Sunday, July 24, 2011

Kindle versus Nook?








 Vs.





We bought our daughter a Kindle for her birthday and I'm using it while she finishes her hard copy books.  So far, it has two books on it: Shrink Rap (because my husband bought it for his iPad and it magically appeared on the Kindle, perhaps because they are all linked to my Amazon account) and Slaughterhouse 5-- her summer reading.  So, Billy Pilgrim, Kilgore Trout, Roland Weary and a bunch of Tralfamadorians are taking a walk down memory lane.  It's light, it's easy, it's portable, and I'm addicted to screens.  I'd kind of like to turn the pages with a touch screen, and how do I get the print a little larger for when the lighting is low (oy, I've hit that age)?  So, Kindle versus Nook: if you're done the comparison, do let me know....

15 comments:

jesse said...

Dinah, you left the iPad out of the comparison. Why is that? I for one find the iPad hugely useful for many things, and do have multiple books on it.

sent from my iPad

Dinah said...

Jesse:
iPad is not in the running--- I prefer my MacBook. The iPad is much more expensive than a Kindle, it's heavier and not as comfortable to hold. It's a lot more than I need in an e-Reader.

Anonymous said...

Kindle has WAY more medical texts- huge advantage there.

BUT the Nook has a 'lending' feature - if you finish an awesome book and want to let a friend read it, you can lend it to them. (As long as they also have a Nook, of course).

The lending feature is kind of a total winner unless you plan on using medical textbooks, in my opinion. (My boyfriend has a Nook, I have a Kindle.)

Sarebear said...

If we ever get any money after hubby gets a job, an e-reader is something I want. But because being able to check out e-books from the library is important to me, that knocks out the Kindle right away; you can't do that, you can only use Kindle books that you buy (well I think there might be free ones that are out of copyright, like The Woman in White.)

The Nook will use obviously not the Kindle format files, it can use several types of files, including the type used by libraries to lend out.

For me, the little I've looked into it, I'd probably go with the non-color Nook, as the e-ink screen is easier on the eyes over time than the color screen.

I have played with an aunt's Kindle and found it very neat; I think there might be something on it where you can make it larger text but I'm not sure. Maybe that was on a different e-reader I was reading about.

But since I read for hours at a time often, the easier on the eyes thing means not a color one (although I do have some digital versions of magazines on my computer, I do not know if they are of a file type that can be used on certain e-readers, and those might only be the color ones).

So, you know, since I've only ever handled the Kindle I can't really review them, but just giving the info I've researched and why I want the features I want or don't want.

Anonymous said...

Both would be a waste of money. Wait until they can embed a teeny chip in your body that will be able to wirelessly deliver anything ever written, direct to your brain. It will so tiny that you can inhale it in a nasal mist and it will attach itself to your brain's "reading sensors". Nothing to carry around or drop. You could be sleeping and have content continuously loaded into your brain. If you really cannot wait, Kindle has text to speech so you do not have to read at all. It will do it for you. That is a boon for the busy professional.
I hear that Simon and Garfunkel are re-writing the lyrics of I am a Rock: I have me nooks and my poetry to protect me. See the difference that one letter makes?
The cloud cometh, the cloud is here. Dark and overhanging.
LSD

Anonymous said...

Hi Dinah,
I read often but am generally reluctant to comment. (I'm making an exception this time, since I am totally enamored of my Kindle and always eager to sing its praises!)

Anyway, you may have stumbled across this by now, but in case not... To make the screen text bigger on Kindle, just press the 'Aa' button (located between the space bar and the 'home' key). It's pretty self-explanatory from there.

Dinah said...

Anon: I had not found the Aa key--Thank you!

Anonymous said...

Dinah,

I have both a Kindle and a Nook (the original non-color Nook). I very rarely touch my Nook. I personally find the Kindle to be far more user friendly, less "buggy", the battery lasts much longer on my Kindle, and I just generally like the Kindle more. Just my opinion. I would have been totally happy with my Nook if I had never gotten a Kindle. I think anyone could be very happy with either. Just the Kindle is my personal preference. Happy Reading!

Crissy said...

Nook! The Nook and Kindle are very similar but one of the standout differences is the ability to check out e-books from the library and read them on a Nook. I love having access to so many FREE books (but not having to make time for an actual trip to the library). For me, personally, I have the regular b&w version...great ability to read anywhere including high sun/glare situations (think car line waiting to pick daughter up from school, outside while she's a sports practices, by the pool, beach, etc). However, I am considering getting my daughter one of the newer Nook Color with the touch screen for Christmas. I'm thinking it will be a reasonably inexpensive compromise and give her combined functions of a Nook and some iPad type features (apps, internet, etc). Both are things that she thinks she wants but she is only six years old, afterall.

