Kindle v. Nook

SilverEternity

So I'm going to be getting an e-reader for as an upcoming anniversary present but I'm quite torn on which kind to purchase. I know that I definitely want an e-ink version. My husband wants to buy me a Kindle because he thinks Amazon is a better company, but I'm really drawn to the touch screen and lending features of the Nook. I've looked at a lot of comparisons online, but I was wondering if anyone has personal experience/preferences to share. Thanks!

Fuzzy Cumulonimbus Cloud

I demoed the Nook and absolutely hated the response time on the touch screen. That is about all the experience I have.

Kendeathwalker

the nook 2, or 2nd edition. has a battery that lasts one month. I have the original nook, my girlfriend has a kindle 2. Nook 2>kindle 2>Nook.

Original nook has slow everything, slow page turn, slow touch screen. However it works fine and I dont give a shit about the nerd stats.
Kindle 2 is lighter and faster.

Havent played with nook 2.. seems like kindle 2 with longer battery. and its got some cool options like dual page view.

Elin

You can lend on the Kindle, you can lend once for 2 weeks. Also, the publisher can decide not to make the book available for lending, so not all books are lendable, Kindle will also, soon, be made available for library lending, it is in the works. Overdrive has said that every book they have available for the Nook will be available for the Kindle.

Also, I agree with your husband, Amazon is the better company. Customer service for the Kindle is off the charts amazing.

I would recommend the 3G Kindle with special offers. It's the same price as the WiFi only Kindle without offers and the special offers are the screen savers and a small banner at the bottom of the menu screen, very non-obtrusive. You never see them while reading and the offers are great. Examples are: A 20$ Amazon gift card for 10$, a Kindle book for 1$, a Roku Box for 50% off and numerous other steep discounts. And they're prompt with giving you the offer.

Thundyrkatz

My wife recently got a Nook, the new color one. She absolutely loves it. Like you said, the lending and friend list is great. Also it does things like games and web surfing. I think the thing that sold her ultimately was the wider selection through the Nook, and there is something called Free Book Fridays. Where every Friday there is a list of book, and you can have one for free. She has literally no complaints about the device.

Bagginses

Amazon has the larger library, which is a big thing. On the other hand, the Nook might accept non-proprietary formats (not sure), so there might be a better public-domain selection around the web.

JHunz

If the Nook's lending features have you excited (and they shouldn't, given the restrictions :P) you should know that Amazon introduced exactly the same system for lending out Kindle books at the beginning of the year. Library lending through Overdrive has also been announced for this year, so they'll be at total parity on that front quite soon.

You can also share all Kindle purchases on any devices registered to the same Amazon account (so if your husband had one as well, you could register them both to one of your accounts and share all your books). I don't know if a similar thing is possible with the Nook.

Edit: I'm slow, that's what I get for getting distracted and then coming back to the thread to post. Elin is right about Kindle customer service, though, it is absolutely amazing.

Wassermelone

The battery life on my Kindle 2 lasts a month or more. I just keep the wireless off when I don't need it.

Chanus

I've never used a Kindle, but I have no complaints at all about my Nook.

It does everything I need a book to do.

Elin

Thundyrkatz wrote:

My wife recently got a Nook, the new color one. She absolutely loves it. Like you said, the lending and friend list is great. Also it does things like games and web surfing. I think the thing that sold her ultimately was the wider selection through the Nook, and there is something called Free Book Fridays. Where every Friday there is a list of book, and you can have one for free. She has literally no complaints about the device.

Amazon has free books every day. There is a section under the Kindle book store called "Free Book Collections." To be fair, there are A LOT of romance novels in there but I have gotten some really good books from that. And the Bean Free Library (sci fi) has their books available for Kindle, and Project Guttenberg books either have Kindle versions or you can use Calibre (free and AWESOME) to make them into Kindle versions.

The Kindle has games and web surfing but ... they aren't that great, honestly. The Kindle is awesome as a book, not as a tablet.

And I'm not sure how the Nook is, but Amazon and Audible (e-books) work together so the Kindle is great with Audible books. Audible will send them to the Kindle via Whispernet and the sound is great.

SilverEternity

I think you have all sold me on the Kindle. Even though I've heard the Nook Color is great I really prefer e-ink to the LCD and I just want it for reading not for games, etc. My main hold-up was that library lending through Overdrive is currently supported by the Nook and not by the Kindle, but based on your posts that will soon be a non-issue. Thanks for the feedback.

Now to decide on 3G with special offers or Wi-Fi only without.

Burden of Proof

I haven't ever really regret getting the Wi-Fi version. I already have a 3G browser on my phone, and honestly, I'm not too into using the Kindle for internet anyway.

I guess it would be helpful if I really, really wanted to buy a book while out shopping or something, but I already have nearly 15 books I haven't even started yet.

