Kindle Electronic Reader vs Nook?

[SlowButSteady]

I'm considering getting an electronic reader.

Amazon has the Kindle 2.

Barnes and Noble is about to release the Nook, which I think is an upgraded Sony electronic reader.

I have looked at a feature comparisom. I like the Nook's color touch screen feature.

However, Kindle 2 is an upgraded product, possibly with some of the "bugs" worked out of it over the original incarnation(s).

No one has a Nook yet to review it...but isn't it another incarnation of a Sony product?

I hope this hasn't been discussed before. I used the Search feature but didn't uncover anything.

[Pedal Wench]

This is the website I write for:
http://dvice.com/archives/2009/10/barnes-noble-un.php

and

http://dvice.com/archives/2009/10/barnes-noble-un.php

[TsPoet]

The other thing to look is is how available the books are. Can you read a Kindle book on a Nook and visa-versa?
Regardless of how good/bad the Nook is, there are a lot of book out there for the kindle and they are easy to get.
Then again, if the Nook is behind on books (and I'm asking, not saying that it is), it will catch up in a year or two.

[Zen]

I like the device known as the library.

It's free :p

[papaver]

I love my books, I've got hundreds of them...

Imagine you have that Klindle thing, you read a book you really love... in 15 years time you remember that book and you want to read it again... do you honestly think it will be possible after the x-million upgrades of the software?

My books don't need upgrading... just a little dusting from time to time. :D


But that's just me, i'm really really a book lover. Love reading them, looking at them, touching them... :)

[MartianDestiny]

I think I'd have about the same chance of having a book after 15 years and God only knows how many moves, etc. on a Nook as in hardcopy.

Grant if I really *love* it and want to keep it forever and ever, then I'd probably buy a hardcopy (more for display purposes than fear of the digital copy vanishing). The vast majority of my books aren't that special to me (but I still have a HUGE collection that is), however, and they get discarded, given to friends, sold, etc as I move around whereas I might have kept them and even read them again if they were on a harddrive. Physical books are expensive, heavy, and bulky to ship around the country.

Just saying that both options have their drawbacks and I don't think either will replace the other.

Having just reviewed the Nook's specs on the website I will most likely be buying one when they come out. Just the fact that it will natively store, organize, search, and allow me to mark up PDFs for my research is worth more to me than the asking price. I'm tired of printing off 30 page papers only to have a very poor organization (and FORGET trying to remember what quote was in what paper a year or even a month later) especially when I know I should be keeping up with all of it.

The newspaper and periodical reading feature is also very nice. No one wants to keep those forever excepting maybe an article or two (which you could print or store) and the paper savings from reading them digitally could be enormous.

Maybe I'll even grab a book or two that I otherwise wouldn't have purchased too, maybe not.

[jobob]

I like the device known as the library.

It's free :p

Knew you'd chime in with that. :D

[papaver]

Like I said, i'm a maniac when it comes to books. :D

But one serious piece of advice though. I would never buy the first model of anything new. I would at least wait six months before I buy a 'gadget' so they get the chance to optimize it.

[Pax]

I like the device known as the library.

It's free :p


I love my books, I've got hundreds of them...

Imagine you have that Klindle thing, you read a book you really love... in 15 years time you remember that book and you want to read it again... do you honestly think it will be possible after the x-million upgrades of the software?

My books don't need upgrading... just a little dusting from time to time. :D


But that's just me, i'm really really a book lover. Love reading them, looking at them, touching them... :)

Amen sistahs! And I get to spend my days in amongst 6 million of them!

[smilingcat]

Hi all,

My name is smilingcat. I have an addiction. Walls of my living room used to be a giant book case, floor to ceiling... Now I just occupy only half a wall. Lately though, I think my addiction has crept back. I've added at least a half a dozen books onto the shelves. and I'm needing more shelf space... sigh...

Someways, Kindle or Nook would be nice. Sure beats carrying several tomes around. But then I can't do some of the favorite things. skip around read a passage or two further down or go back and re-read some of my favorite passages. Doesn't nook or kindle sort of force you to read linearly from the front to the back cover. What if I want to skim through or thumb through... I also like to dog ear pages. How do you dog ear on a kindle or nook. Be pretty hard to dog ear the reader not to mention breaking the device... :p

I also prefer reading print rather than staring at a screen.