Anonymous said...

Neither? I have a generic Android (v2.1) tablet with WiFi, which runs the Overdrive Media Console, which means I can borrow Adobe ePubs from the local library; and I use desktop software (Calibre) to convert any and all ebooks I actually purchase into ePub format for the (non-corporate) reader software on my tablet.

Both Barnes and Noble and Amazon have published free Android apps (called, cleverly, "nook" and "kindle") for accessing their bookstores and reading your purchases.

So there's some "transparencty" there - you can deal with multiple bookstores on one device. Of course, all the Android tablets are LCD and not e-ink. So if e-ink is super-important (and people do love it) it's hard to argue against Kindle, which can be had for as little as $114 (in its ad-supported version).

Sunny CA said...

Kindle. I LOVE my Kindle. I bought the Kindle DX first, 3 years ago, the one with the larger screen because I thought at that time bigger might be better. Bigger was heavier, and I just bought a new "regular sized" Kindle in May. For each of those I bought the Kindle-Amazon brand leather cover. The cover I got this time is the cover with built-in light (mine is hot pink which is gorgeous!!) which is awesome because you can read in pitch black without disturbing anyone which will be great on an airplane.

I am open to another e-reader so I spent a long time at Barnes and Noble talking to the representative for Nook and playing with a Nook. The Nook is not intuitive AT ALL. The Kindle, on the other hand, I find extremely intuitive and user friendly.

Tips:
I downloaded the Kindle app for my smartphone so I can read any book anytime I have just my phone with me. Sometimes I read a book in a grocery line.

You can download the Kindle app for your computer and bypass the reading device if there is a reason for that... such as perhaps you are at work, have an hour free and left your Kindle at home.

Aa button: I adjust my typesize for each book I start as the downloaded books do not necessarily come with the same "starting" font. You also can adjust typeface, line spacing, margin width. I ALWAYS set my screen to vertical because I hate the screen rotating if I lean too far over in my chair.

FREE BOOKS:
Best out of copyright books. Use tab for nonfiction list once you are on the novels page:
http://www.bygosh.com/thebestnovels.htm

Free Kindle books:
http://ireaderreview.com/2008/01/19/free-books-for-the-amazon-kindle/

Kindle/Amazon free books link, currently with 38,923 FREE books:

http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&node=154606011&redirect=true&p_36=0-0

In addition, go to "Shop in Kindle Store" on the Kindle device then click "Kindle Daily Post" and look at the END of the Kindle daily post for bargain books for $1.99, $2.99. It is AMAZING how many free or very cheap books I have gotten because Famous authors give away the first in a series to entice the reader to buy more in the series, plus new books that hit the market are often free or very cheap for a week or 2 to build an online rating. then they go to full price.

Be sure not to miss the "DOWNLOAD A SAMPLE" feature on Kindle. I start with a sample of most full priced books I buy because it save me from buying a "dog" I will never read. Also, be patient when you have clicked once to read about a book you are interested in buying. If it is slow to upload and you push twice, you just bought the book. They will reverse the sale, but you are on the phone for a while.

"Free Books for Your Kindle" by Bufo Calvin is a cheap book I bought to find more free books.

Free books your daughter might like:

The Counterpane Fairy by Katherine Pyle

The Complete Wizard Of Oz by L. Frank Baum

The Rainbow Fairy Tale Book (all twelve books with links to each story) (Folktale Collection) by Andrew Lang

Anderson's Fairy Tales, H.C. Anderson

Grimm's Fairy Stories, Jacob Grimm

Celtic Fairy Tales, by Joseph Jacobs

Jane Austen and Charles Dickens and Rudyard Kipling books

I downloaded free "Pennsylvania Dutch Cooking" which I am enamored of because it reproduces almost identically the German cuisine cooked by my mother and grandmother.

Dinah said...

I love this blog. You peeps are the best!

Anonymous said...

I just use my tablet (an Acer, not an iPad). My tablet was only slightly more expensive at $450, but has far more uses than just being an ereader. As an ereader, it's great! I can use the amazon app, download things through the android market, read PDF's and other document formats. Very handy.

Sunny CA said...

Kindle has book lending now also:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200549320

pcalico said...

When it comes to Kindle vs Nook, I choose iPad-- much better for aging eyes.

Kindle has free software for reading their books on the Mac, btw.