# Kindle or Nook?



## Indiana627

My wife's birthday is in 2 weeks and she wants an e-reader. She asked for the Nook since all we need is the wi-fi as 3G would be a waste (terrible cell phone coverage at our house). The wi-fi only Nook is $149. Now is see the wi-fi only Kindle is coming out for $139 - but not until 2 weeks after her birthday. So my question is: should I get the Nook she asked for, or wait and get her the new Kindle when it comes out?

Her sister has a Kindle, and I'm wondering if I got the Kindle for my wife, would they be able to share books, with only one of them having to buy and download the book - just like they used to with paperbacks? I assume if I buy her the Nook, they definitely won't be able to share books between Nook and Kindle. Does anybody know if Nooks can share books between them?

Anything else I should know about either device?

Thanks.


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## tenholde

I have a kindle, so I'm probably prejudiced, but the reviews I've read of the newest kindle puts it solidly ahead of the nook (speed was one item).

As far as sharing books among kindles, you would need to register both kindles to the same Amazon account (you can register up to 6 to one account), which would mean using the same credit card for all book purchases.

tenholde


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## FHSPSU67

Kindle owner here, too. When I was deciding on the Kindle 2, books were slightly less from Amazon. Don't know if that's still true.


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## Stuart Sweet

I would wait for the kindle. I like being able to use kindle books on the iPhone and pc as well as pm the device.


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## mhendrixsr

Kindle would be my preference too. Started with the original Kindle and went on to the second generation model... acquiring quite a library along the way. Its a nice reading device as long as you don't mind the need for a light source. I only use it at home (only b/c I hate carrying stuff) but use the Kindle app on my iPhone as well as the iPad. I like the fact that the apps keep all 3 devices synced so I can pick up where I left off on any of the 3 devices. Lately I admit that I've started reading more at home on the iPad but find myself going back to the kindle when buying/searching/reading samples of new books just b/c it's an easier process. Initially I felt that backlit devices were harder on my eyes but I've found the increased screen size of the iPad a more pleasant reading experience (and I can dim the backlight slightly). For the $$ involved, I think the Kindle is the better idea.


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## Marlin Guy

I bought the nook for my wife last Christmas and she loves it.

She can check books out from the library online for free, and it reads open source materials and formats. So books can be downloaded from other soureces as well.
She can also share some books with others and with the nook app on her Droid phone.
There is no physical keyboard to take up space, so it's clean and neat in appearance.
It also now features a basic web browser.

I don't know much about the Kindle, but I didn't like the proprietary formats on it.


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## Stuart Sweet

You can read any book in PDF format on the kindle and as far as open sour e you can read anything from Gutenberg.org on it as well. There are some formats it can't read, though.


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## Indiana627

tenholde said:


> As far as sharing books among kindles, you would need to register both kindles to the same Amazon account (you can register up to 6 to one account), which would mean using the same credit card for all book purchases.


If the Kindles are registered to one account, is there then any limitation to sharing? Like number of books or how long they can be shared?


Stuart Sweet said:


> I would wait for the kindle. I like being able to use kindle books on the iPhone and pc as well as pm the device.


B&N does have software for smartphones and PC/Mac so she could read the book from multiple sources (though I doubt she would - her Blackberry screen is way to small for that much reading).

What do you mean by 'pm the device?'


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## Marlin Guy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EPUB


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## koji68

Our family decided on the Nook. We are all readers and often traded books. The lend feature in the Nook allows us to keep doing this.


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## Mike Bertelson

tenholde said:


> I have a kindle, so I'm probably prejudiced, but the reviews I've read of the newest kindle puts it solidly ahead of the nook (speed was one item).
> 
> As far as sharing books among kindles, you would need to register both kindles to the same Amazon account (you can register up to 6 to one account), which would mean using the same credit card for all book purchases.
> 
> tenholde


Yeah, the Kindle 3's are the fastest Kindles yet.

I'm also have a Kindle DX so I too am biased but I would recomment the K3 over the Nook. 

Mike


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## shedberg

Indiana627 said:


> If the Kindles are registered to one account, is there then any limitation to sharing? Like number of books or how long they can be shared?
> 
> B&N does have software for smartphones and PC/Mac so she could read the book from multiple sources (though I doubt she would - her Blackberry screen is way to small for that much reading).
> 
> What do you mean by 'pm the device?'


I have 3 kindles in my household and we share all the books. I love my kindle as I travel a bit for work and not carrying paperbacks is great!


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## spartanstew

mhendrixsr said:


> Its a nice reading device as long as you don't mind the need for a light source.


What does this mean?

You can't read the kindle in the dark? It's not backlit?


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## uncouth

I have both the Kindle2 and the nook. I prefer the Kindle... Faster page refresh rate, the physical keyboard is easier to search with than the touchscreen, the buttons to turn the pages with are more responsive on the kindle (the ones on the nook sometimes take 2 presses)... I still like the nook for the epub compatibility, but ended up giving it to the gf. The Kindle2 will go to my mom as soon as the Kindle3 arrives on my doorstep. Yeah, we all read a lot.


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## Indiana627

Well I bought the Nook today. I figure at least I'll have something to give her on her birthday, and then I can explain about the Kindle wi-fi coming out at the end of the month and let her to decide to keep the Nook or return it and order the Kindle. Thanks for all the responses.


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## dpeters11

spartanstew said:


> What does this mean?
> 
> You can't read the kindle in the dark? It's not backlit?


No backlight.

I thought I'd like the Nooks lending function, but wish it weren't so limited. You can only do it once per title, and limited to 14 days. This is of course if the publisher allows it. I'm surprised many do. It seemed like a lot of publishers were against the Kindle text to speech, fearing it would hurt audiobook sales, even though there's no comparison, and Amazon is the largest audiobook seller, since they own Audible.


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## spartanstew

dpeters11 said:


> No backlight.


Ouch, that stinks.

I was thinking about getting one (or two) for a couple of reasons: 1. My wife likes to read in the evening while I'm watching TV, but neither of us like having the living room light on. 2. I was hoping to use it on flights without having to keep the overhead light on. Bummer.


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## Mike Bertelson

spartanstew said:


> Ouch, that stinks.
> 
> I was thinking about getting one (or two) for a couple of reasons: 1. My wife likes to read in the evening while I'm watching TV, but neither of us like having the living room light on. 2. I was hoping to use it on flights without having to keep the overhead light on. Bummer.


That's the nature of e-ink

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E_Ink

There are quite a few clip on lights for these readers.

However, it's much easier on my eyes in well lit situations. There's no glare on the screen and the contrast is...well it's exactly like reading a book. I had a hard time reading my laptop screen on the beach, but absolutely not problem reading my Kindle.

I much prefer E Ink over an LCD screen for reading.

Mike


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## Steve

Marlin Guy said:


> I bought the nook for my wife last Christmas and she loves it.
> 
> She can check books out from the library online for free, and it reads open source materials and formats [...]


In our neck of the woods, NY's Westchester County Library system uses Overdrive's digital rights management system to protect the e-book titles in it's catalog. For whatever reason, Overdrive supports Nook and Sony, but not Kindle.

So if anyone is considering going that route, you might want to check which file delivery system your local library is using.


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## RasputinAXP

it's mostly because Amazon doesn't want other (competing) ebook standards to be readable on their device. I can't read an AZW on my Nook.

That said, I can cross-read any epub file from Sony or whoever.


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## spartanstew

So, my wife has several hundred books that she got online somewhere and usually reads on her laptop. Most of them are in pdf or word or pub formats, IIRC.

Can she use the Kindle for these? The Nook?


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## Marlin Guy

Nook Supports EPUB, PDB, PDF text formats
It also plays music in mp3, ogg vorbis.
It has a web browser (greyscale) and card slot for removable storage.

I don't know what the Kindle can handle. It seems to vary based on which version you get.


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## klang

There is a nice chart here cross referencing the various hardware and file types.


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## Marlin Guy

I had seen that chart, but it is behind and is missing some recent changes.
For example, you can now run nook on an Android phone.


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## uncouth

You can use Calibre to manage your e-reader (both nook and Kindle are supported) and to convert nearly any ebook format to work with either. Best of all, it's free...

http://calibre-ebook.com/


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## dmurphy

spartanstew said:


> Ouch, that stinks.
> 
> I was thinking about getting one (or two) for a couple of reasons: 1. My wife likes to read in the evening while I'm watching TV, but neither of us like having the living room light on. 2. I was hoping to use it on flights without having to keep the overhead light on. Bummer.


It's actually a pretty nice thing, believe it or not.

Because it's not backlit, there are two benefits:

1) Extra-super long battery life.
2) Easy to read in sunlight.

My wife and I use this clip-on light at night. Works great.

Also, the best recommendation I can make is to AVOID the Amazon-branded case for the Kindle. It uses "hooks" on the left side to secure the Kindle, and it has the potential to crack the front of the Kindle if you open the case backwards. (This happened to my wife's.) Thank goodness Amazon's customer service is so good -- they replaced the Kindle overnight and gave me a credit to buy a different case. I use  this case but there are plenty of others... just look for one that has "straps" to secure the Kindle to the case and doesn't rely solely on the hook system.


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## Stuart Sweet

Actually a clip-on light works very well. Think about it. People have been reading non-backlit books for thousands of years without issues.


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## spartanstew

Yep, a clipon light would work well. Every little add on though is a hassle when traveling. I already carry a USB pouch, laptop camera, 2 external HD's, headphones, travel mouse, etc.


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## phrelin

Stuart Sweet said:


> Actually a clip-on light works very well. Think about it. People have been reading non-backlit books for thousands of years without issues.


That's almost true. Not being able to read at night except by making sure you have enough candles and flints had to be a hassle. A clip-on light has to have batteries or a cord.

Just think how much smarter Amazon would have looked if they, with the introduction of the new models, simply had added a backlight that could be switched on and off. Then one could read in the bright sunlight, plus in the dark in bed without disturbing your significant other. Wonder if they'd pay me for that not original idea....:sure:


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## spartanstew

phrelin said:


> Just think how much smarter Amazon would have looked if they, with the introduction of the new models, simply had added a backlight that could be switched on and off. Then one could read in the bright sunlight, plus in the dark in bed without disturbing your significant other. Wonder if they'd pay me for that not original idea....:sure:


that's exactly how I had assumed they worked.


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## Stuart Sweet

Actually the e-ink technology of Kindles is totally different from LED or LCD technology as implemented in pretty much every other display device. It doesn't require power to keep the image active, only to change it. It's not a translucent mask over a background medium as LCD is. It's totally different. I do have a clip-on for my Kindle and I find that I use the clip on very rarely, where on the other hand I really enjoy the highly legible screen in almost every situation. I could never read an iBook over lunch, but a Kindle book is no problem.


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## phrelin

Stuart Sweet said:


> Actually the e-ink technology of Kindles is totally different from LED or LCD technology as implemented in pretty much every other display device. It doesn't require power to keep the image active, only to change it. It's not a translucent mask over a background medium as LCD is. It's totally different. I do have a clip-on for my Kindle and I find that I use the clip on very rarely, where on the other hand I really enjoy the highly legible screen in almost every situation. I could never read an iBook over lunch, but a Kindle book is no problem.


Yes, reading habits, along with price, make the iPad and Kindle very different choices.

I rarely spend more than two minutes in direct sunlight nor more than five minutes in partial sun what with having fair Irish skin and a family history of melanoma. On the other hand I do like to read before going to sleep and I've never been able make clip on book lights work without disturbing my wife. My iPad is perfect in this situation, albeit a terribly expensive choice compared to the new regular screen size Kindle prices.

The irony is I have yet to buy a book from the iBook store - so far I seem to use the Kindle app and buy books from Amazon.


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## Steve

After browsing the current selection of books I can "e-borrow" for free from my library (and being the cheapskate that I am :lol, I guess if I was going to pull the trigger on one of these, I'd go for the Nook simply because it's compatible with my library's Overdrive DRM system and the Kindle isn't.

I'm guessing that to stay competitive with Amazon, B&N will come out with a next generation Nook before Christmas. The Sony's are Overdrive compatible as well, but I'd be surprised if they came out with a comparably featured model that is price competitive. You never know, tho.


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## RasputinAXP

spartanstew said:


> So, my wife has several hundred books that she got online somewhere and usually reads on her laptop. Most of them are in pdf or word or pub formats, IIRC.
> 
> Can she use the Kindle for these? The Nook?


scanned PDFs are a pain in the ass on any e-reader; if they're PDFs with actual text in them it should work fine. If not, they're just big images and they don't scale so well for readability on e-ink.


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## Lee L

I'm in kind of the same dilemma. My wife is a huge reader and she does travel a decent amount for work, probably 15 times a year. Of course, if she finishes a book and has to buy one at the airport bookstore, they rob you and for your trouble give you a feee book.  After some skepticism, she has warmed to ebooks, at least for light reading.

Our library recently started lending eBooks and they are using the Overdrive DRM, so that is in favor of the Nook, though they only have about 150 titles right now, so not a huge plus yet.

On the other hand, the new Kindle is way thinner than the Nook, though even it is not that thick. Also, I do have an iPhone so the abilty to link th eKindle account could be good.

