Classic Nook or kindle?

maddie80 · 05-10-2010, 05:44 PM

I got a kindle last week as an early mother's day gift! My husband debated between that and the nook for a while, and went with the kindle because when we played with a nook (before the last software upgrade) it seemed pretty slow.

Now that I have the kindle though, we are both having second thoughts - mostly about the openness of the device (for e-books from the library, etc., and not being locked in to amazon only), and the design factor (the nook is so much smoother and doesn't have the many many buttons to mess with). I was sad that one of the books I was dying to read wasn't available for kindle because of the penguin publishing issue.

I was hoping you guys could sell me one way or the other. My main hesitations about the nook are battery life (how long does it really last in "reading hours," not just "days of use"? - I read a lot, often several hours a day or more), the menuing (does it get more intuitive - the kindle was super easy out of the box, but the nook seems like it would take more time, even though I'm pretty tech/gadget savvy), and the speed of the device (page turning, downloading books, etc. - I've read very mixed reports about it).

Also, how is the B&N bookstore? I know they say they have more books than amazon, but that includes a lot of the free ebooks that are public domain, right?

dyrinn45 · 05-10-2010, 05:47 PM

The nook is better(imo) because of its ability to read ePubs, which the kindle doesn't. Also the kindle 2 is fugly...no way would i want a physical keyboard on my reading device.

WT Sharpe · 05-10-2010, 05:52 PM

As the owner of both a Kindle and a Nook, between the two I think you made the right choice. Read everything I posted in this thread.

bookwerm · 05-11-2010, 01:37 AM

I also debated the kindle vs. the nook, and went to the nook for one incredibly important reason: library books. I have 4 decent libraries near me (I'm in Southern California) with a lot of bestsellers, so it was a no brainer. I have only bought books because there was a really good sale with Sony ebookstore gift cards a few weeks ago, and then I only buy books not available in the libraries.

I did use a friend's Kindle, and honestly I don't see any delay when it comes to page turns while reading. The battery will probably last you 5-7 days on a single charge if you read several hours a day with the wireless/wifi turned off. The B&N probably takes you about a day to get the hang of. I question people who complain about the interface - if you use it for 2-3 days and still haven't figured it out, I question the user, not the device. (It's no more complicated than learning to use an iPhone or BMW iDrive/any navigation system in a car).

The B&N store is comparably priced to amazon.com on best sellers, although occasionally do see books $0.60 to $3 cheaper on amazon; with the new agency model, I've never seen anything more than that. I tend to read bestsellers (fiction & nonfiction) and popular authors, so you may want to consider that. My suggestion is to pull up your wishlist on amazon and then spend sometime looking up books on inkmesh.com to compare prices and see if there is a large difference for the types of books you want to read.

HTH!

WT Sharpe · 05-11-2010, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dyrinn45

The nook is better(imo) because of its ability to read ePubs, which the kindle doesn't. Also the kindle 2 is fugly...no way would i want a physical keyboard on my reading device.

Not a day goes by when I don't use the Kindle's keyboard for notes and annotations. I rarely use the Nook's virtual keyboard. It's too sluggish and navigating through all those menus is a royal pain.

Rich_D · 05-11-2010, 10:41 AM

I think the big difference is the note taking. Other than a textbook, I've never taken notes on a book I've read and I've never had the need for a dictionary. If you do take frequent notes, I'd stick with the Kindle.

The open platform was more important to me, as was the ability to take out books from the library.

I had read for years on my pda and while I liked the kindle, I didn't switch to an e-reader until the nook came out. I'd return it and pick up a nook.

WT Sharpe · 05-11-2010, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rich_D

I think the big difference is the note taking. Other than a textbook, I've never taken notes on a book I've read and I've never had the need for a dictionary. If you do take frequent notes, I'd stick with the Kindle.

The open platform was more important to me, as was the ability to take out books from the library.

I had read for years on my pda and while I liked the kindle, I didn't switch to an e-reader until the nook came out. I'd return it and pick up a nook.

I'm not that smart. There are lots of words for which I don't know the meaning.

I use mine nearly every day.

Rich_D · 05-11-2010, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

I'm not that smart. There are lots of words for which I don't know the meaning.

I use mine nearly every day.

