Nook or any electronic e-book readers

[khort]

I was considering purchasing a Nook or something similar. Just wondering if anyone owned one and any recommendations or warnings of which ones were good or bad. Or if they are worth the money.

[MSKelly]

I have 1st generation Kindle and love it. I've read about the Nook and from what I can tell, there aren't as many titles available for the Nook as there are for the Kindle. Of course, this will probably change over time. (I don't know much about Sony eReader but know that they offer fewer titles than Amazon.) Also, Nook's books are more costly than Kindle, although some publishers have raised their prices with Amazon too. 2nd gen Kindle has gone down to $189 but if you check daily, you might find refurbs for around $169. There are lots of places to find free books and they're available in various formats.

http://manybooks.net/

http://www.feedbooks.com/

http://www.baen.com/library/

http://booksontheknob.blogspot.com/


Here is an active and helpful email group for Kindle users:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kindlekorner/

Some people on that group have other eReaders or iPads and might be able to answer questions about those but I'd be glad to answer any Kindle questions you have.

[fletchtb]

I just bought my wife the 2nd (current) generation Kindle from Amazon at the beginning of July and she loves it. We live in Fletcher and don't have broadband, so the nice thing about the kindle is it uses Amazon's Whispernet to deliver content to the Kindle, which means they use AT&T's network in the US. My wife can sit in our backyard (or house) and has a bookstore at her fingertips. If you are ever overseas, then you can get books/content delivered to the phone for free in most countries. Like MSKelly said, there are tons of free books (I think 1.5 million on Amazon) for you to download. These include books that are more than 70 years old like Moby Dick, Robinson Crusoe, every Sherlock Holmes Novel, Tom Sawyer, Pride and Predjudice, etc... You can check the prices of more current books in the Kindle store, but we have found most to be $9.99 or less.

The Kindle comes with an included dictionary, which my wife uses a lot. It also comes with an internet browser, that is perfect for checking and sending some emails (currently done for free over Whispernet).

I wanted to really like the nook, because I am a huge fan of the Android operating system (used on the Verizon Droid phones among many others), which the nook utilizes, but I've read that the page turning is slower than the Kindle. I think this is one of those cases (like with iPods), where the best bet is to go with the original.

I think all of the manufacturers, nook, Kindle, and Sony E-reader all have honest comparison charts which highlight the strengths of each manufacturer's offering, so it might be worth your time to check them out.

I don't know anyone that has a nook or an e-reader, but i do know several people with a Kindle and everyone I know that has one loves it.

Good luck.

Thanks,
Todd

[khort]

Thanks for the tips! I have done research on the net and Kindle seems to be the favorite among many. There was a gentleman in the waiting room where I work that had one and I interrupted him to ask if he like it and he said he loves it and uses it much more than he thought he would.So...I think I am seeing a purchase in the near future!

[cakelady]

We bought the Kindle for our daughter for Christmas and I find myself using a lot, too! I took it on vacation with us and when our flight was delayed and I finished my book, I was able to shop for and download another book right away. We had a problem with the one we bought and I called Amazon. They sent another one out right away and we received it in less than 24 hours with all our books downloaded and had three weeks to return the defective one (all with no fees). Excellent customer service and a great selection of books!

[Julie & 6pt Dave]

Amazon just announced their 3rd generation Kindle.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38456511/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/

Wi-Fi only models now start at $139

Dave

[trussell]

Does the Kindle also display .PDF files?  Do any of the readers?

[Mike Raburn]

Library..........
Books there, so I hear.

But then again, I cannot read.

Why does everything have to be electronic? (so he said)

[MSKelly]

The DX and both third generation Kindles can display pdf. I have a K1 so I can't speak to how well they display them.

[trussell]

I'm just curious if anyone has any new input on this topic- I'm about to buy an e-reader as a Christmas gift and am having trouble choosing between the Nook and the Kindle...

[Mike Raburn]

I think Kindle came out with a screen that cuts down on glare...

Kindle was the 1st one that came out a few years back so they have improved.

If I wanted one, I'd check out the newest Kindle vs others.
Never buy the 1st generation of anything,,,, (Apple I-PAD)

[Mike Raburn]

EDIT...
I saw that Nook is out in color. $259.00 or so.
The wife saw magazines on it, did a quick review of it, and the selections are slim now.

As with all technology... you are short changed as soon as you hit the Purchase Button.

That is why my gaming computer is 4 years old......

[Fairfax Librarian]

Sony Reader and Nook etc. accept a wider variety of file types such as EPUB.  Kindle uses a proprietary file type and so you can only use the e-books purchased from Amazon.  This is unfortunate for the user.  Another advantage of Nook is you can share books with other users for 14 days.
The Fairfax Community Library now offers FREE ebook downloads at www.listenupvermont.org to our patrons.  (There is also a link there to Project Guttenberg which has many titles that are out-of-copy write and so available to all, free.)  There is a list of compatible devices at listenupvermont.org.  They include the Nook and Sony but NOT Kindle of course.

Hope that's helpful info for your Christmas gift decisions!

Debbie Landauer, Town Librarian

[Mike Raburn]

I can't read Liz Lemon!!!!!!!!!

[Fairfax Librarian]

For a good overview of ereaders on the market see
http://gizmodo.com/5708528/what-you-need-to-know-when-buying-an-e+book-reader

The article mentions library compatibility for the Sony Reader, but please note that our free ebook downloads from www.listenupvermont.org
are compatible with many other devices as well, including the Nook.