Another issue is we leave for a trip sunday Sept 12, so if I can't have the Kindle 3 by then, she will miss out on being able to use it when we fly for 5 hours both ways. They are saying ships by Sept 8th right now so I should jus tbe able to get it by Friday the 10th, but I hate to trust that without knowing if they have been beating their dates since a one day slip would probably mean it gets here while we are gone.

And finally, one thing I don;t know, is are there publishers with exclusive deals with one or the other? I don't want to buy her a e-reader and it turn out that she can't get some books that she wants because they are only availble on the other platform.


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## djlong

So far, the only stuff that I haven't been able to buy on Amazon for my Kindle (that interests me) is the stuff I've bought on Baen's site (to say nothing of their incredible Free Library). Now, Baen is a mostly Science Fiction & Fantasy publisher so if that's not her bag, then there's no gain.

However, I *do* have to load the e-books from my laptop to my Kindle (via the USB cable) since they're not in on Amazon's Whispernet infrastructure. They come in the .MOBI format which is compatible with the Kindle.


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## Davenlr

Has anyone bought the new Color NOOK? I am trying to decide on an e-reader. I like the Nook's ability to share content with my laptop/Desktop. It appears from the claims, the Nook has twice as many titles available as the Kindle. 

So, from the three choices, Nook, Nook Color, Kindle (WiFi) versions, any pro's or cons on any of them? I have two Barnes and Nobles close by if that makes a difference.

I hate these beta vs VHS format wars.


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## Mike Bertelson

Davenlr said:


> Has anyone bought the new Color NOOK? I am trying to decide on an e-reader. I like the Nook's ability to share content with my laptop/Desktop. It appears from the claims, the Nook has twice as many titles available as the Kindle.
> 
> So, from the three choices, Nook, Nook Color, Kindle (WiFi) versions, any pro's or cons on any of them? I have two Barnes and Nobles close by if that makes a difference.
> 
> I hate these beta vs VHS format wars.


From what I've read they both have about the same amount of content with the Nook claiming to have about 50k more, but with each have totals over 2 million titles. I haven't seen anywhere that says Nook has twice as many titles. Can you give me a link. :shrug:

http://www.digitaltrends.com/gadgets/kindle-vs-nook-an-e-reader-face-off/
http://www.itweb7.com/travel-2/nook-kindle-consumer-reports-customers/

Take all I'm about to say with a grain of salt because I have two Kindles in the house. :grin:

The Kindle can share content with my laptop/desktop/smartphone. When I connect the Kindle to my laptop I transfer stuff back and forth all the time. Additionally, when I'm reading on my phone, say at the doctor's office, and then go home and pickup my Kindle it knows where I left off. You can go between all the various platforms and it will always know where you left off. However, if you have the Wi-Fi only version you would need to be near a Wi-Fi hotspot or your home network for this to work. I only have to pay for the book once and I can read it on my laptop, my Android phone, or my iPhone. The app is free for all platforms...I think.

I like to read in the backyard (faces south) and at the beach so the Kindle is a must for me. I've tried to read on a tablet LCD screen at the beach and I couldn't get past the glare. I've never used the Nook so I can only assume it will fare no better than any other LCD screens in the sun. The ease of reading is really the biggest criteria for me. You'll have to decide what's most important to you and then decide which ereader is for you.

Mike


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## BoJackson999

I bought my boyfriend a Nook for Christmas and he loves it! When I went to Best Buy the guy that helped me said most people prefer the Nook. My brother-in-law has the Kindle and has been very happy with it. I think both are great gifts!


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## Mike Bertelson

BoJackson999 said:


> I bought my boyfriend a Nook for Christmas and he loves it! When I went to Best Buy the guy that helped me said most people prefer the Nook. My brother-in-law has the Kindle and has been very happy with it. *I think both are great gifts*!


I agree. 

IMHO, it comes down to what features are important to you and then get what best suits you needs...personal preference.

Mike


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## gphvid

I can say form personal experience that the Nook is the way to go. A friend has a Kindle but you are limited to Amazon stuff and can't run Android apps. I bought a Nook for my wife for Christmas and I wound up winning another in a giveaway in Feb. I have found that it is really easy to use and doesn't draw alot of power. With a snap on lite and a nice cover, it is a perfect companion that also will read a multitude of formats. Plus the Free Friday Ebook feature.
We both have the original Nook.

The Nook Color just had a software upgrade that now includes access to Android apps and in just a month, the B&N app store has had over one million downloads. And there is news of a new Nook Color coming out that will rival the iPad.

So with all this going for it, the Nook is the hands down way to go...


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## RasputinAXP

Nook Color, all the way. I love mine.


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## dpeters11

gphvid said:


> I can say form personal experience that the Nook is the way to go. A friend has a Kindle but you are limited to Amazon stuff and can't run Android apps. I bought a Nook for my wife for Christmas and I wound up winning another in a giveaway in Feb. I have found that it is really easy to use and doesn't draw alot of power. With a snap on lite and a nice cover, it is a perfect companion that also will read a multitude of formats. Plus the Free Friday Ebook feature.
> We both have the original Nook.
> 
> The Nook Color just had a software upgrade that now includes access to Android apps and in just a month, the B&N app store has had over one million downloads. And there is news of a new Nook Color coming out that will rival the iPad.
> 
> So with all this going for it, the Nook is the hands down way to go...


Library books are coming to Kindle. And isn't it more like the Nook Color can run Android apps B&N allows you to have? I believe you have to go through the B&N app store, they block the Android Marketplace unless you root it.

For me, I prefer the screen of the Kindle compared to the Nook Color.


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## Steve

If mostly going to be used outdoors, Kindle, especially now that it's going to become "library-friendly".

If mostly for indoor reading, Nook Color is a lot more useful, IMO, because it's an excellent media player as well as an e-reader and photo viewer.

Just my .02.


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## klang

Another happy Kindle user here. :up: I've not used the e-ink Nook but I imagine the reading experience is similar.


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## Mike Bertelson

Steve said:


> If mostly going to be used outdoors, Kindle, especially now that it's going to become "library-friendly".
> 
> If mostly for indoor reading, Nook Color is a lot more useful, IMO, because it's an excellent media player as well as an e-reader and photo viewer.
> 
> Just my .02.


I do have music on my Kindle that I listen to sometimes while reading but it's very rudimentary. There is no media player. You select play music from a menu and it will play music from a single file in the order you transferred them to the Kindle. It's more like putting in a cassette tape and just letting it run.

It's not very useful for anything other than some background music so the Nook has a real big advantage as far as that goes.

For me it's about reading and not apps but if someone wants it to do more then the Nook is probably best.

Mike


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## bobukcat

My thoughts on this:

If you read outdoors very much either the Kindle or the Nook (not color) is the way to go. Kindle has a higher contrast ratio screen and the available cover with the built in light is super-sweet IMO. In addition, if you want to use either one in a pool, at the beach etc. I find the keys on the Kindle to be easier to find and easily actuate when the reader is in a plastic bag.

The Nook Color is very popular as a "poor-man's" tablet (no disrespect or slight meant to anyone!) because it's fairly easy to root and run a lot of Android applications on it. It would also be preferable for magazines or text books that included color diagrams. The battery life cannot compare to that of the Kindle or non-color nook (hours instead of weeks).

My wife and I both have the latest gen Kindle and she had a 2nd Gen one and we absolutely LOVE them. We have some friends that are equally enamored with their Nooks. I'm a big Amazon fan / customer so that helped with my decision, if you're more partial to B&N the Nook is likely a better choice.


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## klang

bobukcat said:


> It would also be preferable for magazines or text books that included color diagrams.


That is a good point, e-ink doesn't do graphics near as well as an LCD.

I had been an Amazon customer for years so Kindle was the obvious choice for me.


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## djlong

It depends on what you're doing. If you want to read books and (some) magazines and blogs, Kindle is hands-down, the way to go. Kindle's have batteries that can last a month. Using a Nook or other Android tablet is going to require much more frequent recharging.

That being said, if you want to play Angry Birds or watch movies on a tablet, get a tablet. The Kindle isn't made for any of that.

One side note - Amazon is supposedly releasing two Android tablets this year so you MAY want to wait. These are, allegedly, NOT going to be replacements for the Kindle. Only a color touch-screen e-ink would fit THAT bill and Bezos has said that the color e-ink technology isn't quite there yet. I'm guessing the Android tablets are a way to let Amazon play in that arena, get a foothold as far as market share goes and be a placeholder until some killer Kindle 4 comes out.


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## trdrjeff

My misses has the Nook Color and loves it, she has a friend with a regular nook, but they can 'loan' some books to one another so that is a nice option. 

I like the fact I can tinker on it with Android, stream netflix now...


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## Mike Bertelson

klang said:


> That is a good point, e-ink doesn't do graphics near as well as an LCD.
> 
> I had been an Amazon customer for years so Kindle was the obvious choice for me.


E-ink does graphics very well. It's just not in color. AAMOF, the current crop of Kindles have a higher resolution than the iPad (167ppi vs 132ppi); which is one of the reasons it displays text so clearly and smoothly. Now I know there's more to displaying graphics than just resolution but the screen saver pictures on the Kindle are pretty incredible. I've even replaced some of them with B&W versions of my own pictures and they are awesome looking (I'm old school and I love B&W photography ).

It is nearly incapable of handling video. It's supposed to be able to do basic animated graphics but why would you want to watch video on a B&W display anyway? :shrug: 
However, the latest e-ink display has a resolution of ≈375ppi...again that's B&W, but nearly three times the resolution of the average LCD tablet. Even more than the high-res Samsung recently announced. Epson has prototype using the latest e-ink technology displaying an A4 sized (≈8.25x11.7) newspaper page that has a resolution of 3104x4128. :eek2:

The current color e-ink (E-ink Triton) looks great in direct sunlight but it's still a far cry from the color depth of LCD in all other situations. IIRC, because of it's high resolution it's used in mostly in small applications like watches and the such...I think.

For video or color the Kindle is the wrong choice. Then again, if I wanted a good color display for uses beyond just reading books I wouldn't go with the Nook either. I would get a full featured Android tablet or an iPad, but that's just me. :grin:

Mike

a group of unrelated kittens is called a kindle...a kindle of kittens.


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## Davenlr

Lots of good information here... so much so, that it still hasnt given me a lot of decision making. I DO want to be able to subscribe to current newspapers like maybe USA today or NY Times. Will they both do that? I know I could do all this on my laptop, but it gets rather heavy using it to read for hours. I like color, and do not plan to read outside. I have no use for watching a movie on a little screen. Music isnt that important, I have a portable XM radio with 4GB of storage with all my CD's on it.

So magazines and books pretty much... So if Kindle can do magazines... its still a toss up.

And Mike, there wasnt any link to the "twice as many titles"...I was just reading the advertising on Amazon and B&N. B&N advertised lots of free books. Didnt see anything like that on Amazon, but might have missed it.


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## spartanstew

klang said:


> I had been an Amazon customer for years so Kindle was the obvious choice for me.


I'm not sure what that has to do with anything.

I've been an Amazon seller and Amazon Prime Customer for many years. I've probably been in a Barnes & Noble twice in my life. I still chose the Nook over the Kindle (but have since sold it in anticipation of buying a tablet)


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## dpeters11

"Davenlr" said:


> Lots of good information here... so much so, that it still hasnt given me a lot of decision making. I DO want to be able to subscribe to current newspapers like maybe USA today or NY Times. Will they both do that? I know I could do all this on my laptop, but it gets rather heavy using it to read for hours. I like color, and do not plan to read outside. I have no use for watching a movie on a little screen. Music isnt that important, I have a portable XM radio with 4GB of storage with all my CD's on it.
> 
> So magazines and books pretty much... So if Kindle can do magazines... its still a toss up.
> 
> And Mike, there wasnt any link to the "twice as many titles"...I was just reading the advertising on Amazon and B&N. B&N advertised lots of free books. Didnt see anything like that on Amazon, but might have missed it.


Kindle does do newspapers. I wonder how many of the free books B&N has are public domain classics. kindle has those too.

I would suggest just browsing the Kindle selection on Amazon. That's the best way to see what they offer and prices of content.


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## klang

spartanstew said:


> I'm not sure what that has to do with anything.
> 
> I've been an Amazon seller and Amazon Prime Customer for many years. I've probably been in a Barnes & Noble twice in my life. I still chose the Nook over the Kindle (but have since sold it in anticipation of buying a tablet)


I've been buying books from them for, a decade or more maybe? They, their systems that is, make recommendations to me on other titles I might enjoy. Many of the suggestions I find very useful. The buying experience through their website is the same except I tell it which device, normally my Kindle, to deliver the content to. Made perfect sense to me.


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## bobukcat

klang said:


> I've been buying books from them for, a decade or more maybe? They, their systems that is, make recommendations to me on other titles I might enjoy. Many of the suggestions I find very useful. The buying experience through their website is the same except I tell it which device, normally my Kindle, to deliver the content to. Made perfect sense to me.


Agreed, I also have an amazing level of trust in Amazon customer service - probably more-so than any other company (on-line or not) that I've ever done business with. This has been developed from years and years of them just doing EVERYTHING right! Seriously, I've bought hundreds of items from them, including a $4K dollar TV and they have never once failed to handle things perfectly including replacing said $4K TV when it had an issue.

It's possible B&N would deliver a similar experience but I don't have the same level of trust / experience with them.