LOL! If I don't know the meaning, I just substitute a word that I do understand! Pants is a good one to use. "Now is the winter of our disc... Pants."

Anarel · 05-11-2010, 11:15 AM

You're not "locked" into amazon only for getting books. You can get books from a number of other online vendors. The penguin issue will not go on forever, there are so many other books to read! Also, you can read Kindle books on your Blackberry, PC, Mac, Ipod touch, Ipad and other devices.

I found while testing out my Kindle with the Nook @ B&N that the Kindle was a lot easier to work with; with the nook it takes far too many steps to make a simple highlight or note. I use the notes feature a lot and I love having an actual, physical keyboard as opposed to a virtual one- some people find the virtual keyboard decent enough for a note, but I had far too much trouble hitting the right keys.

About the number of books available, you would be correct in that most of B&N's "million" ebooks are out of the google public domain catalogue, pre-1923 books. I heard it somewhere said that up to 750,000 of B&N's million ebooks are from Google, which means B&N has only about 200,000 something recent ebooks available. On the other side, Amazon have over 500,000 recent, in copyright works available. That's a sizeable difference.

All those google ebooks are available (with far less ocr errors and typos) via websites like the Gutenburg project. And if you do need those google books, since they are drm-free you can convert them easily to be read on the Kindle.

But at the end, it's up to you. You do have a month to return the kindle for a full refund (I think you only get 14 days with the nook, with or without a restocking fee). Take your Kindle to B&N and try them out side by side. See which you prefer.

(And if you think the nook's screen contrast is better than the kindle's remember that the nook has a black border around the screen, that the kindle lacks which optical illusions your eyes into thinking one is better than the other. A dark colored skin will even it up between the two devices- the screens are made by the same company after all.)

maddie80 · 05-11-2010, 11:53 AM

This is all helpful, thank you! I have compared the two devices in the store, and there's no clear winner for me. Like I said, I definitely think the kindle is easier to use off the bat - it's just the device's longevity worries me a little (the limited formats, the fact that you can't replace the battery, etc.).

Advice from current users who've had more than a little while to play in the store is very helpful! I usually have my toddler in tow, so getting more than a brief period of time to check it out is not in the cards!

Sigh.

maddie80 · 05-11-2010, 11:54 AM

Oh, and although I may use the dictionary, I never make notes in my books, so I would really only be using the keyboard for searching to buy books, etc.

cearbhallain · 05-11-2010, 12:24 PM

My nook is a paperback reader. That was my plan when I bought it and it's working out great! As long as this electronic reality continues, I have fewer dusty paperbacks taking up space on my bookshelves. Space I need for special editions like my annotated Poe and my big book of Bradbury, and practical books like my home repair manual and hobby books.

The only books I write in are texts, references, and pattern books. Those are books that I need to have in dead tree formats because for me nothing is faster than using the index and manually flipping pages to find the information I need, or just opening the book to the post-it tab that marks the important pages. I've never even tried to use the annotation feature on my Nook, but I did set a bookmark once. My Nook is for entertainment reading and I'm very happy with it. Well I would like a goto page feature, one hopes they'll get to that soon

lionel47 · 05-11-2010, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cearbhallain

My nook is a paperback reader. That was my plan when I bought it and it's working out great! As long as this electronic reality continues, I have fewer dusty paperbacks taking up space on my bookshelves. Space I need for special editions like my annotated Poe and my big book of Bradbury, and practical books like my home repair manual and hobby books.

The only books I write in are texts, references, and pattern books. Those are books that I need to have in dead tree formats because for me nothing is faster than using the index and manually flipping pages to find the information I need, or just opening the book to the post-it tab that marks the important pages. I've never even tried to use the annotation feature on my Nook, but I did set a bookmark once. My Nook is for entertainment reading and I'm very happy with it. Well I would like a goto page feature, one hopes they'll get to that soon

I agree fully.

WT Sharpe · 05-11-2010, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rich_D

LOL! If I don't know the meaning, I just substitute a word that I do understand! Pants is a good one to use. "Now is the winter of our disc... Pants."

riemann42 · 05-11-2010, 11:18 PM

The dictionary is not THAT bad. I have used it. I only swear at it once or twice each time I use it.

