be about equal. I agree that team-like advocacy of a certain device is silly, which is why I'm not gonna turn this into a giant paragraph proclaiming the advantages of a format.

And ya know really, it's all in good fun. Reading a debate can actually be informative, and even amusing when it gets a bit heated, so long as it's civil. Ultimately I think people have a good time with it.

[montalex]

I just returned from a couple of weeks on the beach in the Dominican Republic. When I wasn't swimming or eating and sleeping, I was reading my Kindle. I got my New York Times delivered wirelessly every morning, got my New York Review of Books, and I had a couple of hundred books, purchased from Amazon, B&N, Indigo -- wherever -- stored on my Kindle for reading. No problem reading in the sun, no need to recharge. Great device. I like Amazon -- they have always been good to me, and they have the best selection of any single source. When they haven't had what I wanted, due to regional copyright issues, I have purchased what I want elsewhere, and easily converted to mobi. If I want to read epub, I convert or use Duokan or FBReader. I use Duokan for pdf.

I'm sure Nook is a good device also, as are Sony Readers and some others. Do some research and make a choice. There is no one superior device. It's like comparing Asics running shoes to New Balance. Depends on what you need. And in the end, the font, margins, etc., have little bearing on the content.

[montalex]

Originally Posted by boswd

egads you can't even buy Mobi books from Mobi's website for your Kindle even though it's owned by Amazon. .

Of course you can!

[Harmon]

Originally Posted by boswd

just like the Sony 650 I find the 350 an odd recommendation as well. Smaller screen no wireless and more expensive than the wifi versions of the Kindle and nook, in fact the 350 is the same price as the kindle and nook WITH the 3G option and you get less screen, which means more screen changing just to change one page.

also the nook also has Apps across all platforms, computers, phones (iPhone, Android) iPad, Samsung Galaxy S tab etc. not just kindle.

again Sony's pricing strategy just makes me

I traded in my 505 & wound up getting the 350 for 80 bucks. Accidentally ordered the pink one, & in the course of exchanging for a manly silver one, I learned that there's some kind of sales code for a $75 discount without having to trade anything in. Anyone interested in buying a Sony EBR direct from Sony should ask about it.

Anyway, I absolutely love the 350. The screen brightness & font contrast are adjustable but even the standard screen is better than the K3. I still have a 300 but the dust is settling on it fast. My K3 now has a specialized use: its a G3 so it's my travel EBR. Using my iPhone, I can load up the K3 from Instapaper for casual short reading, or buy books while traveling, which I can't do for my 350 since I don't travel with a laptop if I can avoid it.

But the 350 slips right in my inside jacket pocket and goes with me everywhere. I can whip it out anytime, and don't need a man purse to take it along. If I could have only one EBR, it would be the 350.

[madzippy]

Originally Posted by boswd

Is that v1.5? Nope AND its not even a nook in those photos!!! Joe in v1.5 in the nook they bolded the text I dont know what else to say. Go to best buy and compare if want idont care

Thank you! I'm not the only one who thinks this. Don't know about the other iterations of Nook, but the Nook 1.5 screen is superior to the Kindle IMO. I think it's the lighter background which makes the text pop. The Kindle 3 has a greyish background.

There are obvious advantages and disadvantages to both, which is why I went from trying to decide which ereader to get to trying to decide which ereader to keep!

Biggest negatives for the Nook is the weight and battery life. Biggest negative for the Kindle is the proprietary format and screen (the latter is suppose to be a plus.)

One of them is going back. Just not sure which yet....