Kindle, iPad or Nook ?

[Kathi OD]

Just thought I'd mention, many of the libraries have many ebooks on wait lists. They aren't always available right away. You can strip DRM from ePub books and then convert them to a Kindle friendly form. And there are places to get books for Kindle besides Amazon too.Smashwords is good and Baen( science fiction). Plentyof free Kindle books as well.

Depending on your library, that wait probably won't be any longer than the wait you would have w/ a hardback book, and in some cases might be shorter.

Free books are available for both the Kindle and Nook. However, stripping the DRM from an ebook you get from a library is an illegal act. If you're OK with that, then go ahead.

 

[luvthemouse71]

Depending on your library, that wait probably won't be any longer than the wait you would have w/ a hardback book, and in some cases might be shorter.

Free books are available for both the Kindle and Nook. However, stripping the DRM from an ebook you get from a library is an illegal act. If you're OK with that, then go ahead.

Stripping DRM is in a gray area. Sure, on paper they claim it's illegal but as long as you do it for your own use and don't sell or distribute copies, they tend to look the other way. Similar to when people burn CDs for their friends..not completely legal either but no way to enforce it since so many people do it. Now, is it unethical- I guess to some people it is. But, I sleep just fine at night.

For some weird reason, it's easier and quicker to request a DTB(dead tree book) than it is to get an ebook from my library.I think many people got ereaders for Christmas.

 

[NotUrsula]

Stripping DRM is in a gray area. Sure, on paper they claim it's illegal but as long as you do it for your own use and don't sell or distribute copies, they tend to look the other way. Similar to when people burn CDs for their friends..not completely legal either but no way to enforce it since so many people do it. Now, is it unethical- I guess to some people it is. But, I sleep just fine at night.

For some weird reason, it's easier and quicker to request a DTB(dead tree book) than it is to get an ebook from my library.I think many people got ereaders for Christmas.

With all due respect, "tending to look the other way" doesn't mean that there is any ambiguity in the illegality of the act. The practice is still very much illegal in the US, it does not meet any of the Fair Use exceptions if the title is still in print in ANY form. The issue is whether or not you are going to get prosecuted for doing it, and the answer is that you will not be -- right now. (That could always change in the future.)

What should be of more immediate concern to most folks who do this is whether the practice leaves you open to the possibility of the bricking of your device. It does. Since the devices are open to wireless access by the vendors, it is entirely possible that they *could* choose to push down patches that would brick any device that contains stripped files. (Apple has definitely done it in the past, and there are reports that Amazon may have in a few instances done it to Kindles. Read your user agreements very carefully. If you violate the terms of use, vendors can punish you.) You can weigh your risks and take whatever chances you are comfortable with, but IMO, it's best to be as informed as possible before you make that decision.

As to the ease of reserving hardcopy books vs. electronic ones at Libraries, that is very simple to explain. Overdrive Collections are licensed by the copy, and they are not cheap. Most library systems pay somewhere between $30K and $300K per year for their Overdrive service; the more titles and copies you license, the more it costs. Your library has a limited number of copies available to loan out, and until they can document consistent demand, they are not going to raise that license level; to do so if the demand isn't there would be an irresponsible use of public funds. Hardcopy books, on the other hand, can be rented cheaply for a limited time from library fulfillment services; it is a very simple matter to get an extra 40 copies of the newest Dan Brown novel delivered in under a week, circulate them for 5 months or so, and then trade them in for something more popular, all for one fee. We call those "bestseller rental plans", and they have been in use in public libraries for decades. The electronic book vendors don't have comparably-priced plans available yet, and they may choose not to ever offer them. In the meanwhile, placing LOTS of reserves on Overdrive books (AND downloading them when your turn comes up) is the best way to improve your library's selection -- if they can document the demand they can justify putting more funds into the service.

 

[ebert]

Kindle all the way if you're just wanting books to read. But the browser on Kindle is terrible so go with the iPad if you want to do other stuff. You can get music on a Kindle, but it's a process.

 

[HM]

I've owned a Kindle for over a year now. I got an iPad for Christmas. The Kindle is so much lighter and easier to handle. The only time I really use the iPad for reading is when it's too dark in a room and I need backlighting. The iPad is great for all sorts of other things though and the Kindle is really a one use object mostly.

 

[luvthemouse71]

I don't think the Kindle will be bricked because I've already converted the file before putting it on the Kindle.( ePub to Mobi) As far as the Kindle knows, it's just another Kindle file. Could it happen? Maybe. But people have been doing this for years. I doubt Amazon would care much..library books on the Kindle makes the device just about perfect. Obviously, people like library books too- you'd think they'd get on board with the whole ePub thing.

At any rate, the Kindle was under $200.. Not too much of a tragedy if it gets bricked.