If nothing else, we will have choices on how we want to read.

I'll stay with books for now.

[Pedal Wench]

My mom is an "enthusiastic" reader. But as she's gotten older, I'm glad she's discovered Kindle. She travels, for months, and I'm glad she's not lugging around a suitcase just for her books. Plus, she can adjust the size of the print and the brightness for her eyes.

And you can bookmark pages for the equivalent of dog-earing the pages. :)

[MartianDestiny]

Hi all,
Someways, Kindle or Nook would be nice. Sure beats carrying several tomes around. But then I can't do some of the favorite things. skip around read a passage or two further down or go back and re-read some of my favorite passages. Doesn't nook or kindle sort of force you to read linearly from the front to the back cover. What if I want to skim through or thumb through... I also like to dog ear pages. How do you dog ear on a kindle or nook. Be pretty hard to dog ear the reader not to mention breaking the device... :p

I also prefer reading print rather than staring at a screen.

If nothing else, we will have choices on how we want to read.

I'll stay with books for now.

I don't see how it would force you to read linearly; though it may be harder to skip through pages than just grabbing a handful. I have not played with one, but I suspect they will have ways to jump to chapters or other breaks (and from there it's not too many pages to flip), if this generation doesn't then it's coming.

Nook claims it can add notes (maybe like Mac "stickies") or comments, maybe you can flip to commented sections, which would be one way to sudo dog ear. But again, I haven't seen or played with one of these things.

Nook also claims that you will be able to search by keyword. Whether that's searching a list of books for author generated keywords or if you will be able to search within books and flip to relevant sections was unclear (I hope it's the later)

The screen is supposedly much more eye-friendly than a computer monitor, trying to get closer to the paper look. Again, haven't seen one, but that's what they claim.

Not defending them in anyway (heck haven't even seen one) just pointing out some things. I agree, at least we have choices. I suspect I'll continue reading some things on paper, but that I'll end up with one of these gadgets as well sooner or later. I bet it will beat the heck out of my computer monitor, if for no other reason than it will be much easier to curl up with.

[7rider]

I've been looking at the Sony reader. I have been reading about the Nook. The Nook looks really cool. I can totally see carting one of those around on a business trip vs. a book. I guess obsolesence would be a worry. I imagine all those albums that folks bought on 8-track tape have to be bought again in some other format. Such is the nature of changing technology. Nothing to get out of date about a book. Books are wonderful. I think an e-reader would be a great alternative (kind of like cars and bikes are alternatives to each other, but neither will necessarily replace the other. Hmmmm).

[blackhillsbiker]

I had a ton of books on my old Newton. I think a Nook would be fun for travel. If there are books of knitting patterns, that would really be a bonus! It would never replace my actual books, but I could see myself enjoying the portability.

Deb

[crazycanuck]

I'd rather sit in my home library & read a real book.

I'm with zen..libraries are good places :D

[Pax]

I had a ton of books on my old Newton. I think a Nook would be fun for travel. If there are books of knitting patterns, that would really be a bonus! It would never replace my actual books, but I could see myself enjoying the portability.

Deb

Same here. When we were doing the five hour wait at the oncologists last month a fella was sitting near me using a Kindle...I definitely saw the attraction. He had on slim thing and I was encumbered with a bags filled with books, magazines, crossword puzzle book...

[papaver]

5 hour wait???? :eek::eek::eek: are you serious?

[PscyclePath]

I'm with Zen, too...

Another option, though, is the Kindle app for your iPhone... I have that one installed, even though I've yet to download a book to it... the paper ones have been more convenient, and the books I'd want to have stashed in my iPhone don't come in e-book or Kindle versions yet... :-(

[divingbiker]

I'm seriously considering getting some kind of electronic reader since my eyesight is getting bad enough that I can't really read the small print of books and magazines any more. (I've got an eye condition that makes my right eye blurry and it can't be fixed.) I'd love to be able to make the font a size and darkness/contrast that is easier on the eyes.

