So, pros/cons of Nook over Kindle...

[StaceyinLA]

I was gonna buy 21yodd a Kindle as a rather unexpected Christmas surprise, but since I am really disheartened over Amazon's choices, I am now contemplating the Nook. Why, or why not, make the switch?

[jujsky]

I got my Nook at the end of September after a lot of research. Here were the pros as I saw them:

 

-Although it has less initial storage capability, the Nook does have expandable storage (Kindle does not)

 

- If your battery dies, you have to send the Kindle back to Amazon so they can replace the battery. You can replace your own battery in the Nook.

 

- I found the book prices to be the same. I know Kindle does some free books. Nook has at least one free book each week. Some of them have been really good!

 

- Nook has sharing capability, Kindle does not. The sharing capability isn't great (you can lend most books one time for a 2 week period) but some is better than none.

 

- Kindle runs on proprietary software. Nook runs on the Android platform and uses a fairly standard publishing form for most of their documents. I may be wrong (Kindle owners, please correct me if I am) but it is more difficult for Kindle owners to get books outside Amazon. If you have a Nook you can shop for books elsewhere.

 

- I didn't like the keyboard down at the bottom of the Kindle. That's just a personal style thing. I like the touch-screen display at the bottom of the Nook so much better.

 

- If I have a problem with the Nook I can go to the store and talk to a real person IN person.

 

- B&N runs free classes on how to use all the features of your Nook.

 

Those are all the reasons I chose it. I love, love, love it! I use it all the time and it's so convenient on-the-go.

[Crimson Wife]

Our library has eBooks that one can borrow for the Nook but they don't work on the Kindle. I've got a Nook on my Christmas wish list depending on whether we have the budget this year (TBD at the moment).

[StaceyinLA]

Or only 3G, or what?

[StaceyinLA]

Versus the original? The price difference is fairly large...

[WagsWife]

Or only 3G, or what?

 

The regular BW Nook comes in 3G (also has wireless) or just WiFi (no 3G.) If you have the 3G version, it just means that you can download books anywhere you have either wifi or can get a cell signal.

 

The color version looks to me like it is an ipad lite. The main drawback for me with the color version is that it is LCD...not eink. I read a lot, so I did not want to read off of a back lit LCD screen. I also wish it had a 3G option. It does look really cool though!

 

I have posted many times about how much I love my Nook. Most are the same reasons already given here. The new Kindle is *Ok....but it does not have anything which would tempt me away from my Nook.

[StaceyinLA]

we have wireless, so I definitely want wireless. I think I will weigh original Nook against new Kindle.

[jujsky]

I have the original Nook because we have wireless so DH felt 3G wasn't necessary. I have so many books loaded onto this thing that it's doubtful I'd ever be anywhere and NEED to have a specific book that second (okay -- maybe not true if I was somewhere tonight because a serial killer novel I was reading ended with us just hanging there so I NEEDED the sequel right then). I'm thinking of getting my mom a Nook for Christmas, but if I do I'll get her 3G. She doesn't have internet access at her house.

 

Only get the color Nook if you want a tablet computer because that's essentially what it is. You won't be able to read it outside and it will be hard on your eyes. If you read magazines a lot then it might be worth it, but if you're looking for something that is just a dedicated e-reader, go with the original or the 3G.

[StaceyinLA]

I actually prefer using it dimmed down because I can read in bed with no light.

 

The reader will be for my oldest dd. It's a total surprise, so I just want to pick the one that will be easiest and most enjoyable to use.

[Robin M]

Nook uses At&t, doesn't have a backlit screen so no eye fatigue from reading a computer screen. Touch screen to make choices, versus a tiny keyboard.

 

Kindle uses Sprint. Nuff said.

[LaissezFaire]

I got my Nook at the end of September after a lot of research. Here were the pros as I saw them:

 

-Although it has less initial storage capability, the Nook does have expandable storage (Kindle does not)

 

- If your battery dies, you have to send the Kindle back to Amazon so they can replace the battery. You can replace your own battery in the Nook.

 

- I found the book prices to be the same. I know Kindle does some free books. Nook has at least one free book each week. Some of them have been really good!

 

- Nook has sharing capability, Kindle does not. The sharing capability isn't great (you can lend most books one time for a 2 week period) but some is better than none.

