Kindle Electronic Reader vs Nook?

[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.

[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