[MomOnBike]

I like the idea of a Nook or Kindle or any other type of portable electronic reader for newspapers. I really dislike the clutter that newspapers bring into the house, and we just have a hard time getting our poop in a group to go to the recycling centers. Give me a slim electronic reader any day.

I also like the idea of an electronic reader for reading at lunch. I've struggled with paperback books while trying to eat messy sandwiches. A flat piece of plastic would have been nice.

They'd also be nice for travel.

Looking this over, I guess I'm interested in this technology for (for lack of a better term) 'throwaway' type reading.

The archival stuff I want on paper. Also cookbooks and bike repair manuals - paper, stained.

[SlowButSteady]

Nothing will ever replace books for me.

But I recently purged sackfuls of books--donated to Friends of the Library. In fact, I am in the process of purging alot of clutter from my home (link to related thread: http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=32492&highlight=clutter )

My home has a dedicated library room. It's full. I need to purge some more.

Tentatively, I'm leaning toward Barnes & Noble's Nook. Its format is library compatible. More selections. Color touch screen. Titles are "lendable".

I also like the idea of financially supporting Barnes & Noble...I like their physical stores--the music, atmosphere, the Starbucks.

Kindle is marketed by Amazon. I don't have a neighborhood Amazon to experience.

[smilingcat]

There will be other me too products pretty soon. So unless you really want it, you may want to hold out. Maybe the price will drop even more. Kindle dropped its price and B&N's Nook matched the price.

I wonder if I can take the java applet for the reader off ipod/iphone and load it onto my net book. My netbook does have java support...

[limewave]

I was just offered a great deal on the new Kindle. I didn't think I'd ever be able to afford one. I'm so tempted to buy it. I love books. We have a big library at home and I can't imagine giving up my hardbacks. But I think I would love a Kindle for traveling . . . . . .

[Irulan]

I just bought a Nook for my son for the holidays. You can load PDF's right into one, or store them on a smart card. The kindle requires cumbersome software to convert PDFs into a readable format. Son has his entire D&D library on PDF, plus many of his college textbooks are available in that format. So for us it's an obvious choice. No more carrying around 65 pounds of textbooks for starters.

[Pax]

No more carrying around 65 pounds of textbooks for starters.

Ooooh, I hadn't thought of that application, excellent!

[arielmoon]

I am reluctant to get a first edition of any electronic gadget so that would rule out the nook for me. I have contemplated the kindle but it still seems like quite a bit to plunk down. The new books are not any cheaper in e-edition either.

I read A LOT and I make use of the library whenever I can. I only buy books that I cant get there. I keep the ones I will read again, and I try to give away or donate the others because I cant stand clutter!

[kenyonchris]

I am a bookaholic. I was an editor just out of college and read 800 plus pages a day of copy. I can't read at the speed to accuracy ratio I read on paper while on the computer. I don't know why. I can read fast and inaccurately or slow and accurately but not both. And it eventually gives me a headache. So I have avoided the Kindle even though it would be nice to have all three or four of the books I have going at any one time in one spot. People who have tried it tell me that they have the same issues withe the computer but not the kindle. Why is that, you think?

[Ritamarie]

I like the device known as the library.

It's free :p

Me too. When the library goes digital and I can download a book to an electronic reader, then I will buy one!

[7rider]

Me too. When the library goes digital and I can download a book to an electronic reader, then I will buy one!

The library did go digital*. And you can down load it onto a reader. Looks like you'll have to get one now! Actually, Google Books has a bunch of books that are in the public domain and available free for download. A good time to catch up on Poe, Twain, and all of the old classics that I never read (but told my lit. teachers I did!) in high school!

* Besides, you can't take the library with you when you're stuck in an airport waiting for your connection.....

[malkin]

... People who have tried it tell me that they have the same issues withe the computer but not the kindle. Why is that, you think?

I think the screen is different. Someone explained it to me once, but I don't have much understanding in that area, so it didn't stick.

[Irulan]

We got the Nook a few days ago. My son was SO excited... but we are sending it back.