 

- Kindle runs on proprietary software. Nook runs on the Android platform and uses a fairly standard publishing form for most of their documents. I may be wrong (Kindle owners, please correct me if I am) but it is more difficult for Kindle owners to get books outside Amazon. If you have a Nook you can shop for books elsewhere.

 

- I didn't like the keyboard down at the bottom of the Kindle. That's just a personal style thing. I like the touch-screen display at the bottom of the Nook so much better.

 

- If I have a problem with the Nook I can go to the store and talk to a real person IN person.

 

- B&N runs free classes on how to use all the features of your Nook.

 

Those are all the reasons I chose it. I love, love, love it! I use it all the time and it's so convenient on-the-go.

 

 

All of this exactly.

[RoughCollie]

- Nook has sharing capability, Kindle does not. The sharing capability isn't great (you can lend most books one time for a 2 week period) but some is better than none.

 

"Second, later this year, we will be introducing lending for Kindle, a new feature that lets you loan your Kindle books to other Kindle device or Kindle app users. Each book can be lent once for a loan period of 14-days and the lender cannot read the book during the loan period. Additionally, not all e-books will be lendable - this is solely up to the publisher or rights holder, who determines which titles are enabled for lending.

 

We will post to the forum later this year when these features are available. "

 

http://www.amazon.com/tag/kindle/forum/ref=cm_cd_tfp_ef_tft_tp?_encoding=UTF8&cdForum=Fx1D7SY3BVSESG&cdThread=Tx1G2UIO9PJO50V&displayType=tagsDetail

 

Here's an interesting blog in which the author compares the various options using a spreadsheet.

http://michaelhyatt.com/the-kindle-nook-ipad-and-reader-compared.html

 

I have a Kindle and I love it. I doubt if I will ever download 3500 books, which is its capacity -- even if I did, I'd never let my library get that large because I would get rid of books I didn't want to read again (they are stored on Amazon's site if I change my mind). I get several free books practically every day at Amazon. I don't have an opinion about the keyboard because I don't use it; having it there doesn't bother me. Kindles which are registered to the same account can share books without restriction. That is the overriding reason that we bought our son a Kindle instead of a Nook for Christmas.

Edited November 13, 2010 by RoughCollie

[Joy at Home]

I love my Nook. I understand they are coming out with an update which will improve some features (faster page turning, upgrading the ability to organize books). One big pro for me, and correct me if I'm wrong, is that with Nook you can receive any upgrades on your existing Nook whereas Kindle you can't.

 

Go for the Nook:)

[Mom in High Heels]

One big pro for me, and correct me if I'm wrong, is that with Nook you can receive any upgrades on your existing Nook whereas Kindle you can't.

 

 

 

Actually you can get updates on the Kindle. I have a Kindle and love it. I use the keyboard at the bottom of my Kindle a lot to take notes, so I actually like that feature.

I tried the Nook (my friend has one) and it was okay, but I personally prefer the Kindle. I have so many free classic books on it. The sharing option is coming and I really like the e-ink technology. My friend has an e-ink style Nook and my screen is much better.

[Tabrett]

I have the Nook and I like it ok. I'm not sure I would like a Kindle any better.

 

I bought the nook to read ebooks that were not offered by Kindle or Nook. These books that were written by individuals and sold on their website. Most of the books are in pdf form.

One thing that disappointed me was how non-nook books are accessed and used on the nook. If you buy a non-nook book you can't use the features of the nook. You can't use the dictionary to look up words, you can't used the chapter option and go directly to a particular chapter. The pages on non-nook books don't line up with the numbers shown on the nook page so finding the start of a particular chapter is very, very hard.

 

I bought Laying Down the Rails, a book from simplycharlottemason.com. It had side notes on the page. Because the Nook only reads the book as a document, the side notes were inserted into the text. It was very random. The only way I could see the side notes and text correctly was to use the smallest size font. Then it was WAY too small to read.

 

The difference in text size between the medium and small is huge. The nook really needs more text sizes to choose from. If you could choose what point size you wanted in text, I could probably read the book I bough with side notes.

 

I guess I have been spoiled with the ability to resize text to my page on my little itouch.

 

I have been disappointed in the free books you can get for the Nook. BN says that you can access the free books from google books, but what they don't tell you is if BN has a nook book for sale that is offered for free in google books, they don't add that google book to their free book list.

