kindle second thoughts?

[maddie80]

I got a kindle last week as an early mother's day gift! My husband debated between that and the nook for a while, and went with the kindle.

Now that I have the kindle though, we are both having second thoughts - mostly about the openness of the device (for e-books from the library, etc., and not being locked in to amazon only), and the design factor (the nook is so much smoother and doesn't have the many many buttons to mess with). I was sad that one of the books I was dying to read wasn't available for kindle because of the penguin publishing issue.

I was hoping you guys could sell me one way or the other. My main hesitations about the nook are battery life (how long does it really last in "reading hours," not just "days of use? - I read a lot, often several hours a day or more), the menuing (does it get more intuitive - the kindle was super easy out of the box, but the nook seems like it would take more time, even though I'm pretty tech/gadget savvy), and the speed of the device (page turning, downloading books, etc. - I've read very mixed reports about it).

Also, I can't really tell who "really" has more books, amazon or B&N....

[laurie_lu]

I was undecided between the Nook and the Kindle like you. I got the chance to play with them both beforehand. The Nook felt 'cheap' and the screen bezel didn't feel solidly secure. The page turning took forever. The navigation of the colored LCD screen was buggy and didn't move smoothly and would freeze at times. The Kindle just feels like a better constructed device. And it is on it's 2nd generation. Therefore bugs and other glitches have been worked out and upgraded from the 1st gen model.

I also didn't like the fact the Nook was thicker and heavier than the Kindle. I also read during my research that the Nook's battery life is much shorter because of the extra power needed to run the color LCD screen.

I also trust Amazon's longevity as a viable business more than B&N. I have read that there are ways to get library books onto a Kindle but requires some research since it cannot be discussed here.

[NNolan]

(the nook is so much smoother and doesn't have the many many buttons to mess with).

This is actually a design flaw for Nooks, as a number of them are cracking around those little arrows that serve as page turn buttons. Go over to the B&N Nook forums and read the pages and pages of comments about button cracking.
Also, B&N has announced 2 new Nook versions that are due before the end of the year, so you might want to wait and see what the new ones look like.

I have both a Kindle and a Nook (plus a few other miscellaneous readers) and I prefer my Kindle. In fact, I prefer ANY of my other readers to my Nook.

[=X=]

You know either one is a winner, so you don't have to regret the purchase.

But personally I think you got the better choice. At least it has the features I find worth wile.

Annotation, highlight, sync books, the best eBook store with usually better prices and selection. The penguin issue was non existent when I purchased my Kindle and should be resolved in the near future. Truly free 3G, I can download books, from any site, and browse on my Kindle.

The one thing I like about the B&N is access to FictionWise, a subsidiary of B&N. FW use to have some great sales but the book selection wasn't so good. However ever since the evil 5 they have not had any great sales and an even poorer book selection.

The batter life I have on my Kindle is about 1 week, due to TTS and 3G. When I turn off 3G and don't use TTS it lasts couple weeks (sorry, I read a lot but don't actually track the hours spent reading, just how often I have to plug in my device)

=X=

[SensualPoet]

There is lots to admire with the Kindle 2 -- 6 months later I am not having any second thoughts at all. Yet, I have acquired a second ereader -- the Kobo. Delivered door-to-door it's about half the price of the Kindle, delivers the same 2 week battery life, gives me direct access to library books, is considerably lighter and makes a nice backup. But it doesn't replace the Kindle 2.

[kindlekitten]

you can use calibre and get books from many other sources. my current favorites are Smashwords and Baen Books. I haven't done it, but understand that library books can be downloaded and converted using calibre also. I have had one K1 for over 18 months, a second one for 9 months with absolutely no regrets or breakage. the only thing I have had to do is rest them a few times.

when I was in the hospital having knee surgery, the morphine didn't work. I went 36 hours in absolute agony. I "read" (didn't absorb a damn word) the entire time just to keep my brain busy. the battery lasted that whole time

[gollu]

Kindle 2i is maybe the only gadget I got and had no second thoughts about it.

[stargazertony]

You asked your question in the Kindle section so the responses are a bit predictible. Think the responses would be different in the Nook section and even better in the "Which one should I buy" section.

Update: Sorry but I see you do have the identical post in all three sections and the result is predictable. At this time the Kindle section picks the Kindle, the Nook section picks the Nook and the "Which one should I buy" section has no responses. I say play with them all and pick the one you like and don't worry about what someone else picks.

[maddie80]

Originally Posted by stargazertony

You asked your question in the Kindle section so the responses are a bit predictible. Think the responses would be different in the Nook section and even better in the "Which one should I buy" section.

Update: Sorry but I see you do have the identical post in all three sections and the result is predictable. At this time the Kindle section picks the Kindle, the Nook section picks the Nook and the "Which one should I buy" section has no responses. I say play with them all and pick the one you like and don't worry about what someone else picks.

I've played with both and can't come to a clear winner in my head. It is really helpful for me to hear feedback from people who've used them for longer than the 10 minutes in the store I can usually squeeze out before my toddler makes a run for it!

[Anarel]

You're not "locked" into amazon only for getting books. You can get books from a number of other online vendors. The penguin issue will not go on forever, there are so many other books to read! Also, you can read Kindle books on your Blackberry, PC, Mac, Ipod touch, Ipad and other devices.

