Please help! CanTrying to decide which device to buy?

[VineGal]

Hi all!

Pretty new (about 6 weeks) to the "Ereader" scene.

Glad I found this board. You all have such great information!

Please forgive my message if seems out of order. Middle of night and have had no sleep.

I'm REALLY hoping you can help. I'd like to find alternatives before I return my Nooks


Have been trying out the Nook Tab and Nook Simple Touch since Thanksgiving. The return deadline is coming up.

I'm looking for devices that would better suit my needs. I have not had a very good experience with the Nook. (I'll post more below)
Also, I've spent MANY hours researching/troubleshooting.

My illness has recently gotten worse, so I'm not able to devote much more time/energy researching and troubleshooting.

I'm looking to purchase both an ereader (eink) as well as some type of Tablet.
(I have a chronic illness and really liked being able to use the Tablet for web browsing, emailing, researching, etc. Also, I don't have a Smartphone since I'm home most of the time and connected to Wifi)

The following are the main features I'm looking for:
1. Ability to highlight/bookmark
2. Sync across multiple devices
3. Checking out library books/
3a. Library books/free ebooks: Where to download such series as Magic Treehouse: Had trouble finding
4. Web browse/research
5. GMAIL email (including attachments/cut copy paste)
6. Calendar/organizer/notes
7. Use small Office type docs such as Excel (for such things as a daily log tracking my illness)
7. Better onscreen touch keyboard

As mentioned above, I'll probably need to purchase 2 devices (1.Eink ereader 2. Tablet of some sort)

While both of the Nooks had some of the features, I found they were lacking in:
1. Bookmark/Highlight-not being able to export
2. Library Books-Nook did not have the ability to download directly from the Library (I've read Kindles do). Having to use ADE/connect to PC just to get a library book seemed cumbersome

3. Also, ebooks in general:Having difficulty finding free or library ebooks to check out for my son such as Magic Treehouse.

The Nook Tablet had issues such as:
1. Web browser lock ups
2. Losing Wifi connection
3. No ability to cut/copy/paste
4. No ability to include attachments in email.
5. Stock onscreen touchpad not very user friendly.
6. PDA features such as calendar/notes/to do's etc. (Surprising since the Dell Axim I had in 2003 has these features)

Thanks so much for your time!


I've posted a little about my Nook "journey"/nightmare below.
What is really sad is that due to the issues I encountered STARTING Christmas Eve, I was NOT able to give my son the Nook Simple Touch as his big Christmas gift.


I originally bought the Nook Simple Touch to replace a print Study Bible. The print version was quite a large book (about 1500pp print) and was heavy to carry around. Plus, I liked being able to bookmark/highlight the ebook version (as we skip around quite a bit in class)

Another woman in our group had the Nook Simple Touch as well, and I really liked hers.

Using the Nook Simple Touch was great, and I had even bought one to give to my 7 year old for Christmas (He's an avid reader).

That all changed on Christmas Eve day 12/24. My NookSt received an auto update from 1.0.1 to 1.1.0.
Before the update, I really didn't have any issues( Just some ghosting which didn't bother me)

After the update to 1.1.0, the NookST would freeze and give me "Activity Reader Not Responding: Wait/Force Close" message. The Nook also became VERY slow

I spent alot of hours troubleshooting, posting/researching on boards, working with tech support, going into the BN store, etc to get my NookST to "work" again.
Tech support was not helpful. The Nook rep at BN exchanged my NookST for a new one. Worked fine. When he updated in store to 1.1.0., started getting the same message. "Activity Reader Not Responding".


When we asked the Nook manager, he said in a very curt tone that all Study Bibles were that way due to size. Luckily I had a second Nook Touch with 1.0.1 on it to show him that No, those issues weren't present with 1.0.1. He just walked off.

As you can see, my Nook experience has not been a good one. It's used alot of my time/energy and caused alot of stress (which makes my illness worse).
The most frustrating part, however, is that I was not able to give my 7 yr old son the NookSimpleTouch for his big Christmas present.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by VineGal

I'm looking for a device or devices that would better suit my needs

How can anyone possibly answer that question unless you tell us what your needs actually are?

[VineGal]

Originally Posted by HarryT

How can anyone possibly answer that question unless you tell us what your needs actually are?

Sorry, I was still working on my post and accidently pushed "Enter" before I finished.

[HarryT]

For your tablet needs, it sounds as if you need a "proper" tablet rather than a reading device. The tablet which dominates the market - with good reason - is the Apple iPad. I'd suggest taking a look at that. If a new iPad 2 is out of your price range, you can get excellent deals on the older iPad 1 these days.