The whole idea with the Nook purchase is that it had built in PDF reading ability, plus you can add storage with a micro SD card.

Well.... it reads PDFs if you like looking at microscopic fonts on the screen. It shrinks the pdf page to fit the reader, which is not a good thing. It does not break the text into panels, so that you can read like the other book formats. Graphics become invisible. If the PDF text is is columns, it's even worse as the columns are now in microscopic fonts.
Sure you can zoom panels but it's VERY difficult to read with any flow as you have to select which peice of the PDF you want to zoom, read it, zoom out, select the next piece... you can't page through them.

We spent some time googling comments since people have gotten theirs this week, and the overall opinion on the PDF capability is thumbs down, from professionals trying to load and read journals in PDF form, to out of print books. We did call tech support, and nope, the PDF format is not going to change anytime soon.

We are VERY disappointed. The whole idea of this thing was so my son could load his 30 GB of out-of-print specialty books in PDF format onto it, and textbooks.

[OakLeaf]

My dad has a Sony e-reader that he loves. He uses it almost exclusively for out-of-print public domain books and manuscripts that he gets from Google and other sources, mostly as .pdfs.

I got one just like it for Christmas, and although I'm working my way through a stack of print books before I buy any e-books, I have to say I'm very disappointed that there's no option for backlighting. I need the same bright light to read my e-reader as I do for a print book. No reading on subways, buses, my living room at night, many hotels, etc., without carrying a book light too. :(

[7rider]

Kindle just came in the mail today. :eek:
I got to play with my SIL's when we were up at her place around Christmas. I kind of didn't want the Kindle, primarily I didn't want to give her the satisfaction of thinking she influenced my decision (she is quite confident that she ALWAYS makes the right choice, and anything SHE has is the finest available! :rolleyes:).
But...it was pretty easy to pick up and use with minimal effort. I figure, if I can figure it out...it's got to be idiot proof. Free downloads (sort of....I found out there's a charge to upload your own PDFs and reports to it. pfffft. They didn't mention THAT in their slick video advertisements!). I've started Sense and Sensibility tonight (free!) and have a bunch of others on my wish list. I've got some long flights and time in airports in my near future, so this should be a welcome diversion.

[KnottedYet]

I was angsting over the Nook vs. the Kindle. I love the idea of the touch-screen on the Nook, and being able to import and store and OWN your downloads. But I liked the open wifi and low-level internet functions (and calendar) available on the Kindle.

Then the iSlate started looming on the horizon, causing further hyperventilation and consternation; though the estimated $500 price was a huge drawback.

What's a disorganized book nerd to do?

Buy an iPod Touch, download "FreeBooks" for $2. The ereader format for Free Books is very nice and you have access to 24,000 out-of-copyright classics. (which are the very books I wanted to read) In the apps store there are several different ereaders (Kindle, Readle, etc) so I could expand if I need to. The iPod is mostly needed (or so I rationalize...) as a PDA. I have the NPR and NYT free apps on it already, those will load every morning while I eat breakfast and then I can read on the bus.

I love paper books. The feel, the smell, the whole gestalt. But I also really love having the complete works of Shakespeare (or whoever actually wrote them), Twain, and Frost with me on the bus. Oh, and Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks and the Constitution of the United States. (when's the last time we all read THAT?)

I think I found the happy medium I needed between eReader and PDA. Someone will come up with something better in the next year or two, and I'll be in the front row drooling and slobbering, you can bet on it!

[Irulan]

My dad has a Sony e-reader that he loves. He uses it almost exclusively for out-of-print public domain books and manuscripts that he gets from Google and other sources, mostly as .pdfs.

I got one just like it for Christmas, and although I'm working my way through a stack of print books before I buy any e-books, I have to say I'm very disappointed that there's no option for backlighting. I need the same bright light to read my e-reader as I do for a print book. No reading on subways, buses, my living room at night, many hotels, etc., without carrying a book light too. :(


how does this one handle pdf files?

[SlowButSteady]

What about the Entourage eDGe?

http://www.entourageedge.com/entourage-edge.html

[smilingcat]

There will be other electronic readers starting this summer. And if things go as planned, you will see a full color e-books. It's impressive. The form factor (display size) choices should increase significantly too. I've heard of 8-1/2 by 11 inches...

