Paperwhite or Fire HD 7", or something else?

[Ainamoor]

After nearly 3 years, the buttons on my beloved Kindle Keyboard is starting to act up, so i am thinking about upgrading. I am torn between the Paperwhite and the Fire HD 7". The Paperwhite looks lovely, but I like that the Fire HD can do colour so I can read comics. I am not convinced I would use many of the extra features of the tablet has over the e-reader, but the colour is drawing me in I would be using it for reading only, so a lot of the techy stuff doesn't interest me much. Is there maybe something else entirely that would be better, in the same price range? I have an account with Amazon, but I get my books elsewhere, so the easy access to that stuff doesn't matter a whole lot to me.

[booklover6]

There is a big difference in size and weight between the paperwhite and the Fire HD. If you want something more portable, the paperwhite might be better for you. If you want something that will hold a lot more books, the Fire might be a better choice.

[Quexos]

Personally I plan to go Ipad Mini with Retina Display ...

[WillysJeepMan]

Originally Posted by Ainamoor

After nearly 3 years, the buttons on my beloved Kindle Keyboard is starting to act up, so i am thinking about upgrading. I am torn between the Paperwhite and the Fire HD 7". The Paperwhite looks lovely, but I like that the Fire HD can do colour so I can read comics. I am not convinced I would use many of the extra features of the tablet has over the e-reader, but the colour is drawing me in I would be using it for reading only, so a lot of the techy stuff doesn't interest me much. Is there maybe something else entirely that would be better, in the same price range? I have an account with Amazon, but I get my books elsewhere, so the easy access to that stuff doesn't matter a whole lot to me.

The two devices are quite different. I bought a PW for my wife and she loves it for reading. Especially since she can read it in sunlight and in the dark. I really appreciate my KFHD 7, but I've rooted it and use an alternate launcher. It has a terrific screen, outstanding speakers, and does a nice job in reading comics... but the 7" display is a bit small for the larger cbz/cbr files that I read.

Are you planning on subscribing to various online comic book stores or do you have your own library of cbz/cbr files?

Originally Posted by Quexos

Personally I plan to go Ipad Mini with Retina Display ...

That too is an excellent option, however with the clearance and firesales going on for the KFHD 7, paying 1/3 the price of a mini is quite appealing.

[Ainamoor]

Originally Posted by WillysJeepMan

The two devices are quite different. I bought a PW for my wife and she loves it for reading. Especially since she can read it in sunlight and in the dark. I really appreciate my KFHD 7, but I've rooted it and use an alternate launcher. It has a terrific screen, outstanding speakers, and does a nice job in reading comics... but the 7" display is a bit small for the larger cbz/cbr files that I read.

Are you planning on subscribing to various online comic book stores or do you have your own library of cbz/cbr files?


That too is an excellent option, however with the clearance and firesales going on for the KFHD 7, paying 1/3 the price of a mini is quite appealing.

I already have some stuff, but because reading on my old Kindle basically sucks for comics I've not really looked at stuff properly. I am leaning towards the Fire HD rather than PW, but if there is some other tablet that would be better I am all ears. I'd only use whatever device I end up getting for reading, so I don't want to spend a lot of money on it, but if I found something I could use to play movies on my tv from my external hd I could part with more If there even is such a thing

[jscarbo]

I do most of my reading on a Kindle Paperwhite. I'm not a fan of the Kindle Fire and got rid of my original Fire as soon as the Nexus 7 was first released. The newer Fires are much better than the original but are still primarily aimed at those who want to consume Amazon content and are too locked down to Amazon's ecosystem for my taste.

Recently, I decided to buy a larger screen tablet for watching videos and for reading magazines, PDF's and graphic novels. For my limited uses, I couldn't justify paying a premium price.

