Nook vs Kindle

S

someone

250+ Posts
I searched and maybe missed it but didn't see another topic on this. I'm an avid reader and need to make the switch to one of these as I'm tired of piling up books in my house.

I'd like to know experience from those that have each as I've seen different reviews online but wanted to get more info.
 
Yes. The current one is. I'm not interested at this time to spend $500 for it. Plus it's a competitor of the company I work for so I don't really want to add to their numbers.
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The fact of the matter is, the feature set of the respective devices is the not the primary factor which must be taken into account when making this decision. Which is to say, the device is just a terminal, the real product is the content. Once you've amassed a bunch of books on a particular device switching to a different provider means giving up your library and starting from scratch again. If you don't read books a second time, I guess this is no big deal, but for me it would be a deal breaker.

For this reason, I'm just a little leery of the Nook. B&N is a book store not a technology company, and they need to demonstrate some commitment to this platform, before I'm prepared to consider them as my main provider here.
 
I think the main question is do you normally go to B&N. The Nook has a lot of advantages if you go to B&N regularly (able to browse any book while there for free, etc.)

If you don't, I think Kindle is often reviewed as the better device.

I honestly don't own or use either, but I just hear the Nook is better if you go the B&N and the Kindle better otherwise.
 
The Kindle app is also available for computers. Kindle has been pretty invested as a content provider, which makes me pretty confident in their product. The gamble with B&N is what if they decide they don't want to be in the hardware corner anymore? I would presume they are not going to abandon eBooks even in that case (maybe they go the app route, as well) but it is a consideration.

I use my iPhone to supplement my Kindle, it is nice when I'm in low light or in a place where I need to kill some time but didn't plan ahead to bring the other device (always have my phone with me). That said, it seems like the iPad fills that role less well than does the iPhone. It is too large to be an everywhere device, the glass/aluminum casing plus the price means I'm not going to be inclined to take it everywhere anyway, the backlit screen would be a detriment anywhere with direct sunlight, the touch screen means reading through smudges, the battery life would be considerably less and ultimately eInk is just easier to read generally. If I want to read books and am willing to bring a second device for that purpose I'd just rather have the cheaper, more durable, more readable Kindle/Nook with me, personally.
 
I have a nook and love it. I read a book (primarily novels but also 3 or 4 well reviewed non-fiction books in areas of my interest a year) about every two weeks. The software at first wasn't very good (which resulted in some meh reviews), but after the update it runs very smooth and I couldn't be happier with it. E-ink screen is awesome, being able to e-browse books in a store is awesome. The electronic versions of the NY Times, New Yorker, and Wall Street Journal are great. You can also get the DMNs and some other papers and magazines. I think it looks a heck of a lot sleeker than the Kindle. I keep mine in a mole skin type case. Great device and couldn't recommend it more.
 
I agree, the nook is definitely more aesthetically appealing. If the device was the only consideration, I think the nook is, if not a clear winner, then certainly competitively in the discussion with the Kindle devices which are in their 2nd (arguably 3rd) generation. The difference in my mind is that I completely understand Amazon's commitment to the platform, and while I appreciate why B&N would want to have a device, their commitment to being a hardware producer seems suspect at this point.

In any event, I am sold on eInk. It is a pretty great way to read a book. The only real genre that I have had a problem with has been popular physics (which I read a fair amount of). The problem is that these types of books frequently rely on tables and graphs, and the ability to quickly switch between where you are in the book and a past table simply requires too many clicks. If they could have programmable key settings (key which toggles between page X and current page) that might solve it, but as it is right now it is a bit of a hassle.
 
I got my wife a Kindle for xmas and she absolutely loves it. Thought about the Nook but in the end decided to go with the leader in the ebook world. Just felt more comfortable with it.
 
I have a Sony Reader...got it for Christmas. It's a cheaper alternative to the Kindle. I don't know how much the Nook costs.

I absolutely love the reader...only drawback is that you have to download books to your PC, then transfer them to the reader, as there is no wifi on it. Google Books has hooked inot the Sony eLibrary, so you can access over 1 million public domain books for free, which is also nice. I grabbed the Sherlock Holmes books at no charge after watching the movie.....
 
God bless Sony, without which there probably wouldn't be a Kindle... that said, they have not responded to the competition well at all. No wireless is bad enough, but no wifi would be extremely frustrating. That is a feature that I'm glad Kindle nailed down, the 3G connection which is NOT subscription based. Not only to I not need a computer to add content, I just need a cell tower. I can load up books in the airport waiting for my plane. To me that is the thing that Kindle brought to the table which was a game changer for an eReader, making it an autonomous device. I can buy a book and be reading it within seconds of someone recommending it to me. That is awesome.
 
I decided to research... turns out the is a hotkey for making a mark (alt-b), but there doesn't seem to be a hotkey to view "My Notes and Marks"... which kinda defeats the purpose. Still researching.
 
I got a Nook for Xmas. I enjoy using it... it's easy to use and reading it is easy (no eye strain). The touch screen doesn't seem super responsive once it goes to sleep (after a few seconds of inactivity). Sometimes you have to tap on the screen several times to get it to wake up. I read the WSJ on it and that is somewhat cumbersome since you can only see so much on the screen at any time... it's easier to read a paper with an actual paper or the internet but overall not a huge complaint. The worst problem with the Nook is that you have to leave it on in order to keep your bookmarks which is completely retarded. If you turn the device off you lose all your bookmarks- I've seen others also complain that this is their biggest complaint and I assume BN is working on a fix for that with their next software update (at least I hope they are). Other than that the battery life seems ok and no other real complaints.

BTW... while you can browse books in a Barnes&Noble you don't have to be in one to use the Nook. I believe the Nook automatically joins the AT&T wireless network (if you don't specify a WiFi connection) so you can download books/newspapers/magazines almost anywhere and you're not paying extra to connect.
 
Got a Kindle in Oct for my birthday, and I really like it. I was ordering most of my books from Amazon anyway, so it has worked out fine wrt ordering & billing. I can't speak for the Nook.
 
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