Nook Simple Touch or Kindle 4 (NT)

Bartos88 · 11-29-2011, 04:50 AM

Hi, I'm thinking about getting an ereader, but I'm having some difficulty deciding which. I'm only going to use it for reading ebooks, so audio, note-taking and web browsing capabilities etc. are not important to me. So far I've sort of narrowed it down to 2: Kindle 4, and Nook Simple Touch.

Kindle 4:
- I currently buy all my books from amazon, so getting the kindle would make sense. I like the idea of being able to just book a book from the device, but on the other hand I would need to convert epubs I download from elsewhere before the kindle could read them.
- amazon.com delivers to the netherlands
- The design is a bit boring, and I hear that the thinness and smoothness makes it a little less uncomfortable to hold than the nook (true?)

Nook Simple Touch:
- I really like the design of the Nook Simple Touch, it's gorgious! The wide borders and the rubbery back seem like they make the nook more comfortable to hold in my hand than the smooth flat kindle.
- I live in the Netherlands, so I can't buy this directly from BN. I would need to buy it from ebay (reliable?) or from a dutch ereader import (overpriced)
- Unless I use a roundabout method (fake US adress, vpn software), I won't be able to buy books from B&N, but I can read epubs directly. For amazon books I would need to convert from mobi to epub using Calibre (is it also easy to remove DRM?).
- I like that it has buttons+touch screen, although this is only a minor plus for me because I would only use the touch screen very occasionally to tap on a word to look it up.

Do you guys have any thoughts on this to help push me towards one of these devices?

JoHunt · 11-29-2011, 07:02 AM

For pure simplicity, if nothing else, I would go with the Kindle 4 NT since they ship to the Netherlands and you can easily buy books on your Kindle. You might possibly put it in a case which may make it more comfortable for you to hold.

As you mentioned, B&N will neither sell you the device nor books due to where you are located. Personally I would not purchase their products due to this restriction.

dbeman · 11-29-2011, 07:23 AM

While I believe that the nook is a better device, were I in your shoes I would opt for a Kindle product simply for ease of purchase. You would have to convert epubs to mobi in order to read them on the Kindle...but its really not a difficult process.

AndyfromVA · 11-29-2011, 09:17 AM

I tried out the Kindle 4 and didn't care for it, mainly because the page turn buttons were very small and I found them difficult to use. I greatly prefer the large page turn buttons on my Kindle Keyboard.

Bartos88 · 11-29-2011, 01:31 PM

Thanks for the advice guys. I'm not exactly sure yet which one I'm going to go for. I think I'm going to let all the information sink in until I finish my latest order of paperbacks

NicholasV · 11-29-2011, 06:57 PM

What are you gonna use it for? To buy English language e-books or Dutch? I cannot see Dutch publishers partnering with Amazon to release in Amazon's azw format. So that means you would need to convert every Dutch book.

Fyi: You can root the Nook Simple Touch and install a plethora of Android apps. And it also has much better ergonomics. A touch interface is better than a few buttons. However no point of sale in Europe is a big downside.

Bartos88 · 11-30-2011, 03:29 AM

I'm going to use it almost exclusively for english e-books, so in that sense kindle would be much better. On the other hand, I'm not a technofoob, so converting will only be a minor hassle that I have to do every couple of weeks. I'm now also thinking that even when I buy a kindle, I might convert (and remove DRM of) and store the Amazon e-books anyway just so that I'm sure that I can always read my purchased books on other devices in the future.

ProfCrash · 11-30-2011, 10:04 AM

NicholasV: Ergonomics are a personal thing. I know folks who have returned the Nook Touch because they prefer the K3 or the Kindle Touch. I am thrilled that you found an e-reader that works for you and that you are comfortable with but not everyone agrees with you. I would suggest that you would get more milage saying that the Nooks are ergonimcally more comfortable for you instead of making a blanket statement that the Nooks ergonomics are better.

I have not used either device so I cannot make a recommendation.

I would suggest searching both book stores and seeing which book store has more of the books that you enjoy reading.

If you live in the US, go to a Best Buy or a Target and check out both readers. That will give you a feel for what they looke like, feel like, and how they work. That should help you decide which works best for you.

