E-Book reader -- What kind?

[Ranger111]

Hope someone will have a quick piece of advice.

I am thinking about buying dear daughter an E-reader for Christmas -- you know -- the electronic gizmos that you download books onto and then read them from screen.

Don't know anything about, but do know that downloading books is about all she'd want it for.

And, VERY IMPORTANT, would have to be compatible with downloading books for free from our local public library -- the library says you can download to smartphones, tablets or e-book readers, so don't anticipate any trouble there.

Any suggestions for a not-too pricey option?

 

[lucky1]

Check with your library as to what type of e-reader they do support. Ours did not support Kindle until earlier this year. Please note the choices from the library are not as vast as you might expect, but they are getting more and more titles.

Does she want Just a eReader.. Or would she want to search the internet or play games, when not reading?

Also think about how she might want to have access to books.. Through wireless capability or through a 3G capability. I love being able to download a book without having to find wifi capabiltity. Kindles have this for free if you purchase the capability with your kindle (about a $50 one time uplift)

 

[npealer]

You will get opinions back and forth on which is the best option but I have a question how old is DD?

I personally have a Nook one of the older Reader type only (not tablet) I do tons of reading and have not had any issues with the device, Looking to finally upgrade myself to a tablet.

my DS who is almost 12 saved his bday money and bought a Nook tablet. He seems to be happy with it. We share our "library" thru Barnes and Noble.

I would highly suggest you go onto the kindle marketplace and B&N marketplace and do a general search on free books for that age to see what comes up. I think you can search with 0.00 and it should bring up all the free books that you can then sub search based on age or genre. The Free books at both retailers vary some.

Our family has wifi in the house so we connect that way or when we are at free wifi spots, Starbucks etc. We have not had issues getting what we want.

 

[Jamie25UGA]

If she only wants to read books (and not stream video, surf the web, use apps, and play games) then an e-ink e-reader will be just fine! If apps or streaming the web or a movie sounds appealing then one of the newer tablet types would be better (amazon Kindle, Nook color or their new tablets)

For e-ink its pretty much Amazon Kindle vs. Barnes & Noble Nook. They're pretty similar in functionality. You can get library books easily on both. The basic non touch screen Kindle is $69 which is awesome, a basic Nook would be $99 but it's a touch screen, maybe someone else will say differently but I think the only difference in the basic Kindle vs Nook is the touch screen and menu (Nook's is a little more elaborate, it shows cover art for books I believe, where as the basic Kindle is just a list of the title and author which is just fine) and price.

There is a lit Kindle and Nook and they're both $119, both are touch screen.

A not too pricey option would be the $69 Kindle, it may be a little "no frills" for some but if I needed to replace my Kindle today as much as I would LOVE the Kindle Paperwhite (the lit one) for the price difference I think i'd go with the $69 and just continue on with my book light reading at night. The $69 Kindle is wifi only so she'd have to be somewhere with a wifi connection to buy a book and get library books (sometimes you need to connect via USB to download a library book but not always), there are more expensive versions with 3G so if you were out of town without internet you could buy books but if you load up with books before you leave it shouldn't be a problem (I have yet to need the 3G and I paid extra for it) and with Amazon they have something called "special offers" which seem like ads, just FYI it does NOT show up at all when you are actually reading, its a small banner at the bottom of the home screen and as your screensaver when you aren't reading. Having the "special offers" makes the Kindle cheaper and in my opinion they aren't bothersome at all.

You didn't mention an age but the new Kindles have parental controls if that would be a plus for you, if that isn't an issue and she's older there are websites that e-mail you daily with a list of free books (they aren't best sellers but I've found a few that were really good and I've got PLENTY loaded onto my Kindle if i'm ever travelling and run out of stuff to read or something) pixleofink.com and ereadernewstoday.com but if she's young I'd suggest you using those sites and picking kids books because there are romance novels and adult books on there, also with those sites I always tell people to double check the price because while it may have been free at one time it at any time can go back to a cost so double check before you buy.

 

[bmags66]

Another consideration would be your need to expand memory. The Kindle Fire can't expand beyond it's initial memory - 8 gig for example on the low end. The Nook however has an expansion slot where a microSD card can store other content. May not be a dealbreaker but wanted to throw that out there for what it's worth.

 

[Sandi12404]

I have a nook color. I love it. I download a lot of books from my library but they never have the new releases available for download. Also, Barnes and Noble has a deal of the day (a book that's $1-3) and a free book every friday. Granted none of these books are new releases and in most cases I've never heard of them but I'll read anything so I usually get the free one. One thing to keep in mind though is B&N can be more pricey then amazon when it comes to apps and some books.

 

[Ranger111]

Wow, what terrific information. Thanks to all of you.....GREATLY appreciated!

 

[DisneyWitch]

As a Kindle person myself, I can't tell you how awesome it's been to have e-readers. Heck, when I leave the house I make sure I have my wallet, Kindle, glasses and keys - in that order!

Regardless if you choose a B&N or Amazon offering, your daughter will be thrilled. It's tripled the amount of books I read now - because it's super easy to just read a few pages in the bus, in the car, in line at the post office, on breaks, etc. I think any time we can encourage people (big and little people!) to read more, it's a great investment in their future!

If you choose a Kindle - there's a great free (and totally legal) site that parses Amazon every day for free books. it's at www.ereaderiq.com. I love that place and you can fill your Kindle to brimming with just free books. You can also peruse the site and filter by genre and price.

Good luck and I hope she enjoys her new reader!

 

[Mouseketeers4]

I would recommend a Kindle or a Nook. If she just wants it for reading books, definitely stick to a plain e-reader. The tablet styles aren't as nice to read on because they're heavier. The back lighting can make your eyes tired and it's tough to use in the sun. So check out the weight and lighting setup of the different options you're looking at. The battery life isn't anywhere near as good either. I think my Kindle can make it nearly a month on a single charge.

You may be able to skip the 3G. I don't have it, and have never needed it, and my Mom has it and has never used it. I love my Kindle Keyboard and my sister just got the Paperwhite which looks great. I'm sure the Nook is good too but I much prefer an Amazon platform over Barnes and Noble.

Edit: My Kindle works great for library books too.