 

[RitaE]

There have been cases of Amazon bricking Kindles that are reported as lost/stolen by their owners. Actually the Kindles aren't bricked - Amazon simply refuses to register them to a new Amazon account. So the Kindles still operate with content that is side-loaded - you just can't use Whispersync to load new books.

As for other books - Amazon fully supports obtaining books from sources other than Amazon and they have no way of knowing whether the "non-Amazon" books I have loaded are illegal or legal. For instance I currently have 2 non-DRMd ARC galley copies on my Kindle for review purposes.

If Amazon were to start spying on their customers and making guesses as to where and why they have what they do on the Kindles -- and then breaking people's Kindles on it based on their guesses, it would be a Public Relations nightmare. Besides which, Amazon has now sold somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 million Kindles. I seriously doubt they are going to implement the staff and technology that would be necessary to start spying on their customers and breaking the Kindles of those they suspect of being naughty.

 

[NotUrsula]

There have been cases of Amazon bricking Kindles that are reported as lost/stolen by their owners. Actually the Kindles aren't bricked - Amazon simply refuses to register them to a new Amazon account. So the Kindles still operate with content that is side-loaded - you just can't use Whispersync to load new books.

As for other books - Amazon fully supports obtaining books from sources other than Amazon and they have no way of knowing whether the "non-Amazon" books I have loaded are illegal or legal. For instance I currently have 2 non-DRMd ARC galley copies on my Kindle for review purposes.

If Amazon were to start spying on their customers and making guesses as to where and why they have what they do on the Kindles -- and then breaking people's Kindles on it based on their guesses, it would be a Public Relations nightmare. Besides which, Amazon has now sold somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 million Kindles. I seriously doubt they are going to implement the staff and technology that would be necessary to start spying on their customers and breaking the Kindles of those they suspect of being naughty.

The thing is, you can convert files to your heart's content, but it is very easy to insert a digital signature into a file in a way that a converter will not remove. I've done it myself. If the publishers insert it and make it a contractual condition to maintain it, then Amazon will have no choice if they want to sell access to that publisher's titles. ISBN/ISSN numbers and/or DOI's identify the publisher, and all file conversion utilities maintain them because they are unique identifiers for the file content. It is a very simple matter to write a bit of code that verifies the presence of DRM on works from a particular publisher.

FWIW, I work with controlling access to licensed media on a daily basis; it is what I do for a living. In the 6 years that I have been doing it, I've seen exponential improvements in publishers' techniques for "spying" on people who access their content; they are getting good at it, and they are getting nastier about it, too, as the letters that I have received from attorneys will attest. As the market grows and tracking technology improves, the investment in defense will grow, too. Choosing to obtain copyrighted digital media via alternate uncontrolled channels is a personal choice, but it can be an expensive one, depending upon which publisher you have the misfortune to tangle with.

 

[RitaE]

I've done it myself. If the publishers insert it and make it a contractual condition to maintain it, then Amazon will have no choice if they want to sell access to that publisher's titles.

But Kindle owners have no reason to convert titles sold by Amazon and again - it is not against the Amazon TOS to have non-Amazon titles on your Kindle.
I have no doubt that Amazon has the technology to see files on a Kindle that has its wireless active. I have extreme doubt that any Publisher will ever convince Amazon to share private Customer data with them in a witch hunt.

It would be an extreme moral violation of user privacy for Amazon to scan Kindle drives for non-Amazon material and then try to determine whether those "other" files are a converted book or the minutes from my upcoming sales meeting or the menu from a local restaurant --- and then further determine whether or not they think I legally own those documents.

What you are asking is the equivalent to Barnes and Noble salespeople coming into your house and visually scanning your bookshelves and then refusing to sell further items to you until you prove to them that you "own" everything they see.

Technologically possible to an extent but a Customer Relations nightmare.
I can pretty much guarantee you that the day Amazon tried it they wouldn't need to brick Kindles because their Customers would begin to leave them in droves for machines without that type of wireless connection.

Let me put it this way, Amazon is about as likely to start reporting to Publishers what they think their Customers are storing on their Kindles as they are to voluntarily hand over their Customer data to the State of North Carolina so that NC can send out Sales Tax bills.

 

[IDoDis]

Nook Color hands down. You can easily find the aps to turn it into an android tablet and use it just like the iPad for less than 1/2 the cost of an iPad, and it's easier to carry around than an iPad is. You can also get all of the kindle apps for it as well.

 

[SassyLassy]

I think you made a good decision getting the iPad. We love ours and use it for so many other things than reading. We do have a kindle but the only time I use that now is when I am outside. The reflection of the iPad screen was quite annoying but beyond that we carry it everywhere and get a ton of use for work and planning out of it.

Have fun with whatever you pick!

