Kindle Vs. Nook....yet another question, I know!

[RitaE]

B&N books will work on the Nook and every other ereader on the market

Hey - let me further confuse the OP because this is not true!

The problem of kindle (for many users) is you'll have to stick with Amazon to buy or download your books,

and either is that.

Amazon. Mostly AZW format with Amazon DRM. Kindle books can be read on Kindle devices or Kindle Apps. It is not true that you have to buy or obtain all your books from Amazon. Any book without DRM can be finagled to work with a Kindle or just put directly on the Kindle and there are several places to obtain DRM free books.

Barnes and Noble (concerning above statement). ePub format with Barnes and Noble proprietary DRM. Barnes and Noble books can be read on the nook and Barnes and Noble apps. No other reader (Kindle, Sony, Kobo etc) can read a Barnes and Noble book right now. However, BN can also read Adobe Digital Editions ePub files. See below

Kobo, Pocketbook, Sony, Many others. - ePub files with Adobe Digital Editions DRM. As of this moment (soon to change) this is the format that comes from the Overdrive Public Library System. These eReaders cannot read ePub files with alternate proprietary DRM (ie Barnes and Noble, Apple). They also cannot read Kindle books. They can read from Kobo, Borders, Books on Board and several other stores.

Now all of these DRM schemes (Amazon, Barnes, Adobe Digital Editions) except for Apple iBooks can be removed. We can discuss the reasons, ethics, and legality of doing that for days. I'll just leave that to everybody else.

As for free books, these come from a couple of sources. Right now.

Library systems. Right now these are dependent on what library you belong to. By far the most popular system is Overdrive and as of this moment you need a device which will display Adobe ePub. This is due to change very soon and the books are about to become device independent. Also, another company is starting up (3M) and libraries are very interested because Overdrive is increasing their fees.

Publisher/Author Offered. If a Publisher/Author is going to offer a book for free, it will likely be free at every single store.

Store Discounted. Barnes typically runs a free book every Friday and other specials. Some good, some utter crap. Amazon heavily discounts and runs promotions where allowed. About a week ago they put about 35 books out there and last month they had a Spring/Summer sale where about 65 books were all under $4 - typically 99cents to $3.99.

 

[heatherwillmom]

I bought DH a Kindle for a couple of reasons. One, SIL has one & loves it. Two, I buy most of my books from Amazon anyway. I have the Amazon app on my Iphone. I am now thinking about getting a Kindle for DD next. DH is not very tech-savy, but he is learning

 

[Gina]

My best advice would be this: Go someplace where they have both (or make a couple of trips) and *hold* them... see which one feels better in your own hands, which one just appeals to you more. They both have the e-Ink screen, both have tons of books available, and soon both will have library lending.

I thought I wanted the Kindle, but once I played with both and held them I decided I wanted the Nook. It just felt right to me, and I liked the color of it much much better. (I went with the the original Nook which is white -- I just didn't like the dark gray.) I also didn't like all the little buttons on the Kindle, I liked the touch screen at the bottom of the Nook.

But my point is, it's a very personal choice... You have to be happy with it, and it has to feel good in your hands. I am completely in love with my Nook, moreso than I even thought I would be, and feel I made the right choice for *me* and my personal preferences. Get your hands on the different readers, and you'll be able to make the best choice for you.

 

[ndfi78]

Just an FYI, the latest Nook beats the Kindle according to Consumer Reports.

http://news.consumerreports.org/ele....html?EXTKEY=I91CONL&CMP=OTC-ConsumeristLinks

 

[solfan68]

Stop the presses ! The new Google e-Reader (produced by iRiver) will be available at Target starting this weekend. E-readers aplenty !

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

Just an FYI, the latest Nook beats the Kindle according to Consumer Reports.

http://news.consumerreports.org/ele....html?EXTKEY=I91CONL&CMP=OTC-ConsumeristLinks

I tried the new Nook. I liked the simplified design and interface. Unfortunately, once you 'turned' a page you could see the ghost of the previous page. Very annoying. I also tried the Kobo touch. Much better. Screen refreshed itself properly. I'm disappointed that neither B&N nor Borders offers the 3G in their devices.

 

[RitaE]

Stop the presses ! The new Google e-Reader (produced by iRiver) will be available at Target starting this weekend. E-readers aplenty !

And the Wall Street Journal ran an article today saying Amazon will be announcing the Amazon tablet and 2 new Kindle models in August.