[boy in a kilt]

I'm gonna chime in here on behalf of the Kindle.

I got one shortly after I got to Iraq so I could have something to read. Selection of books is very limited and at some point, I have to get everything I have here home (or sell it cheap to the next unit coming in).

Also, when I'm on the road for a couple of days (as is the case when I head down to Baghdad), it's nice just throwing the kindle in my ruck.

I have something like 70 books on mine right now. That isn't considered excessive over here. One of our intel analysts has actually managed to fill hers. It's easy for one's book buying to get out of control with a kindle.

My reading list now includes the complete works of HP Lovecraft, all of the A.C. Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories, a couple of zombie books, Richard Burton's Arabian Nights, et al. The point being it's broadened the range of possibilities and deals with one key problem: I read fast.

A couple of our lieutenants are working on their master's degrees here. One is using the kindle for her text books and says she doesn't like it much. The other one has most of his textbooks on hard copy, but does have a few on kindle.

Not sure how much use it'll get when I actually return to the states. I do have plans for a bike tour or two, so it'll probably go on that.

[limewave]

I've had my kindle 2 for two months now. And I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!

There is a free converter software available that can convert nook books and pdfs to kindle format and vice-versa.

All your ebooks can be uploaded onto your computer for backup.

Also, the Kindle 2 has FREE mobile internet. While we were traveling, I could check up on my Facebook and Email via my Kindle (my cell phone won't do that).

DH said he would never want a Kindle, he loves his books too much. But he's starting to come around. I have a feeling a Kindle will be on his Christmas list this year.

By the way, for all you book-lovers out there. We have a full library with wall-to-wall books. That's what happens when two people are addicted to reading and one of us works at a Publishing House (free books!).

[OakLeaf]

FREE mobile internet. While we were traveling, I could check up on my Facebook and Email via my Kindle (my cell phone won't do that).

How is that possible??? Are there limitations to the service?

And... what's data entry like on it? Is it easier to type on as an iPhone/iPod?

[surgtech1956]

A friend at work got a Nook a few weeks ago and loves it. The battery life is excellent. What I like about the Nook is that you can swap books between other Nook owners(for 14 days) and the fact thats its Barnes & Noble. I really like the idea of an ereader, especially for travelling and convenience. But I grew up in the 'library' era, where our second grade field trip was to the library and got a library card and being able to browse hundreds of books. Just my .02.

[TrekTheKaty]

I LOVE MY KINDLE! I DON'T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT MY IPHONE AND MY KINDLE!

My husband and I love our books--we have a whole room ("Library") in our small house dedicated to our collection. However, we were running out of room. We actually were considering moving to a bigger house to accommodate all the books (and we don't usually buy hardbacks!)

I bought the first kindle for my husband when they came out. We both travel for a living, he reads 2-3 books at a time, he was starting to wear reading glasses, and we're "techies." The wireless downloads and different font sizes were big selling points. My husband didn't take to it at first, so I stole it. I became addicted.

I read more, now, than I have since high school. Any books that are in public domain are free from Amazon or other websites (gutenberg, freebooks). Also, I read more new release hardbacks because they can be as low as $9.99 (publishers don't like this, and it may not last). I never dreamed it would pay for itself. Now, we have 2 kindles on the same account--so we can share books (you get up to 5 devices, including iphone and pc). We can actually buy a book and read it at the same time instead of waiting for the other person to finish! Instead of buying every book I'm interested in, I download a sample into my "virtual book pile" and only purchase when I'm ready to read it (that alone is a money saver--I never did get anywhere near the bottom of the book pile before hubby stole, read, and loaned out to someone else--then I ended up buying again). When I went to sell/donate some of our old books, we also discovered we had quite a few copies of some of our favorites. Amazon is polite enough to keep you from downloading twice.

The other advantage is ergonomics. I can hold my kindle in one hand. Much easier than holding SK's lastest "Under the Dome." At the time, I was reading "Snowflake" about Warren Buffett. It was so thick, I wasn't comfortable sitting in a chair, at a table or in bed. With a Kindle, reading in bed is much more comfortable.

