Should I get Kindle or Nook?

[The MC]

I'm a heavy reader and plan on moving into the eReading scene.

Which should I get? The Kindle ($79 model) or the Nook SimpleTouch ($99 model)? Which one is better?

Also, I read a lot of PDF files so ideally I'd like to know which is better at displaying PDF.

[afv011]

Originally Posted by The MC

I'm a heavy reader and plan on moving into the eReading scene.

Which should I get? The Kindle ($79 model) or the Nook SimpleTouch ($99 model)? Which one is better?

Also, I read a lot of PDF files so ideally I'd like to know which is better at displaying PDF.

Welcome to the forum. If you want a Kindle, I would suggest you go for the kindle touch, not the entry level model. Both the kindle and the nook are solid devices, it comes down to user preference and ecosystem.

Neither the nook nor the kindle are good for PDFs, unless you are talking about PDFs designed with 6" readers in mind, which is unlikely to be the case.

[David58117]

Different formats...personally i like the epub readers better.

Also...i gotta say the nook glow has been amazing!

Ive been using it the past few days, and i cant imagine living without the glow feature now.

The kindle non touch is a solid reader too, and i love the amazon case for it...

[artbatista]

I now use an iPad, but I used to have a Nook color. Very good for ebooks.

And it works fine with epubs.

Art

[booklover6]

Don't make any decision before Tuesday Sept 6. Amazon might possibly be announcing new models that day.

Also, you should look at the Sony T1 or T2. A superior device to either the current Nook or Kindle.

[charmian]

afv011 is correct about pdfs. The best device for reading pdfs is a 9-10" tablet, like the iPad or Android tablet. Or you can use a 9.7" e-ink reader (which is expensive). The Kindle DX is one such e-ink reader. Nook does not make a 9.7" e-ink reader.

[bill_mchale]

Originally Posted by The MC

I'm a heavy reader and plan on moving into the eReading scene.

Which should I get? The Kindle ($79 model) or the Nook SimpleTouch ($99 model)? Which one is better?

Also, I read a lot of PDF files so ideally I'd like to know which is better at displaying PDF.

Essentially you are buying into eco-systems. Assuming you don't remove DRM, you can only read Kindle books on Kindles (or Kindle App) and for the most part the same is true with Nook (Though there are a few fairly obscure third party readers that support Nook's DRM). The advantage of the Nook is that it also supports the normal Adobe ebook encryption scheme, so you can buy books from other ebook stores like Kobo, Sony, etc.

For the most part, the vast majority of books will be available at all the major stores and for similar prices (Unless agency pricing is ended).

I am partial to B&N's eco-system.. but mainly because it is at least somewhat more open than Amazon's... though most people won't notice the difference until they have to replace their first reader... and then get a different reader.

--
Bill

[ucfgrad93]

Originally Posted by booklover6

Don't make any decision before Tuesday Sept 6. Amazon might possibly be announcing new models that day.

Also, you should look at the Sony T1 or T2. A superior device to either the current Nook or Kindle.

The Amazon press conference is Thursday Sept 6th.

[Prestidigitweeze]

I feel that B&N has to do a few things to make their next e-ink reader the all-purpose device the Nook STwGL ought to have been:

1. Keep the matte surface and unobtrusive color of the Nook ST but put the design on a diet and give the entire device a flat shape. Otherwise, the ergonomic rightness of the naked device is completely negated by bulk and dodgy fasteners for people who prefer to keep it in a cover. Sony stole the matte look and texture of the ST for the PRS-T2; B&N should steal the form factor of the T2 for their next reader.

2. Stop forcing the user to look at ads on the home screen. Yes, rooting does away with this problem completely, but a lot of users will never root, and they deserve to look at their own books and screen-saver graphics rather than advertising for books they don't want and pictures they might not even like.

Amazon has a good idea in creating an ad-populated Kindle and allowing us to choose the ad-free kind. B&N's screens should pertain only to the Nook itself, with the store being located on a subpage instead of aggressively obtruding on the reader's focus and taking up screen real estate.

You're not just selling books, B&N. You're also selling the space in which to read and think in peace.

But for the form factor with cover and the advertising, I think the Nook ST is a great device. Its micro SD slot for memory, additional books and -- coincidentally -- a bootable alternative environment is aces. And since I tend to get more reliable results converting epub to mobi than the other way around, I'd prefer to use an epub device, which the Nooks all are and will probably continue to be.