I found while testing out my Kindle with the Nook @ B&N that the Kindle was a lot easier to work with; with the nook it takes far too many steps to make a simple highlight or note. I use the notes feature a lot and I love having an actual, physical keyboard as opposed to a virtual one- some people find the virtual keyboard decent enough for a note, but I had far too much trouble hitting the right keys.

About the number of books available, you would be correct in that most of B&N's "million" ebooks are out of the google public domain catalogue, pre-1923 books. I heard it somewhere said that up to 750,000 of B&N's million ebooks are from Google, which means B&N has only about 200,000 something recent ebooks available. On the other side, Amazon have over 500,000 recent, in copyright works available. That's a sizeable difference.

All those google ebooks are available (with far less ocr errors and typos) via websites like the Gutenburg project. And if you do need those google books, since they are drm-free you can convert them easily to be read on the Kindle.

But at the end, it's up to you. You do have a month to return the kindle for a full refund (I think you only get 14 days with the nook, with or without a restocking fee). Take your Kindle to B&N and try them out side by side. See which you prefer.

(And if you think the nook's screen contrast is better than the kindle's remember that the nook has a black border around the screen, that the kindle lacks which optical illusions your eyes into thinking one is better than the other. A dark colored skin will even it up between the two devices- the screens are made by the same company after all.)

[SensualPoet]

I live in Canada (or more accurately outside of the United States) so the Nook isn't an option. I am not deigned worthy enough to buy it due to my residency on "foreign" soil.

The above is only partly tongue-in-cheek. What sets the Kindle 2 apart from all other readers is that it is sold to many countries and is designed to work wirelessly in 200 countries. That's as global as you can get. If you find a title you like at Amazon, seconds later you can be reading it wherever you are.

This is a non-trivial advantage.

Plus, hands up anyone who thinks Amazon does NOT have the best chance of being here five years from now -- including holding a copy of your backup library of e-books: Amazon, Border, Barnes & Noble, Waterstones, WHSmith, Redgroup, Chapters/Indigo, Sony e-book Store ... etc etc. It's a red herring to say Amazon is a "closed format" when suggesting, for example, Sony is an open one? DRM is DRM: it can be overcome if necessary and, more to the point, if the vendor is still there, it hardly matters.

Plus, as the last post pointed out, you are not "locked in" to Amazon with a Kindle -- lots of vendors offer non-DRM books that open perfectly well on a Kindle.

It's worth a reminder: Apple built iTunes on the closed AAC format when the rest of the world fell in love with mp3. Apple not only abandoned DRM AAC, it now sells DRM-free mp3. And it remains the market leader for music content. Why? Because they sorted out the DRM issue AND provided the very best online experience for purchasing, managing and consuming music content.

Of all the vendors selling e-books today, which has the richest content, and content management system, for consuming e-books? If you answer "Amazon", as I do, you'll see why the Kindle is a very good choice.

One more thing: only Amazon has made a serious effort to enhance the end user experience of a device you have already bought. The Kindle 2 has been upgraded with longer battery life, faster page turns, international accessibility, additional formats, and soon social networking and further font, book management and other tweaks. All in the past eight months: Amazon is truly committed to the platform. Can Sony or any other vendor say prove the same claim?

[Suzy Kindlefan]

Originally Posted by SensualPoet

I live in Canada (or more accurately outside of the United States) so the Nook isn't an option. I am not deigned worthy enough to buy it due to my residency on "foreign" soil.

The above is only partly tongue-in-cheek. What sets the Kindle 2 apart from all other readers is that it is sold to many countries and is designed to work wirelessly in 200 countries. That's as global as you can get. If you find a title you like at Amazon, seconds later you can be reading it wherever you are.

This is a non-trivial advantage.

Plus, hands up anyone who thinks Amazon does NOT have the best chance of being here five years from now -- including holding a copy of your backup library of e-books: Amazon, Border, Barnes & Noble, Waterstones, WHSmith, Redgroup, Chapters/Indigo, Sony e-book Store ... etc etc. It's a red herring to say Amazon is a "closed format" when suggesting, for example, Sony is an open one? DRM is DRM: it can be overcome if necessary and, more to the point, if the vendor is still there, it hardly matters.

Plus, as the last post pointed out, you are not "locked in" to Amazon with a Kindle -- lots of vendors offer non-DRM books that open perfectly well on a Kindle.

It's worth a reminder: Apple built iTunes on the closed AAC format when the rest of the world fell in love with mp3. Apple not only abandoned DRM AAC, it now sells DRM-free mp3. And it remains the market leader for music content. Why? Because they sorted out the DRM issue AND provided the very best online experience for purchasing, managing and consuming music content.

Of all the vendors selling e-books today, which has the richest content, and content management system, for consuming e-books? If you answer "Amazon", as I do, you'll see why the Kindle is a very good choice.

One more thing: only Amazon has made a serious effort to enhance the end user experience of a device you have already bought. The Kindle 2 has been upgraded with longer battery life, faster page turns, international accessibility, additional formats, and soon social networking and further font, book management and other tweaks. All in the past eight months: Amazon is truly committed to the platform. Can Sony or any other vendor say prove the same claim?

One of the most lucid posts I have read in a while. (Also justifies my decision to scrap the Nook and keep the Kindle 2). Thanks.

[Roy Hinkley]

I have returned all my Kindles and am glad to be rid of them. I had a terrible experience with the Kindles and, in the end, with Amazon customer support as well.

[lene1949]

I love my kindle and I love Amazon's customer service... Not that I have ever needed them, but from what I've heard.

[gollu]

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