So, yeah, if you want to be able to take good notes, read library books, quickly look up items and have a really bright reading light, go with a Sony touch screen model.

If you want to be able to take good notes and use a great dictionary, but want to only buy from amazon, or independent publishers, and don't care about amazon remotely removing books, etc., and want to read library books where your library supports the Kindle, then go with Amazon's.

If you just read trashy romance novels (I call them Urban Fantasy and stick my tongue out at my wife who calls them romance novels -- guys don't read romance novels), and you don't care if your librarian knows you actually read Twilight (miserable book I would never allow my daughter to read a book about obsessing over some stupid guy), then get a Nook.

05-10-2010, 05:44 PM	#1
maddie80 Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2010 Device: none	Nook or kindle? I got a kindle last week as an early mother's day gift! My husband debated between that and the nook for a while, and went with the kindle because when we played with a nook (before the last software upgrade) it seemed pretty slow. Now that I have the kindle though, we are both having second thoughts - mostly about the openness of the device (for e-books from the library, etc., and not being locked in to amazon only), and the design factor (the nook is so much smoother and doesn't have the many many buttons to mess with). I was sad that one of the books I was dying to read wasn't available for kindle because of the penguin publishing issue. I was hoping you guys could sell me one way or the other. My main hesitations about the nook are battery life (how long does it really last in "reading hours," not just "days of use"? - I read a lot, often several hours a day or more), the menuing (does it get more intuitive - the kindle was super easy out of the box, but the nook seems like it would take more time, even though I'm pretty tech/gadget savvy), and the speed of the device (page turning, downloading books, etc. - I've read very mixed reports about it). Also, how is the B&N bookstore? I know they say they have more books than amazon, but that includes a lot of the free ebooks that are public domain, right?

05-11-2010, 11:15 AM	#9
Anarel Evangelist Posts: 424 Karma: 61399 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: K1, GKDX, K3	You're not "locked" into amazon only for getting books. You can get books from a number of other online vendors. The penguin issue will not go on forever, there are so many other books to read! Also, you can read Kindle books on your Blackberry, PC, Mac, Ipod touch, Ipad and other devices. I found while testing out my Kindle with the Nook @ B&N that the Kindle was a lot easier to work with; with the nook it takes far too many steps to make a simple highlight or note. I use the notes feature a lot and I love having an actual, physical keyboard as opposed to a virtual one- some people find the virtual keyboard decent enough for a note, but I had far too much trouble hitting the right keys. About the number of books available, you would be correct in that most of B&N's "million" ebooks are out of the google public domain catalogue, pre-1923 books. I heard it somewhere said that up to 750,000 of B&N's million ebooks are from Google, which means B&N has only about 200,000 something recent ebooks available. On the other side, Amazon have over 500,000 recent, in copyright works available. That's a sizeable difference. All those google ebooks are available (with far less ocr errors and typos) via websites like the Gutenburg project. And if you do need those google books, since they are drm-free you can convert them easily to be read on the Kindle. But at the end, it's up to you. You do have a month to return the kindle for a full refund (I think you only get 14 days with the nook, with or without a restocking fee). Take your Kindle to B&N and try them out side by side. See which you prefer. (And if you think the nook's screen contrast is better than the kindle's remember that the nook has a black border around the screen, that the kindle lacks which optical illusions your eyes into thinking one is better than the other. A dark colored skin will even it up between the two devices- the screens are made by the same company after all.) Last edited by Anarel; 05-11-2010 at 11:18 AM. Reason: More info.

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05-10-2010, 05:47 PM	#2
dyrinn45 Member Posts: 11 Karma: 10 Join Date: Apr 2010 Device: nook	The nook is better(imo) because of its ability to read ePubs, which the kindle doesn't. Also the kindle 2 is fugly...no way would i want a physical keyboard on my reading device.

05-10-2010, 05:52 PM	#3
WT Sharpe Bah, humbug! Posts: 39,072 Karma: 157049943 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Chesapeake, VA, USA Device: Kindle Oasis, iPad Pro, & a Samsung Galaxy S9.	As the owner of both a Kindle and a Nook, between the two I think you made the right choice. Read everything I posted in this thread.