----------



## dpeters11

bobukcat said:


> Agreed, I also have an amazing level of trust in Amazon customer service - probably more-so than any other company (on-line or not) that I've ever done business with. This has been developed from years and years of them just doing EVERYTHING right! Seriously, I've bought hundreds of items from them, including a $4K dollar TV and they have never once failed to handle things perfectly including replacing said $4K TV when it had an issue.
> 
> It's possible B&N would deliver a similar experience but I don't have the same level of trust / experience with them.


I tend to stay pretty loyal to companies that do me right, and Amazon is one of them, so I got the Kindle as well, though sometimes I'll read a Kindle book on my iPad (since it knows where I left off.)

Amazon no longer sends me Christmas gifts, but I can deal with that.


----------



## klang

They also will usually let me know when authors I read have new titles coming out. 

I do still enjoy wandering around B&N on occasion but I normally only but tech books there anymore.


----------



## wingrider01

Davenlr said:


> Lots of good information here... so much so, that it still hasnt given me a lot of decision making. I DO want to be able to subscribe to current newspapers like maybe USA today or NY Times. Will they both do that? I know I could do all this on my laptop, but it gets rather heavy using it to read for hours. I like color, and do not plan to read outside. I have no use for watching a movie on a little screen. Music isnt that important, I have a portable XM radio with 4GB of storage with all my CD's on it.
> 
> So magazines and books pretty much... So if Kindle can do magazines... its still a toss up.
> 
> And Mike, there wasnt any link to the "twice as many titles"...I was just reading the advertising on Amazon and B&N. B&N advertised lots of free books. Didnt see anything like that on Amazon, but might have missed it.


the kindle can do both, newpapers anbd magazines, think 2nd quarter they will have the library books available. I have the wifi+3g version - Amazon picks up the cost of the ATT 3G connection, have downloaded the sequel to a book while sitting on the beach in florida


----------



## paulman182

I must say, my wife's Kindle with 3G is really slick. 

Few of the AT&T towers around here have 3G but even with old data technology it works great.

I can look out the window and see the AT&T tower, so signal is no problem.


----------



## Davenlr

bobukcat said:


> It's possible B&N would deliver a similar experience but I don't have the same level of trust / experience with them.


Barnes and Noble (the two here) are great. Very friendly, good cafe, nice atmosphere. FWIW, I went into Best Buy yesterday to get a CableModem, and they had a large NOOK COLOR display right inside the front door, so they are selling them also (at the exact same price). Got to play with one for about 30 minutes, and it looks great.

I bought a Nook subscription to Discover magazine last night, to test it out on my free "Nook for PC" app on the laptop, and it was very well done. I can see for the magazines, having color for the pictures accompanying the articles is going to be a big bonus.

I compared the text on the black and white unit with the color, and while it looked more like a book, the color was not difficult to read, nor did it strain my eyes any. Probably going to go with the Nook Color.

Thanks for all the input. PS, I love Amazon as well, great company. Do almost all my purchasing through them for household stuff I dont need immediately.


----------



## bobukcat

paulman182 said:


> I must say, my wife's Kindle with 3G is really slick.
> 
> Few of the AT&T towers around here have 3G but even with old data technology it works great.
> 
> I can look out the window and see the AT&T tower, so signal is no problem.


I think it's easily worth the $50 extra for the 3G version over the wi-fi only one unless you just never leave the house or work or Starbucks, etc. I can't count the number of times I've been in an airport and realized I was closer to the end of a book than I thought and needed a new one for the flight.


----------



## EdJ

Davenlr said:


> Barnes and Noble (the two here) are great. Very friendly, good cafe, nice atmosphere. FWIW, I went into Best Buy yesterday to get a CableModem, and they had a large NOOK COLOR display right inside the front door, so they are selling them also (at the exact same price). Got to play with one for about 30 minutes, and it looks great.


I have a Kindle and read it a lot either outside at the beach or in the sunshine. If anything, the Kindle is easier to read in bright sun than in a shaded location. I have only seen the Nook inside the stores. How is the readability of the Nook in bright sunshine?


----------



## spartanstew

bobukcat said:


> I think it's easily worth the $50 extra for the 3G version over the wi-fi only one unless you just never leave the house or work or Starbucks, etc. I can't count the number of times I've been in an airport and realized I was closer to the end of a book than I thought and needed a new one for the flight.


When I had my Nook, I always had a dozen or more books waiting to be read, so 3G was never needed even though I travel extensively. My wife actually has the 3G Nook (because at the time it was the same price) and in the 6 months she's had it she's never used that feature, and she takes her Nook everywhere.


----------



## klang

If there is a Kindle 4 I probably won't bother with 3G. I usually have a dozen or more titles queued up. If I was doing subscriptions I would be more likely to use 3G.


----------



## EdJ

EdJ said:


> I have only seen the Nook inside the stores. How is the readability of the Nook in bright sunshine?


Anybody???


----------



## klang

EdJ said:


> Anybody???


Then non-color Nook should do fine outdoors. I don't know if the Nook has the same upgraded display as the Kindle 3 but even the older Kindle was fine outdoors.


----------



## bobukcat

EdJ said:


> Anybody???


The regular Nook is e-ink so it will be excellent in bright sunlight, the Nook Color is LCD and will have the same issues as any other LCD in bright sunlight.

From my earlier post in this thread:



> If you read outdoors very much either the Kindle or the Nook (not color) is the way to go. Kindle has a higher contrast ratio screen and the available cover with the built in light is super-sweet IMO. In addition, if you want to use either one in a pool, at the beach etc. I find the keys on the Kindle to be easier to find and easily actuate when the reader is in a plastic bag.


----------



## bobukcat

spartanstew said:


> When I had my Nook, I always had a dozen or more books waiting to be read, so 3G was never needed even though I travel extensively. My wife actually has the 3G Nook (because at the time it was the same price) and in the 6 months she's had it she's never used that feature, and she takes her Nook everywhere.


Wow, a dozen!!! You either like a lot more authors than I do or are just really, really well prepared for travel! The most I ever have queued up to read is 3 or 4, after that I'm looking for something new.


----------



## spartanstew

bobukcat said:


> Wow, a dozen!!! You either like a lot more authors than I do or are just really, really well prepared for travel! The most I ever have queued up to read is 3 or 4, after that I'm looking for something new.


Yes, some are authors I like, some are ones I'm not familiar with. I like mostly suspense and had never read any of Sue Grafton's books (i.e. A is for Alibi, etc.). I think there's 20 or so of those that I always had on hand (never did get to read them), plus all the Harry Potters and some books by the author of Dexter. In retrospect, I probably had 50+ books on there that I was planning on reading as well as 100 or so more that I'd read, but would gladly read again (i.e. All the Stephen King and John Grisham books).


----------



## Davenlr

EdJ said:


> I have a Kindle and read it a lot either outside at the beach or in the sunshine. If anything, the Kindle is easier to read in bright sun than in a shaded location. I have only seen the Nook inside the stores. How is the readability of the Nook in bright sunshine?


Dont know, when there is bright sunshine around here, its 105 degrees. I spend all my time inside  I just bought one tonight. As soon as the sun comes out, Ill take it outside and let you know. Right now, we are in the middle of another 4-6" rainstorm.


----------



## klang

Anyone contemplating a new Nook should probably wait until Tuesday. Something new is coming.


----------



## Davenlr

To late. Guess I could always return this one to best buy. I really would expect anything significantly better would be more expensive though. I found it hard to spend $250 on a e-reader/mini-tablet. I already have a laptop. Will see what comes out. I like this one though. Played with it all night. Only thing I didnt like was it apparently has no way to add "Java" so certain websites Javascript apps wont run on it.

NatGeo Magazine looks fantastic on it though. Pictures are spectacular.


----------



## klang

Davenlr said:


> To late. Guess I could always return this one to best buy. I really would expect anything significantly better would be more expensive though. I found it hard to spend $250 on a e-reader/mini-tablet. I already have a laptop. Will see what comes out. I like this one though. Played with it all night. Only thing I didnt like was it apparently has no way to add "Java" so certain websites Javascript apps wont run on it.
> 
> NatGeo Magazine looks fantastic on it though. Pictures are spectacular.


Sounds like you got the Nook Color. Enjoy!

I've read a couple predictions that this will be an upgrade to the black and white Nook adding the Pearl display to compete better with the Kindle 3. The current B&W Nook is almost 2 1/2 years old.


----------



## Davenlr

klang said:


> Sounds like you got the Nook Color. Enjoy!
> 
> I've read a couple predictions that this will be an upgrade to the black and white Nook adding the Pearl display to compete better with the Kindle 3. The current B&W Nook is almost 2 1/2 years old.


Yep, got the color. I am typing this reply with it. It has a really nice web browser. Dbstalk looks great.


----------



## Steve

klang said:


> Anyone contemplating a new Nook should probably wait until Tuesday. Something new is coming.


Will be interesting to see if it's an update to the e-ink Nook and how that may compare to Kobo's announcement today of a new "touch-screen" e-ink tablet. It features epub/PDF support, built-in wifi, access to 2.x million books and digital lending library compatibility.

Eliminating the need for a physical keyboard makes the device smaller and lighter than its current competition

Looks very nice at $129 MSRP.

http://kobobooks.com/touch


----------



## klang

Steve said:


> Will be interesting to see if it's an update to the e-ink Nook and how that may compare to Kobo's announcement today of a new "touch-screen" e-ink tablet. It features epub/PDF support, built-in wifi, access to 2.x million books and digital lending library compatibility.
> 
> Eliminating the need for a physical keyboard makes the device smaller and lighter than its current competition
> 
> Looks very nice at $129 MSRP.
> 
> http://kobobooks.com/touch


The Kobo unit looks pretty slick. 99% of the time I don't need the Kindle keyboard. Hopefully Amazon has an upgrade in the works as well.


----------



## Steve

klang said:


> 99% of the time I don't need the Kindle keyboard.


Me neither. Any innovation that can make these things lighter, thinner or less bulky, without trading off screen size or battery life, is a good thing, IMO.


----------



## RasputinAXP

if it's anything like Sony's touch screen eink reader the screen is weird looking. Putting the touch matrix over the eink results in a weirdly glossy effect on it.


----------



## Davenlr

To answer previous question: Color Nook in direct sunlight the same as a laptop. YOu need to shade the screen. Perhaps a polarized cover might help. Not a problem with me, because I dont sit in the sun.

New software downloaded. Email app, Pandora, Flash video, just about anything you could want besides a good book reader. App store open. Several free apps, lots for $0.99.

I have downloaded the color service manuals for all the equipment I work on in the field, and this little table has now replaced about 40 3-ring binders worth on manuals, complete with search! I love it.

Oh, and the books look great too. Especially National Geographic.


----------



## bobnielsen

The Nook Color is easily upgradable to full Android tablet. I have mine set up to dual-boot between the stock (1.2) firmware and Android 2.3 (gingerbread, Cyanogen Mod 7) on a microSD card. I'll probably install that on the internal memory now that the Android Market version of the Nook reader app is nearly as good as the stock version.


----------



## klang

Kobo beats the Nook by a day...

NOOK The Simple Touch Reader

Pretty much the same as the Kobo, black and white Pearl display and touch screen. Available June 10.

Now what does Amazon have up their sleeve?


----------



## Steve

klang said:


> Kobo beats the Nook by a day...


They look like they're within .5" of each other for overall size. Weight and thickness about the same. For $10 more, Nook has 2gb memory built-in, instead of 1GB for the Kobo. Both expandable tho.

Based upon *Rasputin's* experience with the Sony e-ink "touch" display, whichever one has the more readable screen will probably be the way to go. Or stick with the Kindle with keyboard, if neither screen is as good and you're an e-ink fan. Just my .02.


----------



## klang

Both are actually just catching up with Kindle 3 as far as the Pearl display goes. I don't really find the touch screen that compelling a feature for a dedicated e-reader. I think I might prefer trading the keyboard for a longer display.


----------



## RasputinAXP

reports are it's less of an issue than the Sony's touchscreen because they're using an infrared sensor around the edge of the screen instead of a touch matrix on top of it.


----------



## bobukcat

Both new readers look pretty cool but I'm not about to switch from Kindle for either one, if for no other reason than the library of titles my wife and I have accumulated for them.

One observation about the keyboard versus no keyboard thing, and I would have to get my hands on one of these new ones to tell but it seems like it might restrict your options for holding the device. I have very large hands and when switching hands, etc. during long reading sessions I sometimes find my hand covering the keyboard part as a way to help alternate my grip on the device. The keys aren't sensitive enough to activate when held in this manner (and if it I do occasionally bump one it just starts the notes line at the top so it's not a big deal.

I may also be wrong but the latest Kindle looks to be a little thinner than the new Nook, of course I haven't seen them side by side yet and I don't see the physical specs posted yet either.


----------



## klang

bobukcat said:


> Both new readers look pretty cool but I'm not about to switch from Kindle for either one, if for no other reason than the library of titles my wife and I have accumulated for them.


I'm not contemplating a change either, just interested in the market changes.


----------



## Steve

Attached is the current "Pearl" e-ink reader comparison chart, courtesy of Engadget.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/26/nook-wifi-and-kobo-ereader-touch-edition-assault-the-amazon-kind/


----------



## bobukcat

Steve said:


> Attached is the current "Pearl" e-ink reader comparison chart, courtesy of Engadget.
> 
> http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/26/nook-wifi-and-kobo-ereader-touch-edition-assault-the-amazon-kind/


That confirms my impression that the Kindle is still the thinnest reader, although not be a whole lot.