Also, ask yourself if you think you might want text to speech or an audio player for any reason. You can find those on the Kindle and not the Nook. If you think you might want to store more then a few thousand books on your device, the Nook has a memory card slot and the Kindle does not.

There are a ton of happy Kindle owners (me for example) and a ton of happy Nook owners (NicholasV). There are some differences with the devices but they tend to be based on personal preference and not on actual functioanlity. Since you have already indicated that you are not worried about converting, format is not going to be an issue for you. You will probably be happy with which ever one that you buy.

Tony1988 · 11-30-2011, 10:49 AM

Nook hands down.

Bartos88 · 11-30-2011, 11:14 AM

Is there any difference between the nook touch and kindle NT in how they handle books in pdf format?

shinew · 11-30-2011, 07:25 PM

Here is the comparison I did sometime ago, check it out and see if it helps you decide: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=152546

both suck as handling PDFs,

but if you have to pick one between them, probably Nook just because it has a touch screen

Bartos88 · 12-01-2011, 04:27 PM

Thanks.

One last question

when you buy an ebook on amazon, do you get direct access to the file itself? (can you save the ebook.mobi or something). Or is it hidden in the cloud or in some syncing application? Just want to make sure that if I go for a nook, that I will be able to convert amazon books.

ProfCrash · 12-01-2011, 05:05 PM

You can save the book to your desktop. I saved all of mine there and then imported them into Calibre.

Bartos88 · 12-01-2011, 05:57 PM

Ok great! Now the only thing left is to decide which one to buy

EDIT: I was leaning a bit toward the nook, but today I read a news article that said that amazon might be coming to the netherlands in the summer. So now I'm leaning towards the kindle...

11-29-2011, 04:50 AM	#1
Bartos88 Member Posts: 10 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2011 Device: none	Nook Simple Touch or Kindle 4 (NT) Hi, I'm thinking about getting an ereader, but I'm having some difficulty deciding which. I'm only going to use it for reading ebooks, so audio, note-taking and web browsing capabilities etc. are not important to me. So far I've sort of narrowed it down to 2: Kindle 4, and Nook Simple Touch. Kindle 4: - I currently buy all my books from amazon, so getting the kindle would make sense. I like the idea of being able to just book a book from the device, but on the other hand I would need to convert epubs I download from elsewhere before the kindle could read them. - amazon.com delivers to the netherlands - The design is a bit boring, and I hear that the thinness and smoothness makes it a little less uncomfortable to hold than the nook (true?) Nook Simple Touch: - I really like the design of the Nook Simple Touch, it's gorgious! The wide borders and the rubbery back seem like they make the nook more comfortable to hold in my hand than the smooth flat kindle. - I live in the Netherlands, so I can't buy this directly from BN. I would need to buy it from ebay (reliable?) or from a dutch ereader import (overpriced) - Unless I use a roundabout method (fake US adress, vpn software), I won't be able to buy books from B&N, but I can read epubs directly. For amazon books I would need to convert from mobi to epub using Calibre (is it also easy to remove DRM?). - I like that it has buttons+touch screen, although this is only a minor plus for me because I would only use the touch screen very occasionally to tap on a word to look it up. Do you guys have any thoughts on this to help push me towards one of these devices?

12-01-2011, 05:57 PM	#14
Bartos88 Member Posts: 10 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2011 Device: none	Ok great! Now the only thing left is to decide which one to buy EDIT: I was leaning a bit toward the nook, but today I read a news article that said that amazon might be coming to the netherlands in the summer. So now I'm leaning towards the kindle... Last edited by Bartos88; 12-02-2011 at 11:17 AM.

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11-29-2011, 07:02 AM	#2
JoHunt I am what I am Posts: 6,625 Karma: 62235665 Join Date: Sep 2011 Device: iPad3, Voyage	For pure simplicity, if nothing else, I would go with the Kindle 4 NT since they ship to the Netherlands and you can easily buy books on your Kindle. You might possibly put it in a case which may make it more comfortable for you to hold. As you mentioned, B&N will neither sell you the device nor books due to where you are located. Personally I would not purchase their products due to this restriction.

11-29-2011, 07:23 AM	#3
dbeman Enthusiast Posts: 32 Karma: 511010 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: New Hampshire Device: nook ST	While I believe that the nook is a better device, were I in your shoes I would opt for a Kindle product simply for ease of purchase. You would have to convert epubs to mobi in order to read them on the Kindle...but its really not a difficult process.

