Very Close to Choosing a Kindle

[laurie_lu]

I am very close to ordering a Kindle for myself for Mother's Day. There are a few things preventing me from pulling the trigger and has me considering the B&N Nook instead.

First is the lack of wifi on the Kindle. Out in the boonies where I live, we don't receive the 3G network. Will this lack of wireless connection prevent me from using my Kindle to it's fullest? I am assuming I will have to connect the Kindle to my desktop PC to download books onto it. The Nook has wifi and would allow me to use my wireless router to download books.

What happens when the battery in the kindle eventually loses its ability to hold a charge? Do I send it to Kindle to Amazon for a replacement or is there a kit that I can buy to change battery myself? The Nook has a user replaceable battery.

Is it correct that I won't be able to download free books from the public library? I've read this is possible with the Nook.

The Nook has more desirable features but I think it feels cheap in my hands when I was playing with one at B&N. I like the look and feel of the Kindle better. I am also apprehensive about buying 1st generations of new electronic devices. Yet I am comforted by having a B&N store within driving distance if I have problems with a device.

I'd like to pull the trigger tonight so I can get the free shipping and receive the Kindle by Mother's Day. I just need to be persuaded and reassured this is the right device for me.

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by laurie_lu

I am very close to ordering a Kindle for myself for Mother's Day. There are a few things preventing me from pulling the trigger and has me considering the B&N Nook instead.

As the owner of both, it is my opinion that the Kindle is a much better reader.

Originally Posted by laurie_lu

First is the lack of wifi on the Kindle. Out in the boonies where I live, we don't receive the 3G network. Will this lack of wireless connection prevent me from using my Kindle to it's fullest? I am assuming I will have to connect the Kindle to my desktop PC to download books onto it. The Nook has wifi and would allow me to use my wireless router to download books.

You can always download books to your PC and use the USB connection to send them to the Kindle.

Originally Posted by laurie_lu

What happens when the battery in the kindle eventually loses its ability to hold a charge? Do I send it to Kindle to Amazon for a replacement or is there a kit that I can buy to change battery myself? The Nook has a user replaceable battery.

Replacing the battery is easy, but don't try it before watching this video, or you could damage your Kindle.

Originally Posted by laurie_lu

Is it correct that I won't be able to download free books from the public library? I've read this is possible with the Nook.

Couldn't tell you, I've never tried.

Originally Posted by laurie_lu

The Nook has more desirable features but I think it feels cheap in my hands when I was playing with one at B&N. I like the look and feel of the Kindle better. I am also apprehensive about buying 1st generations of new electronic devices. Yet I am comforted by having a B&N store within driving distance if I have problems with a device.

I'd like to pull the trigger tonight so I can get the free shipping and receive the Kindle by Mother's Day. I just need to be persuaded and reassured this is the right device for me.

If all you wish to do is read books straight through from start to finish, the Nook is fine; but if you want to annotate, take notes, look up words in the dictionary as you read, the Nook is pitiful. Navigation on the Nook also leaves a lot to be desired. I think you'll be much happier with a Kindle or some other reader. I don't recommend the Nook to anyone.

[laurie_lu]

Thank you!

[Anarel]

Also, just because you don't have 3g service doesn't mean that you cannot download books wirelessly. If you're in an area that doesn't have it, the Kindle will fall back on a slower network- books might take a little bit longer to download but you wont have to hook it up to the computer.

You can also make use of library books on the kindle- there's a process for it but I don't thin we're allowed to talk about it here. If you search Kindle PID you'll find it an easy process I think.

As to the battery, i've seen on the nook forums that people have lost the screws to them. There's safety I think in having a sealed battery. Seeing as people have had k1's for close to three years now without a massive amount of "my battery died" complaints I think it's safe to bet that by the time the battery dies, you'll want to upgrade.

Hope this helps- go for it! you have thirty days to try it out, and if it's not for you, then you can get a full refund!

[laurie_lu]

Is this slower network the "Edge" network? This would be great to have an alternative wireless option even if it is slower.

Wow, I didn't realize the original Kindle 1 owners were still on their original battery. This makes me feel better too. The long battery life between charges is one of the selling features for me.

Good to hear about the library option(thanks).

[SensualPoet]

The Achilles' Heel of the Kindle is the lack of easy access to library books as these require Overdrive which relies on Adobe Digital Editions for the DRM and delivers an ePub which the Kindle cannot read. There are relatively easy ways around that, but it doesn't handle it out of the box.

But the Kindle is first class in almost every aspect: built-in dictionary; Kindle-wide search; text to speech; continually firmware improvements (not just bug fixes but new features); best-in-class customer service; a terrific online experience for buying; and direct-to-Kindle purchases. Plus it works outside of the US in 3G; and throws in Wikipedia and other rudimentary web surfing.

I would no hesitate to select the Kindle 2 for anyone unless you are looking for the absolute minimum features at a lower price.

Added: EDGE is a slower version of 3G. The tiny amount of data moved in the purchase of a book won't impact the use of 3G/2G to deliver to Kindle. Kindle's 3G worked just fine on a bus trip through the Sierra Madre mountains in Mexico a few weeks ago; you may find you have adequate coverage where you are today.

[laurie_lu]

Thanks everyone for the quick replies. You sold me. Just finished placing my order for the Kindle. It should arrive on Wed. Now I'm off to figure out what kind of case to buy for it.