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

Amazon has no control over files sideloaded or emailed to the Kindle that were not purchased through the Amazon Kindle Store.... even if it gets 'bricked'

 

[RMBittner]

I got about $600 for my birthday, and while it is burning a hole in my pocket, I don't want to be wasteful. I have an iPhone and I love it. I have the kindle app and enjoy it, although it is pretty small. I have a laptop on the counter and a 10" netbook. Id like to do more reading and I cant decide if the weight of the iPad will be cumbersome.
Anyone have one or more?
What would you choose ?

To me, your choice really depends on what you're wanting to do with it. If reading printed material is your *primary* purpose, then I am a huge fan of the Kindle. (My wife and I have owned every version so far, and just upgraded to the K3.) It's extremely light, extremely easy to read, with amazing battery life and thousands upon thousands of available books. The unlit screen won't tire your eyes; it's as comfortable as an actual printed book. If you subscribe to Kindle magazines/newspapers -- I get Poets & Writers, the New York Times, and The New Yorker -- these are currently ONLY deliverable to actual Kindle devices, not to devices that only run Kindle apps (like smartphones or the iPad).

However, if reading text is only part of your interest, I can't praise the iPad highly enough. I've owned mine since just after Thanksgiving and now can't imagine life without it. (Seriously.) It's the perfect portable solution for Web browsing, watching movies/TV shows, maintaining your social sites, playing games, and a host of other things. There are apps available that do some amazing things; it's truly a highly entertaining and functional device.

Some things to consider: the iPad currently has no option for subscribing to magazines or newspapers (unlike the Kindle). You can buy magazines for the iPad, of course, but you can't *subscribe*. You have to purchase each one individually, at the full cover price. (There are weird exceptions: If you subscribe to the print version of PEOPLE, for example, you can get the iPad version -- which is amazing, packed with video, audio, and lots of extra photos -- for free.) Rumor has it that this will change as soon as the publishers work out their problems. But if you want to wake up every morning to find the day's New York Times or Chicago Tribune waiting for you on your device, then you need the Kindle.

Also, 3G access is free on Kindle (assuming you get the 3G version); it's how you surf the Amazon store, buy books, and can do rudimentary Web browsing. On the iPad, 3G costs. But if you've got WiFi at home and can access hotspots when you're out -- either from stores/restaurants or via your smartphone -- then you may never need 3G on your iPad.

To me, though, it isn't really fair to compare the iPad to the Kindle; they're really quite different devices that do different things. The iPad is more a laptop/netbook replacement than a glorified e-reader. I use it for e-mail, streaming movies from Netflix, updating Facebook, etc. None of those things is even possible on Kindle. But I also think the Kindle does what it does better than any other device out there.

So. . . I still carry an iPod (much more storage than the iPad), a Kindle (because of all of the above), my Droid phone (because it's a fantastic phone), and, yes, my iPad. Each one does its thing perfectly and justifies its place in my carry-on. And my life.

My .02.<g>

Bob

 

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

I own a Kindle and absolutely love it. It works great for a dedicated e-reader.

I did own a Nook for awhile (I wanted to be able to legally download library books) but I couldn't stand the user interface so the Nook was given away.

I do not own an iPad and I have no interest in a LCD screen for an e-reader but I do plan on buying one for a "toy" once they come out with the second generation.

 

[TJA]

Ipad is great for internet and other features. However, I highly recommend a kindle solely for reading. I think you'll appreciate the small size of the kindle and how easy it is on the eyes.

 

[tbeard]

I absolutely love my Kindle! But, if you are wanting to also search the net, I would go with the iPad.

 

[figment3258]

iPad all the way I am typing on mine right now. Love love love it!

 

[disneychic2]

I know you've made your decision and I hope you will be happy with it. Everyone I know loves their Kindle! What I find sort of funny is, I got an IPad for Christmas and have been reading books on it ever since (among lots of other things of course) and I have no trouble with eye strain at all. I was shocked to read about so many people having trouble. I love the fact that DH and I can go to bed and if I want to read a while I don't have to keep my bedside light on because of the low backlight. I never thought I would enjoy an ereader at all, but I do love it on my Ipad! Happy reading!

 

[Magical-Memories]

I got an iPad for Christmas...love it! I have also read books on it and I really thought I would hate an E-reader. I even
have tried to turn the page like a regular book, forgetting it's not a real book!

I did want to add that there is an app for subscribing to magazines on the iPad. Zinio. I wish more magazines are on it...but I have a few, like Cosmo, Redbook and Good Housekeeping subscriptions....pretty cool.

I also have the bluetooth keyboard case from brookstone. It acts like a case and you can fold it so the iPad stands up...makes foe easier reading.

Good luck!

 

[taaren]

Nook is open source, which means you can put and read documents other than proprietary ones on it (e.g., any pdf's for work/school, also library e-books which are free instead of books that you buy from Amazon). This makes it way better than the Kindle. If you already have an iPhone and a netbook, you don't need an iPad it would just be redundant. Its mostly about branding anyways. I'd get a touchscreen computer before buying an iPad.