11-29-2011, 09:17 AM	#4
AndyfromVA Zealot Posts: 127 Karma: 1002610 Join Date: Jun 2010 Device: Nook 1E, K3, K4, Paperwhite 2	I tried out the Kindle 4 and didn't care for it, mainly because the page turn buttons were very small and I found them difficult to use. I greatly prefer the large page turn buttons on my Kindle Keyboard.

11-29-2011, 01:31 PM	#5
Bartos88 Member Posts: 10 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2011 Device: none	Thanks for the advice guys. I'm not exactly sure yet which one I'm going to go for. I think I'm going to let all the information sink in until I finish my latest order of paperbacks

11-29-2011, 06:57 PM	#6
NicholasV Enthusiast Posts: 32 Karma: 13944 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Dover, NJ Device: Nook Touch, (ex)Kindle 3	What are you gonna use it for? To buy English language e-books or Dutch? I cannot see Dutch publishers partnering with Amazon to release in Amazon's azw format. So that means you would need to convert every Dutch book. Fyi: You can root the Nook Simple Touch and install a plethora of Android apps. And it also has much better ergonomics. A touch interface is better than a few buttons. However no point of sale in Europe is a big downside.

11-30-2011, 03:29 AM	#7
Bartos88 Member Posts: 10 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2011 Device: none	I'm going to use it almost exclusively for english e-books, so in that sense kindle would be much better. On the other hand, I'm not a technofoob, so converting will only be a minor hassle that I have to do every couple of weeks. I'm now also thinking that even when I buy a kindle, I might convert (and remove DRM of) and store the Amazon e-books anyway just so that I'm sure that I can always read my purchased books on other devices in the future.

11-30-2011, 10:04 AM	#8
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 8,554 Karma: 75384937 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2	NicholasV: Ergonomics are a personal thing. I know folks who have returned the Nook Touch because they prefer the K3 or the Kindle Touch. I am thrilled that you found an e-reader that works for you and that you are comfortable with but not everyone agrees with you. I would suggest that you would get more milage saying that the Nooks are ergonimcally more comfortable for you instead of making a blanket statement that the Nooks ergonomics are better. I have not used either device so I cannot make a recommendation. I would suggest searching both book stores and seeing which book store has more of the books that you enjoy reading. If you live in the US, go to a Best Buy or a Target and check out both readers. That will give you a feel for what they looke like, feel like, and how they work. That should help you decide which works best for you. Also, ask yourself if you think you might want text to speech or an audio player for any reason. You can find those on the Kindle and not the Nook. If you think you might want to store more then a few thousand books on your device, the Nook has a memory card slot and the Kindle does not. There are a ton of happy Kindle owners (me for example) and a ton of happy Nook owners (NicholasV). There are some differences with the devices but they tend to be based on personal preference and not on actual functioanlity. Since you have already indicated that you are not worried about converting, format is not going to be an issue for you. You will probably be happy with which ever one that you buy.

11-30-2011, 10:49 AM	#9
Tony1988 Guru Posts: 711 Karma: 4033862 Join Date: Jun 2011 Device: sony prs-350	Nook hands down.

11-30-2011, 11:14 AM	#10
Bartos88 Member Posts: 10 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2011 Device: none	Is there any difference between the nook touch and kindle NT in how they handle books in pdf format?

11-30-2011, 07:25 PM	#11
shinew Addict Posts: 309 Karma: 1008082 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NYC Device: Kindle PW, K4 Touch, iPad2, Samsung Galaxy S II	Here is the comparison I did sometime ago, check it out and see if it helps you decide: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=152546 both suck as handling PDFs, but if you have to pick one between them, probably Nook just because it has a touch screen

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12-01-2011, 04:27 PM	#12
Bartos88 Member Posts: 10 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2011 Device: none	Thanks. One last question when you buy an ebook on amazon, do you get direct access to the file itself? (can you save the ebook.mobi or something). Or is it hidden in the cloud or in some syncing application? Just want to make sure that if I go for a nook, that I will be able to convert amazon books.

12-01-2011, 05:05 PM	#13
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 8,554 Karma: 75384937 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2	You can save the book to your desktop. I saved all of mine there and then imported them into Calibre.