Stereotypical Kindle 2 vs. Nook

[JewishMatt]

I am new to e-readers, and I am considering purchasing one. I love technology and would love to read more, so I think this would be a good combination for me. I've been considering one for a while, but now I've decided to take the plunge.
Yesterday, on WarehouseDeals.com, (a sub-site of Amazon) the Kindle 2 with Sprint 3G was only $109. That is an AMAZING deal in my eyes. I have no problem with Sprint, because I don't plan on leaving the country, and I have Sprint for cell phone service right now, so I know the reception is great. The only problems are that the device would be refurbished (which I don't care TOO much about, it would just be nice to have a fresh new one) and it is currently out of stock on the website. Because it may drop or rise in price, I am a little uneasy about waiting/jumping the gun too soon. Also, the fact that I can't handle the device before I buy it makes me a little nervous.
As the title suggests, my second option is the Nook. I would be only getting the Wifi-only model that is $149 because I don't really plan on buying books on the go, and of course, it's cheaper. The only problems I have with the Nook is that the glossy finish on the front doesn't feel too great, although I don't see that being too much of a problem, considering the back is a nice matte finish. The next problem I have is the seemingly confusing UI and bottom touchscreen. I have played with the Nook maybe 2 or 3 times in Barnes & Noble, and it was a little bit confusing to work.
Before anyone asks, I won't consider a Sony e-reader, as they are too expensive, and I also don't like the way they look. I almost considered the Kobo by Borders, but the Blue d-pad thing on the front turned me away. Please leave your thoughts and advice! Thanks!

[graphicsgirl]

I can't speak for the Kindle since I don't own one, but I've recently acquired the Nook after having used the Ebookwise. I really love the Nook. I like the LCD screen, especially for using it to "swipe" the pages vs using the buttons. I decided it over the Kindle because it uses the epub format and so I can borrow books from the library, and at the time I purchased it, it was $149 vs $189 for the Kindle. The only negatives I can think of is the battery life seems to be less than the Kindle, and using it for annotations is tedious (compared to the touchscreen of the ebookwise).

However, had the $109 deal popped up before I bought the Nook, I may have considered the Kindle over it. I'd just put up with doing conversions for all the books and pocket the $41 difference because $109 is a great price for a 6" e-ink ereader! However, I think the deal has since expired. And really, I have no regrets with the Nook. It's a great device and I love reading on it!

[JewishMatt]

Originally Posted by graphicsgirl

I can't speak for the Kindle since I don't own one, but I've recently acquired the Nook after having used the Ebookwise. I really love the Nook. I like the LCD screen, especially for using it to "swipe" the pages vs using the buttons. I decided it over the Kindle because it uses the epub format and so I can borrow books from the library, and at the time I purchased it, it was $149 vs $189 for the Kindle. The only negatives I can think of is the battery life seems to be less than the Kindle, and using it for annotations is tedious (compared to the touchscreen of the ebookwise).

However, had the $109 deal popped up before I bought the Nook, I may have considered the Kindle over it. I'd just put up with doing conversions for all the books and pocket the $41 difference because $109 is a great price for a 6" e-ink ereader! However, I think the deal has since expired. And really, I have no regrets with the Nook. It's a great device and I love reading on it!

Yeah, I actually think I will be purchasing the WiFi-only Nook!

[boswd]

Originally Posted by JewishMatt

Yeah, I actually think I will be purchasing the WiFi-only Nook!

the UI does take a bit of a learning curve but once you get it down, you end up loving it. and it's hard to go back to basic buttons and joysticks, it makes the kindle and the such feel very outdated.

If you own a smartphone/blackberry you'll have this down in no time.

It's joy to read on and to navigate. I really love this device and I'm so glad I chose the Nook over the Kindle (which I was thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis close to buying before my wife came home with the nook)

Good luck and lets us know how you made out.

[CatsMeow]

Kindle can be seen at Target.

