Hammered a Lot Posted December 15, 2010 Posted December 15, 2010 looking for some info on Nook Color or Kindle models.
Cugalabanza Posted December 15, 2010 Posted December 15, 2010 I have a Kindle and I like it very much. I've had it for a year and I've read a bunch of books on it. Not a single problem to report. What I like most: The convenience. I can carry a huge amount of stuff with me. When I finish something, I can start reading something else right away. I can be in the middle of a bunch of different things at once (collections of short stories, etc...) and it holds your place & you can use bookmarks & make notes. Also, the Whispernet wireless is free and you can shop for new stuff whenever & wherever, get free samples, read reviews, etc... What could be better: The back catalog. Almost everything new is available for kindle. And anything old enough to be public domain is available and either free or very cheap. But some slightly older books are not there when you look for them. Some publishers are not up with the 21st century and there are some chunks missing from the back catalog. But this is something common to all e-readers, not just kindle.
Fezmid Posted December 15, 2010 Posted December 15, 2010 I wouldn't consider the Nook color for one reason -- you're reading off of a computer screen. The Kindle uses E-Ink technology, so the display looks similar to paper, making it easier to read for long periods of time. In addition, the E-Ink technology uses very little power, meaning you can go weeks without having to charge the Kindle. My wife has one and brought it on our recent 2.5 week vacation - didn't have to charge it a single time and she read almost every night. In my mind, it's a no brainer. Keep in mind that there are other e-ink readres out there (original Nook, and the Sony E-Reader), but the Kindle is the king right now. Like Gringo said - the Kindle is very convenient. My wife keeps hers with her all the time. Here's a thread on the topic: http://forums.twobillsdrive.com/topic/110203-e-reader/page__p__1795475__hl__kindle__fromsearch__1#entry1795475
Peace Posted December 15, 2010 Posted December 15, 2010 I LOVE the Kindle for all the reasons stated and also: (1) It has few "extras." I want a reader. Not an extra distraction. So please, Amazon, keep it a reader. If I want an iPad, I'll get one. (2)All the books I buy are also on my wife's and daughter's Kindle if they want them, and vice versa. We're all under my Amazon account umbrella so we share the books. Nice. (3) Lots of things available for free or near free if they are out of copyright. Dickens, Shakespear, Doyle, etc. If you like classics, you can keep them all with you and spend very little. (4) If you have the 3G version, can buy a book anywhere and it takes no time to download (usually less than a minute). (5) No messy periodicals. Get the paper delivered every day to your kindle. Screw the inky mess. That said, here are the cons (or suggestions for future improvements): (1) Maps suck. If you read non-fiction and care to look at the maps, good luck. The zoom doesn't work and you'll not be able to see small text. This is frustrating as you're trying to track troops or people movements. Not the end of the world but also pretty annoying. (2) Lots of books are not available. I'd say that 1 in 3 books I want to read isn't on Kindle yet. It's a publisher decision but it's still aggravating. For example, my daughter is getting a Kindle for Christmas (shh). She will want to read the Harry Potter books on it perhaps. But she can't. Not available. I run into this too often with books all over the map on popularity and type. (3) The price of ebooks. This one really sticks in my craw. Fuggin' things are usually $10. That is more than I can find them used and it makes no sense (other than the pub makes more money) since they have no distribution and printing charge. No one is budging too far from this price either.
Ramius Posted December 15, 2010 Posted December 15, 2010 As someone who's new to the e-reader world (i bought one for my girl for xmas), i can verify the ease of use thus far (i've been playing with it before she gets home from work), and also the screen. The color readers, like the nook color and the literati both look as if you're reading off of a cimputer screen, which defeats the entire purpose. The kindle on the other hand, looks exactly like a paper and ink book. You'll be amazed by it if you've never seen one. Remember too - with the kindle, since it is e-ink, you'll still need a light to read it at night.
Fezmid Posted December 15, 2010 Posted December 15, 2010 Agree 100% on the maps comment. We bought a book on Barcelona, and couldn't use the maps at all. That said, I've heard it works well if you install the Kindle app on your PC (which can also access all of your books). You lose the portability, but might be nice for seeing maps and such. As for book costs -- $10 is roughly in line with what a new book costs, and is much cheaper than a hardcover. It's not fair to compare it to a used book price, IMHO. From what I've read, publishers are afraid of digital distribution, so that's why they don't want to reduce the price and is also why not all books are available. In addition to getting the classics for free/cheap, Amazon frequently gives away the first book in a series for free as well in order to hook you into buying the rest of the books in the series. Good idea, no?
