Kindle or something else?

[Pilot]

Planning on giving my wife an ebook reader for Christmas. Seems like there are several kinds out there, the most well known being the Kindle.

If you have a reader, what do you have, how do you like it, what do you like and not like about it?

 

[bota7800]

Planning on giving my wife an ebook reader for Christmas. Seems like there are several kinds out there, the most well known being the Kindle.

If you have a reader, what do you have, how do you like it, what do you like and not like about it?

We have an iPad and a Nook. The iPad is, of course, more expensive and more versatile but, as a reader, I like the Nook. It has a pleasant screen to look at for long periods. You need some ambient light with the Nook but not with the iPad. We use both of them quite a bit.

Check ebook prices, Barnes and Noble is sometimes a little cheaper, I think, and has a good selection. Books on the Apple site (native for the iPad reader) are pricier but there are free apps to emulate Nook, Kindle, and Borders readers on the iPad. We use the Nook reader on the iPad.

Another thing to consider is that Kindle uses a proprietary format, Nook and others use ePub. That may or not matter to you.

I have not looked at the new NookColor.

 

[Obed]

Planning on giving my wife an ebook reader for Christmas. Seems like there are several kinds out there, the most well known being the Kindle.

If you have a reader, what do you have, how do you like it, what do you like and not like about it?

My mother-n-law has a kindle and likes it. It works fine if all you want to buy books from Amazon and read them. However, it has some limitations that made it unsuited for my needs. 1. According to my MIL, you can't browse the internet without paying Amazon a monthly fee, even if you have access to WIFI. 2. You may not be able to download and read the thousands of free classics available on Gutenburg.org.

I have an Android smartphone and read books on it and love it. If I wanted a larger format e-reader, I'd consider one of the new Android tablets. With the tablet you can read books, browse the web using your home wifi, send e-mail, listen to music, watch U-tube videos, and many other functions available to a full blown computer. You could also buy a low end I-Pad. I like the Android OS because it doesn't lock you down to Apple.

Obed

 

[ronjhall]

Another thread running on the same subject.
E Book readers

 

[Ken45101]

My wife and I have iPads and love them. As mentioned, you do not need ambient light, you can read in the dark. Maybe not so good if you read in bright daylight outside. Many of the other reader need ambient light.

The great thing about the iPad is that it can deal with all of the sources so you have many places to get books instead of being tied to one source.

Of course it also works as a general computer, internet, email, etc.

Ken

 

[jinman]

My daughter sells Kindles in her eBay store. My SIL told me he's thinking of getting her an Android for Christmas. Hmmm...what does that say?

 

[Wooddust]

Bought my wife an Ipad. Its incredible. We have Apple TV...costs 99 bucks and her Ipad is the remote for almost everything. We can listen to music thats on my computer on the surround sound using Apple TV and her Ipad plus she can download books from Itunes, Barnes and Noble, Amazon....wherever.

 

[yankeerider]

My daughter sells Kindles in her eBay store. My SIL told me he's thinking of getting her an Android for Christmas. Hmmm...what does that say?

I don't think it says anything in particular. I have a Kindle and love it. But I don't carry my Kindle with me 24/7. With my Android smartphone i can pick up reading any book i have on my Kindle at exactly the page I was at on the Kindle. Later that day, if i pick up my Kindle, it will tell me that i was last at the page i read to on my Android phone, and ask if I want to go there!

That's wonderful when i drive my wife someplace for "just a minute" and I'm waiting in my truck because she ran into someone she knows and started talking.

I have downloaded free books from sources other than Amazon for it. Not sure if it was Gutenberg or not. IIRC correctly, the "proprietary" format isn't- it's the same as another popular format-mobi I think.

 

[ronjhall]

My daughter sells Kindles in her eBay store. My SIL told me he's thinking of getting her an Android for Christmas. Hmmm...what does that say?

Not sure that says anything. Having a smart-phone does not make it a e-reader.

 

[Dargo]

As I mentioned in the other thread, I was right on the verge of buying my wife a Kindle last year when I learned that you have to buy the books. Screw that. My wife reads 5 to 7 books a week!! With a Nook, she plugs it into her laptop, logs into our local public library and downloads 10 books and is all set in about 5 minutes. Best of all, I've not paid one single penny for any book and she has been able to get all the newest releases no problem.

I have a Samsung Epic phone and an iPhone. After having an iPhone since the day they came out, I'm surprised to say that, IMHO, the Samsung Epic blows the iPhone 4 away big time. Sure I can use the Epic for reading books just like a backlight Nook, but the screen is far too small to consider it for reading a book. I do download audio books and listen to them most every night from the public library as well. Most play on the iPhone, but it gets some books all screwed up and you'll go from chapter 6 to chapter 20. The Epic running the Android OS doesn't seem to have that problem neither does the el cheapo Sansa MP3 player I bought 3 or 4 years ago.

Anyway, after looking at all involved, I am amazed at how well advertising has worked for Kindle. My wife and I both are far happier with the Nook she has used literally every day for almost a complete year now.

 

[yankeerider]

...Anyway, after looking at all involved, I am amazed at how well advertising has worked for Kindle. My wife and I both are far happier with the Nook she has used literally every day for almost a complete year now.

It's a good thing that nowadays you can probably try both out locally before purchase. I went to Barnes and Noble and tested a Nook before buying my Kindle. The page turning was too slow on the Nook and I found the small color screen distracting. I also waited until the Ipad was introduced-didn't want that because for reading E-ink is way more comfortable than a backlit display.