My decision was to go with the Nook HD+ and I've been very pleased with mine for the following reasons:
1. Price. At the current price of $149, it's the lowest priced 9" HD tablet on the market and is an incredible bargain.
2. Form Factor. The size and weight are great and very comfortable to hold and use, even for long periods of time.
3. SD card slot for expanded storage.
4. Access to Google Play. Even though it uses a forked version of Android, as does the KF, it has access to the Google Play app store.
5. Easy to root or use dual boot SD card to run stock Android OS or switch back and forth between OS without voiding your warranty or running the risk of bricking it. You can do it yourself following instructions on XDA-Developer Forum or you can buy an inexpensive preconfigured card such as one of these: http://www.androidfornook.com/nook-s...micro-sd-cards
6. The Kindle for Android app works great on it. The Kindle app also works fairly well for graphic novels and supports panel view, although it's not as good as some of the third party readers from Google Play, such as Perfect Viewer.
7. HD video resolution is fantastic. The newest Fire HDX and Nexus tablets are as good or better but the resolution is very good and I doubt anyone would see a visible difference on the newer, more expensive models.

The disadvantages of the Nook HD+ include:
1. B&N has a poor reputation for customer service and support, and the content selection and prices tend to not as good as Amazon and some others. I don't care about any of this because I don't buy content from B&N and don't need their customer service or support. The device itself is well-made and of high quality.
2. B&N has made it unnecessarily difficult (but not impossible) to sideload third party apps from sources other than their app store or Google Play unless you root it or run Android from a dual boot SD card.
3. It requires an overpriced, proprietary 30-pin connector for all connections - usb, charging and HDMI.

With these considerations in mind, I highly recommend the Nook HD+. For the price, you can't find a better large screen tablet anywhere. I find that I use it two or three times as much as I used my 7" Kindle Fire or my Nexus 7, and far prefer it for all of my uses.

[jersysman]

@jscarbo - Great post!
I went the Android for Nook route for my dual boot card and I've been very pleased with it.

[jocampo]

Originally Posted by Ainamoor

After nearly 3 years, the buttons on my beloved Kindle Keyboard is starting to act up, so i am thinking about upgrading. I am torn between the Paperwhite and the Fire HD 7". The Paperwhite looks lovely, but I like that the Fire HD can do colour so I can read comics. I am not convinced I would use many of the extra features of the tablet has over the e-reader, but the colour is drawing me in I would be using it for reading only, so a lot of the techy stuff doesn't interest me much. Is there maybe something else entirely that would be better, in the same price range? I have an account with Amazon, but I get my books elsewhere, so the easy access to that stuff doesn't matter a whole lot to me.

Get another eink device!

If you use it for reading only and color is not a must, an eink reader is less expensive, battery last longer, and you can use it outdoor or indoors.

The only reason I use tablets is because I also read from PDF documents, but I focus more when using my Kindle Paperwhite.

[Ainamoor]

Originally Posted by jocampo

Get another eink device!

If you use it for reading only and color is not a must, an eink reader is less expensive, battery last longer, and you can use it outdoor or indoors.

The only reason I use tablets is because I also read from PDF documents, but I focus more when using my Kindle Paperwhite.

sadly colour is a must for me, I've tried reading comics in black and white and it bothers me a lot leaning towards getting rid of my rarely used laptop and get a nexus 7, seems like it will do for reading as well as decent replacement for my laptop, only used it to watch movies on mainly.

[jscarbo]

Ainamoor, if your primary criteria include reading comics and graphic novels, I don't think you'll get nearly as good an experience from a 7" tablet as from a 9" or 10" model.

There are some great reviews of devices and reading apps here: http://www.comicbookreaderguide.com/android/

For a combination of price and features, I still recommend that you consider the HD+ with a dual boot AFN card.

[Ainamoor]

Originally Posted by jscarbo

Ainamoor, if your primary criteria include reading comics and graphic novels, I don't think you'll get nearly as good an experience from a 7" tablet as from a 9" or 10" model.

There are some great reviews of devices and reading apps here: http://www.comicbookreaderguide.com/android/

For a combination of price and features, I still recommend that you consider the HD+ with a dual boot AFN card.

I will 80% be reading books on it, and only occasionally comics, and even if the HD+ wasn't too big for my taste the customs fee on it shipped to here would make it cost almost as much as the nexus 7, which I could get in store here. I will at the very least give it a go I think, if i do find it too small I can always return it and get something bigger