I keep hopping between Kindle and Nook

[franken_stein]

I hope someone here can help me out! I have been craving an ereader for ages, it seems, and it's finally taken me this long to cave and in decide, yes, I'm definitely going to buy one. (I was one of those "I love physical books too much!" people, and I still love books, but I am stepping past that hurdle now!)

Long story short, now I'm trying to choose between the Kindle and the Nook. They're starting to seem pretty comparable to me, and I'm sure they're both great devices. I like that the Nook allows epub, and I would like to try borrowing or lending books if I had it. Kindle... it just seems to be the big one of this industry so I'm kind of drawn to it after reading so many positive reviews.

One of the things I am considering is that Amazon charges no tax. Nook would end up being about $25-ish more overall for me to buy, without 3G (not a big concern for me, going to go WiFi only either way). I don't know, do you guys think it's substantial enough of a difference to go with Kindle? Or are the features of Nook good enough to back up that price difference? Another question I have is, for those of you who have used both, do you find a big difference in the Pearl e-ink of the Kindle as opposed to Nook?

Thanks a bunch, everyone. I'd really appreciate any kind of input!

[speedlever]

From my research, I don't think the screen differences are a deal breaker or maker. What I found (for me) is that I much prefer the real keyboard on the Kindle to the virtual KB on the Nook.

Kindle does not do epub without some file manipulation. Nook does epub natively. Most library books seem to be in epub format.

There are tons of books for both and you are not restricted to just the Kindle store or to B&N's store.

K3 is lighter in weight and has longer battery life than nook. Nook has a color option with the Color Nook.

Really, you should go to the store and put your hands on them and decide what works for you. Some love the touch screen controls of the Nook. Others, like me, prefer real buttons.

I just almost pulled the trigger anyway on a Nook when they were offering them for $99 recently. But I wasn't ready to buy at that time and they sold out... which made my decision to go with the K3 easier.

[Williamlk]

I happen to like the Kindle for the same reason stated above. I love the keyboard feature and the menu. I also find that Amazon has a vast selection to choose from, including an abundance of free books.

Good luck making the choice.

[boswd]

without getting into a compare and contrast which I'm sure you have ran through your mind a thousand times i can tell you why I bought a nook over the kindle

1. looks, styling the nook IMHO is just a sleak looking device, I just can't get over the keyboard on the kindle. the K3 is not as bad, when I was buying the K2 was on the market and that was just not an attractive device. The K3 still has the keyboard and the directional pad.

2. the second lCD screen I love it, love seeing the book covers in color and navigating has a more of today feel to it. as opposed of using hard buttons, seems a little 1990ish.

3. Epub love shopping around, and checking out books from the library
4. Fun More in Store, if you have a Bn near you, you get some fun perks, some freebie from the Starbucks cafe, coffee, smoothies, Godiva chocolate, cheesecake.
you get in store coupons and you can read any book for an hour on each visit.

5. In store support, something does'nt look right, or can't figure something out, bring it and someone can work with you in person.

Whatever choice you make I'm sure you'll love. ereaders are great. I too went in kicking and screaming, thinking i would never give in to the evil of ereaders. well that lasted all of one month of owning the Nook

it truely is a fantastic device, I love it.

[soondai]

shame you missed the refurb nooks over the last couple weeks.

I'd just go with whichever is cheaper. They are both fine machines and you'll be well set either way.

[sadievan]

FWIW, I was going through the same thing you are. I don't have an eReader yet, am hoping for one for Christmas. But I asked for a Kindle for mostly the same reasons speedlever stated. I like the physical keyboard of the Kindle. I went to the store and looked at both and just liked the Kindle better. I also watched a video on youtube that compared the 2 and the Kindle seemed easier to navigate. Went to a B&N store and the demo girl had a hard time trying to bring up the dictionary in the Nook. I did like that the Nook was able to read Library books, but I am a very slow reader and our library has a 14 day limit, definitely not enough time for me.

HTH
Carol

[speedlever]

Carol brings up a very good point. If like me, you prefer to see the EBR in action in order to get a better idea of how the device works and yet you don't know enough about them to do a proper hands on evaluation, go to YouTube and search for videos of Kindle vs Nook or some variation of the search.

