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Old 06-28-2010, 09:35 PM   #1
AndyfromVA
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Confused

This concept of an ereader is still pretty new to me and I admit to being thoroughly confused as to which one to buy.

I'm retired so I have plenty of time to read. I mostly read hardbacks from the public library because I'm too cheap to buy them and I don't care for the small print in paperbacks. An ereader would be very useful for me (and fun).

I saw a Nook at my local Barnes and Noble and played with it for awhile. The screen was sharp and very readable. But its operations in general were somewhat slow and laggy. My biggest problem with it was manipulating the touchscreen panel. After two half hour sessions trying to use the panel, I concluded that the Nook wasn't for me.

I have a couple of friends who love their Kindles but I never had the chance to explore one. I heard that Target has them so I suppose I could go there to try one out.

As I understand it the main advantage of a Kindle is access to Amazon's book collection, which includes many free and low priced books. I've been buying from Amazon for years and I'm well aware of their great selection and prices. But the big problem with the Kindle is, apparently, that you cannot access books from the library in the epub format that you can download to your PC and then store on your ereader. You can do this with the Nook and perhaps some other ereaders.

So my question is which ereader will best meet my needs. Here they are in order of importance.
1. Good looking screen - black print, white background (like the Nook).
2. Small (the size of a Nook is OK) and thin
3. Quick operation
4. Long battery life
5. Access to books from the public library
6. Access to a wide selection of free and low-priced books

Any help or advice you could give me would be great.
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Old 06-28-2010, 09:58 PM   #2
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Give Sony PRS 300 available in bestbuy, target and walmart (and sometimes Costco, Sam's club) a shot, the screen is 5" as opposed to the 6" kindle and nook, but you can enlarge the fonts. Screen contrast is one of the best - close to the nook. It's small/thin and lighter than a nook, navigation is more straightforward and easier, very long battery life, can load library books via USB, can load any free or low-priced books in epub format (including ebooks from B&N, but not amazon's ebooks).
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Old 06-28-2010, 10:03 PM   #3
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I have had a Kindle for 6 months. And I now have a Nook as of today (June 28).

I love my Kindle, but if you use the public library a lot AND your library has a good eBook selection, then DO NOT buy a Kindle - unless you are willing to do a lot of screwing around to get these on your Kindle - some of which may be illegal in your country.

If you are willing to buy your eBooks, then I think the Kindle is better than the Nook.
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Old 06-28-2010, 10:12 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AndyfromVA View Post
So my question is which ereader will best meet my needs. Here they are in order of importance.
1. Good looking screen - black print, white background (like the Nook).
2. Small (the size of a Nook is OK) and thin
3. Quick operation
4. Long battery life
5. Access to books from the public library
6. Access to a wide selection of free and low-priced books
1. Most of the current dedicated readers use the same eInk screen as the nook although some feel that the Sony models with a touch screen aren't quite as clear.

2. The nook is a 6" device (screen size). Most current devices are either 5" or 6".

4. This is one of the benefits of any eInk device (if you get one with wireless turning wireless off will make the battery last longer).

5. Check out devices from Sony, Pocketbook, Astak, BeBook...all of them use Adobe DRM'd ePub (and PDF) as their main format. This is the same DRM as most library books.

6. For any device there's a lot of free stuff/cheap offered at various times. Public Domain stuff is readily available in most formats either here at Mobile Read, at Feedbooks or at Manybooks. There are lots of low priced and free books from mostly indie authors at Smashwords. From time to time publishers do freebie's or low price specials that can be had from most ebook retailers like Sony, Kobo and Books On Board.
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Old 06-28-2010, 10:15 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by asjogren View Post
I have had a Kindle for 6 months. And I now have a Nook as of today (June 28).
If you are willing to buy your eBooks, then I think the Kindle is better than the Nook.
can you explain why? Is it because Amazon has more ebooks? I did a search on the web and Amazon claims to have 600,000 ebook titles while B&N claims one million ebook title. Is it because Amazon ebooks have better price? I heard they are about same now. So what exactly makes you think the Kindle a better device than the nook as far as ebook purchase is concerned?
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Old 06-28-2010, 10:49 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by Sylver View Post
Give Sony PRS 300 available in bestbuy, target and walmart (and sometimes Costco, Sam's club) a shot, the screen is 5" as opposed to the 6" kindle and nook, but you can enlarge the fonts. Screen contrast is one of the best - close to the nook. It's small/thin and lighter than a nook, navigation is more straightforward and easier, very long battery life, can load library books via USB, can load any free or low-priced books in epub format (including ebooks from B&N, but not amazon's ebooks).
The Sony PRS 300 might be what I'm looking for. Between the free epub books from the library plus books in the Sony Reader Library and on Google I should have plenty to read. I'll have to check it out at Best Buy, Walmart or Costco.

Thank you very much.
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Old 06-28-2010, 11:32 PM   #7
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Look at the list of available magazines and newspapers. The comparison is stark between B&N and Amazon in the USA.

In the past, I looked at the list of eBooks and Amazon had more and cheaper. However, B&N has closed the gap. I still think that Amazon has more eBooks, but I have not checked recently.
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Old 06-29-2010, 08:00 PM   #8
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I tried out the Nook again today. I still don't care for it.

If the Kindle 2 was able to read books from the public library, it would be a done deal. It amazes me that Amazon is so afraid of giving the Kindle 2 this feature that most other readers have.

I may just suspend my search for a couple of months to see how things shake out.
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Old 06-29-2010, 10:50 PM   #9
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i think kindle would be more attractive
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Old 06-29-2010, 11:03 PM   #10
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You know Andy I actually didn't really care for the Nook in store either. However, I gave in to the $149 price point and I am now so happy! The touch screen is responsive and the page turning is much faster than when I tried it out in the store. I am not sure if it's due to 1.4 firmware update or not. When I was in the store, the device was lagging, page turning slow, and touch screen is clunky and non-responsive now it's much better. Anyway, there's my two cents. Good luck with your decision!
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Old 06-30-2010, 11:16 AM   #11
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I went back to my B&N and spent a half an hour with a patient and knowledgeable salesman. I finally felt comfortable using the touch screen and I felt the speed of the Nook was adequate. In short, I decided to buy the wi-fi version, along with a padded cover (the Dillane).

So now I have an excellent 60th birthday present (next Wednesday) that my wife can give me.

Thanks to everyone for your help.
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