Then again, it's not like the 3G version is that much more expensive. And the special offers aren't intrusive at all.

Bionic Monkey

SilverEternity wrote:

I think you have all sold me on the Kindle. Even though I've heard the Nook Color is great I really prefer e-ink to the LCD and I just want it for reading not for games, etc. My main hold-up was that library lending through Overdrive is currently supported by the Nook and not by the Kindle, but based on your posts that will soon be a non-issue. Thanks for the feedback.

Now to decide on 3G with special offers or Wi-Fi only without.

Go with the 3G w/Special Offers. The screen saver is something you'll literally look at all of 1 second every time you turn on the system, and frankly, the default screen savers suck anyway. Get the added functionality for the same cost, and who knows... you may like some of the offers.

Besides, there is a hack, at least with the standard Kindles, that lets you swap the default screen savers with custom ones. This same hack may or may not work on the SO Kindle, making the inclusion of ads pointless anyway.

ShimSham

Don't use the hack on the Kindle to change the screen. If your screen locks up in the future, they'll claim that voided the warranty and will charge you to replace it. (not the full price though)

They are awesome about replacing it in or out of warranty though. They shipped one out really quickly, and then I had a month to ship back the broken device with a prepaid label in the same box the replacement came in.

The Crowing One

Nook is an Android tablet. If you want it, go for it. Kindle is awesome for books, but it lacks in general utility vs the nook.

Chanus

The Crowing One wrote:

Nook is an Android tablet. If you want it, go for it. Kindle is awesome for books, but it lacks in general utility vs the nook.

For what it's worth, I think this only applies to the Nook Color (and it's possible that's incorrect)... though, I don't know if you can buy a non-Color Nook new anymore.

Feels Good Man

I really really love my Kindle, but I will admit that it is rather flimsy in my experience. Either I live a rough and tumble life or I treat my possessions like shit. I've sent back 2 for broken screens. One I rolled over on the bed, the other someone playfully kicked my butt pocket (the one it was in.)

they're still great though


edit: and I will note amazon's customer service is pretty outstanding.

Mitch2742

I absolutely love my Kindle but I've been hearing that the new Nook (the Nook Simple Touch) is really sweet.

MushroomStick

The fact of the matter is that they are all very nice devices and you should just find somewhere that has them all on display so you can see which one feels the best in your hands. Also, if you intend to get a case/cover/etc. check those out too.

Bionic Monkey

I'd say the glowing reviews on Amazon's customer service versus the nothing-at-all on Barnes & Noble would be another good reason to go with the Kindle.

Also, I'm not so sure about the future of brick and mortar book stores right about now, after Borders going belly up.

Chanus

Bionic Monkey wrote:

I'd say the glowing reviews on Amazon's customer service versus the nothing-at-all on Barnes & Noble would be another good reason to go with the Kindle.

Also, I'm not so sure about the future of brick and mortar book stores right about now, after Borders going belly up.

Borders went belly-up because they bought a shitload of real estate right before the bubble burst and because they invested in books instead of e-books.

Barnes and Noble isn't going to go the way of Borders any time soon.

TKid

I've had my Kindle for a while now. I've dropped it once or twice with absolutely no damage to the unit itself (my foot suffered the damage at least once). I love the thing to death.

I did a lot of playing with the Nook before I made my decision to go with the Kindle. Both the previous generation and current generation Nook just felt awkward to me, ESPECIALLY the page turn buttons. My Kindle is comfortable to hold; I've spent hours reading on it with no hand strain or general uncomfyness.

I stronnnnngly recommend the Kindle over the Nook.

Skoal Cat

Borders also put a ton into music and movies and sold their on-line service to Amazon.

MushroomStick

Skoal Cat wrote:

Borders also put a ton into music and movies and sold their on-line service to Amazon.

I walked into one of the last Borders around that's still having their store closing sale and even at 40% off, all their DVDs and Blurays cost like twice what I can get them at Bestbuy/amazon.

Skoal Cat

The liquidators own Borders now. They are completely out of the deal and have no power to set any price in those stores.

MushroomStick

Skoal Cat wrote:

The liquidators own Borders now. They are completely out of the deal and have no power to set any price in those stores.

A year ago they had the power to set prices and they were still the most expensive place in town, by a lot, so no one ever shopped there. Word 'round the block is that this particular location only made it this long because there are some pretty nasty penalties for terminating a commercial building lease early.

Aurora Borealis

I have a nook and I looove it, but I ain't gonna judge on anyone else's ereader. It's all about your personal preference and there's really nothing to do but try them out and decide for yourself.

Quid

I've been less than satisfied with my Nook's touch screen.

shadydentist

The new nook is really nice. Small, touchscreen, and faster page turns than the old nook.

Although the new kindle is nice too, so I'm pretty sure there's no real wrong decision.

billwill

Kindle > Nook, if not simply because of the e-ink screen. It really is something else.