05-11-2010, 01:37 AM	#4
bookwerm Zealot Posts: 112 Karma: 430 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Studio City, CA Device: B&N Nook	I also debated the kindle vs. the nook, and went to the nook for one incredibly important reason: library books. I have 4 decent libraries near me (I'm in Southern California) with a lot of bestsellers, so it was a no brainer. I have only bought books because there was a really good sale with Sony ebookstore gift cards a few weeks ago, and then I only buy books not available in the libraries. I did use a friend's Kindle, and honestly I don't see any delay when it comes to page turns while reading. The battery will probably last you 5-7 days on a single charge if you read several hours a day with the wireless/wifi turned off. The B&N probably takes you about a day to get the hang of. I question people who complain about the interface - if you use it for 2-3 days and still haven't figured it out, I question the user, not the device. (It's no more complicated than learning to use an iPhone or BMW iDrive/any navigation system in a car). The B&N store is comparably priced to amazon.com on best sellers, although occasionally do see books $0.60 to $3 cheaper on amazon; with the new agency model, I've never seen anything more than that. I tend to read bestsellers (fiction & nonfiction) and popular authors, so you may want to consider that. My suggestion is to pull up your wishlist on amazon and then spend sometime looking up books on inkmesh.com to compare prices and see if there is a large difference for the types of books you want to read. HTH!

05-11-2010, 10:41 AM	#6
Rich_D Fanatic Posts: 581 Karma: 1314896 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Pittsburgh, PA USA Device: Android phone, Kobo Glo HD, nook ST with Glo (backup)	I think the big difference is the note taking. Other than a textbook, I've never taken notes on a book I've read and I've never had the need for a dictionary. If you do take frequent notes, I'd stick with the Kindle. The open platform was more important to me, as was the ability to take out books from the library. I had read for years on my pda and while I liked the kindle, I didn't switch to an e-reader until the nook came out. I'd return it and pick up a nook.

05-11-2010, 11:53 AM	#10
maddie80 Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2010 Device: none	This is all helpful, thank you! I have compared the two devices in the store, and there's no clear winner for me. Like I said, I definitely think the kindle is easier to use off the bat - it's just the device's longevity worries me a little (the limited formats, the fact that you can't replace the battery, etc.). Advice from current users who've had more than a little while to play in the store is very helpful! I usually have my toddler in tow, so getting more than a brief period of time to check it out is not in the cards! Sigh.

05-11-2010, 11:54 AM	#11
maddie80 Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2010 Device: none	Oh, and although I may use the dictionary, I never make notes in my books, so I would really only be using the keyboard for searching to buy books, etc.

05-11-2010, 12:24 PM	#12
cearbhallain Groupie Posts: 183 Karma: 1053258 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Fort Vancouver Device: nook	My nook is a paperback reader. That was my plan when I bought it and it's working out great! As long as this electronic reality continues, I have fewer dusty paperbacks taking up space on my bookshelves. Space I need for special editions like my annotated Poe and my big book of Bradbury, and practical books like my home repair manual and hobby books. The only books I write in are texts, references, and pattern books. Those are books that I need to have in dead tree formats because for me nothing is faster than using the index and manually flipping pages to find the information I need, or just opening the book to the post-it tab that marks the important pages. I've never even tried to use the annotation feature on my Nook, but I did set a bookmark once. My Nook is for entertainment reading and I'm very happy with it. Well I would like a goto page feature, one hopes they'll get to that soon

05-11-2010, 11:18 PM	#15
riemann42 Zealot Posts: 121 Karma: 506 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Spokane, WA Device: eSlick,nook	The dictionary is not THAT bad. I have used it. I only swear at it once or twice each time I use it. So, yeah, if you want to be able to take good notes, read library books, quickly look up items and have a really bright reading light, go with a Sony touch screen model. If you want to be able to take good notes and use a great dictionary, but want to only buy from amazon, or independent publishers, and don't care about amazon remotely removing books, etc., and want to read library books where your library supports the Kindle, then go with Amazon's. If you just read trashy romance novels (I call them Urban Fantasy and stick my tongue out at my wife who calls them romance novels -- guys don't read romance novels), and you don't care if your librarian knows you actually read Twilight (miserable book I would never allow my daughter to read a book about obsessing over some stupid guy), then get a Nook.

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