history_junkie Posted April 26, 2013 Share Posted April 26, 2013 We are looking into buying one of these this summer. I want to be able to read without a baby tearing up my books ;) I would primarily use it for reading and email, with a small amount of word processing. Do you have the same book selections available? Is one more user friendly than the other? Can you recommend one or the other? Why? Thanks so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs.m Posted April 26, 2013 Share Posted April 26, 2013 Our Nook doesn't get used. But we use our Kindles a lot. I think the selection is better and less expensive for the Kindle. It also helps that we have Kindle apps on our Windows Phones. You might also want to consider not getting a Fire if you are planning to do any reading outside. I use our non-tablet Kindle for that or I have to find a really shady area to avoid glare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sun Posted April 26, 2013 Share Posted April 26, 2013 I'd have to research Barnes and Noble a bit to see if it's likely to stay in business before I'd buy a Nook. From what I've seen near me, I'm not optimistic that they'll still be here in a few years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grantmeawish Posted April 26, 2013 Share Posted April 26, 2013 I have a kindle and my ds 8 has a nook. I prefer the kindle because books are cheaper, it's easier to download free books from websites, and it has Internet capability. The nook is ok. My son got it as a gift. I like that he cannot surf the web on it, it's lightweight, and easy to use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted April 26, 2013 Share Posted April 26, 2013 I have a kindle and love it. It is the basic cheapest model they offered last year........but now I would get the one with the reading light in it. I chose Kindle as Amazon offers 100s of books for free each day. You do have to wade through some junk and many appear over and over on the free lists but I have downloaded 250 or so books all for FREE there and have really enjoyed almost all of them. If I do get a dud, I just delete it. I have only paid for 1 book so far and that was book 4 in the series where I got 1,2 and 3 free and book 4 was under $5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
history_junkie Posted April 26, 2013 Author Share Posted April 26, 2013 Our Nook doesn't get used. But we use our Kindles a lot. I think the selection is better and less expensive for the Kindle. It also helps that we have Kindle apps on our Windows Phones. You might also want to consider not getting a Fire if you are planning to do any reading outside. I use our non-tablet Kindle for that or I have to find a really shady area to avoid glare. Thanks. The glare is a really good point. What is the difference between a non-tablet Kindle and the Fire? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie in Ma Posted April 26, 2013 Share Posted April 26, 2013 Thanks. The glare is a really good point. What is the difference between a non-tablet Kindle and the Fire? E-Ink vs. back lit screen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abeille Posted April 26, 2013 Share Posted April 26, 2013 Thanks. The glare is a really good point. What is the difference between a non-tablet Kindle and the Fire? A non-tablet Kindle is primarily an e-reader. It doesn't run apps, and though it can connect to the internet it will be slower than browsing on a Fire. I have both, and I tend to use them for different things. I used to love reading on the Fire until DH surprised me with a Kindle Paperwhite - now I do all my reading on the regular Kindle. The only times I use online stuff with the regular Kindle is to connect to the Amazon store or to look up something quickly in wikipedia/dicitonary. The Fire is great for games and educational apps. I've customized mine to the point that the screens don't even look like a Kindle (though it can still run the regular interface when I want it to). It's also great for email, texting, weather updates, etc. My kids use their Fires extensively for reading, watching videos, and as their alarm clocks. If I were traveling and only wanted to carry one device, I would pick the Fire because it has more utility but I would enjoy reading much less than on my regular Kindle (and previous posters made a good point about how hard it is to read on the Fire's screen in any kind of sunlight). I think which device is better for you boils down to what you will do on it the most. If reading is your biggest priority, I would go with a regular Kindle for less eyestrain and much better battery life. If you want a device that can do a bunch of things very well and that you can also read on, then the Fire is the better choice. As for the Nook? I had a Nook Color and wouldn't buy another. The books and accessories were substantially more expensive, the screen was sluggish, and the battery life wasn't very good. Mine also stopped working just after its warranty expired - thankfully, I'm still able to read those books via Nook apps for other devices. I like to support a real-world bookseller whenever possible, but the Nook was a dud here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted April 26, 2013 Share Posted April 26, 2013 My husband just ordered the new Kobo to read his schoolbooks on. He didn't want the e-ink Nook with glowlight because of a known hardware issue. We are not big Amazon fans for a myriad of reasons and paying extra for the privilege of no ads rubbed him the wrong way. Kobo gets excellent reviews and has been steadily in business even after the demise of Borders. Several small indie bookstores around here carry Kobo and if you register your bookstore on your Kobo they get a credit for every book you buy from Kobo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raceNzanesmom Posted April 26, 2013 Share Posted April 26, 2013 We have an older Nook (one of the first ones), a basic Kindle e-reader and a Kindle Keyboard. I prefer our Kindle because I like Amazon better- lots of free and inexpensive books. However, the Nook allows downloads from places other than B&N, and you can read & listen at the same