 

There have been many, many books I could get free on a Kindle, but not my nook. There are also many books that I wanted to buy that only come in Kindle format.

 

I like reading in bed and dim lit rooms. You have to have a lot of light to read the nook. I have a book light, but book lights cause a really irritating glare on the Nook. What I really wanted didn't exist: a 7" ipad. If I had a 7" ipad, I could resize the text to fit my page and use google books, Nook books and Kindle books.:glare:

[SailorMom]

I had the Kindle 1, and am now a Nook owner for all the above reasons. I have no idea why Amazon took the expandable storage option out of the new Kindle (the Kindle 1 had a memory card slot).

As for the color Nook - I get horrible eye strain reading on computers - which is why I didn't get a tablet, or a Nook/Kindle app for a computer.

The lack of backlighting is a plus for me, and I think of it as a book - I need a book light to read in the dark.

We have two Nooks, and will have three soon - getting one for my son for his B'day in a few weeks.

[Oak Knoll Mom]

I have the Nook and I like it ok. I'm not sure I would like a Kindle any better.

 

I bought the nook to read ebooks that were not offered by Kindle or Nook. These books that were written by individuals and sold on their website. Most of the books are in pdf form.

One thing that disappointed me was how non-nook books are accessed and used on the nook. If you buy a non-nook book you can't use the features of the nook. You can't use the dictionary to look up words, you can't used the chapter option and go directly to a particular chapter. The pages on non-nook books don't line up with the numbers shown on the nook page so finding the start of a particular chapter is very, very hard.

 

I bought Laying Down the Rails, a book from simplycharlottemason.com. It had side notes on the page. Because the Nook only reads the book as a document, the side notes were inserted into the text. It was very random. The only way I could see the side notes and text correctly was to use the smallest size font. Then it was WAY too small to read.

 

The difference in text size between the medium and small is huge. The nook really needs more text sizes to choose from. If you could choose what point size you wanted in text, I could probably read the book I bough with side notes.

 

I guess I have been spoiled with the ability to resize text to my page on my little itouch.

 

I have been disappointed in the free books you can get for the Nook. BN says that you can access the free books from google books, but what they don't tell you is if BN has a nook book for sale that is offered for free in google books, they don't add that google book to their free book list.

 

There have been many, many books I could get free on a Kindle, but not my nook. There are also many books that I wanted to buy that only come in Kindle format.

 

I like reading in bed and dim lit rooms. You have to have a lot of light to read the nook. I have a book light, but book lights cause a really irritating glare on the Nook. What I really wanted didn't exist: a 7" ipad. If I had a 7" ipad, I could resize the text to fit my page and use google books, Nook books and Kindle books.:glare:

 

Couple of things. Calibre is a free program that will convert those pdf files to epub. I did that with my copy of Laying Down the Rails and can increase the font using the regular controls.

 

Also, you can get any of those free google books at books.google.com -- you don't have to get then from B&N. Search books.google.com for the book you want. In the top right hand corner click on download-> EPUB, then download the book. Then connect your nook to the computer and transfer it into My Documents. (Not all google books are in the epub format yet, so in that case you download the PDF, use Calibre to convert to EPUB, then transfer to your device.)

[Oak Knoll Mom]

I was gonna buy 21yodd a Kindle as a rather unexpected Christmas surprise, but since I am really disheartened over Amazon's choices, I am now contemplating the Nook. Why, or why not, make the switch?

 

For me, the biggest advantage the nook has over the Kindle, is the ability to check out digital books from the library. My sister-in-law has a Kindle and has to pay Amazon for most of her books. I get most of my books free from the library.

[Oak Knoll Mom]

we have wireless, so I definitely want wireless. I think I will weigh original Nook against new Kindle.

 

All nooks have wi-fi. You get to decide between wi-fi only or wi-fi/3g. Hope this helps!

[MamaT]

Don't have anything to add, as everyone else has already covered it well. I just wanted to chime in as another happy nook person!

[jujsky]

Nooks registered to the same account are also able to share books without restriction. When I get one for my mom I'm registering it to my account.

[jujsky]

I have the Nook and I like it ok. I'm not sure I would like a Kindle any better.

 

I bought the nook to read ebooks that were not offered by Kindle or Nook. These books that were written by individuals and sold on their website. Most of the books are in pdf form.