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by laurie_lu

Thanks everyone for the quick replies. You sold me. Just finished placing my order for the Kindle. It should arrive on Wed. Now I'm off to figure out what kind of case to buy for it.

May I recommend a cover from Oberon? I have one for my Kindle, and one for my Nook. They're a bit pricey, but beautiful and offer quite a bit of protection!

Here's the link: http://www.oberondesign.com/

The K2 covers are here (3 pages): http://www.oberondesign.com/shop/car...duct_list&c=67

I have a blue Roof of Heaven for my Kindle (they now have it in saddle, which I think is even prettier), and a da Vinci in saddle for my Nook (the link is to the Kindle cover).

[cheerio6414]

Best accessories you can get right there

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

As the owner of both, it is my opinion that the Kindle is a much better reader.

That's funny. I just wanted to state the opposite: As the owner of both (actually, all 3, I've got Kindle 2 and DX), it is my opinion, that the nook is a better reader.
I prefer the Amazon bookstore over B&N though.

[TallMomof2]

Amazon has the best customer service. Unless B&N has seriously revamped theirs since the Nook's launch, I would be hesitant to purchase a Nook. The very few times I've had to contact Amazon for help with my Kindle, the experience has been nothing but positive.

[whitearrow]

While I think the Oberon covers are beautiful, the hinge attachment method on the M-Edge covers is far better and more secure, so I use an M-Edge Go. I wish Oberon would get the hinge.

[DuncanWatson]

Originally Posted by mgmueller

That's funny. I just wanted to state the opposite: As the owner of both (actually, all 3, I've got Kindle 2 and DX), it is my opinion, that the nook is a better reader.
I prefer the Amazon bookstore over B&N though.

I am with you, I love my nook but I do prefer the amazon bookstore. I have been using Amazon since they launched. OTOH I have been requesting features from B&N to improve their store. Hopefully they will improve.

If I could use the Amazon store to get ebooks for platforms other than the kindle than I would. But they have lost me as a customer now.

Many complaints about the nook are regarding obsolete software versions.
-Duncan

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by mgmueller

That's funny. I just wanted to state the opposite: As the owner of both (actually, all 3, I've got Kindle 2 and DX), it is my opinion, that the nook is a better reader.
I prefer the Amazon bookstore over B&N though.

Originally Posted by DuncanWatson

I am with you, I love my nook but I do prefer the amazon bookstore. I have been using Amazon since they launched. OTOH I have been requesting features from B&N to improve their store. Hopefully they will improve.

If I could use the Amazon store to get ebooks for platforms other than the kindle than I would. But they have lost me as a customer now.

Many complaints about the nook are regarding obsolete software versions.
-Duncan

I still find navigation on the Nook to be cumbersome. After three system updates, there's still no "Go to Page ..." feature. There's still no way to export notes, if you can even find them. The only way to find them is to be on the page on which you made the note, and since there's no "Go to Page ..." feature, as I've already noted, unless you also bookmarked the page on which you made the note, you're going to spend a lot of time searching for that note.

Want to make a note on a Kindle? Simply move the cursur to the place you want the note to occur and start typing. Select "Save note" when you're done. Highlighting is just as easy. Want to view your notes? Push the menu button and select "My Notes and Marks". And unlike the Nook, which has no way to export those notes, Kindle has two ways to get your notes AND highlights from the Kindle to your computer. You can upload the "My Clippings" text file via a USB connection; then all of the annotations you have made in all of your books will be right there in one file. In addition, to download the notations and highlights from a particular book you purchased from Amazon, you can go to your Amazon account and download them anytime.

Want to look up the definition of a word? Simply move the cursor to that word and it appears at the bottom of the screen. For a fuller definition, simply hit the return key. How much quicker it is than the Nook's cumbersome system of first having to wake up the lower screen, navigate through the menus to find the dictionary function, then move the cursor down from the top of the screen (you can't begin at the bottom of it) to the word you want, then select it. What a hassle!

How on earth can anyone entertain the thought for even a moment that the Nook is a better reader? It's still, after 3 major updates, one of the worst, most pitiful, lamest e-readers ever made.

It's pretty and has nice colors on the lower screen. Those are its only virtues.

[DuncanWatson]

I am sorry to upset you but for most users notes and annotations are fluff. I don't add notes to my paper books and neither do need it for my ebooks. I also don't use a dictionary for reading and never have. My vocabulary has been picked up through context of reading 1000s of paper books, rarely from using a dictionary.

BTW for the dictionary use, there is no need to select the word, just place the cursor near it and it will detect the word.

The kindle 2 still has no wifi, it still has no SD card support. I have both of those on my nook. And I have already used both features yet I only used the dictionary to see if it works not for actual reading. The nook is more open and easier to work with sideloading content. It supports the more standard epub format and can work with library ebooks via sideloading of content. The nook also isn't vulnerable to Amazon screwing with my device and removing or modifying content without my knowledge or permission.

My nook works easily with my linux workstations (at the office and my laptop) as well as with winxp on my home game machine as well as my wife's Macintosh.

The features the nook has over the kindle are those that will be used every day. I personally don't use the dictionary or notes and doubt I will unless I get the idea to document every discontinuity in a series for some nerd-cred. Or possibly to note every clue or reveal in a series such as the Dresden files. It is important to know how you will use a device because something you do every day is much more important than something you do once a year.

Just my input,
Duncan