I love bookstores and still go--with my kindle tucked in my purse. I download samples and anything not available on my kindle, I purchase. I also donated a lot of my old books to the library.

The screen is e-ink so it is easier on your eyes than a computer screen. It has a grey background and less glare.

I would advise checking the Amazon and Barnes & Noble forums to learn more. Rumor is the Nook is slow to ship and has quite a few software problems. I finally demoed a Nook at B&N with a friend who was interested and it wasn't very user friendly, IMHO. I couldn't get it to open a book, and the employee wasn't doing much better. Also search both stores for your favorite authors (Grisham and JK Rowling are not available in ebooks).

Sitting on an airplane the other day, someone next to me had an interesting book. I downloaded a sample before we pushed away from the gate. Sweet. I can sit at home in my jammies, watching letterman while it snows and download a new book by an author just interviewed on TV. Sweet (and lazy!)

Not all books are available in e-book format. Authors have the right to say no. Being able to borrow from the library would also be nice. However, I don't miss loaning books--my friends never brought them back anyway. Mooches. The color screen seems to be a big selling point, but I can do without it. Rumor is Amazon may be working on color, but they claimed up to this point it wasn't feasible. Also, think about all the fingerprints on your "book" from the touch screen?!

You can also convert word and pdf's for your kindle.

Oh yeah--battery life. If you turn off the wireless when you're not using it, the battery lasts over a week (I lost track after a week and a half).

But, it's really up to you :o

[fastdogs]

soon I'll be going on a year with my kindle, and I love it as much now as when I first got it. I recently downloaded the free "kindle for PC" and can access my kindle books on my pc, but it's not as easy reading with a backlit screen, for me. I hope the kindle for mac comes out soon for macbook, although I won't use it much it would be nice to be able to continue a book I've started if there should ever be a time I don't have my kindle with me. That's hardly ever, though, because it goes everywhere with me.
The internet access is a nice convenience, if you are reading and want to check your email or something (and you are in a wireless area). I don't find it that easy to use the keyboard (but I don't text or anything). But it's nice to have when you need it, and no extra charges for it either.
I keep telling myself I will go one month without buying a single book, but usually I find something I want, although luckily they are usually 1.99 or something like that.
vickie

[andtckrtoo]

I just bought a Nook for my son for the holidays. You can load PDF's right into one, or store them on a smart card. The kindle requires cumbersome software to convert PDFs into a readable format. Son has his entire D&D library on PDF, plus many of his college textbooks are available in that format. So for us it's an obvious choice. No more carrying around 65 pounds of textbooks for starters.

The Kindle2 accepts .pdf's, word docs, etc via an email address. It's very easy to do. No converting anything.

I love my Kindle2. I also have shelves upon shelves of books and quite honestly, I was running out of room to put them all. The Kindle has a wonderful screen, very unlike a computer screen. It's a flat ivory and the words are black. It looks a lot like newsprint. It is not back lit, and I can read it with the sun shining on my back and on the screen. It's the size of a book, so it's comfortable to hold. On recent business trip to Munich, I was able to carry one, slim Kindle and went through 3 books. I was so happy not to have to carry all of the books. It took a bit to get used to hitting page forward instead of turning a page, but I got that. I think the only real drawback is that if someone mentions page 200 in the hard copy, I don't have an equivalent - at least that I found.

[OakLeaf]

I think the only real drawback is that if someone mentions page 200 in the hard copy, I don't have an equivalent - at least that I found.

That's funny...

On the books I have that are formatted for the Sony Reader (as opposed to universal format books, which are a little harder to read if they have a lot of chapter titles, short stories, etc.), I do get page numbers, but I don't know whether those match the hardcover, trade paperback or mass market paperback. :confused:

[Red Rock]

After reading this forum, you all had me thinking and thinking...I went to amazon to check the Kindle out. I can see how this would be great especially with the newspaper and magazine capability. It would cut down on the paper I recieve at the house. It would go to the Kindle. Not only that, I am in the middle of 6 books. They are piled up on my shelf. With this, they would all be in the Kindle and I would have my shelf space. WOW.