I'm not sure if there are any differences between the Kindle with Sprint and the Kindle with AT&T. I recently did a weekend swap with a Sprint Kindle owner -- I used his Kindle to read a couple of books and he used my Nook. His Kindle didn't have the latest software on it and the directions for upgrading the software didn't work on his Kindle. He didn't care but he didn't have the organizational features or the Facebook, Twitter links I hear about. I saw the $109 refurb units yesterday and thought for that price, why not have a Kindle and a Nook! I was going to try and figure out the differences between the various models because I've seen $139 refurb also mentioned but when I go out to Amazon, I can only find the $169 refurbs. I've also seen Kindle 2 and Kindle 2i mentioned, so my question on the refurbished models is what are the differences -- if any -- between the various Kindle iterations. I've purchased refurb'd computers and TVs and it's always worked out great. But if there are differences between the iterations, then I'd want to know the pros/cons of each iteration.

In deciding between the Nook and Kindle, there's the basic of which hardware look/feel you like best. I think the Kindle is a cleaner, more Zen-like device but I do like the color icons and page-turn with swipe of the Nook. However the critical difference between Kindle and Nook is whether library accessibility or access to more content is the most important factor to you. I want both a Kindle and a Nook because I definitely want the library access without mucking around with the files but after 6 weeks of using my Nook, I too often find the eBooks I want to read are only available through Kindle or they're cheaper at Amazon than B&N. However, I am a fast, voracious reader who reads a significant amount of political non-fiction and niche fiction. You might want to check eBook pricing/availability by going to Inkmesh.com and comparing prices for titles you want to read.

Ultimately I think people are happy with whatever device they chose. Or like me, they decide they can't live without some feature on another device, so they just buy more than one. Good luck with your shopping.

[boswd]

Originally Posted by CatsMeow

Kindle can be seen at Target.

I'm not sure if there are any differences between the Kindle with Sprint and the Kindle with AT&T. I recently did a weekend swap with a Sprint Kindle owner -- I used his Kindle to read a couple of books and he used my Nook. His Kindle didn't have the latest software on it and the directions for upgrading the software didn't work on his Kindle. He didn't care but he didn't have the organizational features or the Facebook, Twitter links I hear about. I saw the $109 refurb units yesterday and thought for that price, why not have a Kindle and a Nook! I was going to try and figure out the differences between the various models because I've seen $139 refurb also mentioned but when I go out to Amazon, I can only find the $169 refurbs. I've also seen Kindle 2 and Kindle 2i mentioned, so my question on the refurbished models is what are the differences -- if any -- between the various Kindle iterations. I've purchased refurb'd computers and TVs and it's always worked out great. But if there are differences between the iterations, then I'd want to know the pros/cons of each iteration.

In deciding between the Nook and Kindle, there's the basic of which hardware look/feel you like best. I think the Kindle is a cleaner, more Zen-like device but I do like the color icons and page-turn with swipe of the Nook. However the critical difference between Kindle and Nook is whether library accessibility or access to more content is the most important factor to you. I want both a Kindle and a Nook because I definitely want the library access without mucking around with the files but after 6 weeks of using my Nook, I too often find the eBooks I want to read are only available through Kindle or they're cheaper at Amazon than B&N. However, I am a fast, voracious reader who reads a significant amount of political non-fiction and niche fiction. You might want to check eBook pricing/availability by going to Inkmesh.com and comparing prices for titles you want to read.

Ultimately I think people are happy with whatever device they chose. Or like me, they decide they can't live without some feature on another device, so they just buy more than one. Good luck with your shopping.

hmmm I don't know how you can think the Kindle is cleaner looking and more Zen feeling than the Nook LOL but to each his own, I guess. and the Amazon content vs BN content and price is a bit outdated. 7 months ago, sure but today there is no price difference between the two. Sure you could find a book on Amazon that may be a $1 cheaper but you can also find a book that is $1 cheaper at BN. by and large the prices are identical.

As far as content. We truly don't know since the number's they spec. are so inflated.

[Big Shirley]

CatsMeow - Thank you for the comparison. I have a Kindle2 and I want to get an e-reader for my mom for her birthday this month, but all of the changes have really thrown me for a loop. I appreciate your post.