 

[blackie65]

My mother-n-law has a kindle and likes it. It works fine if all you want to buy books from Amazon and read them. However, it has some limitations that made it unsuited for my needs. 1. According to my MIL, you can't browse the internet without paying Amazon a monthly fee, even if you have access to WIFI. 2. You may not be able to download and read the thousands of free classics available on Gutenburg.org.

I have an Android smartphone and read books on it and love it. If I wanted a larger format e-reader, I'd consider one of the new Android tablets. With the tablet you can read books, browse the web using your home wifi, send e-mail, listen to music, watch U-tube videos, and many other functions available to a full blown computer. You could also buy a low end I-Pad. I like the Android OS because it doesn't lock you down to Apple.

Obed

The Nook Color has similar features for $250

 

[Jagmandave]

I bought my wife one of the very first Nooks last Xmas and so far she absolutely loves it, and in fact prefers it to "real" books now because it's easier to read....she also reads a fair number of books a week.

That's great to learn about being able to download books from the library, but how does that work? Do they go *poof* after so many days, or can you keep them "forever"?

 

[Dargo]

It's a good thing that nowadays you can probably try both out locally before purchase. I went to Barnes and Noble and tested a Nook before buying my Kindle. The page turning was too slow on the Nook and I found the small color screen distracting. I also waited until the Ipad was introduced-didn't want that because for reading E-ink is way more comfortable than a backlit display.

I suppose that's why there are several on the market. At the rate my wife reads, a Kindle would have cost me 10k by now. LOL When my wife pushes the button to change the page, other than not having useless graphics of looking like a page is turning, I cannot see where 3/10 of a second or so is an issue. It can't be much of an issue with the volume of books she reads. I suppose if you read more than 10 books a week, it might make a difference. There again, when I looked at a friend's Kindle, I can't say I noticed any difference in the page speed. Makes no difference to me what anyone buys. I'm only reporting what I can say is a fact from observing a heavily used Nook. I would think an iPad would look the best but, personally, I just don't get the whole iPad thing.

 

[Dargo]

I bought my wife one of the very first Nooks last Xmas and so far she absolutely loves it, and in fact prefers it to "real" books now because it's easier to read....she also reads a fair number of books a week.

That's great to learn about being able to download books from the library, but how does that work? Do they go *poof* after so many days, or can you keep them "forever"?

My wife did all that research for me. I just paid for it. I think they told her at our public library that if she bought a Nook, she should just bring it by and they'd show her how to get to their website and download the books. I think she gets 21 days just like if she borrowed a physical book. If she hasn't read the book in that time (which has never happened), she can just renew the book. After the time, they are deleted. If she ever wants to read the book again, she just "borrows" it again.

This is the only legal way to read books free according to our public library without violating copyright laws. You can't "own" a book you never paid for. The way my wife reads, I have no desire to spend several thousand dollars a year on books just to say I "own" them. It works great for us. Obviously, as you can read, other people prefer to buy and "own" their book. Surprisingly enough, when I looked into this method, electronic books were not any less expensive than buying the physical book. The same goes for my audio books. They are crazy expensive to buy. I like to electronically "borrow" them. I can't lose them, tear them up or ever pay a late fee that way. I suppose it's whatever you prefer.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

Planning on giving my wife an ebook reader for Christmas. Seems like there are several kinds out there, the most well known being the Kindle.

If you have a reader, what do you have, how do you like it, what do you like and not like about it?

I just downloaded the Kindle software for my Blackberry and my PC. I really like the WhisperSync feature that puts you on the same page across platforms.

For some strange reason, the downloaded software won't read the Kindle format on Gutenberg.org, but it reads the freeware MobiPocket .prc format just fine. I like it so much that I plan to get the WiFi only Kindle fairly soon.

The Gutenberg Project is kind of obscure to find books. There is a much more usable free book front end at ManyBooks.net - Ad-free eBooks for your iPad, smartphone, or eBook reader.

 

[ShenandoahJoe]

Reading this right now on an iPad. I really like the iBooks app, combined with free ePub books from google. I'm working my way through all kinds of old farming textbooks, and it's easy to keep reading for a couple of hours at a stretch. The battery lifetime isn't as long as on a Kindle.

Irrelevant, but for what it's worth, the TBN iPad app is one of the best I've used.

 

[jinjimbob]

You can use the Amazon-Kindle software on other devices too.
I have the Nook software also, loaded on my ipod.

I don't know what is happening with the Nook, as Barnes and Noble is getting bought out by Borders.

 

[Pilot]

In a visit to Good Guys I learned a few things. The Sony & nook are pretty comparable and they get the fewest returns on those and Kindles. They have a couple other brands that they get all the returns on. One sales person says even on those they get very few.

What bothered me most was the batteries. Good Guys wants $120-140 for the batteries and $80 to install. That makes the devices a throw away item when the battery goes. I don't like the idea of spending $250 and tossing it in 3 years.

At Office Depot a gal turned me toward an Archos 7 Tablet. Looked like it does everything the ereaders do and more for $179 and easy battery replacement. I'll be looking into it some more.

 

[jinjimbob]

What bothered me most was the batteries. Good Guys wants $120-140 for the batteries and $80 to install. That makes the devices a throw away item when the battery goes. I don't like the idea of spending $250 and tossing it in 3 years.

A lithium battery can be recharged between 500 and 1000 times before its life starts to get shorter. With these mono e-Ink devices last for 2 weeks on each charge, thats atleast 20 years before the battery needs to be replaced...... and by then the books will implanted in our cerebral cortex.