Janson

The 2nd edition non-colour Nook can be bought new, yes. Also, the e-ink technology in the 2nd edition non-colour Nook is the same as on the Kindle. The battery life is also comparable.

The Nook supports .pdfs whereas I believe the Kindle can't.

Really, there's not much of a difference between the Kindle and the non-colour Nook. I went for the Nook purely because I liked the aesthetics better. It's slightly smaller and lighter and doesn't have the keyboard of the Kindle (which you may or may not consider a plus), so it looks a little nicer, in my opinion. This was the only real difference between the two for me.

illig

I have a kindle and love it - except for the fact that amazon only allows amazon books and pdfs on it. If you want to buy something from Google, or another store (as an example, the harry potter books which are not on amazon) you're SOL.

TKid

Janson wrote:

The 2nd edition non-colour Nook can be bought new, yes. Also, the e-ink technology in the 2nd edition non-colour Nook is the same as on the Kindle. The battery life is also comparable.

The Nook supports .pdfs whereas I believe the Kindle can't.

Really, there's not much of a difference between the Kindle and the non-colour Nook. I went for the Nook purely because I liked the aesthetics better. It's slightly smaller and lighter and doesn't have the keyboard of the Kindle (which you may or may not consider a plus), so it looks a little nicer, in my opinion. This was the only real difference between the two for me.

The Kindle does support .pdf files.

Amazon wrote:

Improved, Built-In PDF Reader
Native PDF support allows you to carry and read all of your personal and professional documents on the go.

EggyToast

Kindle doesn't recognize other stores' DRM, true, although that's true for all DRM. I mean, that's what DRM is. As far as getting things on the Kindle, it just needs to be an .azw file (such as available through Manybooks) or you use something like Calibre to convert an ePub file to .azw.

I've never had any trouble getting non-Amazon PDFs or ebooks onto my Kindle 2. PDF viewing is annoying due to the resolution (you typically have to pan around to view the whole page), but it definitely works.

I've been an advocate for the Kindle since buying one last summer. The things I like about the Kindle that aren't true for other e-readers are
1. You generally don't buy a device, but rather access to an e-book platform. So you arguably want to buy into a platform that has the most books, or the widest range of books, or seems to have the most future chance of providing books to you.
2. It's currently the most advanced e-reader that's *just* an ereader -- no touchscreen, no color screen, no extra geegaws to make it more like a tablet. I primarily read fiction, so I don't need those other bits and bobs.

That's true for me. If you're looking at reading lots of full color books, you want something like the color Nook or an iPad. If you like your gadgets to be a little more experimental, then the touchscreen offerings may be up your alley. If you primarily want to read ebooks from the library, that's not currently supported on the Kindle (supposedly coming in the future, but never buy a device for future promises -- this counts for game consoles too).

Those are the caveats as I see them.

Ketar

SilverEternity wrote:

I think you have all sold me on the Kindle. Even though I've heard the Nook Color is great I really prefer e-ink to the LCD and I just want it for reading not for games, etc. My main hold-up was that library lending through Overdrive is currently supported by the Nook and not by the Kindle, but based on your posts that will soon be a non-issue. Thanks for the feedback.

Now to decide on 3G with special offers or Wi-Fi only without.

The special offers really are good deals at times, to the point that a somewhat recent offer for something like 20% off various HDTV models on amazon.com was so popular that the one-time use codes were selling for $200+ on eBay. I also really like having the 3G, but ymmv.

kraz007

I did my research and went with Kindle (3rd gen, $139). I love the screen and the battery life.

November Fifth

It depends on your reading habits. If you have a brightly lit reading environment or like reading at the beach, the kindle is fantastic.

If want to read in dimly lit areas or in bed at night with the lights out go with the Nook color.

Burden of Proof

November Fifth wrote:

It depends on your reading habits. If you have a brightly lit reading environment or like reading at the beach, the kindle is fantastic.

If want to read in dimly lit areas or in bed at night with the lights out go with the Nook color.

It would be cheaper to get a Kindle and a lighted cover, than a Nook color.

Cabezone

Customer service is bad enough at BN that it's enough to go Kindle just for that.

DoctorArch

I love my Nook 1, but I chose it over the Kindle simply because the Kindle had no support for Oregon's E-library system. Because that will no longer be an issue, my next reader would probably be a Kindle.

JHunz

Burden of Proof wrote:

November Fifth wrote:

It depends on your reading habits. If you have a brightly lit reading environment or like reading at the beach, the kindle is fantastic.

If want to read in dimly lit areas or in bed at night with the lights out go with the Nook color.

It would be cheaper to get a Kindle and a lighted cover, than a Nook color.

And the official lighted case is fucking fantastic. Also real handy when the power goes out, because it's brighter than half my flashlights.