There you can virtually experience the various EBRs and you may see things about the operation that you like and things that you don't like. It certainly helped me make my decision. I wanted to like the Nook (no knocks on it either as I think it is a fine device). But for me I just knew that the virtual KB and virtual directional pad would frustrate me, much as my touch screen phones have done. Not that they don't work well most of the time... it's just those times that they don't are enough to turn me off.

With the least expensive versions of each being only about $10 apart, price is not a deciding factor. With the vast library of books available for each, that is not a factor. If you do want to borrow books from the library and don't want to follow the path of file manipulation, then the Nook (or other epub EBR) may be better for you.

Edit: have you reviewed the EBRs in the comparison matrix?

[boswd]

Originally Posted by sadievan

FWIW, I was going through the same thing you are. I don't have an eReader yet, am hoping for one for Christmas. But I asked for a Kindle for mostly the same reasons speedlever stated. I like the physical keyboard of the Kindle. I went to the store and looked at both and just liked the Kindle better. I also watched a video on youtube that compared the 2 and the Kindle seemed easier to navigate. Went to a B&N store and the demo girl had a hard time trying to bring up the dictionary in the Nook. I did like that the Nook was able to read Library books, but I am a very slow reader and our library has a 14 day limit, definitely not enough time for me.

HTH
Carol

Hi carol. I would be shocked if your library did not allow you to renew your book nefore the two weeks was up. It should have the same rules as physical books. You have two weeks but you can renew the book before the time is up.

[speedlever]

Originally Posted by boswd

Hi carol. I would be shocked if your library did not allow you to renew your book nefore the two weeks was up. It should have the same rules as physical books. You have two weeks but you can renew the book before the time is up.

What happens if someone else has a hold on the book? Do you get to renew anyway or do you have to rejoin the queue at the end of the line?

[boswd]

Originally Posted by speedlever

What happens if someone else has a hold on the book? Do you get to renew anyway or do you have to rejoin the queue at the end of the line?

i guess that would depend on your library's policy's.

I personally have never had an issue with renewing a book. I can't tell you how great it is to read library books on your device. Free is just great

[sadievan]

Originally Posted by boswd

Hi carol. I would be shocked if your library did not allow you to renew your book nefore the two weeks was up. It should have the same rules as physical books. You have two weeks but you can renew the book before the time is up.

Will have to check that out. I just assumed I could only rent it out one time. I thought I read that someplace. Anyway, you know what happens when you assume.

Carol

[sadievan]

Originally Posted by boswd

i guess that would depend on your library's policy's.

I personally have never had an issue with renewing a book. I can't tell you how great it is to read library books on your device. Free is just great

OK. I just checked this out at my libraries site. The book I have is due to expire on the 6th. I am no where near finishing it. There is nothing that will let me renew the book. There is one person on hold for this book so that may be the reason. I will just delete the book when I am done reading.

Carol

[Care]

Carol, that is so odd. Usually when you have a book on hold it is just an estimate. The person reading the book still gets the option to renew it. I would check with your library, because that is almost unheard of (not being able to renew past the initial first 2 weeks). Maybe they can update their system or maybe there is something there but it is hard to find.

For the OP, I say go to a store and check them out. Keep in mind for the Nook that the new software 1.5 makes the page turns faster and the contrast is much improved. You can get a chance to see what you like better sine we all have different taste. I personally liked the navigation of the lcd on the Nook and didn't like the directional pad on the Kindle3. I also like to do library books and love to see my covers in colour on the lcd screen.

[ProfCrash]

If you want to borrow books from the Library go with the Nook.

If you want to borrow/loan books from friends then both e-readers will have that functionality.

Go to the Best Buy nearest you and play with both e-readers. That will give you a feel for them and you can make a more informed decision. Check out their bookstores to see which bookstore offers more of the books that you like.

[sadievan]

Originally Posted by Care

Carol, that is so odd. Usually when you have a book on hold it is just an estimate. The person reading the book still gets the option to renew it. I would check with your library, because that is almost unheard of (not being able to renew past the initial first 2 weeks). Maybe they can update their system or maybe there is something there but it is hard to find.

Our library uses Overdrive and I just double checked their site. You cannot renew an ebook. If there is no one on hold for the book, you can re-check it out, but no renewals.

Carol