As to the touch-screen readers, I wonder how the infrared touch panel would while inside of a bag for reading in the pool, at the beach, etc. This is a big issue for me and my wife as we both use our Kindles that way a lot during the summer and the buttons on the Kindle are very easy to manipulate.


----------



## Nick

bobukcat said:


> ...I wonder how the infrared touch panel would while inside of a bag for reading in the pool, at the beach...


How the infrared touch panel would _what?_


----------



## Steve

bobukcat said:


> As to the touch-screen readers, I wonder how the infrared touch panel would *[react?]* while inside of a bag for reading in the pool, at the beach, etc.


Ya. Does ambient temp have any affect on infrared, I wonder? Anyone know?


----------



## RasputinAXP

My remote controls work fine regardless of the temperature in my house, so I'd have to assume no.


----------



## Steve

RasputinAXP said:


> My remote controls work fine regardless of the temperature in my house, so I'd have to assume no.


Thought about that too, but direct sun at the beach could get the tablet surface temp up much higher than inside the house, no?


----------



## RasputinAXP

potentially, sure. The infrared's in a ring around the screen though, not focusing directly on it. As far as I'm aware it's looking for breaks in the ring to know where you're touching.


----------



## bobukcat

Steve said:


> Thought about that too, but direct sun at the beach could get the tablet surface temp up much higher than inside the house, no?


I wasn't thinking about temperature as much as just how well would it work when you're trying to manipulate the touchscreen through a plastic bag / protector. I could see a couple problems: the bag activates the screen unwantedly causing page turns or other odd behavior or the touchscreen doesn't properly register your desired action at all.


----------



## WestDC

Do any of you (kindle owners) remember when the unit first arrived did you have to charge it before using it(I would assume) you did and how long does that take?


----------



## bobukcat

WestDC said:


> Do any of you (kindle owners) remember when the unit first arrived did you have to charge it before using it(I would assume) you did and how long does that take?


Yes, it does have to be charged when it arrives but I think as little as 2 hours has you ready to go for a long time.


----------



## klang

I think first charge on a Kindle 3 was 2-3 hours. The instructions say to charge first, not sure if there was anything there already.


----------



## EdJ

WestDC said:


> Do any of you (kindle owners) remember when the unit first arrived did you have to charge it before using it(I would assume) you did and how long does that take?


Both of our Kindles had 1/2 to 3/4 charge when we got them home. I plugged them in to charge them (after playing with it for a while...) and the charge light turned green after a couple hours. Even when I wait till the Kindle flashes the low battery warning, it only takes a few hours to get a full charge.


----------



## klang

Reminds me of a very minor Kindle gripe, I wish the battery indicator gave an actual number instead of the graphic.


----------



## Jaytee946

Just a couple of notes, the wife loves her Kindle, she tried a clip in light, but it had to be adjusted in order to read the whole page, finally purchase a pair of lighted reading glasses that works great while reading in the dark.

Second with B&N Bankruptcy Confidence Index currently at "Bankruptcy is a clear and present danger", don't know if I would invest in a Nook, although they are trying to keep the e-book separate from the Brick & Mortar stores.
Just my 2 cents...


----------



## Steve

This reviewer was pretty happy with the new Nook, which is apparently shipping today, ahead of schedule.

BTW, you can swipe or use buttons to turn the pages. Nice touch, IMO.


----------



## dpeters11

Jaytee946 said:


> Just a couple of notes, the wife loves her Kindle, she tried a clip in light, but it had to be adjusted in order to read the whole page, finally purchase a pair of lighted reading glasses that works great while reading in the dark.
> 
> Second with B&N Bankruptcy Confidence Index currently at "Bankruptcy is a clear and present danger", don't know if I would invest in a Nook, although they are trying to keep the e-book separate from the Brick & Mortar stores.
> Just my 2 cents...


Liberty Media wants B&N, they bid $1.02 Billion to buy it a few weeks ago, $17 a share I believe.


----------



## klang

Steve said:


> This reviewer was pretty happy with the new Nook, which is apparently shipping today, ahead of schedule.
> 
> BTW, you can swipe or use buttons to turn the pages. Nice touch, IMO.


Here is another mostly complimentary review from Macworld. I like the idea of caching 6 pages at a time. I'd like to see that in a Kindle software update if B&N doesn't have a patent on it.


----------



## olguy

I have a Sony Daily Edition and it is okay. The main problem I have with it is having to use a light on it at night if she's in bed wanting to sleep. The light never fills the page. A few months ago I got a NOOK Color. World of difference. You set the screen for night and the screen turns dark gray with white font. Very easy to read in a blacked out room. Plus my sci-fi magazines are laid out like the paper edition and in color. Both the Sony and NOOK can read epub as well as PDF so library checkouts are no problem. Swipe or tap the edge of the screen to turn the page.


----------



## Steve

High praise for the new Nook from PC Magazine:



> Thanks to plenty of upgrades and a laser-sharp focus on the reading experience, the second-gen Barnes & Noble Nook Touch Reader is our new Editors' Choice for ebook readers. [*more*]


----------



## Steve

*Wired* likes the new Nook as well.



> The freshly-updated Nook is smaller and lighter than Amazon's Kindle, and on those qualities alone it stands a excellent chance of capturing some more market share in the e-ink device game. But the new Nook also embraces social media sharing (and does it well enough), eliminates all buttons save a "Home" key (where'd they get that idea?) and ambidextrous page-turners, and introduces a responsive e-ink touchscreen that controls an intuitive interface. [*more*]


----------



## hdtvfan0001

Both have pros and cons.

Problem solved...

I have an Android tablet with both the Kindle and Nook apps (free) on them, and can read either format.


----------



## klang

hdtvfan0001 said:


> Both have pros and cons.
> 
> Problem solved...
> 
> I have an Android tablet with both the Kindle and Nook apps (free) on them, and can read either format.


Unless you want to read at the beach.


----------



## hdtvfan0001

klang said:


> Unless you want to read at the beach.


I even had WIFI at the beach/pool just this past weekend... 

Then again....I store plenty to read ahead of time too.


----------



## armophob

Couple weeks ago I found out one limitation of the Kindle over a regular paperback book. Flying. During take offs and landings, I keep getting the tap from the sky waitress to put away my kindle because it is electronic. Due to the post 911 times I did not start an argument that the guy next to me has a digital watch exposed. So I sit there like a dolt with the Kindle still on but with the cover closed so they can't see it until the ding from the pilot.


----------



## Steve

armophob said:


> Couple weeks ago I found out one limitation of the Kindle over a regular paperback book. Flying. During take offs and landings, I keep getting the tap from the sky waitress to put away my kindle because it is electronic. Due to the post 911 times I did not start an argument that the guy next to me has a digital watch exposed. So I sit there like a dolt with the Kindle still on but with the cover closed so they can't see it until the ding from the pilot.


Funny thing is if you turn wireless "off" on the Kindle, there's no energy being used at all to display the screen... until you turn a page. Hence the awesome e-ink battery life. They wouldn't know if you turned off wireless or not, tho.


----------



## dpeters11

I think the issue is that it's easier for them to have a blanket rule than checking that wifi is off etc on each device.

Of course I wonder how many people still have their cell phones completely on in their pocket, maybe just on silent.


----------



## klang

armophob said:


> Couple weeks ago I found out one limitation of the Kindle over a regular paperback book. Flying. During take offs and landings, I keep getting the tap from the sky waitress to put away my kindle because it is electronic. Due to the post 911 times I did not start an argument that the guy next to me has a digital watch exposed. So I sit there like a dolt with the Kindle still on but with the cover closed so they can't see it until the ding from the pilot.


I find that irritating as well. I just watch for them and close the cover as they walk by. I keep the wireless turned off all the time anyway unless I need to download a new acquisition.


----------



## Steve

dpeters11 said:


> Of course I wonder how many people still have their cell phones completely on in their pocket, maybe just on silent.


Exactly. I think the airlines err on the side of caution.

As do some hospitals. Unfortunately, we visit them often, and Sloan-Kettering in Manhattan, e.g., has no prohibitions against cell phones or wi-fi... in fact they provide guest wi-fi. White Plains hospital, close to home, won't let us use cell phones. :shrug:


----------



## armophob

dpeters11 said:


> I think the issue is that it's easier for them to have a blanket rule than checking that wifi is off etc on each device.
> 
> Of course I wonder how many people still have their cell phones completely on in their pocket, maybe just on silent.


I have never turned off my cell phone on a plane, and I suspect a very low percentage of people do.


----------



## wingrider01

armophob said:


> Couple weeks ago I found out one limitation of the Kindle over a regular paperback book. Flying. During take offs and landings, I keep getting the tap from the sky waitress to put away my kindle because it is electronic. Due to the post 911 times I did not start an argument that the guy next to me has a digital watch exposed. So I sit there like a dolt with the Kindle still on but with the cover closed so they can't see it until the ding from the pilot.


not just the kindle - any e-reader


----------



## wingrider01

armophob said:


> I have never turned off my cell phone on a plane, and I suspect a very low percentage of people do.


Always do - don't want to tangle with federal authorities on the off chance they find out


----------



## armophob

wingrider01 said:


> not just the kindle - any e-reader


Yes, and it is silly.


----------



## hdtvfan0001

*Consumer Reports*

Nook beats Kindle for the 1st time:

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/TECH/gaming.gadgets/06/17/consumer.reports.nook.kindle/


----------



## wingrider01

armophob said:


> Yes, and it is silly.


silly or not, if there is a chance that the electronics will screw with the flight insterments - and there have been recent reports that it can, then turn them off.

In the air traveling 3 out of 5 weeks in a row, both national and international, have had some scary moments on the planes and prefer to minimize the risk


----------



## wingrider01

hdtvfan0001 said:


> *Consumer Reports*
> 
> Nook beats Kindle for the 1st time:
> 
> http://edition.cnn.com/2011/TECH/gaming.gadgets/06/17/consumer.reports.nook.kindle/


not by much

http://news.consumerreports.org/ele...-nook-beats-kindle-in-our-e-book-ratings.html

Still prefer the kindle, and the simple fact that B&N is still on shakey ground for a bankruptcy, as of May 11th the are sitting at a 56 on the index - indicates is ia a clear and present danger for the company


----------



## dpeters11

Maybe, but Liberty Media's offer for the company was in large part due to the Nook. It likely would survive.


----------



## hdtvfan0001

dpeters11 said:


> Maybe, but Liberty Media's offer for the company was in large part due to the Nook. It likely would survive.


Yup....it will.


----------



## wingrider01

hdtvfan0001 said:


> Yup....it will.


the nook, pretty much, the company as a single entity - better to piece it out to other buyers then keep it as a single company


----------



## hdtvfan0001

wingrider01 said:


> the nook, pretty much, the company as a single entity - better to piece it out to other buyers then keep it as a single company


Perhaps...but B&N itself will emerge fine...or so say a number of the analysts.


----------



## bobukcat

dpeters11 said:


> I think the issue is that it's easier for them to have a blanket rule than checking that wifi is off etc on each device.


I agree, and I also agree it's very irritating to have to stop reading during those periods. Most flight attendants are pretty cool about it and I've seen some that won't bother telling you to turn off or close the cover. I had a conversation with one really nice lady recently and we really talked about the technology of the e-ink displays versus a tablet or PC and she basically said the same thing, it's much easier for them to have a blanket rule and leave it at that. Their goal is to have you alert and ensure you hear instructions, etc. but they certainly don't try to stop you from sleeping or reading an actual book etc.

I had been hopeful that the FAA would make a distinction and allow e-book readers but with the way tablets are taking off and the fact that some (Nook color) readers have LCD displays I don't think we'll see that happen.

Still, for me the pros of using a Kindle outweigh the cons. I travel as lightly as possible and having all the books I want to read in one very small package is worth having to read the in-flight magazine or newspaper (or just relax and do nothing) for the times affected.


----------



## bobukcat

hdtvfan0001 said:


> I even had WIFI at the beach/pool just this past weekend...
> 
> Then again....I store plenty to read ahead of time too.


I'm pretty sure the point was that you can't read the LCD display on an Android (or any other) tablet very well in bright sunlight, not that you need a network connection.


----------



## klang

According to this short WSJ article, adult ownership of e-reader's in the U.S. doubled to 12% in the last six months. Pretty impressive growth. Note this does not include tablets which they say are owned by 8% of U.S. adults. Overlap is 3%.


----------



## hdtvfan0001

bobukcat said:


> I'm pretty sure the point was that you can't read the LCD display on an Android (or any other) tablet very well in bright sunlight, not that you need a network connection.


Unless one is talking about bright sunlight...that simply isn't the case...I can read my tablet screen just fine outside in daylight - but certainly not direct sunlight.

Then again...I don't know alot of folks who read regularly in direct sunlight anyway...most of the people I see using eReaders seem to read them indoors...or on planes...etc.

The imagery on an HD tablet screen is actually superior for reading as compared with the Nook or Kindle in that regard....and having the choice of either format is an added bonus.

It comes down to preferences I suppose...but having the ability to use either format, along with all the other things in a tablet seems a better value.


