Amazon Fights Back: New Wi-Fi Kindle for $139 on Aug 27

[jrmasm]

Nope, the old part is you hunting down any of my posts. If you don't like my opinion, then let it go.

But posting the smart $^#% posts right after mine is childish and I wonder why you don't have anything better to do...

Take a break Jrmasm. Trust me, you need it.

Hunting you down? I was the 2nd poster on this thread. Are you stalking me???

So I was reading today that only about 30% of B&N's offerings are available for lending. And that they can only be lent once.

Try using IMHO before you say that the Nook is better than the Kindle. They are different and have different features and each appeals to different types of users.

I do agree with you that a pricing war benefits everyone.

 

[RitaE]

no touch screen etc etc

Thank God. I hate the touch screens on both the Sony and the nook.

 

[mercydisney]

Will the kindle let you read in large print. I know its a weird question but as I get older my eyes are getting weaker.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

Anyone can access an e-library and put the book files on their computers. The touch screen is a flittery thing that contiunally refreshes itself and has a great deal of lag in it. I wanted the Nook at first. I liked the idea of a touch screen... but it's not responsive like an itouch.

I get library e-books from the online library and reformat them for my Kindle. I love the fact the new Kindles have a larger capacity and are much lighter. Competition is good!

Still not better then a Nook though.

You have the same issues with no e-library access, no lending, no touch screen etc etc

Same old, same old.. I am happy at the price war though. That helps everyone that wants e-books..

But the Nook is still a much better deal

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

Yes. You can adjust the font size in ebooks and zoom PDF files.

Will the kindle let you read in large print. I know its a weird question but as I get older my eyes are getting weaker.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

The Kindle supports PDF, just not DRM-enabled PDF. The format of nearly ANY type of ebook file can be reformatted to work on your Kindle, or any other e-reader. You can find instructions on how to do so on the web.

Yeah, I was so excited to see this yesterday since I pretty much decided to get a Kindle but I so wanted a graphite but refused to pay twice as much, now I'm happy!

But, does anyone know for sure if I can change formats of the books to work on the kindle? I have heard you can change PDF (I think this is not supported by Kindle, DH has been doing the technical research). If I know I can do this I am preordering right away! If not I have to wait and see since the school I'm going to be using has their books in PDF.

 

[sherry7]

i am too cheap for this but i did download the FREE kindle app to my netbook since i take that when i travel anyway. I found there are lots of free books and those that i pay for are cheaper than the bookstore and no extra weight to lug around.

I really like the app.

I am cheap too! I downloaded the Kindle app on my Droid phone. I very seldom have the time to read anymore, so this is perfect for doctor appointments, etc. So far, I am just sticking to the free books available on Amazon.

 

[mercydisney]

Yes. You can adjust the font size in ebooks and zoom PDF files.

ExPirateShopGirl Thanks for all your info. I'm in for one!

 

[wtrmlnlabs]

The Kindle supports PDF, just not DRM-enabled PDF. The format of nearly ANY type of ebook file can be reformatted to work on your Kindle, or any other e-reader. You can find instructions on how to do so on the web.

Thanks a bunch! I had heard you could but not found out for sure if it worked. DH had looked it up, but without actually having one we couldn't test it This makes me much more comfortable with getting it, now I have to wait for them to ship end of Aug

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

If I can do it ANYONE can do it. I go through the equivalent of a couple of paperbacks each week because I read it while I am using the stationary exercycle at the gym. Makes an hour fly by like it was 10 minutes. Another nice feature of the Kindle is 'text to speech' in some of their books. The web page will tell you before you buy a book whether it is text to speech enabled. I like to use this feature when I don't want to turn the pages myself. I turn on the text to speech, mute the volume, and set the speed to faster and the pages will turn for me. Great when you're walking on the treadmill or using the exercycle.

This might be the longest 4 weeks of your life!

Thanks a bunch! I had heard you could but not found out for sure if it worked. DH had looked it up, but without actually having one we couldn't test it This makes me much more comfortable with getting it, now I have to wait for them to ship end of Aug

 

[RitaE]

yeah, I use my Kindle on the treadmill all the time.

What I do is bump the font up pretty big and then I enable the Text to Speech and turn the sound way down. The Kindle fits on the ledge of my treadmill. So I read the page that is there and then when the text to speech function reaches the end of the page it automatically turns the page for me without me having to get my hand up there for a button push.

The K3 has a microphone which someday is supposedly going to be enabled for voice commands such as "turn page." They are not there yet with the software though, but the hardware is there.

 

[GoofyforDisney3]

yeah, I use my Kindle on the treadmill all the time.

What I do is bump the font up pretty big and then I enable the Text to Speech and turn the sound way down. The Kindle fits on the ledge of my treadmill. So I read the page that is there and then when the text to speech function reaches the end of the page it automatically turns the page for me without me having to get my hand up there for a button push.

The K3 has a microphone which someday is supposedly going to be enabled for voice commands such as "turn page." They are not there yet with the software though, but the hardware is there.

That is kind of a cool idea. Can you use headphones too? I don't think the Nook has this feature, does it?

Also, how do you convert files to PDF or another type that works on the Kindle? Do you just "print" the book to a PDF document? I was all ready to get a Nook until this new Wifi version came out and I must say I like the look of the graphite case.

 

[RitaE]

yes the Kindle has a headphone jack. It also plays Audiobooks and mp3 files although I really don't utilize that much. I do use the text to speech function for regular books when I'm driving sometimes or to read aloud my book while I'm fixing dinner.