Peace Posted December 15, 2010 Posted December 15, 2010 Agree 100% on the maps comment. We bought a book on Barcelona, and couldn't use the maps at all. That said, I've heard it works well if you install the Kindle app on your PC (which can also access all of your books). You lose the portability, but might be nice for seeing maps and such. As for book costs -- $10 is roughly in line with what a new book costs, and is much cheaper than a hardcover. It's not fair to compare it to a used book price, IMHO. From what I've read, publishers are afraid of digital distribution, so that's why they don't want to reduce the price and is also why not all books are available. In addition to getting the classics for free/cheap, Amazon frequently gives away the first book in a series for free as well in order to hook you into buying the rest of the books in the series. Good idea, no? Disagree completely. On Amazon, used books are a click away and VERY easy to buy for sub $5 including shipping. With that level of convenience staring me in the face are used books.
Fezmid Posted December 16, 2010 Posted December 16, 2010 A good review of Kindle 3: http://www.neowin.ne...eview-kindle-3/
Captain Hindsight Posted December 16, 2010 Posted December 16, 2010 My brother has a kindle and likes it alot, he uses it for textbooks i think for grad school. personally i prefer a paperback book but i can see why he likes it
texasjute Posted December 17, 2010 Posted December 17, 2010 Got a Kindle last Christmas and read it every night. Mostly public domain classics, but I've read some great books that have been on my list for a long time. I agree about the e-ink. I was very skeptical going in, but I like the look of it. I don't want to be looking at another computer screen when I'm reading at the end of a long day. I'm amazed at the battery life. With the wireless turned off, it easily keeps a charge for 6 weeks or more (reading 30-60 min/night). And if I'm ever stuck anywhere, I have a big variety of authors and styles to choose from.
DC Tom Posted December 17, 2010 Posted December 17, 2010 Kindle and iPad. The Kindle's the better reader, definitely, simply because of the e-ink display. The real benefit of the iPad is that I have one reader that can access multiple retail streams (Amazon, Borders, Barnes & Noble, Google Books) on one device - for the Kindle, I have to convert non-Amazon content on my PC. When I bought the Kindle, I compared it to the Nook. the Kindle suited my needs better (mainly because of available content - unlike Peace, most of the books I want to read are available), but I felt the Nook was the better choice for casual reading (and, unlike the Kindle, supports the eBook standard). Can't speak at all to the color Nook, though.
The Cincinnati Kid Posted December 18, 2010 Posted December 18, 2010 I have a nook by Barnes and Noble and it is fantastic. I can use it for text books, magazine subscriptions, newpaper subsrciptions, and books galore! Also, each friday you get a free book which is awesome because you are introduced to lots of new authors and genres. The nook is an E-Ink screen, the nook color is not. The nook (E-Ink) screen does require a light to read at night, and they have a handy little book light called a "nook look" that is designed to clip on easily and it does. I havent used a kindle, but I really like the nook for the connection it offers with Barnes and Noble stores everywhere. Free Wi-Fi in store and you can use it for the internet, email, TSW, etc. You can load pictures onto it and make them your screen saver, and it has an Mp3 player with headphone jack. Simply connect your nook to your computer with the USB cord and copy files to your nook. The nook is my recomendation, but I am biased.
Rob's House Posted December 18, 2010 Posted December 18, 2010 Kindle and iPad. The Kindle's the better reader, definitely, simply because of the e-ink display. The real benefit of the iPad is that I have one reader that can access multiple retail streams (Amazon, Borders, Barnes & Noble, Google Books) on one device - for the Kindle, I have to convert non-Amazon content on my PC. When I bought the Kindle, I compared it to the Nook. the Kindle suited my needs better (mainly because of available content - unlike Peace, most of the books I want to read are available), but I felt the Nook was the better choice for casual reading (and, unlike the Kindle, supports the eBook standard). Can't speak at all to the color Nook, though. Is this true of PDFs?
DC Tom Posted December 18, 2010 Posted December 18, 2010 Is this true of PDFs? You don't HAVE to, last I checked. But the native PDF rendering wasn't too great on the Kindle; they were much easier read converted to mobi format. (And for those who don't know, Amazon's Kindle format is just the mobi format with Amazon's DRM tacked on. For those who don't know what the mobi format is...google it.)
The Dean Posted December 18, 2010 Posted December 18, 2010 (edited) You don't HAVE to, last I checked. But the native PDF rendering wasn't too great on the Kindle; they were much easier read converted to mobi format. (And for those who don't know, Amazon's Kindle format is just the mobi format with Amazon's DRM tacked on. For those who don't know what the mobi format is...google it.) Mobi Moby Mobe Edited December 18, 2010 by Just Jack Removed link to penis picture
Booster4324 Posted December 18, 2010 Posted December 18, 2010 (edited) Mobi Moby Mobe Should have stuck a NSFW tag on that last one. Edited December 18, 2010 by Just Jack Edited qoute to remove the NSFW link
The Dean Posted December 18, 2010 Posted December 18, 2010 Should have stuck a NSFW tag on that last one. Correct. My bad.
Fezmid Posted December 30, 2010 Posted December 30, 2010 Amazon has just announced the ability to "lend" eBooks to others. Downside: The feature is up to the publisher to enable/disable and you can only lend a book once. http://www.neowin.net/news/amazon-kindle-now-allows-book-sharing
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