One thing that disappointed me was how non-nook books are accessed and used on the nook. If you buy a non-nook book you can't use the features of the nook. You can't use the dictionary to look up words, you can't used the chapter option and go directly to a particular chapter. The pages on non-nook books don't line up with the numbers shown on the nook page so finding the start of a particular chapter is very, very hard.

 

I bought Laying Down the Rails, a book from simplycharlottemason.com. It had side notes on the page. Because the Nook only reads the book as a document, the side notes were inserted into the text. It was very random. The only way I could see the side notes and text correctly was to use the smallest size font. Then it was WAY too small to read.

 

The difference in text size between the medium and small is huge. The nook really needs more text sizes to choose from. If you could choose what point size you wanted in text, I could probably read the book I bough with side notes.

 

I guess I have been spoiled with the ability to resize text to my page on my little itouch.

 

I have been disappointed in the free books you can get for the Nook. BN says that you can access the free books from google books, but what they don't tell you is if BN has a nook book for sale that is offered for free in google books, they don't add that google book to their free book list.

 

There have been many, many books I could get free on a Kindle, but not my nook. There are also many books that I wanted to buy that only come in Kindle format.

 

I like reading in bed and dim lit rooms. You have to have a lot of light to read the nook. I have a book light, but book lights cause a really irritating glare on the Nook. What I really wanted didn't exist: a 7" ipad. If I had a 7" ipad, I could resize the text to fit my page and use google books, Nook books and Kindle books.:glare:

 

 

I've gotten free books from other sites and I have been able to use the look-up feature on those books. If you want a google book that isn't listed on the B&N site, go directly to google books and download it. It will be stored in your B&N list. I've gotten lots of free books that way. Yes, you need a lot of light to read it, but that is true of the Kindle as well since they both use e-ink.

[WagsWife]

Kindles which are registered to the same account can share books without restriction. That is the overriding reason that we bought our son a Kindle instead of a Nook for Christmas.

 

I just wanted to add that the above is true for the Nook as well. Nooks attached to the same account share books.

[ChiMomNP]

If I buy a new nook can I run the kindle software for Android on it?

 

I'd love an e-reader to cut down on the cost of my textbooks but all of my textbooks seem to only be available for Kindle and not the Nook. Which is somewhat frustrating. I have Kindle for Mac on my laptop but I'd prefer the smaller e-reader device to carry around with me.

[Tabrett]

Couple of things. Calibre is a free program that will convert those pdf files to epub. I did that with my copy of Laying Down the Rails and can increase the font using the regular controls.

 

Also, you can get any of those free google books at books.google.com -- you don't have to get then from B&N. Search books.google.com for the book you want. In the top right hand corner click on download-> EPUB, then download the book. Then connect your nook to the computer and transfer it into My Documents. (Not all google books are in the epub format yet, so in that case you download the PDF, use Calibre to convert to EPUB, then transfer to your device.)

 

Thanks!!!!

If I convert to epub, can I use the "go to chapter option"?

[LaissezFaire]

 

I have a Kindle and I love it. I doubt if I will ever download 3500 books, which is its capacity -- even if I did, I'd never let my library get that large because I would get rid of books I didn't want to read again (they are stored on Amazon's site if I change my mind). I get several free books practically every day at Amazon. I don't have an opinion about the keyboard because I don't use it; having it there doesn't bother me. Kindles which are registered to the same account can share books without restriction. That is the overriding reason that we bought our son a Kindle instead of a Nook for Christmas.

 

How is this different from nook? Nook also does all of these things.

I don't recommend hooking more than one nook up to the same account unless you want ALL the same books. Whatever you have on your nook and whatever you download will also be on the other person's nook. So, the way to get around this is to open a separate account for each nook. Then download the books to your computer and load the ones you want on the second nook into the My Documents folder. I did this for my girls because there were some books on my nook they did not need to have on theirs

 

Kindle has a proprietary format. Anything you download for Kindle will not be able to be used on another e-reader.

Edited November 14, 2010 by LaissezFaire

[Joy at Home]

I also appreciate the expandable storage. While I'll never download 3000+ books, I download Teaching Company lectures to take with me, which take up a lot of memory.

 

I'm looking forward to seeing the newest upgrade for Nook.