----------



## klang

A beach or a pool would seem to imply bright sunlight. We use our Kindles regularly in bright sunlight. I see many others doing the same. My wife tried once with a tablet. It was pretty much useless. That is why we have both.


----------



## hdtvfan0001

klang said:


> A beach or a pool would seem to imply bright sunlight. We use our Kindles regularly in bright sunlight. I see many others doing the same. My wife tried once with a tablet. It was pretty much useless. That is why we have both.


Having knwon 2 people who lost smartphones....we learned a long time ago using any electrical devices...even battery-operated ones...near a poo...was not prudent. :shrug:


----------



## klang

hdtvfan0001 said:


> Having knwon 2 people who lost smartphones....we learned a long time ago using any electrical devices...even battery-operated ones...near a poo...was not prudent. :shrug:


Thanks for the safety tip.

Now back to the topic of this thread, Kindles and Nooks......


----------



## hdtvfan0001

klang said:


> Thanks for the safety tip.
> 
> Now back to the topic of this thread, Kindles and Nooks......


Agreed....

Don't take either near a pool...but still enjoy whichever you prefer. :lol:


----------



## Mike Bertelson

With the Nook, Kindle, iPad, Xoom, etc, there are plenty of options for water/sand resistant cases.

No matter what table anyone gets the right case can save the device. I have three different cases for my device.

Kindle or Nook, research accessories. My 2¢ FWIW. 

Mike


----------



## Steve

Mike Bertelson said:


> With the Nook, Kindle, iPad, Xoom, etc, there are plenty of options for water/sand resistant cases.
> 
> No matter what table anyone gets the right case can save the device. I have three different cases for my device.
> 
> Kindle or Nook, research accessories. My 2¢ FWIW.


I put the Kindle inside a Ziploc bag when it's inside our beach bag and take it out for use, because sand doesn't seem to bother it at all. It's sealed pretty tightly. If you have a Kindle and are worried about moisture, you can leave it inside the Ziploc bag, because you click to turn pages, rather than swipe. For that reason, I'm happy B&N chose to include a page turn button as well on the new touch-screen Nook.

We were last at the beach in April and I was amazed at the number of e-ink devices I saw. Seemed like 50/50 readers vs. real books, excluding newspapers and magazines.

I know they get about 2 weeks in between battery charges, but I'm surprised no one's yet thought of incorporating a solar collector into the bezel of one of those e-ink devices, just to top off the battery when it's used outdoors in direct sunlight.


----------



## Kevin F

"Steve" said:


> I know they get about 2 weeks in between battery charges, but I'm surprised no one's yet thought of incorporating a solar collector into the bezel of one of those e-ink devices, just to top off the battery when it's used outdoors in direct sunlight.


+1 on the solar panel idea. It seems like there's not much consumer technology that incorporates solar panels these days. That should definitely change.


----------



## hdtvfan0001

Mike Bertelson said:


> Kindle or Nook, research accessories. My 2¢ FWIW.
> 
> Mike


Very good advice. 


Steve said:


> We were last at the beach in April and I was amazed at the number of e-ink devices I saw. Seemed like 50/50 readers vs. real books, excluding newspapers and magazines.


Interesting. In comparison...having taken 4 flights with an average of 170 passengers on each flight over the past month....I've made it a point to look...there were perhaps 5-7 people per flight that I could see using eReaders of any brand. Most were Kindles. :shrug:

Of late from what I've been reading...it appears that Nook is making a strong play for leading the marketshare between the two offerings, especially with color support.

That said...I don't think it's a coincidence that both the Nook and Kindle ereader software is available on tablets. With Amazon soon releasing their own branded Android tablet, I'm sure they're going to market the heck out of eBooks.


> I know they get about 2 weeks in between battery charges, but I'm surprised no one's yet thought of incorporating a solar collector into the bezel of one of those e-ink devices, just to top off the battery when it's used outdoors in direct sunlight.


That is likely a very good idea. It's amazing how long the battery life is already on these units...more would only be a bonus.


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## dmspen

hdtvfan0001 said:


> Having knwon 2 people who lost smartphones....we learned a long time ago using any electrical devices...even battery-operated ones...near a *poo*...was not prudent.


Darn! Guess I shouldn't take my Kindle into the bathroom anymore!!pusht!


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## Mike Bertelson

Steve said:


> I put the Kindle inside a Ziploc bag when it's inside our beach bag and take it out for use, because sand doesn't seem to bother it at all. It's sealed pretty tightly. If you have a Kindle and are worried about moisture, you can leave it inside the Ziploc bag, because you click to turn pages, rather than swipe. For that reason, I'm happy B&N chose to include a page turn button as well on the new touch-screen Nook.
> 
> We were last at the beach in April and I was amazed at the number of e-ink devices I saw. Seemed like 50/50 readers vs. real books, excluding newspapers and magazines.
> 
> I know they get about 2 weeks in between battery charges, but I'm surprised no one's yet thought of incorporating a solar collector into the bezel of one of those e-ink devices, just to top off the battery when it's used outdoors in direct sunlight.


Sand isn't an internal problem. I don't like scratches and it's pretty abrasive. I have a neoprene cover with a window for the beach. It's splash and spill proof and keeps the sand off my Kindle.

I heard on the news this morning saying the number of e-readers in use has doubled since November from 6% to 12% of adults and now outnumbers tablets in use (8% of adults). (Link)

Mike


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## Steve

Mike Bertelson said:


> I heard on the news this morning saying the number of e-readers in use has doubled since November from 6% to 12% of adults and now outnumbers tablets in use (8% of adults). (Link)


A November Forrester analysis (quoted below) put the number of e-book readers at a similar %. I'm sure the publishers are delighted to hear that number has doubled since then, for the following reasons:



> Did you know that the two most common ways people get books today is borrowing them from a friend or getting them from the library? Evidently content - at least in the book business - is already quite free, even without the help of digital.
> 
> [...] Just 7% of *[November '10]* online adults who read books read eBooks. But that 7% happens to be a very attractive bunch: they read the most books *and spend the most money on books.*


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## hdtvfan0001

dmspen said:


> Darn! Guess I shouldn't take my Kindle into the bathroom anymore!!pusht!


Only if you have steady hands.... :lol:


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## hdtvfan0001

Here's an interesting read on both offerings for comparison purposes...and also factors in the growth of tablet apps supporting each format...

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/01/31/earlyshow/leisure/gamesgadgetsgizmos/main7301605.shtml


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## Steve

One reviewer's opinion. He makes a pretty good case for the new Nook, tho, IMHO.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/mobile-ga...-best-dedicated-ebook-reader/4857?tag=nl.e539

I was also unaware B&N offered twice as many e-books as Amazon. Learn something new every day!


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## RasputinAXP

Just got my first chance to play with the new Nook touch...amazing. lighter than I expected. Responsive. And now the wife wants one to replace her original 3g nook. Any takers for it?


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## VegasDen

Kevin F said:


> +1 on the solar panel idea. It seems like there's not much consumer technology that incorporates solar panels these days. That should definitely change.


Here's a couple of solar chargers...size of a phone..and even have reading lights.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004GVIZC4/ref=cm_cr_asin_lnk

http://www.amazon.com/Premium-Solar-Charger-Built-Windshield/dp/B00449U3K0/ref=pd_bxgy_e_text_b


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## Mike Bertelson

Steve said:


> One reviewer's opinion. He makes a pretty good case for the new Nook, tho, IMHO.
> 
> http://www.zdnet.com/blog/mobile-ga...-best-dedicated-ebook-reader/4857?tag=nl.e539
> 
> I was also unaware B&N offered twice as many e-books as Amazon. Learn something new every day!


Good article.

I agree with the e-ink comments. IMHO, if you're going to be doing a lot of reading there is no better display.

Mike


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## RasputinAXP

I still really can't get over how unbelievably light the new Nook was.


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## hdtvfan0001

Steve said:


> One reviewer's opinion. He makes a pretty good case for the new Nook, tho, IMHO.
> 
> http://www.zdnet.com/blog/mobile-ga...-best-dedicated-ebook-reader/4857?tag=nl.e539
> 
> I was also unaware B&N offered twice as many e-books as Amazon. Learn something new every day!


The interesting thing about that review is that some of the same points hold true for Android and iOS tablets with the applications on them.

In my case, the Nook app is more appealing for reading on the ASUS Transofrmer and iPad here than the Kindle application.


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## bobukcat

Steve said:


> One reviewer's opinion. He makes a pretty good case for the new Nook, tho, IMHO.
> 
> http://www.zdnet.com/blog/mobile-ga...-best-dedicated-ebook-reader/4857?tag=nl.e539
> 
> I was also unaware B&N offered twice as many e-books as Amazon. Learn something new every day!


There always seems to be a back-and-forth about who has the most available books but I believe B&N can claim that because they support ebooks from libraries, etc. and Kindle does not yet have that capability - although it is supposed to be coming this year.


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## Steve

bobukcat said:


> There always seems to be a back-and-forth about who has the most available books but I believe B&N can claim that because they support ebooks from libraries, etc.


I thought that to be the case as well, but here's a quote from the review, which is why I was surprised:



> There are over 2 million titles in the Barnes & Noble ebookstore, compared to the 950,000 titles in the Amazon ebookstore. In addition, you can transfer over DRM and non-DRM EPUB files through a USB connection or Adobe Digital Editions. This functionality let me bring over all of the books in my Sony Reader library and also check out ebooks from my local public library.


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## bobukcat

I just noticed they haven't released a version of the new Touch Nook with 3G WWAN connectivity. That would be a deal breaker for me if I were in the market for a reader right now (i'm willing to pay extra for it and both of our Kindles have it), I wonder if they have one planned.


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## RasputinAXP

Honestly, the wife never used the 3G. It's only for accessing the store while you're out and about. You can't surf on it, so I really didn't see much use for it with either my Nook Wifi or my Nook Color.


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## Steve

RasputinAXP said:


> Honestly, the wife never used the 3G. It's only for accessing the store while you're out and about. You can't surf on it, so I really didn't see much use for it with either my Nook Wifi or my Nook Color.


Same with our Kindle 3G. We got it as a gift, otherwise I would have just ordered the Wi-Fi version. We're both retired, so for the little traveling we do, it's easy to load it up with planned reading before we go. As a result, the radio's "off" all the time, to maximize battery life.


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## bobnielsen

bobukcat said:


> There always seems to be a back-and-forth about who has the most available books but I believe B&N can claim that because they support ebooks from libraries, etc. and Kindle does not yet have that capability - although it is supposed to be coming this year.


There are a few problems with reading library books. Adobe Digital Editions is required for library books but it has a low limit on the number of activations. I have tried several software versions and reader apps on my Nook Color and can no longer activate any readers to use this.


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## dpeters11

Steve said:


> I thought that to be the case as well, but here's a quote from the review, which is why I was surprised:


I think some of them have played loose with the public domain books as well. My main criteria is not who has the most titles, but the most titles of what I'd probably want to read. Both have the big classics.

As for library books, if they have to rebuy eBooks after 26 checkouts like HarperCollins announced, they likely would just stop offering them.


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## bobukcat

RasputinAXP said:


> Honestly, the wife never used the 3G. It's only for accessing the store while you're out and about. You can't surf on it, so I really didn't see much use for it with either my Nook Wifi or my Nook Color.


My wife and I both travel pretty extensively (not nearly as much as we once did though) and I find the 3G to easily have been worth the extra $50. I'm not organized enough to make sure I always have enough books saved up and sometimes I'll decide I want to read something I don't have. Maybe I saw a sign for a new book or someone makes a recommendation while I'm travelling and I want to get it before I forget - either way not having to rely on Wi-Fi is a really nice feature.

The one thing about all the eReaders that does still bother me though is that some big-name books (although very few any more thankfully) are not available on ANY of them. The Harry Potter series is a prime example, if you want to read it, you're doing so on paper!


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## dpeters11

bobukcat said:


> The one thing about all the eReaders that does still bother me though is that some big-name books (although very few any more thankfully) are not available on ANY of them. The Harry Potter series is a prime example, if you want to read it, you're doing so on paper!


That changes on the 31st, for one million registrants. The eBooks will be available then as a beta, but only from pottermore.com. It will be DRM free, so should work on most devices if not all.


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## Steve

dpeters11 said:


> That changes on the 31st, for one million registrants. The eBooks will be available then as a beta, but only from pottermore.com. It will be DRM free, so should work on most devices if not all.


More on this, because it may be the tip of an iceberg. Ms. Rowling's agent was apparently savvy enough to retain digital publishing rights to the _Potter _series. Will be interesting to see if other "name" authors follow suit.

I wouldn't be surprised if the e-books sell for less than half of what a publisher might charge, with Ms. Rowling still pocketing 2x-3x her normal royalty.

And of course anyone with a word processor can "self" e-publish today through Amazon, Apple, B&N, Google and others, and keep ~70% of the revenues.


----------



## klang

Steve said:


> More on this, because it may be the tip of an iceberg. Ms. Rowling's agent was apparently savvy enough to retain digital publishing rights to the _Potter _series. Will be interesting to see if other "name" authors follow suit.
> 
> I wouldn't be surprised if the e-books sell for less than half of what a publisher might charge, with Ms. Rowling still pocketing 2x-3x her normal royalty.
> 
> And of course anyone with a word processor can "self" e-publish today through Amazon, Apple, B&N, Google and others, and keep ~70% of the revenues.


