nook vs kindle

[Leleluvsdis]

Can anyone tell me why I should get one over the other? I have been looking at them both, but can't tell a whole lot of differences between the two. TIA

 

[RitaE]

You'll probably want to wait until tomorrow to start making comparisons. Barnes and Noble is announcing a new product tomorrow and it is strongly rumored to be a new generation of the eInk nook (likely named nook 2 according to rumor pages).

 

[soxfan11901]

My wife has a kindle which she loves. Have not used the nook, but I believe the major difference is the type of display.
The nook has a display similar to a laptop, can get a glare on the screen in the sunlight. The nook has a color display which is good if you want to download magazines.
The kindle has what they call an e-ink display which is supposed to be more like a printed page and easier on the eyes. Only black and white display, no glare in sunlight.
I would check out both in a store and see which display appeals to you more.

 

[hmgolden]

The original nook uses e-ink like the kindle. The Nook Color has the screen like a laptop.

I have a Nook, and I love it. I bought it over a year ago because at the time time, Nook had book lending, but now you can do that with Kindle as well.

I think at the end of the day, its sort of like the Canon vs. Nikon question. Its a personal preference. It all depends on which interface you like better.

 

[TrekBoy85]

Both the Original Nook and Kindle are excellent. Personally, I think the nook had a bit of a rocky start but over the course of a few software updates was improved quite a bit.

I've had my nook for almost a year and when I have the time, I Love it, although I'm really interested in getting a Kindle as well. There are some differences in the number of available books (or at least based on how many each company says they have). The current iteration of the Kindle is definitely slimmer than the eInk nook. Personally, I'd stay away from the Nook color because the major advantage of the e-readers is the e-ink...it looks just like a traditional type page with no backlight. If you want a nook color (and can stand the back-lit display, I'd say get an iPad instead (where you can read e-books from BN, Amazon, and iBooks, plus any pdfs you load onto it). You can load essentially any pdf onto the Nook, and it also utilizes a more standard e-book format, whereas the Kindle uses an Amazon proprietary format (not necessarily a bad thing). I know there are ways to get other documents and maybe convert other e-books to kindle format, but I'm not 100% sure about those. The e-ink readers have excellent battery life.

Amazon has options for 3G Kindles that are able to download books internationally whereas Nooks are only able to download over 3G in the USA. All Nooks and Kindles can connect to WiFi anywhere in the world.

I highly suggest visiting some stores that have Nooks and Kindles available. I believe Best Buy carries both of them and you can get a little bit of hands on and see which is the right one for you. I think Wal-Mart carries both as well. Obviously BN has Nooks on display and I'm pretty sure Target has Kindles.

I think that an e-reader is one of the best purchases anyone can make...over time it will save you money on books, save on paper and ink, and you can get books downloaded essentially wherever you're at (depending on WiFi or 3G capabilities. You can pre-order books and they will automatically be downloaded to your device as soon as they're released. You can also electronically subscribe to newspapers and magazines.

Have fun!

 

[puffkin]

I got a Kindle for Christmas and my co-worker got a Nook. The biggest difference between the two is the battery life. I charge mine every 4-6 weeks. My coworker has to charge hers every 2 weeks or so. We both have similar reading styles, about 30 minutes a day.

Now that the Kindle has lending (especially with library lending coming later this year) I think the Kindle has a slight edge. It is a very slight edge though, and both are great products.

 

[TrekBoy85]

I got a Kindle for Christmas and my co-worker got a Nook. The biggest difference between the two is the battery life. I charge mine every 4-6 weeks. My coworker has to charge hers every 2 weeks or so. We both have similar reading styles, about 30 minutes a day.

Now that the Kindle has lending (especially with library lending coming later this year) I think the Kindle has a slight edge. It is a very slight edge though, and both are great products.

I can definitely believe the battery life issue, especially because one of the last Nook software updates included a feature which will not only auto-hibernate the device, but shut it off eventually as well...the reason for the increased power usage is probably the Nook's color navigation screen below the e-ink display. While the color navigation screen is cool, it's probably unnecessary, and is one of the major reasons the nook is a little bigger and thicker than the Kindle.

 

[aprilgail2]

I had a kindle and liked it but I upgraded to a Nook Color and love it- I love that I can get apps and use it as a computer as well as just an ereader!

 

[pintamino]

You'll probably want to wait until tomorrow to start making comparisons. Barnes and Noble is announcing a new product tomorrow and it is strongly rumored to be a new generation of the eInk nook (likely named nook 2 according to rumor pages).

That makes sense, since this week is Book Expo America, one of the (if not THE) publishing industry's largest events.

I have a nook and an iPad. If you want the eInk, I prefer the nook classic because of the kindle's proprietary format issues. If you want backlot, I'd do the iPad which gives you a lot more power than the nook color. Just my .02

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

It will be interesting to see what B&N comes out with tomorrow. As it currently stands, the Kindle's e-ink screen is far superior to the (regular) Nook e-ink screen. Also, the Kindle 3G offers connectivity around the world... FREE. Not a feature many people will use often, but we do. In fact, my DD is currently in Tel Aviv and she uses her Kindle to check and send email for free. The connection is SO reliable, she didn't bother to bring her computer or a cell phone.