No, the nook doesn't have a text to speech feature.

I use an eBook management software called Calibre to convert all my eBooks. It is freeware and will work in conjunction with nearly any type of reader. Amazon also offers an email the file in and we'll convert it for you service.

The Kindle can read PDF natively but it isn't my favorite format for a 6" screen. When possible I like to convert them to something that displays better.

 

[wtrmlnlabs]

This might be the longest 4 weeks of your life!

Tell me about it! It's been one day and I'm dying to get it!!!!!!!!

I'm trying to calm myself by remembering I have several actual books I need to read and I should try to get them finished before this arrives

 

[SaraJayne]

The 3G operates like a cell phone. You can get a connection to download or browse almost anywhere in the world. The wifi works in hotspots, or your home if you have a wireless network. Both connect to a computer to download documents.

There are significant improvements to the newest Kindle (available Aug 27) which change the comparison to the Nook.

Kindle
sharpest screen in town
holds 3500 books
battery life of a month (without wireless turned on, 2 weeks with wireless turned on)
Even faster page turning (it was already faster than the Nook)
Lightest e-reader at 8 point something ounces
can navigate, enlarge, decrease PDF's
text to voice enabled books
has a new web browser
each kindle has its own unique email address where you can mail yourself documents
3G wireless works all over the world

Nook
has a screen sharpness equal to the last Kindle
holds 1500 books
battery life 10 days (without wireless on, half that with wireless on)
replaceable battery
lag time associated with turning on the device and page turning
color screen is for navigating through menus only, not for reading and visibly refreshes itself repeatedly until it 'sleeps'
can read library books on it (only epub - and like regular books, you have to wait until one is available)

Downloading books to your device (either one) is simple and even if you lose the device, the books you purchase will always be available on your account, at B&N or Amazon so if you buy another, your stuff purchased is all there.

My suggestion is this: Go to both B&N and Amazon and do searches for e-books on the titles and kinds of books you buy. See which one has the better selection. Both carry bestsellers, etc. I love travel books and I found Amazon had more books of the type I was likely to purchase.

I just wanted to correct something here. The nook does NOT repeatedly refresh the touch screen. If you are reading, after 30 seconds or so, the touchscreen goes black.

 

[SaraJayne]

If you travel a lot (especially outside the US) and you are an avid book buyer (must have books when it's released kinda person) then Kindle 3G is the one for you.

If you don't travel or just travel for fun and don't mind loading up your books before you leave then either wifi only ereaders would work.

If you would like to do library books then Kindle most probably will be out of the running (they really make it hard for you to borrow library books).

Although I heard that Kindle 3G could be used for browsing outside of the country as well. I don't have one, so I can't say for sure. But I've been reading some posts that say so. If you would like to have that option then Kindle might just be what you need.

Another thing to consider, Nook is an android based device. Which means it has lots of potential for improvements. Now whether B&N would continue to strive for those improvements or not I can't say. But if they want to, they could keep issuing firmware updates to "improve" their device.
Then again, B&N is in the market to make $. They also could release future Nooks with the better firmware updates and not do any improvements to the current one.

Sorry to confuse you some more.

ps: I have the wifi only (only for about a month now) and never had any issues where I would need to have 3G for anything. We of course have wifi at home. The $50 savings is quite hefty for me

For those that aren't aware of it, when Barnes and Noble released their two new versions of nook (3g and wifi only) they upgraded previously bought nooks to 3g for free.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

I meant when you're trying to navigate with it. It was so frustrating to me. Can you categorize your books on the Nook into directories, or do you just scroll through all of them?

I just wanted to correct something here. The nook does NOT repeatedly refresh the touch screen. If you are reading, after 30 seconds or so, the touchscreen goes black.

 

[SaraJayne]

I meant when you're trying to navigate with it. It was so frustrating to me. Can you categorize your books on the Nook into directories, or do you just scroll through all of them?

I've never had that problem.

To keep my library neat on the nook, I only have 3 or 4 books on there at a time. The rest are either archived in my online library or waiting to be downloaded.

I don't know if you can put them in categories. Hopefully, someone that knows the answer for sure will chime in.

 

[disneyfans95]

I've never had that problem.

To keep my library neat on the nook, I only have 3 or 4 books on there at a time. The rest are either archived in my online library or waiting to be downloaded.

I don't know if you can put them in categories. Hopefully, someone that knows the answer for sure will chime in.

Also one big bounus of the Nook is using the Android OS, so it is very flexible for them to make quick updates and add features vs say the Kindle.

 

[RitaE]

okay, you keep repeating that so I'm going to interject here.
Yes, the nook has an Android operating system which allows for updates and maybe someday they will implement apps or something to the system. That would be great.

However Android as an operating system is a kernel of Linux - which is what the Kindle operating system uses. The Kindle Operating system also allows for updates and someday probably Apps. In fact, Amazon released a SDK for APPS, but it really hasn't gone far. Amazon just released a major update to its Kindle line-up (excluding the original Kindle but including all K2 and DX models) that implemented collections (folder organization for books), social networking, an opt-in password function and other improvements to the device.

I'm not saying that the Android operating system that the nook uses is inferior. I'm just saying that as far as operating systems go the nook and the Kindle are extremely comparable.

I really don't want to get into this whole nook/Kindle piss fight with you but I'm only saying this because there are reports that Barnes and Noble sales clerks in stores have been telling customers that the Kindle cannot receive updates like their "Android nook." That is incredibly untrue and I've seen you make a couple of posts now that are coming very close to that.