Recent post by Kevin J. Anderson on the subject of e-books and self publishing.



> You'll find self-published authors putting up their books generally in the range of $7.99 all the way down to $.99. Let's look at some numbers. If I price an eBook at, say, $2.99, my Amazon royalty on each copy is $2.10. On the other hand, for a traditional $9.99 paperback book that you would buy in a bookstore, the author earns about 99¢ per copy. So the author earns less than half as much from a traditional $9.99 paperback than she earns from a self-published eBook priced at $2.99.


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## Steve

> So the author earns less than half as much from a traditional $9.99 paperback than she earns from a self-published eBook priced at $2.99.


And an e-reader is more likely to spend the $2.99. A traditional reader might go to the library instead of the bookstore, or borrow a copy of the book from the friend who recommended it.

I think I mentioned this earlier in the thread, but a Forrester report published at the end of last year mentioned that e-readers _already_ spend more on books than conventional readers, and that's at the higher publisher e-book prices.


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## klang

Steve said:


> I think I mentioned this earlier in the thread, but a Forrester report published at the end of last year mentioned that e-readers _already_ spend more on books than conventional readers, and that's at the higher publisher e-book prices.


Makes sense to me, I think frequent readers are more likely to embrace the convenience of an e-reader.

Today's WSJ article about the upcoming Amazon tablet also mentions two new black and white Kindle models due in the third quarter. One with a touchscreen. I'm sure I'll upgrade eventually but I won't pre-order like I did with the Kindle 3.


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## bobnielsen

I wonder if this means that the retail markup is much less than for a print version. Perhaps that explains why B&N does not offer a member discount on ebooks.


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## Mike Bertelson

Steve said:


> And an e-reader is more likely to spend the $2.99. A traditional reader might go to the library instead of the bookstore, or borrow a copy of the book from the friend who recommended it.
> 
> I think I mentioned this earlier in the thread, but a Forrester report published at the end of last year mentioned that e-readers _already_ spend more on books than conventional readers, and that's at the higher publisher e-book prices.


Interesting. I've found that the majority of the books I buy for my Kindle are typically cheaper than the paper copy. I've seen where it's more expensive but it's been rare. Maybe it's just my book preferences.

Mike


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## klang

"Mike Bertelson" said:


> Interesting. I've found that the majority of the books I buy for my Kindle are typically cheaper than the paper copy. I've seen where it's more expensive but it's been rare. Maybe it's just my book preferences.
> 
> Mike


I think it is referring to the previous Amazon policy of selling new releases for $9.99. Publishers revolted and now are setting their own prices.


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## Steve

Mike Bertelson said:


> Interesting. I've found that the majority of the books I buy for my Kindle are typically cheaper than the paper copy. I've seen where it's more expensive but it's been rare. Maybe it's just my book preferences.


I believe Forrester was referring to the fact the e-readers _purchase_ more books in total than readers of physical books, not so much the difference in cost between the paper and digital editions. More here. The report is from last November.

They point out that many physical books are available free from libraries or as borrowed copies or hand-me-downs, so no money is spent... period.

And I know from our own experience that we read more now than before, because it's so convenient to locate, sample and download an e-book. As a result, there's less "down time" in between reads.


----------



## TBoneit

Steve said:


> I believe Forrester was referring to the fact the e-readers _purchase_ more books in total than readers of physical books, not so much the difference in cost between the paper and digital editions. More here. The report is from last November.
> 
> They point out that many physical books are available free from libraries or as borrowed copies or hand-me-downs, so no money is spent... period.
> 
> And I know from our own experience that we read more now than before, because it's so convenient to locate, sample and download an e-book. As a result, there's less "down time" in between reads.


Steve, I'm glad you like your ebook.... Several questions come to mind with regard to durability. Applies to tablets too.

1. Moisture proof, most likely not, My books can be dried carefully.
2. Battery life both in run time and before they need replacement. 
3. Glare, Dim lighting bright lighting etc.
4. I just reread some books from the 60's, they still worked. Ebooks ?

I probably have a two foot stack of books waiting to be read, mixed hard cover and softcover.

I have more material to read than time to read it.

Nothing wrong with library books excluding the way some reader ruin them. I've had some that are still on 14 day loan that the spine was broken.


----------



## Steve

TBoneit said:


> Steve, I'm glad you like your ebook.... Several questions come to mind with regard to durability. Applies to tablets too.
> 
> 1. Moisture proof, most likely not, My books can be dried carefully.
> 2. Battery life both in run time and before they need replacement.
> 3. Glare, Dim lighting bright lighting etc.
> 4. I just reread some books from the 60's, they still worked. Ebooks ?
> 
> I probably have a two foot stack of books waiting to be read, mixed hard cover and softcover.
> 
> I have more material to read than time to read it.
> 
> Nothing wrong with library books excluding the way some reader ruin them. I've had some that are still on 14 day loan that the spine was broken.


1) They're obviously not waterproof, but a little moisture is not going to hurt a Kindle or Nook, AFAIK. If you're worried about rain, you can put them in Ziploc bags and still read them.

2) Battery life is a virtual non-issue for e-ink readers. The Nook e-ink is rated up to 2 months between charges, and the latest e-ink Kindle is rated up to 2 weeks.

Backlit LCD/LED displays (Nook Color, iPad, Xoom, etc) are hard to read in bright sunlight, but if you use them indoors, you will most likely need to charge them overnight after 6-8 hours of reading, e.g.

3) Readability of e-ink books is as good as paper books. Actually better if you need large type, because font size is user configurable. Like paper books, you'll need a book light to read in the dark. As I mentioned, back lit displays are not so hot outdoors, but fine indoors, especially in total darkness.

4) With most storage headed for the "cloud", I assume if Amazon or B&N are still in business 10 years from now, I won't be required to "repurchase" my e-books if I no longer have them stored on my reader, but who knows? :scratchin


----------



## Steve

TBoneit said:


> Nothing wrong with library books excluding the way some reader ruin them.


I agree. And using my library card, I can also download digital e-books from my county's public library system, with no worries they've been previously manhandled! :lol:

(If you're planning to take advantage of your public library, Nook works better for that ATM. Kindle should be fully-compatible later this year.)


----------



## Mike Bertelson

Steve said:


> I believe Forrester was referring to the fact the e-readers _purchase_ more books in total than readers of physical books, not so much the difference in cost between the paper and digital editions. More here. The report is from last November.
> 
> They point out that many physical books are available free from libraries or as borrowed copies or hand-me-downs, so no money is spent... period.
> 
> And I know from our own experience that we read more now than before, because it's so convenient to locate, sample and download an e-book. As a result, there's less "down time" in between reads.


That makes sense. I do read more with my Kindle. It's so easy to get books that I do get books from Amazon that I wouldn't have ordinarily purchased. In that sense then sure I've spent more on books.

However, I have gotten quite a few from the Free Book Collection...also the $1.99-ish books.

BTW, after the first year I had the Kindle DX I checked the cost savings on books and the DX was paid for in about 14 or so months. Of course a couple of years ago Amazon had better pricing than they do now. It used to be that the typical price was less than ten dollar, even new releases. A lot less of the new releases fall into that price range these days.

Mike


----------



## Steve

Mike Bertelson said:


> [...] Of course a couple of years ago Amazon had better pricing than they do now. It used to be that the typical price was less than ten dollar, even new releases. A lot less of the new releases fall into that price range these days.


What _may_ be happening right now is publishers are paying higher royalties, to dissuade authors from taking the Rowling route and e-selling directly to the public. If so, could explain why e-book prices are so high.

I look forward to the day we'll be able to buy Grisham's latest e-book directly from his own web site for $2.99-$3.99. It's only a matter of time, IMHO.


----------



## Steve

From today's Betanews.com:



> In May, Nature Publishing Group and California State University announced a three-year partnership to use $49 e-books for certain Biology classes over a more expensive and less versatile paper book. Soon, state universities in Texas and Florida will follow suit. While there are hundreds of startups pitching various ways to bring e-textbooks to universities, Nature's initiative is one of the first widespread e-textbook programs to come from the publishing industry.
> 
> The most interesting part?
> 
> In its 135 years in the publishing business, this is Nature's first attempt at a textbook. [*more*]


----------



## klang

I have no doubt the e-reader format will eventually be the future of textbooks but the software needs a lot of work. Note taking and conveniently bouncing around within the book will be needed. Probably multiple side by side windows as well.


----------



## klang

Amazon announces Kindle Textbook Rental.


----------



## RasputinAXP

Talk about predicting the obvious, but: This is where the new Kindle Color tablet is going to make its cash.


----------



## Steve

RasputinAXP said:


> Talk about predicting the obvious, but: This is where the new Kindle Color tablet is going to make its cash.


Yup. They had to have color for some of the textbooks.

And kudos to them for beating Apple, B&N and Google to the punch by negotiating "rental window" pricing with the publishers. Very clever idea and potentially a competition killer, if it's exclusive to Amazon.

This tells me we should see the Kindle tablet _before_ September, no?


----------



## RasputinAXP

Likely so. I still don't see the allure to the student enduser of e-textbooks, though; they're still exorbitantly priced. That said, if the amount for rental is less than (used price-expected buyback price) then it's somewhat worth it.


----------



## klang

RasputinAXP said:


> Likely so. I still don't see the allure to the student enduser of e-textbooks, though; they're still exorbitantly priced. That said, if the amount for rental is less than (used price-expected buyback price) then it's somewhat worth it.


Which would you rather tote around in your backpack, a bunch of physical books or a iPad/Kindle/whatever?

I still think the reader app needs work though.


----------



## RasputinAXP

When I was in college, I didn't have a choice, and still wouldn't. I was a music major.


----------



## dpeters11

College isn't where I wish I had one of these. High school was worse. At least in college I generally had more time between classes. High school was only three minutes.


----------



## Steve

Reviewer loves the screen. Not much else, tho.



> *Pros*: High-resolution 1024-by-768 E Ink screen. Fast, responsive performance. Google eBooks sync online, and with other devices.
> 
> *Cons*: Hardware feels a bit flimsy. Requires too much effort to sync. Few reading customization options. No newspapers or magazines.
> 
> *Bottom Line*: The iriver Story HD sports a fantastic screen and it's the first ebook reader with Google eBooks integration, but an outdated feature set can't compete with leaders like the Kindle or the Nook.
> 
> [*more*]


----------



## Steve

dpeters11 said:


> That changes on the 31st, for one million registrants. The eBooks will be available then as a beta, but only from pottermore.com. It will be DRM free, so should work on most devices if not all.


According to this report, the Potter e-series will be compatible with just about any e-reader _except_ the Kindle. I guess this is because Amazon doesn't want to see books available in MOBI format for which they're not receivin a 30% cut? Doesn't seem to be an issue for B&N, tho they don't have a "proprietary" format. They support ePub and PDF, if I'm not mistaken.

If they're truly DRM-free, I wonder if you could purchase them from pottermore.com and convert them to MOBI using a program like Calibre? :scratchin I guess we'll have to wait and see. Perhaps by the time they're available, pottermore and Amazon will have come to some sort of agreement.


----------



## djlong

Kindle DOES support MOBI format if it doesn't have DRM. I should know, I have several MOBI & PRC files on mine and read them with no problem.


----------



## Steve

djlong said:


> Kindle DOES support MOBI format if it doesn't have DRM. I should know, I have several MOBI & PRC files on mine and read them with no problem.


Based on that Gizmodo piece, sounds like those pottermore.com files are either going to be ePub or PDF. I wonder why pottermore can't just make them available in DRM-free MOBI to begin with, along with ePub? Amazon gonna sue? :scratchin


----------



## klang

I get MOBI stuff from Baen all the time for my Kindle. PDF will work as well. I thought the original announcement on the Potter books said they were going to be platform agnostic.


----------



## Steve

klang said:


> I thought the original announcement on the Potter books said they were going to be platform agnostic.


You'd think so, right? I don't know where Gizmodo is getting their info. I was unable to tell from the pottermore.com site or the Rowling video.


----------



## klang

Steve said:


> You'd think so, right? I don't know where Gizmodo is getting their info. I was unable to tell from the pottermore.com site or the Rowling video.


More info. Amazon might still be in play.


----------



## klang

Amazon has turned on the service to borrow Kindle books from your local library. Link


----------



## Steve

klang said:


> Amazon has turned on the service to borrow Kindle books from your local library. Link


Interesting they inserted their storefront into the process as an intermediary, instead of just letting Overdrive or Adobe Digital Editions update the Kindle directly, like the Nook. It makes the process pretty straighforward for the consumer, IMO, as well as allows Amazon to gather usage statistics and create a preferences profile for that customer. I guess it's a win-win.


----------



## klang

Steve said:


> Interesting they inserted their storefront into the process as an intermediary, instead of just letting Overdrive or Adobe Digital Editions update the Kindle directly, like the Nook. It makes the process pretty straighforward for the consumer, IMO, as well as allows Amazon to gather usage statistics and create a preferences profile for that customer. I guess it's a win-win.


I suppose it was needed to enable wireless delivery to the Kindle. May have to sign up for a library card at some point to try it out.


