I just purchased a Kindle 2. I had been looking at the nook, but I ended up buying the Kindle 2 for a few reasons:
- I can get it right away.
- I don't have to wait for Amazon to work out the kinks.
- Amazon has much more and less expensive content
- If I wait for the PERFECT eReader, I'll never get one.
I love my Kindle and I'm very happy with my decision. Here's what I like most:
- They keyboard. The nook's keyboard is onscreen and, while the concept is good, onscreen keyboards never work well. I like the tactile feedback from a chiclet keyboard.
- I find that I don't miss the color screen at all.
- The weight. The nook is thinner than I expected, but heavier than it looks. Kindle 2 is the perfect weight.
- The available content/pricing
I'm sure nook will get better, but while they're improving, I get to enjoy an already established eReader. That said, there are a few improvements I would suggest:
- Content Management - but that's on it's way now.
- Book Lending - Ideally, I could lend a book to a borrower regardless of their device, but I'd be happy with being able to lend a book to a fellow Kindle owner.
- User Replaceable Battery - Sorry, I think Amazon missed the mark here.
I really don't care about a touchscreen. I could take it or leave it. Color would be nice for some things, but not for most. Most books are not in color. I really don't miss the SD card either. Since Amazon allows you to delete books from your device, but still allows you to redownload them from your archive, that really eliminates my need for an SD card. It could be helpful for music or maybe some of my own documents, but that's about it. I rarely use those features.
What I would say about many of those features is that it really depends on what you want your device to be. We're kind of accustomed to devices that try to be everything to everyone. Jeff Bezos was really clear on the fact that he wants to Kindle to be simple. He wants the device to 'disappear' and take a back seat to the reading experience. The more features you add, the more complex the device becomes. I'm not saying there's not a niche for those devices. It's just not what the Kindle is intended to be. I want mine to be a good eReader. As long as it serves that purpose, I'm happy.
John