time on a Nook. The stability of B&N in general is, however, a concern. If I was buying a new small tablet (for reading and web use) I'd get a Google Nexus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outdoorsy Type Posted April 26, 2013 Share Posted April 26, 2013 I like my cheapest version kindle e-ink. The ads aren't annoying, they are just the off screen. You press the bottom button and it goes away. It never pops up while you are reading, only when the kindle is "asleep". I have actually bought a few books that were mentioned on ads. Not a bad thing at all IMO. It's also great for reading outdoors and very easy on your eyes. I find it much, much preferable to a tablet or even paper books for eye comfort. The new e-ink kindle with the built in light might be a bit better, because it would be nice for night or low light reading. I haven't found a book light that works well for my kindle, so I I end up using my iPad in those situations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted April 26, 2013 Share Posted April 26, 2013 We are not big Amazon fans for a myriad of reasons and paying extra for the privilege of no ads rubbed him the wrong way. Kindles with ads cost less for the consumer to buy than they do for Amazon to make. Technically, you aren't paying extra for a no-ad one—you just aren't getting a discount. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abeille Posted April 26, 2013 Share Posted April 26, 2013 However, the Nook allows downloads from places other than B&N, and you can read & listen at the same time on a Nook. The stability of B&N in general is, however, a concern. If I was buying a new small tablet (for reading and web use) I'd get a Google Nexus. Just wanted to mention that you can read non-Amazon books on a Kindle, though it's a bit cumbersome. I use a free program called Calibre to convert ebooks in other formats (like PDF or EPUB) to the Kindle format, then send them via email to the @kindle.com address Amazon gives you when you register your Kindle. The books will show up as personal documents, but read like any other Kindle book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
history_junkie Posted April 26, 2013 Author Share Posted April 26, 2013 Lots of good things to think about here. Thanks for all of the replies! It seems like the Kindle is the winner, I'm just not sure which kind. I need to weigh the benefits of reading in low light vs. outside. With a new baby, reading in low light might be the winner. I just don't know. Anyone else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dahliarw Posted April 26, 2013 Share Posted April 26, 2013 I prefer kindle to nook as well (love my paperwhite kindle!). If you want to be able to do word processing and internet, you might want to consider a tablet with the kindle app (there may be a nook app too). You can do more on a tablet than even the kindle fire. For example, you can't access the google play store with the kidle fire, but you could on any android tablet. I have a samsung galaxy tab that is about the same size as my kindle, just a bit thicker and a few ounces heavier. You can also get keyboard accessories for most tablets if you wan to do word processing. The only reasons I would consider a kindle fire over a generic android tablet would be if I were a prime member and wanted to use the streaming video on a portable device. The fire is the only one you can do that on. It's the main reason we have netflix over amazon prime right now (I can access netflix on my phone, tablet, and surface). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
history_junkie Posted April 27, 2013 Author Share Posted April 27, 2013 I prefer kindle to nook as well (love my paperwhite kindle!). If you want to be able to do word processing and internet, you might want to consider a tablet with the kindle app (there may be a nook app too). You can do more on a tablet than even the kindle fire. For example, you can't access the google play store with the kidle fire, but you could on any android tablet. I have a samsung galaxy tab that is about the same size as my kindle, just a bit thicker and a few ounces heavier. You can also get keyboard accessories for most tablets if you wan to do word processing. Can you access basic email on the paperwhite? The more I'm thinking about it, word processing is less of a priority, but being able to check email would still be nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celticmom Posted April 27, 2013 Share Posted April 27, 2013 Even though they are marketed for kids, you might want to consider a nabi so that it will be less likely to be damaged. Dd has one and we have the kindle reader app on it. I have not tried yet but I could probably put the nook app on it as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkle Posted April 28, 2013 Share Posted April 28, 2013 I have both a Nook Color and a Kindle Keyboard. I much prefer the Kindle. My Nook Color is rooted and can access the web, view videos, etc. I don't care for it because it's heavy, it needs to be charged frequently, and the touch screen gives me fits. My girls, however, adore it, but only for internet stuff, not reading. The Kindle is great for reading. The battery lasts a long time, it's super easy to download books from amazon (lots of freebies), and it's lightweight. It has a very basic browser on it, so I can check my email and access the web, but it's slow and choppy. It worked pretty well when we were at Disneyland and wanted to access a ride line length app, so for a pinch, it's OK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dahliarw Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 Can you access basic email on the paperwhite? The more I'm thinking about it, word processing is less of a priority, but being able to check email would still be nice. You can when connected to wifi (not over the free 3g), but it's really slow and not that great. It's really made just for reading and shopping the amazon store for new books. Do you have a smartphone? That's what I use to check email. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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