----------



## dmspen

klang said:


> May have to sign up for a library card at some point to try it out.


Because of economic reasons, Santa Clara County libraries may charge you $80/year to have a library card - all dependent on where you live. For me to get FREE library books on my Kindle, it'll cost $80.

That's the equivalent of about 8-10 or more ebooks purchased from Amazon.

For some, that is NOT a good deal. For me, not too bad as I am a voracious reader. I got my Kindle for Christmas last year and have read at least 40 books so far. I'm trying to average at least a book a week.

Maybe my local library (no fee) will get into overdrive and get Overdrive lending...


----------



## Steve

dmspen said:


> Because of economic reasons, Santa Clara County libraries may charge you $80/year to have a library card - all dependent on where you live. For me to get FREE library books on my Kindle, it'll cost $80.
> 
> That's the equivalent of about 8-10 or more ebooks purchased from Amazon.
> 
> For some, that is NOT a good deal. For me, not too bad as I am a voracious reader. I got my Kindle for Christmas last year and have read at least 40 books so far. I'm trying to average at least a book a week.
> 
> Maybe my local library (no fee) will get into overdrive and get Overdrive lending...


County libraries are "free" here, but it's small perk, considering the exorbitant property taxes we pay here in NY. 

I just noticed my local library's web site is touting something called "Overdrive Advantage". It's explained as: 


> Additional titles may be available!
> 
> Libraries listed here are members of OverDrive Advantage. They have purchased more copies of popular titles, added new titles specifically for their communities, or both. If your library is listed, you may have access to additional titles. Patrons of OverDrive Advantage libraries also enjoy continued access to the rest of the titles in this website's download catalog!


----------



## klang

No charge in my county, Fort Bend, but you are required to physically go to the library to complete the application.


----------



## Steve

klang said:


> [...] you are required to physically go to the library to complete the application.


Same here. Could be a standard library requirement.


----------



## bobnielsen

There is no charge for a library card here, but I am paying $115 this year in property taxes to my library district. I have read several library books on my Nook Color and it is a nice service.


----------



## Steve

Based on the number of news reports I'm seeing on this, the casual observer might think library e-books are an Amazon "exclusive", instead of them being last to the party! :lol:


----------



## bobukcat

I didn't have a huge amount of interest in doing this but I thought I'd check and sure enough my local library offers it. I did a search for titles with available copies though and they were pretty darned thin, guess I'll stick with purchasing mine from the Kindle store.


----------



## bobukcat

Steve said:


> Based on the number of news reports I'm seeing on this, the casual observer might think library e-books are an Amazon "exclusive", instead of them being last to the party! :lol:


That's because Amazon controls everything, actually just everything that Google doesn't already control, didn't you know that???


----------



## dmspen

UPDATE:
Went to my Los Gatos library site last night. I was looking through the compatible devices and such. No Kindle listed.
Then I went back to the main page. The bar on the left of the page was longer than the main contents. I scrolled down to the bottome and there was an ad type box on the left below th emain content:
"Coming soon! Overdrive for Kindle"

...and there was much rejoicing.:dance01::jumpingja:joy::goodjob:


----------



## klang

Saw someplace yesterday that Overdrive was pushing out updates for Kindle support over the next few days. Amazon's announcement might have been a little premature.

Macworld:


> Amazon spokesperson Kinley Campbell told Macworld, "OverDrive is rolling out [Kindle integration] to the majority of their libraries today, and the rest in the next couple of days." So if you don't see the Kindle button yet, check again soon.


----------



## Steve

I'll be curious to see what these guys have to say about the new Kindle Touch, since they raved about the touch-screen Nook introduced in July. The Touch is $99 for the ad-supported wifi verision, $139 without (and same price as the Nook). A 3G version is available for $50 more.


----------



## klang

The touch screen isn't very compelling to me. Finger prints and such. I'm also not sure about the silver case. When I switched from K2 to K3 I found I really prefered the darker case. I pre-ordered K3 when it was announced, I won't be this one.

That said, I will likely find one under the Christmas tree. :lol:


----------



## HDJulie

Does anyone have the ad-supported version of a Kindle? I want to get the Touch but it's $139 without the ads. It says the ads are only when you are not reading -- I take it that it's a static screen & so doesn't use any battery power? I'd hate to pay $139 for the touch when the Fire is only another $60


----------



## dpeters11

Everything I've read about the ads are that they are non-intrusive and apparently some of them are actually good deals.

The ads are the screensaver, and I believe are also in your Library list. So it will use battery changing the picture, but no more than a normal Kindle.

We are talking about a 2-3 week battery life if wifi is off.


----------



## HDJulie

Except I always leave WiFi on . Hmm, I can handle them being on the screen when it's off, but if hey are also in the library -- not sure how that looks. Hope it's not as bad as DirecTv's banner ads.


----------



## klang

Nice little writeup from Macworld on the new Kindle models here.

I look forward to Best Buy getting in the new E-Ink models to try out.


----------



## Steve

klang said:


> Nice little writeup from Macworld on the new Kindle models here.


Good read and great explanation of what the Fire is all about.

And sensible advice for folks that already own tablets, IMHO:



> If you've already got an iPad, I'm not sure the Kindle Fire makes sense. The iPad already lets you read Kindle books, visit websites, rent videos, and the rest. If you haven't bought an iPad, though, it looks compelling, but I'm a little concerned that the first-generation model is going to have some rough edges. Buyer beware.





> I've got an iPad and a Kindle, though. I love my iPad, but I prefer reading books (and even my morning newspaper) on the light, small Kindle with its e-ink display. Personally, I'm torn between the fourth-generation Kindle and the Kindle Touch.


Similar feelings here. I'm torn between the Kindle Touch and the new B&N Nook, assuming reviews on features and usability are comparable. If B&N drops the price of the Nook Touch to $99 in response to the the new Kindle, I'll probably buy one or the other as a stocking stuffer for my wife. E-ink is best for books, IMHO, because it works indoors and outdoors, and charging is really a non-issue.


----------



## spartanstew

My wife has the newer Nook and loves it. I have the ASUS Transformer and love it. I read off of it every night and have no issues. In fact, I prefer it because while my wife needs a little clip on light to read at night when we're in bed, I don't. Just one less thing to worry about and never any eye strain. It also helps that I read while on my stomach, so weight of the device doesn't matter. Usually I just keep the keyboard attached the Transformer, so that it's propped up just right, and just have one finger on the next arrow for page changes.


----------



## klang

Steve said:


> Similar feelings here. I'm torn between the Kindle Touch and the new B&N Nook, assuming reviews on features and usability are comparable. If B&N drops the price of the Nook Touch to $99 in response to the the new Kindle, I'll probably buy one or the other as a stocking stuffer for my wife. E-ink is best for books, IMHO, because it works indoors and outdoors, and charging is really a non-issue.


I really think the reading experience will be the same between the Kindle and Nook touch's. It gets down to where you want to buy your books from.


----------



## hdtvfan0001

spartanstew said:


> My wife has the newer Nook and loves it. I have the ASUS Transformer and love it. I read off of it every night and have no issues. In fact, I prefer it because while my wife needs a little clip on light to read at night when we're in bed, I don't. Just one less thing to worry about and never any eye strain. It also helps that I read while on my stomach, so weight of the device doesn't matter. Usually I just keep the keyboard attached the Transformer, so that it's propped up just right, and just have one finger on the next arrow for page changes.


Having traveled for work these past 3 weeks....I've started to see more of a mixed bag of devices being used for eBook reading.

On various flights and at airports/hotels...I've seen iOS and Android tablets being used more for eBooks than perhaps just 6 montha ago. The value of using a tablet for that many other purposes, as well as an eBook reader seems to be taking off in the market.

Like you, I have the option to use either the Kindle or Nook reader apps on the ASUS Transformer for eBooks - both work very well on the tablet, I really like the visual presentation these apps provide, as well as the sizing options of the contents.


----------



## bobukcat

HDJulie said:


> Except I always leave WiFi on . Hmm, I can handle them being on the screen when it's off, but if hey are also in the library -- not sure how that looks. Hope it's not as bad as DirecTv's banner ads.


It is so easy and quick to turn wireless on and off on a Kindle that there is no reason to leave it on unless you're actually looking for or downloading content and the downloads usually take less than a minute.


----------



## hdtvfan0001

klang said:


> I really think the reading experience will be the same between the Kindle and Nook touch's. *It gets down to where you want to buy your books from*.


Agreed.

That would seem to be another advantage of going the tablet route - you can use either one on a single device....just sayin'....


----------



## klang

Edit: never mind, the topic is ereaders not tablets.


----------



## Steve

klang said:


> Edit: never mind, the topic is ereaders not tablets.


Didn't see your original post, but if your point was visibility sitting at the beach or poolside, I agree. That's where the e-ink devices really shine (no pun intended ). According to the PCMag "eyes on":



> The Fire's screen is glossy, but super-sharp. I had some trouble with reflections from bright lights when I was photographing it, so I'm a little worried about glare outdoors.


----------



## klang

Steve said:


> Didn't see your original post, but if your point was visibility sitting at the beach or poolside, I agree. That's where the e-ink devices really shine (no pun intended ). According to the PCMag "eyes on":


:up:

I also much prefer the size and weight of a dedicated ereader. Much more comfortable for me to hold for longer periods.


----------



## hdtvfan0001

klang said:


> Edit: never mind, the topic is ereaders not tablets.





klang said:


> I also much prefer the size and weight of a dedicated ereader. Much more comfortable for me to hold for longer periods.


Various tablets function as eReaders - and quite well. I've used a tablet as an ereader on 5 hour trips with no fatigue - they are light too.

If someone spends $100 - $160 on a dedicated eReader...that's just fine...one size doesn't fit all though.

As someone posted before - the key to a selection/decision tends to reside in the content source and their corresponding eBook choices. What a tablet brings to the table is the ability to support both Kindle and Nook - so for that reason, its a 3rd option that some might just consider added bang for the buck when considering a tablet.

Of the 2 exclusive eBook reader listed choices - I'm seeing more and more Nooks as I travel these days.


----------



## phrelin

I think there may be elephant in the room that isn't being fully addressed.

If you don't have an e-reader or a tablet the competition just got interesting. If you have invested in B&N reader content you're going to think twice about jumping ship, but you won't toss your current Nook and your content in the garbage even if you are looking around.

No longer is it a choice between spending $600 on an iPad or $90 for an e-reader. In terms of hardware, here's where we are this morning when you go to the two web sites:








I'm sure the difference in prices will get even narrower.

So sure, if you just want to read, both have nice $90± offerings.

But once you see a need to pay over $100, the top of the line starts looking appealing. And at that point, you start looking at what's accessible through the store.

It's coming down to the "I just want to read books on a small device without bells and whistles" versus "Gee, I could watch a movie if I got tired of reading" choice. Then it immediately leads to "what can I get and how much will it cost" thinking.

The Nook started the trend away from "just a reader" but the Kindle Fire has really heated up that trend. And Amazon has successfully created buzz that the Fire will take over the non-iPad tablet market this Christmas when in fact the Fire really fits the Nook Color niche. Neither one is effectively going to be competing in the "I use my tablet to create complex spreadsheets" market.

But B&N will have to hustle to avoid getting lost in the media blitz.


----------



## HDJulie

bobukcat said:


> It is so easy and quick to turn wireless on and off on a Kindle that there is no reason to leave it on unless you're actually looking for or downloading content and the downloads usually take less than a minute.


That's true -- I should probably just do that. Right now, I only read at home (have not been traveling for work in almost a year) so it isn't a big deal to charge the Kindle every 10 days. And, I pre-order alot of books & like not having to think about downloading them -- they just show up. But, I do get an email from Amazon when the books are available so I really have no reason not to turn off WiFi. Other than laziness, that is :-0


----------



## bobnielsen

phrelin said:


> If you don't have an e-reader or a tablet the competition just got interesting. If you have invested in B&N reader content you're going to think twice about jumping ship, but you won't toss your current Nook and your content in the garbage even if you are looking around.


When (not if) the Kindle Fire gets rooted, I'm sure that we will see folks install the B&N Nook app, just as many of us have installed the Kindle app on our rooted Nooks.

While the dual-core processor of the Fire looks appealing, the storage limitations make it a non-starter for me (cloud storage ain't the answer I'm looking for). I'm happy with CyanogenMod 7 (Gingerbread) on my Nook Color.


----------



## klang

I really think for the holiday shopping season the $79 price point of the Kindle is going to have the biggest impact. B&N will have to match it. There are going to be a lot more people buying ebooks after the first of the year.


----------



## Steve

klang said:


> I really think for the holiday shopping season the $79 price point of the Kindle is going to have the biggest impact. B&N will have to match it. There are going to be a lot more people buying ebooks after the first of the year.


And it doesn't sound like the ads are too bad either. From what I read, it sounds like they show them in place of the author portraits they rotate through now on the K3 we own. If so, that's not intrusive at all.


----------



## Steve

Tom's Hardware put the fourth Generation Kindle through its paces ($79 with ads, $109 without). Compared to the Kindle 3G ($99/$139), it has no keyboard, a marginally inferior screen, reduced storage, reduced battery life, and no performance improvement. It's 2 ounces lighter and $20/$30 cheaper.

We've already have a 3G Kindle, so based on what they have to say, doesn't look like there's a compelling reason to upgrade it. Even though it's heavier, it still weighs < half a pound.


