e-Readers: Kindle or Nook?
Posted on July 12, 2010 | Categories: Technology | Tags: books, recommendations
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I am in the market for an e-reader.
I know, I know. When I first heard about e-readers, I was very skeptical and vowed that nothing would ever be able to replicate or replace the feeling of an actual book in hand. I still stand by that sentiment, but logically, an e-reader makes more sense in the long run, at least for me.
I travel a lot, and I always, always bring books with me. Not only do I travel, but I also move from place to place a lot. Basically, I’m almost always en route from Point A to Points B, C or D. Not having/bringing books is not an option for a bookworm like me, so I have schlepped my books to the ends of the world and back in my lifetime. However, it is not feasible for this to continue. Books are expensive (I have an aversion to libraries, but that’s a long story), books are heavy and books take up space. These are problems I’ve had with books and my lifestyle from day one.
E-readers solve most of these problems. Yes, they are expensive – certainly more expensive than any lone book. But e-reader versions of books are cheaper than print versions, and e-reader books that are in the public domain are free. They are also very light and can store over a thousand books on the device, which solves most of my book woes.
Sounds great, right? But there’s still a problem. I don’t know what type of e-reader I want. Or rather, which type of e-reader is the best fit for me.
I’ve narrowed it down to two: Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook. Both look very good. I’m leaning towards the Kindle, but I don’t really have a reason for that except that it has a longer battery life. Honestly, both look really awesome and I’m completely torn as to which one to get. If I were to get the Nook, I’d be able to get it (relatively) soon. If I were to get the Kindle, I’d be debating whether or not I should wait a little longer and see when the Kindle 3 comes out before purchasing anything, as that release ought to be soon… right?
Anyway. Kindle or Nook? Anyone have experiences, stories, etc with either, or e-readers in general, to share that would be helpful?
Rachel
Nook… Not that I have a Kindle to compare it to or anything, but I have a Nook and I love it! It holds around 10,000 books and the LendMe feature is something that no other e-reader has. I love my Nook! I was super skeptical when I bought mine {the price just dropped- I got mine when they were still $250} but I buy TONS of books {I don’t use libraries, I don’t like them, go figure} that is how I justifed buying it. The do one recent free ebook a week and they have almost 100,000 free ebooks on b&n.com. {Some of them are really lame- but some aren’t bad.}
So, that being said- I am pro-Nook. :)
P.S. I love your blog- and am very jealous of your upcoming travels- and your e-reader will be very handy during all of that… no books to keep up with!
Manda
Is your Nook the 3G + WiFi model or just the WiFi model? If I went with the Nook, I’m not sure the $50 price difference is worth it for the 3G + WiFi since (to my understanding) you can also download the books on a computer and transfer them to the Nook. Unless that’s not possible?
Rachel
Mine is the 3G+WiFi, because when I bought mine, that is the only one they offered. Now, to be totally honest, I don’t have a clue what the difference is, but yes my books are on my computer and then I send them to my Nook. {Can’t you tell I am not a techie!} I didn’t know this, but you can get e-books from libraries, did you know that? {Yeah, you probably did.} And with books that are older, that have gone past their copyright you can get them free as well. {If you like older books- “Pride and Predjudice”, “Wuthering Heights”… that type of thing…} I have probably confused you more than anything!
Manda
Yeah, I think the lending and library features are ones only the Nook offer, at least as of right now. Thanks!
tillie
Kindle…a million times over…the Kindle. Amazon offers so many free books that it makes owning it pay for itself a bajillion times over. I love the long battery life {just make sure you turn the wireless off when you don’t need it} and the ease of being able to download the books on the go. I know a lot of other readers you have to connect to a computer. I have over 600 books on my kindle and I think I paid for maybe 15 of them. I LOVE my kindle and cannot live without it.
Manda
Out of curiosity, do you have the Kindle 1 or Kindle 2?
tillie
I have the Kindle 2. I bought mine in October of last year.
SassyGirl
Don’t have any experiences with either, but now you make me want to get an e-reader. I’m going to be on the road a lot too, this seems like a sensible investment.
On the other hand, I’ll always have my laptop with me. Even though it’s not as easy to pull out a laptop, I could get a netbook for slightly more than an e-reader.
Personally, I’d go for the one with the longer battery life, as I find charging electronics to be a big issue on-the-go.
Manda
I’ll probably have my laptop with me in most cases, but the idea of reading for an extended period of time on any laptop screen makes my eyes hurt. The eInk feature of e-readers is something I really like. I definitely agree on the battery life though; that (and some other features) has me leaning more towards the Kindle.
Ashley
I don’t use an e-reader, but I think I’d vote for the one with more battery life if I were choosing. :)
Also, unrelated but I figured you’d be more likely to see it here than if I replied on my own blog: I’d super love to penpal this year! As soon as I find out my exact new address for my on-campus apartment (just another week or two), I’ll email it to you. :D
Manda
Awesome! :D :D
I don’t have any details about my exact address or anything yet, but I’ll let you know when I find out (hopefully soon). Hooray for penpaling! :D
Ashley
Awesome, I can’t wait! :D
Jen
I’m fairly certain I saw a Nook in person the other day (it was in passing…) and in that split second I decided that the Kindle was more up my alley in terms of looks. Unfortunately that’s as far as my knowledge of ebook-readers go! But the fact that the Kindle has a longer battery life is a real incentive for me — I hate having to worry about the battery dying!
Linda
I just purchased a Nook, after much consideration of the two you mentioned. My reasons for finally choosing the Nook were the ability to download “free” library books, the web browser that it comes with, and the ability to lend ebooks. I also like the “Daily” that comes with the Nook, and the weekly free book, plus you can read any book in the store for free…which I guess you can also do with the real books. I’ve had it for over two weeks and have only charged it once and even than it was only down 50%. Charging is very easy, and it is not a huge charger…fits in my case.
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