Been researching and praying I get one! To me, the biggest advantage to the NOOK is the ability to get free e-books from public libraries. Wake County has e-books, Johnston does not. You can't get public library e-pubs with the Kindle.
Just ordered a Kindle after 2 weeks of research. I was wishy washy til I went and handled and tried them both. Kindle was more user friendly to me. Your mileage may vary. 8)
Most news services indicate that the Kindle will be the Betamax of ereaders. In that the Kindle is closed to outside sources.
This is why my wife bought a nook. We have checked out several books from the library. The kindle has the better display of the 2, but they are both very nice. I plan on getting my own nook for Christmas (hopefully).
I know someone who has an iPad. How do I give them a gift card that would work for downloading books? I don't know much about iPads but supposedly you can read books on them like a Kindle or Nook.
I got my hubby the Kindle for Christmas! here is a good comparison article: http://news.cnet.com/kindle-vs-nook-vs-ipad-which-e-book-reader-should-you-buy
I have asked for the Kindle for a couple reasons.. In the reviews that I read it said the Nook had a screen more like a PC so I didnt want to be looking at a pc screen all day at work then at night when I am reading.. Also it said the nook moved a little more slower with refresh times and scrolling (this is suppose to be fixed in the Nook Color) the Kindle can be synced (sp) with other devices so you can get your book on your pc, phone etc.. (I heard nook would be able to do this sometime in the future just not yet) This is what I thought made the difference for me, but like others said, read the reviews, go look at them and I am sure you will be happy with your choice!
with an iPad they can download ebooks so you might want to try doing a search for ebooks and get them a gift card for that site... Be sure they are compatible for the iPad, amazon might have both, ebooks for just the kindle and then ebooks for other devices!!
We noticed a big difference in the page turn times. Even if it is obsolete in a couple years, I can pass it on to DS and I'm sure he can enjoy it for a while too. For the price, I can deal. BTW, my BIL told me about a website called ioffer.com where you can download ebooks for very little $$. I was suprised at the selection of new releases. There are a couple new books out right now I would normally purchase in hardcover but am waiting til Christmas for my Kindle!! :hurray:
here's another website for freebies for Kindle (if you scroll down, they are listed by category. there are over a million library books for free!!) http://www.archive.org/details.php?identifier=texts
I'm not sure how the nook looks but the kindle's screen is AMAZING. it looks like an actual page from a book... not the glaring computer screen you get on something like an ipad. My version is a year old and i love it.. i could only imagine how great the newer versions are! downside... they need to expand their library. I have a lot of classics and educational books, but there are a lot not-so-popular books i've wanted but arent on it. But if you're going for popular books or classics or magazine/newspaper/blog subscriptions you shouldnt be disappointed at all.
If borrowing books from the library is important to you, then get something other than a kindle (nook, sony, ipad, whatever). We're a heavy users of the Wake County library, and I wanted to be able to use their e-book service. I picked up a Sony e-reader pocket edition a few months ago when Target was closing them out for $75. Works great with the library and with the new Google e-book store. The display is a bit small and page turns take about a second, but I'm willing to put up with it for the cost. I bought a 2nd generation Kindle for my wife last summer, and she _loves_ it. She's a very literary reader (advanced degree in English), and has trouble finding the things she wants to read in local bookstores or the library, so the Kindle is a godsend. The kindle's display is slightly larger, and the page turn time is a bit better than my sony. Both have e-ink displays -- text looks very natural.
I'm supposed to get a Kindle for Christmas, but bought a Nook in the meantime and been using it for the last two months. Just finishing an 800 page book. I think the displays are both Pearl, so I don't think there's any readability difference. Kindle has more magazines and newspapers available. The nook handles EPUB files, so I've already got 700 books. The Kindle uses the MOBI format for open e-books, but it's not as popular. The nook's page turn button is a little hard to push. PDFs are way too hard to read, navigate, search, and convert on the tiny screens of the nook and Kindle 3. So, don't hold out high hopes for that. I recommend the program Calibre. It's basicall iTunes for an e-reader. You can convert between epub and mobi. PLUS, PLUS!! It will download the news from popular news sites automatically via RSS Feeds, so there's no paying for newspapers on any e-reader! It automatically downloads and then updates my nook and I connect it with such feeds as: CNN, Wired, The Consumerist, AP News, The Onion, The News&Observer. You can even make your own news "recipes" for custom sites. It's not perfect. I think it's still in alpha testing, but the news is free, the program is free, I don't have to be constantly connected to the internet, and It's easier to read than on a computer.
Thanks everyone, for the input. I just purchased the Nook at Best Buy...went with the bundle package. The Kindle on display was messed up, so I was never able to try that. This is for my dad who is an avid reader. I think he'll be happy with it. Thanks again and Merry Christmas!
Gee, all our books look like books and can go 127 years without recharging I am amused by your conversations. The Cleveland Library recently received a book of Longfellow poetry that was printed in 1883 and it is still readable in its original format, without recharging. We are allowed to share it with the public and could choose to do it for free as long as donations come in to pay for our operating costs, just like all other libraries you mentioned. There have been copyright discussions about the Kindle and Google and E-book library loans, which is why I haven't rushed out to promote the E-books, besides the costs. I might imagine, but haven't asked, that Johnston County has budget issues with the NC Live costs, blocking that source of E-books. If someone wants to work with us to develop E-book library service, I would welcome the help. Meanwhile I will continue organizing the 100,000+ books and movies we already have. Want to help?
I bought a Kindle for my mom today for her birthday. I couldn't decide between that or the Nook. I hope I made the right choice for her.:?