 

[TrekBoy85]

It will be interesting to see what B&N comes out with tomorrow. As it currently stands, the Kindle's e-ink screen is far superior to the (regular) Nook e-ink screen. Also, the Kindle 3G offers connectivity around the world... FREE. Not a feature many people will use often, but we do. In fact, my DD is currently in Tel Aviv and she uses her Kindle to check and send email for free. The connection is SO reliable, she didn't bother to bring her computer or a cell phone.

That is very impressive to be able to rely on it for communication like that.

The rumor this morning seems to be a stripped down e-ink nook with the e-ink pearl display with touchscreen capabilities. We'll find out in about 30 minutes.

 

[TrekBoy85]

The new Nook has been announced. It looks kind of like a shrunken iPad.

Highlights:

• Touch screen controls.
• Allegedly has a two month battery.
• e-ink Pearl screen, just like Kindle.
• Several Fonts and Font sizes.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-20065678-264.html

Actually, a little disappointed in General with this one...not having a 3G model of this version is what will hurt it the most.

 

[mychicks]

I debated between the Nook and Kindle and ended up buying a 3G Nook. I decided on the nook because the battery can be replaced without having to send it back to the company, library lending (I know it's coming to the kindle this year) and being able to go into Barnes and Noble to read and/or if I needed help. I bought a refurbished Nook from barnes and noble from ebay for $99. It is in perfect condition and came with the same one year warranty that a new one comes with - and it was half the price of the new one.

So far I really like it.

 

[AmberHeartsDisney]

I like the Kindle better because the screen looks like a book and doesnt hurt my eyes.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

I like the fact it's a touch screen, just like the Sony. I like the fact it finally got an e-ink Pearl screen (behind every other e-reader manufacturer). I like the fact it has a decent battery life. Dislike the fact there's no 3G. I hope the elimination of that color screen at the bottom means they finally eliminated the laggy interface!

The new Nook has been announced. It looks kind of like a shrunken iPad.

Highlights:

• Touch screen controls.
• Allegedly has a two month battery.
• e-ink Pearl screen, just like Kindle.
• Several Fonts and Font sizes.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-20065678-264.html

Actually, a little disappointed in General with this one...not having a 3G model of this version is what will hurt it the most.

 

[RitaE]

They dropped the replaceable battery and the small LCD screen - no big surprise on either one. The replaceable battery was totally useless as those batteries will outlast the life of the device anyway. The lcd - as said - was causing major operational bugginess and was a battery drain and needed to go.

I was surprised to see they kept the SD card slot. Especially since it doesn't have mp3 capabilities for audiobooks. I can't imagine there are many people out there who need beyond 2GB of storage for text files - even graphic intensive text files.

I kind of like the smaller form factor, but I'm just so touch screen averse. I like my buttons and keys darn it!!!!!!

I'm curious what the User Interface will look like since they are losing the "browse by covers" and if they'll have a better solution to library organization than Amazon's Collections.

 

[umaangel00]

I like the Kindle better because the screen looks like a book and doesnt hurt my eyes.

The Nook has the same screen as a Kindle. You are thinking of the Nook Color which has an LCD screen.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

Touch screens are great in theory. They are typically easy to use. I just don't care for putting my finger on my reading surface repeatedly. I can see having to carry a microfiber cloth wherever you take it. I can also see my younger DD wanting one of these. I hope they do have collections. Makes navigating my Kindle so much easier.

They dropped the replaceable battery and the small LCD screen - no big surprise on either one. The replaceable battery was totally useless as those batteries will outlast the life of the device anyway. The lcd - as said - was causing major operational bugginess and was a battery drain and needed to go.

I was surprised to see they kept the SD card slot. Especially since it doesn't have mp3 capabilities for audiobooks. I can't imagine there are many people out there who need beyond 2GB of storage for text files - even graphic intensive text files.

I kind of like the smaller form factor, but I'm just so touch screen averse. I like my buttons and keys darn it!!!!!!

I'm curious what the User Interface will look like since they are losing the "browse by covers" and if they'll have a better solution to library organization than Amazon's Collections.

 

[dhardawa]

I bought the Nook over the Kindle. I compared the two side by side and the displays were identical. I don't care what kind of backend software they use, the end result is the same. I chose the Nook because I didn't want to be locked into buying everything from Amazon. The Nook uses ePub format which is the generic format everyone other than Amazon is using.

I was able to download some scripts online and can strip the DRM encryption from the Kindle books and reformat them to ePub so I can buy from anyone.

 

[RitaE]

I bought the Nook over the Kindle. I compared the two side by side and the displays were identical. I don't care what kind of backend software they use, the end result is the same. I chose the Nook because I didn't want to be locked into buying everything from Amazon. The Nook uses ePub format which is the generic format everyone other than Amazon is using.

I was able to download some scripts online and can strip the DRM encryption from the Kindle books and reformat them to ePub so I can buy from anyone.

DRM can be just as easily removed from Barnes and Noble and Adobe ePub to put on the Kindle devices. I buy my books all over the place and put them on all my devices.

It's easier just to get the plug-in versions for Calibre though and have it done automatically as you load the books in.