Kindle 3 or Nook

[DangerMouseUS]

I have been agonizing over which e reader to get. I looked at the Kindle 3 and Nook at Best Buy today. I like the feel of the Nook over the Kindle and I love that you can expand the unit, especially if I ever decide to use it as a .mp3 player. I just need to know pluses and negatives of both units. I hope to buy a reader this month. Help?!

[sweevo]

I finally decided on a Kindle - but that means I want as many people as possible to choose the Nook, or any other reader with EPUB support, to perhaps force Amazon's hand.

I dislike the Nook's secondary screen.

Have you looked at the range of Sony readers?

[soondai]

I really don't think there's a strong argument to be made that a first gen Nook at 149 dollars is a better value than the K3 at 139. Maybe there will be an announcement on the Nook2 within your one month timetable.

But really a K3 at that price is easily the most bang for the buck.

The big drawbacks on it are no PDF reflow and only being able to get books (officially) thru Amazon. The Amazon issue is easily overcome by DRM stripping and Calibre conversion. And most books are available in non-PDF formats (and Nook is supposedly pretty bad with PDFs as well)

But I'll add one last comment. All of the major readers work well enough to read on. So don't waste too much time deciding which pond looks most friendly. Strip off yer britches and jump in anywhere. The water is just fine (and the books--not the e-ink--are the thing)

[JeremyR]

It really depends on what you want from it.

Do you plan on buying your books from Amazon? Or elsewhere. While a lot of people handwave this, stripping DRM isn't exactly intuitive for people who aren't used to using Python (which would be most people)

Did you find the e-ink on the original Nook satisfactory, compared to the newer Pearl type which has more contrast (it's in the K3 and the new Sonys and presumably the Nook 2 if it's ever announced)

And then the whole touchscreen vs button issue.

Personally, I'm not thrilled with the K3, but the screen is better, it's cheaper, and it has buttons. So it was the lesser of two evils (well, three, counting the Kobo)

[doreenjoy]

Originally Posted by soondai

But I'll add one last comment. All of the major readers work well enough to read on. So don't waste too much time deciding which pond looks most friendly. Strip off yer britches and jump in anywhere. The water is just fine (and the books--not the e-ink--are the thing)

I'd agree with this. If you liked the way the Nook felt in your hand better than the Kindle, then go with the Nook.

[Quake1028]

K3 by a good margin, and I own both, although I do love the nook as well. It's just the K3 is almost a perfect e-reader for MY needs. When I get home I will expand further on this post if you like.

[desertgrandma]

Welcome to MobileRead, DangerMouseUS

Amazon has a great CS response, and you have 30 days to return if if it doesn't suit your needs, just pay return shipping.

Just so you can learn a little more about it, here is the support page with lots of FAQ's, and you can download the users manual to read further in depth, especially about the mp3 aspect........I"m sure nook has a similar page.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/custom...deId=200503360

[DiamondDave]

You can't go wrong either way; for me, I went with the nook because I wanted to borrow EPUB library books. Both devices are excellent. Go with what suits your needs.

[boswd]

And the new Pearl ink screen, while a little better it's not head and shoulders better.

I chose the Nook over the Kindle, I was all set on buying a Kindle after playing around with my co-workers but after my wife came home with the Nook, I was sold, what I liked better about the nook was the touchscreen navigation and it's overall looks. After then further researching the two I went with the Nook over the Kindle based on these reasons

1. as stated color touchscreen navigation with color book cover flow. It's just a more "NoW" feel to it. I loved my iphone and now love my Droid X which has touch screen, I just can't imagine using a joystick or directional pad especially now, in this day of age with the way techonlogy we have available. In an instant the Kindle "felt" very very outdated.

2. E-pub, allows you to check out books for the librarty and shop wherer you want to without any "altering" of DRM or converting etc.

3. "InStore" experience. with the Nook you have some fun gimmicky features when you bring your Nook into a Barnes and Noble store. Read any book for up to an hour, each day. 'MoreInstoe" offers extra coupons, ebook deals and store coupons for Nook only owners. Starbucks Freebie each month. You show the Starbucks Cafe cashier the nook starbucks special and you get something free, it's been coffee, Godiva Chocalate etc.
This makes the Nook something more than just another electronic gadget. It really adds to it. Is it a deal breaker, of course not, but is it a fun added touch. Yeah, I love it.

4. Instore support, have any questions or issues you can bring it in to your local BN and have a rep work with you.

5. Replacable battery, At some point these Litiuom batteris will start to lose their ability to hold a charge and having to send your Kindle in to Amazon to have it replaced is just a pain in the you know what. With the Nook i can out to my local Best Buy or BN and pick one up or even order one.

6. Expandable memory, you'd be surprised how quickly your library can grow.

7. Design. I love the way the nook looks, very sleak, clean looking the way it's packaged and designed and feel, it has a very high end look and feel to it. It's like something Apple would design. Great Job on their part. I find the Kindle's very ugly.

8. Wireless connection. This one is just a general, since the kindle is wireless as well. But having said that when deciding between devices that do or don't have it. I can tell you you are going to want it. it just makes life easier and more convienant. I can order a book on BN's webisite and have it the book ready to download on my nook without having to hook it up to sideload. if you are out and about, at an airport, train station or wherever you can shop with your device and have it in about 30 seconds. And I love shopping with the Nook color book cover, cover flow. I like to see what the books look like.

9. Lend Me feature, though the Publishers have BN on a short leash with this. (Not all books are eligable, you can only lend a book once and for only two weeks) the feature is still alot more that what the others have to offer which is nothing. And the lend me library seems to be growing so that is nice.

