Kindle vs. Nook

[StaggerLee]

My friend is selling me hard on the nook. He says another feature that the nook has that Kindle doesn't have is e-pub support. Basically, e-pub is your public library. So, what he told me is that you can "check out" books from your public library and get them sent to your nook.

And he keeps hammering home that the nook is backed by B&N so it has twice as big of a selection of books as Amazon does right now.

I don't know, I'm still kind of torn. I'm leaning towards nook, because I can physically purchase it at the local B&N and I can physically bring it into B&N if it's giving me problems. If I get a Kindle, I have to order it online and any servicing will also have to be done that method.

 

[21]

I had a small screen problem after I dropped my kindle and they just sent me a new one.

Can you order and get books via wireless on the Nook? I thought you had to sync up to a computer, maybe not.

 

[StaggerLee]

I had a small screen problem after I dropped my kindle and they just sent me a new one.

Can you order and get books via wireless on the Nook? I thought you had to sync up to a computer, maybe not.

Nook has two versions, one with wifi ($149) and one with wifi + 3G ($199). Both you can hard-wire to your computer also for updates, etc.

I think the very first one they released didn't have wifi, and that's probably why nook isn't the "household name" for e-readers yet. B&N rushed out the nook in response to the Kindle and they botched it up early on. But it seems like they've fixed the problems and surpassed Kindle, at least as far as features.

 

[Moderator1]

My wife wants a bicycle and an e-reader for her birthday. I can (and will) get her both for the price of an iPad.

I'm following this closely, not sure which one I'll get (the reader, not the bike, though I don't really have a clue there either)

 

[Boom_70]

My wife wants a bicycle and an e-reader for her birthday. I can (and will) get her both for the price of an iPad.

I'm following this closely, not sure which one I'll get (the reader, not the bike, though I don't really have a clue there either)

Seems like a can't lose decision between Nook and Kindle from what I've read here.

Would defiantly go with 3G version based on my experience .

Nothing you need to do other than turning on to get your subscriptions anywhere you are.

 

[accguy]

21, you can download a book or magazine purchased from BN on wireless on the Nook. If you want to "check out" an ebook from your library, that will require computer hookup.

I kind of feel like it is a can't lose as well. There are a couple of things that each does better than the other.

 

[Moderator1]

We spent some time in a local B&N today, got a good look at the Nook.

I threw the question out to my Facebook community. Someone said B&N has discontinued production and B&N is up for sale??

Anyway, seems like six of one half dozen of the other.

Nook is 10 bucks more, holds a lot less and is a smidge heavier. But, they say, it has more titles available. And you can "share" with friends for two weeks, which my wife really likes. And you can take it to a B&N for service or if there's a problem (which may not be the case if B&N gets sold?)

The version with 3G is 50 bucks more but I see zero reason to spend that. "Well," the woman said, "if your wife is on the beach and wants to download a book ***" She can download from LOTS of places before she hits the beach and can probably poach a wifi signal from there. What other reason would you need 3G? I'd rather use that 50 on some books.

You can't use your B&N discount card on the Nook or on any NookBooks.

We lean heavily toward Nook right now but the birthday is 19 days away.

 

[Hank_Scorpio]

Moddy, They may be getting B&N confused with Borders. Borders is the one that has been near bankruptcy twice and had three CEOs in as many years.

 

[Moderator1]

Good. I mean, not for Borders. I like Borders. But Borders doesn't have the Nook.

When I try to hit a bookstore on the road, I like to find a Borders. There's not the sameness to them that there is with B&N. At home it's almost always B&N. Three are closer to the ranch than the only Borders in town.

 

[swenk]

Sorry to say, it's B&N. Hopefully they'll be acquired by friendly investors, if they do decide to sell. Like the newspaper business, bookselling is a train wreck.

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-08-04/barnes-noble-mulls-sale-under-pressure-from-burkle.html

 

[Hank_Scorpio]

I did a quick google search and found this.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/04/business/media/04barnes.html


That does say they are up for sale (article is dated Aug. 3), but says nothing about the Nook being discontinued. In fact, it says B&N is planning to open up 1000 foot boutiques in their stores in September to help promote it.

 

[Boom_70]

I think 3G is worth it just for the subscriptions. They load automatically - nothing you need to do. No need to try to find a WIFI connection and sign in.

 

[Moderator1]

I have wifi at home, don't need to go far to find it. Can't remember the last time I was at a place that had NO wifi. It's everywhere, even in the air.

 

[21]

I have wifi at home, don't need to go far to find it. Can't remember the last time I was at a place that had NO wifi. It's everywhere, even in the air.

So you're sitting at the beach on some Caribbean island, 100 pages into the book you planned to read all week on vacation....and you just hate the book. You want a different book. But no wifi on the beach! You are stuck! With a bad book!!

Or you subscribe to the AP Sports or NYT News updates. Brett Favre could retire and you'd never know.

You need to think about these things. 8)

Just saying, the kindle does such cool things, seems a waste to not take advantage.

 

[Moderator1]

I'll have a full head of hair before The Queen goes anywhere with just ONE book. She's seriously worried that a 1,500 book capacity may not be enough.

 

[21]

In that case, here's one more suggestion I wish I had known before: You can register your kindles together, so you can have access to the same materials. Something like that. So instead of buying two New Yorker subscriptions, or two copies of the same book, Boom and I could have bought one and had it sent to two different kindles registered to the same account.

Has anyone done that? You manage it from the website, allegedly very easy to do.

 

[Moderator1]

That's the type of thing she wants to do with our daughter - I'd love to hear more about that.
(daughter is getting one, too, as a Christmas present)

 

[StaggerLee]

I'll have a full head of hair before The Queen goes anywhere with just ONE book. She's seriously worried that a 1,500 book capacity may not be enough.

If that's the case, then go with the nook. The nook allows for external memory so you could basically double that to 1500. Kindle only has the internal memory.

I just went count all the books I own and I thought I had a pretty big collection and I only have in the 200s. I seriously doubt I could ever get to 1500 books, but I've heard people who get an e-reader say their reading picks up simply because they have an e-reader.

 

[Iron_chet]

I have bought more books since I got my Ipad, it's just so darn easy.

 

[Boom_70]

Good article in NYT that compares Kindle to I pad

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/08/business/08digi.html?scp=2&sq=kindle&st=cse