 

[Bell30012]

We have both an iPad and Nook Color in my house. The Nook belongs to my DD8 who thinks it is the best thing since sliced bread. On the iPad, I have both the Nook and Kindle apps. The best of both worlds?

There is another option...

 

[lori123]

Here is the most recent review from cnet:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105...hould-you-buy/?tag=contentMain;contentBody;3n

 

[sherry7]

Free books are available for all e-readers in their respective formats. Regardless of whether you buy a Kindle or a Nook, anything you buy from Amazon or B&N will only work on the e-reader it supports.

The Kindle is lighter, smaller, has the better screen, longer battery life, and you can categorize all your books into folders. It's a better device, plain and simple. Some people get Nooks because they can read library books on them, but the library books are very limited and there are waitlists. Library books can be downloaded and read on any computer. Check your library to see what is available before you purchase an e-reader for this feature alone.

I'm in total agreement with the highlighted comment above. I've been thinking about purchasing an e-reader. I was favoring a Nook, because of being able to get free ebooks from the library. So, I checked our local library website, and discovered that they have a grand total of 68 e-books. Yep, 68. Out of those 68, only a few didn't have a wait list.

So in my case, that's definitely not going to be my deciding factor anymore. I'm still debating on whether I even want one now. For the meantime, I have both the Kindle and Nook apps on my iPad.

 

[Bell30012]

How much of a wait list for books depends on your library. Our local library doesn't do the Nook books BUT the neighboring county does. Apparently there aren't too many people using this yet because my DD8 is able to get books with ease. I am always finding her sitting and reading on it. (Or playing Angry Birds!)

 

[dahrjo]

Are their some larger libraries somewhere that you pay to belong to? Our local library is very small and the wait list for e-books is long. Any ideas?

 

[Sandy321]

Are their some larger libraries somewhere that you pay to belong to? Our local library is very small and the wait list for e-books is long. Any ideas?

Many posters on other boards (kindle boards.com for one) say they pay to belong to the Philadelphia library - it used to be $15 a year, but it went up to $35 a year - you apply online, then they mail you a library card, then you can use the overdrive.com site

I don't use this, but I've read about it on kindle boards

 

[Sandy321]

Thank you Fyrefly for the clarification. That is very helpful.

I also have a kindle - and I'd like to add to firefly's post -

calibre.com - you download this free program - and then any books that have the DRM - they will convert to the format your ereader device uses... for instance if I have a pdf file, I can convert it - then get it through to calibre, then calibre will convert it and then I can upload it to my kindle -

on the kindle question threads I've posted that I read on amazon.com kindle discussion thread - 2 threads there - 1 a poster Happy Reader daily posts all the available free books (some days there have been more than 60 available, some days only 1 or 2) She gets them from other sites, most notably ereaderiq I think... All are through amazon.com, so easy to upload,

another thread is discounted books - posters there register on other sites that monitor it (again I think its ereaderiq) and then post - I have gotten HUGE savings from that thread!!

I also am part of a very active message board community kindle boards.com - they have a book bazaar forum that does post free and bargain books, but no one is as dedicated as happy reader at amazon's kindle forums - but they highlight the indy authors...

its amazing how much I've learned, and how much we use our kindles, and I have purchased very few books at full price (my mom and dd every now and again will buy a bestseller that they want - or dd will need a book for school, and what better way to purchase a book after hours?!)

 

[Bell30012]

We pay for an out of county resident subscription to Gwinnett County, Georgia's library system. There are many larger systems that will give you an out of county subscription if you pay for it.

The more digital copies the library purchases the more that are available for checkout.

 

[horseshowmom]

I see that this thread started last year and continued into 2011.

I have a question. I just ordered a Kindle Fire and am pretty excited.

I am also going to have surgery on the 17th and am trying to get my Christmas shopping done ahead of time. One of the gifts that we're looking at is for an older relative. She does know how to use a computer (limited use) and is an avid reader. My husband and I were considering a Nook ($89) or Kindle ($79 with offers) (first editions) since we don't want to spend more than that.

I would love input from anybody who can suggest which is better (simpler). She needs something simple that will be fairly easy to check books out from libraries or get free books.

Thanks!

 

[daisyyy]

Does anyone have any thoughts on the KIndle Fire vs the Nook Tablet? I know the Nook Tablet is going to be about $50 more.. I know it doesn't do everything that a normal Ipad tablet would do, but is it enough for playing a few games, reading a few books, and checking e-mail? do you need to subscribe to a data plan for it?????