The nook does take a little bit of learning curve. Kind of like your smartphone but not nearly as complicated, the Nook is fairly basic but learning to navigate and developing a rhythem with it, it goes from "hmm" to " I love this thing.

So those are the reasons why I chose the nook over the kindle and others.

Good luck and happy e reader hunting.

[DangerMouseUS]

Originally Posted by sweevo

I finally decided on a Kindle - but that means I want as many people as possible to choose the Nook, or any other reader with EPUB support, to perhaps force Amazon's hand.

I dislike the Nook's secondary screen.

Have you looked at the range of Sony readers?

I did but Sony is WAY over priced for what they offer and they have no Wifi/3G on their models and are tied to an inferior book store in my opinion.

[bill_mchale]

Originally Posted by DangerMouseUS

I did but Sony is WAY over priced for what they offer and they have no Wifi/3G on their models and are tied to an inferior book store in my opinion.

Sony is not tied to any particular book store. Yes, Sony very much hopes you use their store, but any store that supports ADE -- for example Fictionwise, Borders, etc. -- can be used to buy books for the Sony reader.

--
Bill

[markgr]

This is such a personal decision. There really is no right answer. I chose between the Nook and the Kindle 3. It comes down to what's important to you. For instance, I'll go down boswd's great list.

1. Books are pretty boring. It's the content that's the important thing. Pick up a great novel, and you've basically got words; that's it. I don't need color, or a touch screen. I don't believe they add anything to my reading (at least the type reading I do, mainly novels). If I wanted touch screens and color and NOW, I'd buy an iPad. Books are fantastic, and they're about as timeless and feature free as you can get. I like that, and I want the same thing in a reading device.

2. At this point DRM doesn't concern me, and my local library sucks. It I had a great library, I might not have needed a Kindle.

3. I think gimmicky is the key word here. I go to a B/N about 4 times a year. Limited selection, over priced, awful coffee. Anything that keeps me out of a B/N store is a good thing. I want to read, no gimmicks, no going to B/N.

4. Never had luck with B/N employees the few times I go a year. The last time I went they did do a great job of pushing a Nook on me. I've always had great success with Amazon customer service.

5. Just not that big a deal to me, and I'll probably move on to the next generation Kindle before the battery becomes unusable.

6. No way I'll ever need to carry more than 3,500 books.

7. Just a personal preference, but I disagree. I love apple products and they'd never create something like the Nook. To me the Nook looks like it's trying to hard. And I'm guessing they thought they needed color and other gimmicks to help compete with the Kindle since it had a head start. Again, I just want to read books. Nothing the Nook does makes that easier. It just adds distractions.

8. Wifi is enough for me. I've had my Kindle 3 since it came out. I have wifi at home, coffee shops, restaurants, airports, neighbors, etc. I've never once wished I had gone with 3g. 50 bucks, over a third of the price of the device, isn't worth it to me. I've very happy with the wifi only model, and 139.00 makes it a great deal, much better than 189.00.

9. I've never been one to trade books. It would be nice, but is so unimportant to me that it would never come into play when I decide.

10. A book doesn't have a learning curve, and I don't want my reader to have one either.

My list isn't to contradict the original list. It's just to show that the decision, and reasons for the decision, are very personal. For me, the Kindle is by far the best device for doing one thing: Reading. It doesn't do it flashy, doesn't have gimmicks, isn't impressive to look at. But for my money, it's the best at what it does.

[desertgrandma]

One thing nook owners agree on is the ability to use the library without altering anything.

This is a super feature.........if you remember one thing.

Does your local library carry e-books? Not all do....and its not like you can just sign into any library and begin checking out books.

Does your local library carry a wide selection of epub books that interest you?

Go to their online site and check out what is available.

Again.....library usage is an important feature......but only if you can access one that has books you want.

[SolRaven]

Originally Posted by bill_mchale

Sony is not tied to any particular book store. Yes, Sony very much hopes you use their store, but any store that supports ADE -- for example Fictionwise, Borders, etc. -- can be used to buy books for the Sony reader.

--
Bill

I have an account at Sony's bookstore, Kobo's and Borders, but I also d/l books from the library, which are free.

I think Sony's pricing isn't competitive enough either, but when you hold a Sony in your hands and then hold a Kindle, especially the new K3, the build quality is very apparent. The K3 just feels incredibly cheap. I thought I would like it because of the smaller profile. I was ready to sell my K2 for the K3, but it felt so cheap that I completely lost interest. When I went into B&N I was surprised that the Nook felt as solid as it did. For some reason online, it doesn't look, as sturdy as it felt in person.

Although I have the K2, I only use it when a book I want is only available via Amazon, otherwise I always use my Sony readers.

[Daanish]

I have a similar situation, and can't decide between a Nook or the new Kindle 3.

I went to a Barnes and Noble today, and the lady working there did a great job of getting me sold.

She told me how they have a similar library to Amazons, with free books, and she told me how the Nook is better at reading PDFs' than Kindles are. Is any of this true, specially concerning the new Kindle 3?

I need an e-reader for basic functions, I have decided not to get 3g - only wifi, because I reckon I won't be using the internet on it that much anyway. I want lots of free books, and I plan on trying to read PDFs' a lot too that I have on my computer. Which one does these things better?

I also hear because the Nook is running on Android, the nook might get more apps and add to it's functionality..

Also, is the Amazon PDF conversion service any good? Does it add reflow, like some thread I read on some forum somewhere else claimed?

Thanks in advance. =]