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by The MC

I'm a heavy reader and plan on moving into the eReading scene.

Which should I get? The Kindle ($79 model) or the Nook SimpleTouch ($99 model)? Which one is better?

Also, I read a lot of PDF files so ideally I'd like to know which is better at displaying PDF.

Where do you live? Respectively: From where do you buy most of your books (i.e. do you travel a lot)?
I love both nooks, classic and touch.
But they both still are entirely US-centric.
You have to go through VPN, to buy eBooks from B&N, if you're outside of the US. Solvable, but personally I hate it.
On Kindle, on the other hand, you can buy everywhere (the call it "Kindle international" for a valid reason). Personally, I've got 5 of them over the years. All with free 3G. I love, buying an eBook on vacation in some exotic location. Via 3G. For free!
And, as good as B&N is, quality- and price-wise Amazon to me still seems to be the #1 bookstore.
No question to me: Go for Kindle, if you plan to shop for eBooks from the respective manufacturer.
If you plan to download your eBooks from another source and maybe convert them, it comes to personal taste. I slightly prefer Kindle touch for its form factor over nook touch, but it's not much of a difference.

[jbcohen]

Here is why I bought a kindle rather than a nook:

1) Amazon is known for their tech support;
2) Amazon seems to have more lower cost and free books then B&N did (lower cost = under $8);

Why my parents bought nooks rather than kindles:

1) Walk in store tech support rather than via internet;
2) Had a certain book where as amazon did not yet have the book;

[DedTV]

I'd go with Kindle because B&N just isn't up to snuff on customer service.
I bought 2 Nook Glows. On one, bought from B&N.com, the screen spontaneously cracked in half as my daughter was reading it 2 days after she got it (I was sitting 3 feet away when it happened. She didn't drop it or manhandle it in any way. She was reading, there was a pop and there was a big crack running diagonally across the screen). The other one (bought from Books-a-million) developed a pinhole that was unnoticeable when the light was off, but produced a blindingly bright spot on the screen when it was on. Sat on hold for 20 minutes to get an RMA, waited 2 weeks and got both sent back unrepaired with them saying we had to have caused the failure on the cracked one and that the other one had to be returned to the original retailer. BAM then told us we had to send it to B&N for warranty service as it beyond their 30 day return period and they don't handle warranty returns. B&N's response to that was basically "You're SOL because it's not our problem". I could probably get it taken care of by making enough noise but it's just not worth the headache.

By contrast, when my wife's Kindle died after 4 months because she left it sitting on her dashboard when it was 106F, it took me a few clicks on a webpage to get an RMA and an address label, droped the Kindle in a box, and had a new Kindle in hand within a week.

As far as PDFs though, no eInk reader I've tried does them very well. You're better off with a tablet style reader like the Fire or Nexus 7 if you do a lot of PDF reading.

[jbcohen]

You know it does not take a genius to talk about how great the electronic reader that we have chosen is. Its human nature to think that what ever we have chosen is the best of all possible choices thus it is important, IMHO, to sit up and take notice when someone says that the choice he/she made is not the right one. I find ded's comments rather interesting since he/she chose a Nook Glowlight and is now advising against the Simple Touch Glowlight. Personally my only beef with my own reader, a Kindle three, is that it takes a long time to call up a book. I put the highlight on the book I want and hit the four way and the kindle sits there looking at me with a dumb look for a few seconds then retrieves the book. Please note that my kindle three is currently called the Kindle Keyboard, its the same thing. Also note that the kindles do not support PDF, you would need to download and install calibre at calibre-ebook.com and the software would reformat the PDFs to AZW or MOBI format so the kindle can read it, sort of an extra step in there however it may be worth the extra step if you get better customer service.

[nobylspoon]

I don't recommend either if your primary format will be PDF, especially if they are A4. I am in IT and I have tons of A4 PDF tech books in my personal library. I find a 10.1" Android tablet to be best suited for the job.

I currently own both a WIFI Motorola Xoom and Asus Transformer TF101. I recently picked up the transformer for $150 from a 1saleaday tablet flash sale (they have them pretty often). Also, Woot has tablets pretty often as well.

I love my current eink device (Sony PRS-505) and I just ordered another (Kindle Paperwhite 3G) but I find them to be useless for PDFs.

[susan_cassidy]

The Kindles do support PDF. It is just kind of hard to zoom and scroll around on PDFs formatted for an 8.5 x 11 page.