----------



## klang

Steve said:


> Tom's Hardware put the fourth Generation Kindle through its paces ($79 with ads, $109 without). Compared to the Kindle 3G ($99/$139), it has no keyboard, a marginally inferior screen, reduced storage, reduced battery life, and no performance improvement. It's 2 ounces lighter and $20/$30 cheaper.
> 
> We've already have a 3G Kindle, so based on what they have to say, doesn't look like there's a compelling reason to upgrade it. Even though it's heavier, it still weighs < half a pound.


That is a little disappointing. I suppose they had to make changes to make that $79 price point. I would likely have gotten a K4 at some point if the screen quality was the same as my K3. I'm tempted to pick up a $99 K3 as a backup.

Edit to add:

The touch model is supposed to have the same battery size and storage as the K3, maybe it will retain the same grade display as well. I'm not concerned about storage, I've currently got about 30 books queued up and still have over 3 GB free. Display quality and battery life I would not want to give up.


----------



## klang

Engadget reviews the K4. They don't mention any difference in screen quality from the K3. Batch variations perhaps?


----------



## Steve

klang said:


> Engadget reviews the K4. They don't mention any difference in screen quality from the K3. Batch variations perhaps?


Could be. I thought Tom's was really nitpicking on the screen quality.

What Tom's does show is the new screen is no better, so really no compelling reason to upgrade, if you already have a K3, IMHO. _"eDataSource [...] estimated that Amazon sold around 25,000 models of its new line of Kindle e-readers, priced at $79 and $99"_, so they're not exactly flying out the door. [*more*]


----------



## klang

Steve said:


> _"eDataSource [...] estimated that Amazon sold around 25,000 models of its new line of Kindle e-readers, priced at $79 and $99"_, so they're not exactly flying out the door. [*more*]


I think they will sell a ton once the Holiday shopping season cranks up. 79 bucks will be a winner.


----------



## Steve

Re-reading the review, I realize I missed this bit, re: the "blackness" of the Kindle Keyboard (K3) vs. the Kindle 4:



> We called up E Ink Corporation to ask if this was a batch-related issue, and was told that this is most likely due to Amazon choosing a particular grade of display panels. So, while the new Kindle comes at a lower price, the company is probably cutting its costs as well by using a slightly cheaper display.


I only bring this up because lower contrast text can be troublesome to folks with early onset or acute cataracts.









*Deeper Black on Kindle Keyboard*​


----------



## klang

I wonder if the bezel color is effecting the apparent contrast? I don't know if I care for the silver color. Have to see what it looks like in person.


----------



## Steve

klang said:


> I wonder if the bezel color is effecting the apparent contrast? I don't know if I care for the silver color. Have to see what it looks like in person.


Agree, only because it bothered the reviewer enough to mention it.


----------



## Steve

PCMag's review of the $79 Kindle. They noted the screen was a bit dimmer than previous models, but didn't make a big deal out of it. They've actually made this reader their "Editors Choice", over the _Nook Touch_, because it's $60 cheaper. Both devices earned 4.5 stars out of 5.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2394449,00.asp#fbid=Us_HkJOddjl

I was a little disappointed to read that ads are not just on the standby screen:


> So, about those special offers: Periodically I'd return to the Kindle and find a full-screen ad about bedding and bath products, Amazon MP3, or Amazon's credit card. These actually were offers, not just straight ads; for example, you get $20 off those bedding products, a $2 discount on a specific MP3 album, or a $50 gift card for signing up for the credit card. Those ads looked attractive enough, as if they belonged in a Crate and Barrel catalog, but it was still a little disconcerting to be "advertised at" on my bedside table.
> 
> I also saw occasional banner ads at the bottom of the screen, which appear on the home screen and in the settings menu. You can view all the special offers at once, via an option on the home screen pop-up menu. However, not all ads were special offers; I saw one from a cellular carrier that was plainly just a full-screen ad. Overall, the ads are less obtrusive than I expected, but if the idea bothers you, you can buy an ad-free Kindle for $109, or $30 more than the base model.


----------



## klang

Steve said:


> PCMag's review of the $79 Kindle. They noted the screen was a bit dimmer than previous models, but didn't make a big deal out of it. They've actually made this reader their "Editors Choice", over the _Nook Touch_, because it's $60 cheaper. Both devices earned 4.5 stars out of 5.


There is a thread about the K4 screen at in the Kindle forum at Amazon. Several people saying it is worse and others saying it is the same or better. There is also a software upgrade available already. :whatdidid

I need to stop by Best Buy and take a peek for myself.


----------



## klang

Software update available for the Kindle 3 from Amazon today. Enhancements not too exciting to me.


----------



## Steve

Came across this Isaac Asimov short today, written for a children's newspaper in *1951*:



> Margie even wrote about it that night in her diary. On the page headed May 17, 2157, she wrote, "Today, Tommy found a real book!"
> 
> It was a very old book. Margie's grandfather once said that when he was a little boy his grandfather told him that there was a time when all stories were printed on paper.
> 
> They turned the pages, which were yellow and crinkly, and it was awfully funny to read words that stood still instead of moving the way they were supposed to--on a screen, you know. And then, when they turned back to the page before, it had the same words on it that it had had when they read it the first time.
> 
> "Gee," said Tommy, "what a waste. When you're through with the book, you just throw it away, I guess. Our television screen must have had a million books on it and it's good for plenty more. I wouldn't throw it away."
> 
> [*more*]


----------



## hdtvfan0001

Looks like the hottest item will be the Android-based Kindle Fire:

http://www.mobilewhack.com/amazon-kindle-fire-to-surpass-5-million-sales-in-q4/



> However, if recent analysts are to be believed, the Kindle Fire may quickly become the best-selling Android powered tablet on the market. In fact, these analysts suggest that the Kindle Fire may sell as many as 5 million units in Q4 alone.


----------



## klang

klang said:


> Software update available for the Kindle 3 from Amazon today. Enhancements not too exciting to me.


This is a little more interesting than I originally thought. If you email documents to your Kindle they are now archived on Amazon servers along with the rest of your purchased books. The sync process also now works for Personal Documents. At this point only the physical Kindles can access the Personal Documents part of the archive but the apps will get that ability.

So for instance, I just bought an ebook from Baen. While I did the regular download to my mac I also told Baen to email it to my Kindle. This new book is now in my Kindle archive.


----------



## Steve

> SEATTLE - Amazon.com has taught readers that they do not need bookstores. Now it is encouraging writers to cast aside their publishers.
> 
> Amazon will publish 122 books this fall in an array of genres, in both physical and e-book form. It is a striking acceleration of the retailer's fledging publishing program that will place Amazon squarely in competition with the New York houses that are also its most prominent suppliers.
> 
> [...]
> 
> Publishers say Amazon is aggressively wooing some of their top authors. And the company is gnawing away at the services that publishers, critics and agents used to provide. [*more*]


I wonder if these titles will only be available in Amazon e-book formats? :scratchin

Russell Grandinetti, one of Amazon's top execs, had this to say: _"The only really necessary people in the publishing process now are the writer and reader"_


----------



## klang

Finally had a couple minutes hands on with a demo Kindle 4 at Best Buy today. Much smaller and lighter without the keyboard and the 'extra memory and battery' . K3 right next to it, I really couldn't see any difference between the displays if both are set to the same font and size. Silver bezel color is a bit darker than it appears to me in the photos I have seen. Nice unit.

Looking forward to trying out the touch model next month.


----------



## Steve

klang said:


> Finally had a couple minutes hands on with a demo Kindle 4 at Best Buy today. Much smaller and lighter without the keyboard and the 'extra memory and battery' . K3 right next to it, I really couldn't see any difference between the displays if both are set to the same font and size. Silver bezel color is a bit darker than it appears to me in the photos I have seen. Nice unit.
> 
> Looking forward to trying out the touch model next month.


I've been looking for an excuse to upgrade our K3 ever since the B&N touch screen came out to rave reviews, and now there are three worthy new Kindle competitors to consider! But none of the new e-ink devices have a better screen than the K3, and we already have an color LCD reader option courtesy of the iPad, so I just can't justify another "gadget" in the house. Maybe if I'm lucky the K3 will die, or get lost or stolen.


----------



## klang

Steve said:


> I've been looking for an excuse to upgrade our K3 ever since the B&N touch screen came out to rave reviews, and now there are three worthy new Kindle competitors to consider! But none of the new e-ink devices have a better screen than the K3, and we already have an color LCD reader option courtesy of the iPad, so I just can't justify another "gadget" in the house. Maybe if I'm lucky the K3 will die, or get lost or stolen.


My wife gives me a hard time every year that I don't give her enough of a Christmas list. Heck we pretty much buy what we want throughout the year. Assuming the Kindle Touch screen is as good as the K3 and K4 I'll probably have one under the tree.


----------



## dmspen

Got an email from Amazon yesterday. You can trade in your 'old' Kindle for a credit towards a new one. I checked what they would give me for my 10 month old Kindle 3 no 3G...wow, a whole $25.

If people take up these deals, expect to see some used Kindles on the market when the Fire comes out.


----------



## Steve

I've been thinking about the Kindle Fire, and I've come to the conclusion if I wanted a $199 7" color tablet to read books, play movies and listen to music, I'd be better off with the Lenovo A1.

It can run the Kindle, B&N and Google Book reading apps, I can still use the Amazon or Google music clouds, the Amazon or Google app stores, I get front and rear cameras for Skyping with the grandkids and all my personalized web activity will not be passing through Amazon's servers, like with the Fire.

I also get stock Android 2.3 as opposed to Amazon's custom UI, with the prospect of an ICS upgrade. Just my .02. YMMV.


----------



## klang

I've still got my original K2 in my desk as a backup for my K3. If I get a touch I will probably drop off the K2 at Goodwill.


----------



## Steve

The new Nook Tablet is $50 more than the Kindle Fire. Better piece of hardware, though.

Faster CPU by virtue of 1GB memory vs. 512 (Fire)
16GB internal storage vs. 8GB (Fire)
32GB expansion slot vs none (Fire)
supposedly better looking, laminated color screen with no "air gaps" vs. "Blackberry Playbook reference design" screen (Fire)
B&N _claims_ video playback should be superior... remains to be seen.
Built-in microphone allows you to record your voice narrating child's book on the device. Cool idea, IMHO.
More detailed Nook Tablet vs. Kindle Fire comparison here.
Pandora, Hulu and Netflix come standard. Free cloud storage. 2.5 million books. What's not to like? :scratchin

Like the Kindle Fire, it's customized Gingerbread. Apps available through B&N.

The Nook "Simple Touch" tablet price is now $99, with no ads. Also 25% faster due to a software upgrade. :up:


----------



## Cholly

A new carrot for those wanting to make a decision on ebook readers: Amazon is now offering free Kindle books to Amazon Prime members who own a Kindle. I haven't checked to see if this offer also includes Kindle apps on tablets or smartphones, but I'm inclined to doubt it.


----------



## Steve

Cholly said:


> A new carrot for those wanting to make a decision on ebook readers: Amazon is now offering free Kindle books to Amazon Prime members who own a Kindle [...]


They're not free to keep. Just to read. Looks like up to one a month, with no time limit. The major publishers are not participating, however, so the selection is limited to "only" 5000 titles at this time, including "public domain" titles.

http://techland.time.com/2011/11/07...dle-e-book-list-full-of-filler-public-domain/


----------



## dpeters11

Cholly said:


> A new carrot for those wanting to make a decision on ebook readers: Amazon is now offering free Kindle books to Amazon Prime members who own a Kindle. I haven't checked to see if this offer also includes Kindle apps on tablets or smartphones, but I'm inclined to doubt it.


Kindle apps don't qualify. Considering some of the terms at least one of the big publishers put on libraries, making them rebuy ebooks after 25 checkouts, I don't see some of them jumping on this. The RIAA is downright progressive compared to the publishing industry.


----------



## Steve

Nook Simple Touch $79 in B&N stores today.

http://gadgetbox.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/23/8975718-nook-simple-touch-79-on-black-friday


----------



## Steve

Thought I'd survey who's using what here. TIA for voting.


----------



## klang

New Kindle touch today, pretty nice BTW, and it appears Amazon's servers are screwed up. Can't get anything to download from my archive. Many others reporting the same thing. Glad I'm not on-call for Amazon today. :lol:


----------



## klang

klang said:


> New Kindle touch today, pretty nice BTW, and it appears Amazon's servers are screwed up. Can't get anything to download from my archive. Many others reporting the same thing. Glad I'm not on-call for Amazon today. :lol:


OK, rather odd, turns out the fix is to delete the Welcome document they send to you after registering. :lol:


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## Herdfan

We got our daughter a Kindle Keyboard for Christmas. I had planned on getting her the WiFi one as she can manage that. But when I went to order it, the WiFi and 3G were the same price.

I don't remember the site saying anything about it, but it seems the reduced price 3G one has Special Offers on it. Winner for me and she doesn't care. I was going to initially get her the SO one anyway, but she wanted a keyboard, so we both ended up with what we wanted. 

The downside is the price of the Kindle will pale compared to the cost of all the books she will read. But if a tween wants to read, I am all for it.


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## Steve

PC Mag gives it 4.5 stars:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2403376,00.asp


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