On the reader front, I'd probably suggest the Sony PRS-T1. It has the benefit of being able to borrow library books using WiFi, rather than needing to use a PC. The Kindle is excellent too, yes; Amazon have by far the best eBook store around, lots of "freebies" and special offers, and their customer service is second to none. It really depends how big an investment you've already made in ePub books.

You really can't got far wrong with either a Kindle or a T1.

[HarryT]

To add to the above: you obviously know your own child best, but I'd think twice before giving an eInk device to a 7-year-old. eInk screens have a thin layer of glass underneath the outer plastic screen, which will fracture if the screen is knocked hard, or twisted. A good case can help to alleviate the risk, but eInk readers are not "child friendly".

[hch568]

Agreed! EInk device is so fragile that even with a hard book case it still cannot avoid the risk of fractured screen sometimes.

My friend bough an EInk Touchscreen reader (and a pretty good hard book case with a outer magnetic clasp) 2 months ago, and the screen was damaged or fractured and will not work anymore, he has to send it back for repair. We bought the same device and bookcase about the same time, and I was really careful about my ereader (carry it around with a shock-absorbed outer case and then put it in a protective/padded carrying bag), while he put it (ereader with hard-covered bookcase) in his jacket pocket all the time. I don't know what caused the damage, but I know a 2mm glass screen (even a fortified glass Touchscreen) can be cracked easily.

[VineGal]

Thanks for your responses.

Eink Reader-Exchange Nook for Sony PRS-T1 or Kindle Touch
I'm currently not tied to any particular company such as BN or Amazon.

I plan to purchase more books(reference/research) in the future, but am waiting until I find the ereader that is a good fit.

Any of the fiction reading I do will probably be via free ebook or library book since I don't look back once I've read.

What would be the main differences between the Sony PRS-T1 and Kindle Touch?
Pros/Cons?
As noted in my original post, I will use the device heavily for
a. Highlighting/Bookmarking
b. Checking out library books
c. Free ebooks
d. Being able to download personal PDF docs.
3. Ease of use..I don't want to root, have to spend alot of time converting books, etc.

Ebooks:
I've only purchased one book, which was an epub ebook from BN.
Is there a simple method of converting the book so I can use on a device other than the Nook?

It's more than quadrupled in price since I purchased my copy (now about $20, vs $4 I paid). Is there an easy way to convert my copy so that it can be read on a device like the Sony PRS-T1 or Kindle Touch?




Regarding the Tablet: -
Yes, the IPAD is a great tablet. However, it is heavy and not convenient to take with me.

I've read there are smaller tablets (more like the 7" size) in the market now or coming into the market soon. Feedback on these?

I've also read about 5" devices that could be more portable as well as provide the PDA type features. Feedback on these?

E-ink for son
Thanks for input. I didn't know the eink device were so fragile.
He is very careful with electronics, though. His first grade class got chosen as a test for a digital classroom. Each student was given an IPAD to use daily at school. (They just received a few weeks ago for use the second half of the school year)

Again, looking forward to information. Thanks in advance for your help.

[PatNY]

Originally Posted by VineGal

Regarding the Tablet: -
Yes, the IPAD is a great tablet. However, it is heavy and not convenient to take with me.

I've read there are smaller tablets (more like the 7" size) in the market now or coming into the market soon. Feedback on these?

I've also read about 5" devices that could be more portable as well as provide the PDA type features. Feedback on these?

The 7" size is a nice compromise between screen size and portability. You will lose some real estate vs. the 10" tablets but the 7" size is generally so much more portable.

If you need a 7" size right now, one tablet to consider is the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 Plus which weighs in at 12.2 ounces. It's selling for about $349 right now. If you can wait till April-June, the best bet is the new Asus MeMo 370T which has even better specs than the Tab 7 Plus but will only cost $249 (and possibly lower with discounts/promotions). The new Asus was the hit of last week's CES show in the tablet category. Time Magazine just called it the "Dream Tablet":

http://techland.time.com/2012/01/13/...-dream-tablet/

I've got my eye on this one, but demand is expected to be high so there may be some delays and shortages with this model. It should be a hit if performance can meet expectations and specs. However, Asus is a quality company so I think they will hit the mark.