I have a question though. More might come later.

If you already subscribe to a mag and want to get it on the Kindle how do you do the conversion? I guess the same would apply for a newspaper.

How do you pay for your books that you download? If they are $9.99 each (or whatever the cost is) how are thy paid for?

How do you get beyond the $300 price tag (or thereabouts)?

Thank you,
Red Rock

[ridenread]

I love my kindle. I really didnt think I would because I love the whole sensory experience of a book, the way they smell, the way they feel in your hands. the crack of the spine when you first open it. But I adapted very quickly. It took about 5 minutes to figure it out and then was totally lost in the book on the Kindle. I have been reading even more than normal and my eyes do not seem to fatigue at all like they do with real books. My husband and I both have a Kindle. We literally have 4 floor to ceiling book cases in additon to 2 normal 5 shelf bookcases bulging with books.

Once you set up the account with amazon the books are charged to whatever account you establish with them. Many books are free or very inexpensive. I love that you can read a sample of the book before deciding to purchase. The samples are typically 5% of the book. enough that you have a good sense if you want to continue.

I love that I can hear about a book somewhere and within two minutes have a sample of it to read without leaving my home. I still go to bookstores to peruse the shelves for new things to read and enjoy the smell of books. Yes I know that is a bit weird.

You can get a refurbished one on Amazon for $219.

[Red Rock]

Thanks ridenread. I will have to think about this for a while. I was tring to explain this to my DH and it made no sense to him at all. He does not like to read though. If we did not have TV he would not know what to do:(. Oh well...

Red Rock

[TrekTheKaty]

Red Rock,
Justifying the price depends on how much you read and how much you spend on books. I read about one large paperback per week (approx $15). Now I pay $9.99 or less, or FREE! So you multiply that by 12 and I come close to paying for my kindle in a year--definitely 2. This was amazing to me since my cell phone and laptop don't save me money in the long run.

[Red Rock]

TrekTheKaty I was thinking about book cost to myself. I do read a fair amount when you bring in things like newspapers and magazines, let alone books. I have not figured how much I spend on books overall but it does not take much when they are $15-20 a pop.

I might read more with this around. Who knows? I do know it would have been great on a recent vacation. I was trying to figureout which books to bring on the trip. This would hold them all AND have internet access too at no charge. How good is that?

What is the difference between a "new" version and a referbished one?

Red Rock

[limewave]

I was offered a special deal and got a new Kindle 2 for about $160. I should have bought 10 (as there was no limit to quantity) and offered them to my friends at TE for cost.

DH is thinking about getting a Kindle for himself. He reads a lot of books. And he likes rereading all of his books. We end up purchasing most of our books even though I make a trip to the library weekly.

Paperbacks do cost about $15 a piece now. We can order them for the Kindle for half or even less.

As I mentioned in a previous post, you can store your books on your computer if you want to. DH and I could probably share books that way if we end up getting him a Kindle as well.

[Red Rock]

So I was curious as to what anyone thought of the newer Kindles that are in preorder right now?

How much of difference is having the internet capability for those of you that have it? What is it like moving in and out of pages?

The price competion has my hubby thinking...Since I am surrounded by all sorts of books.

Red Rock

[texascampgal]

Nook was the way to go for me. I LOVE the fact that you can share all your books with ANY OTHER nook user--any even niftier way to SAVE MONEY. You can now purchase a Nook for $149.

[sandra]

We are a two Kindle family. After I got mine I had to get my husband one so I could use mine.

As far as turning pages, at first I thought the books were abridged, I read so much faster. The page turn button is great and you waste much less time finding your place and keeping it.

At this point I'm not planning to upgrade to the newest Kindle, but the price is GREAT! I'd definitely go for the 3g just for the rare occasion like driving along in a car when you want to get a sample and then love it so much you must have the book right then and there.

You can find some really good deals on the Kindle boards right now. People are selling there K2 to upgrade to the new model. That's where I got my hubby's and it's in great shape. Some of them even come with a warranty. I'd just watch to see that the person selling has enough posts that they are a well known member.