Should I get a Nook when I have an iPad?

[joy sparkles]

Hi there -

I have an iPad, and use the Kindle app and iBooks for reading books.
Just registered for a course (and paid the tuition), where I was given a choice of being shipped the hard-copy of the textbook, or receive an 8 gig color Nook, and then I would need to buy the electronic textbook through Barnes & Nobles.

Basically, I wonder whether to get the Nook, or the textbook? If I get the textbook, then Likely I would buy the Kindle version of the textbook to read on my iPad, and possibly sell the textbook to receive money for the used book?

But it has me curious- which is better for reading textbooks, the Nook or the iPad? BTW, I am not experienced with Android products, and very much into Apple products.

Any thoughts/ideas/suggestions, would be greatly appreciated

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by joy sparkles

But it has me curious- which is better for reading textbooks, the Nook or the iPad? BTW, I am not experienced with Android products, and very much into Apple products.

If you're talking about a Nook Color (HD, HD+) or Kindle Fire, there's not much difference at all between them and an iPad for reading. You're basically just using the apps -- and a standard Nook HD can't read Kindle books, nor can a standard Kindle Fire read Nook books. So the iPad has the advantage of being able to use both formats.

EDIT: I'm completely wrong here. I've been corrected. The Kindle Fire can be set up to download the Nook App (didn't know that) and, since the Nook HD and HD+ now have Google Play, they obviously can download the Kindle App (as well as the Kobo App). So I'm completely wrong here. Sorry for the misinformation.

A Nook or Kindle E-Ink reader is a completely different animal. Personally, for reading, I prefer an E-Ink screen -- actually I don't have much use for a color tablet at all (I guess that makes me a Luddite). I do have an old HP TouchPad, but about the only time I "use it" is to recharge it once a month, or so.

Whether an E-Ink device would be good for textbooks depends on the format of the textbooks. If they've got a lot of color charts, or the books are in PDF format, then it would probably be better to use the iPad. If they're mostly text, then one of the E-Ink devices should work fine.

But, again, if you're comparing the iPad to a color Nook or Kindle device, then I don't see much reason to buy one of these devices -- unless you just want a point of demarcation between reading device and "computer" (tablet).

[jersysman]

To me determining which one to get is not as cut and dry. While you can read either the textbook or ebook to varying degrees of success, where I think the textbook is still ahead of ebooks is in the area of annotations. I found that it was hard to annotate the ebooks and find the annotations with any degree of success. YMMV. It is because of that I preferred the textbook. Of course a tablet is much lighter on the back than lugging all of those books around.

[joy sparkles]

Thanks -
yah, I am just wondering if it is worth it to get the free Nook HD color 8 gig, when most of my e-books I have are on either the kindle app or my iBooks app, both on my iPad- But I can also read the books on my macs as well . . .

If I am planning to get the ebook text without getting the nook, i will likely purchase the kindle version to use on my iPad- and then just have them send me the text book . . .

Sounds like there is not a good reason for me to get the free nook (instead of textbook)- since I have the iPad

The course I am taking is a hybrid course- where 45 hours of it is in home study using the text and taking tests online, and then 9 straight full days of the course of the hands on teaching part . . . so likely the instructor may refer to the textbook on occasion while teaching us the hands on part of what we need to learn.

That is what I anticipate . . .

Thanks

[susan_cassidy]

Originally Posted by rcentros

nor can a standard Kindle Fire read Nook books. .

Not true, you can install the Nook app on a Fire, just by checking the box that says "allow install of 3rd party apps".

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by susan_cassidy

Not true, you can install the Nook app on a Fire, just by checking the box that says "allow install of 3rd party apps".

Didn't know that. Thanks for the correction. Come to think of it, the Nook HD and HD+ now have access to the Play Store, so they can also use Kindle and Kobo apps. So I messed this one up badly. Sorry. Will correct my original message.