Kindle Electronic Reader vs Nook?

[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?

[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.

[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...

[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.

[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.