There is a gorgeous 5.3" tablet/phone out right now by Samsung called the Galaxy Note but you can't get it in the U.S. right now for anywhere below $650. If money is no object and you really want the 5" size consider this. They do have a 5" music player (Galaxy Player 5.0) that for all intensive purposes is much like a small android tablet but it doesn't have the same nice screen as the Note nor does it have 3G capabilities. But the reviews on it are excellent (see Amazon). Best Buy stocks it so if you're interested you may want to stop by one of their stores to see what it looks like.

[Filark]

I could be wrong, but doesn't Android in general have trouble with cut, copy, and paste?

The Galaxy Note PatNY mentioned has a stylus, which is a feature I really like.

The Philadelphia Free Library has several of the Magic Treehouse books as both kindle and Adobe epubs: http://freelibrary.lib.overdrive.com...rchID=58313206. Out of state residents can get a library card from them for $35 a year.

Good luck!

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by Filark

I could be wrong, but doesn't Android in general have trouble with cut, copy, and paste?

No, it doesn't have issues with this.
No, it doesn't have issues with this.
No, it doesn't have issues with this.
No, it doesn't have issues with this.
No, it doesn't have issues with this.
No, it doesn't have issues with this.

Copied and pasted on my Galaxy Tab 10.1 running Android 3.2.1

[The Terminator]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

No, it doesn't have issues with this.
No, it doesn't have issues with this.
No, it doesn't have issues with this.
No, it doesn't have issues with this.
No, it doesn't have issues with this.
No, it doesn't have issues with this.

Copied and pasted on my Galaxy Tab 10.1 running Android 3.2.1

Gingerbread and up don't have much of a problem. Before I got the Gingerbread update copy and paste wasn't very good on FroYo.

[ebusinesstutor]

I really like the look of this new 7" tablet from Asus
http://androidcommunity.com/asus-eee...-249-20120109/

I have an Archos 7" tablet that works great as an ereader but is underpowered as a tablet. Wish I had waited for the Asus.

[jbcohen]

All great recommendations, however I have spoken to a lot of Sony owners and I think that it is important to listen to them when they talk about what is wrong with their T1s. Since most people tend to as I put it "fall in love" with their ebook readers its rather important to take notice when an owner of a particular reader talks ill about their reader.

Owners of Sony readers tell me that the thing they hate most about their readers is the price tag, which tend to be much higer then other readers.

I have an ipad2, Kindle Fire and a Kindle three - there you know my biases. Let me tell you the ipad2, which I have read books on, is rather awkward for the job. Its too big and too heavy for the job, I always recommend that someone seeking to buy a reader stick to a dedicated reader if they want to read books or at least one of the smaller readers such as the Kobo tablet (can't seem to recall the name of it), a Nook Tablet or a Kindle Fire.

I said take notice when someone talks ill of their own reader - the only troubble with reading on a Kindle Fire is the battery life is rather short for an ereader - probably six to eight hours.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by jbcohen

Owners of Sony readers tell me that the thing they hate most about their readers is the price tag, which tend to be much higer then other readers.

This is rather puzzling. In the US, at least, the Kindle Touch and the Sony PRS-T1 are exactly the same price: $99. I'm not sure that I see how this can be interpreted as "much higher"?

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by jbcohen

Since most people tend to as I put it "fall in love" with their ebook readers its rather important to take notice when an owner of a particular reader talks ill about their reader.

I don't know... I have a Kindle Touch and I like it very much, but still I can point out a few bad things:

- In the Netherlands, it has to be imported, making it the most expensive reader by far, at €169 (the Sony is €139, others are even cheaper).
- It supports only AZW and therefore only Amazon books. Not a problem for me because I know how to DeDRM and convert epubs, but it may be a problem for others.
- Free books from Amazon are often badly formatted, but you can get around that too (Gutenberg, MR, other sites, etc).

There are also some very good points:
- Reviewers said it was the best Touch-reader with regard to build quality. The build quality is indeed very good, and it is a point that weighs very heavily for me. After "well working software" it probably is the most important to me. I hate using flimsy products.
- It has tap-to-turn, which I vastly prefer over the swipe-to-turn of the Sony, and some other readers.
- It does not have any software problems as far as I can see, as opposed to the Sony T1, which is full of problems according to reviews. I hope this has been fixed by a firmware update. Same seems to go for the Kobo Touch.

And, to be honest, you can't complain about the price of something you have bought. If you don't like the price, then don't buy that product. Still, even if you do, you may not like the price at that moment, but it is not an ongoing problem. After you pay, the problem is gone. (Assuming you don't get into financial trouble and didn't pull out a loan at 300% interest to buy that reader.)