E Book Readers

I have a Nook. It works fine with AT&T on STX. I got it in December of last year and have read about 35-40 books with it. I like being able to read the same book on my Nook or using the Barnes and Noble reader on my iPhone or PC.

Both the kindle and the nook are wonderful products. Kindle has free sprint 3G. Books download for me in about 30 seconds. Connections for both are not a problem. You can download the app and use it on your phone, computer, etc... Also kindle has text to speech (it will read a book to you), long as it is enabled by the publisher. You can also share an account with friends and family, up to six devices, so you can share books (but only if they are on the same account). The font quality and the page turning speed is better on the kindle IMO. Also the kindle battery last longer because it does not have the color touch screen at the bottom to drain the battery.

But both are good choices. Amazon has the most ebooks though. They have 80% of the market and their prices are the best. They also have the most indie authors (self published) that are incredibly cheap. Most of the public domain books are free or a buck or two.

If you go stateside you can try a kindle at any Target and the nook at barnes and noble. This is what I did about 3 months ago, unfortunately before the price drops on both. They both have discussion forums also so you can ask any questions and get more responses. Also they both have facebook pages with information.

One of the other things that kept me from the nook was that barnes and nobles is in deep financial trouble. Most likely it won't affect their ebooks, because that is profitable, but their stores are closing and I don't want to worry about the what if.

I would stay away from the sony, they just are not the same quality as the nook and kindle. Either with the nook or the kindle you will find you will be reading much more. It is completely the way to go living down here. You instantly have a bookstore and your library at your finger tips. And you don't have to worry about shipping and storing your books.

I have the kindle and absolutely love it. A few months ago, I tried to download an ebook from B&N to see if I could convert it to a format that would read on my kindle. Before I could even try, I got a message from B&N.com saying that I could not download the ebook because I was not located in the 48 contiguous states. I'm not sure if they have fixed this or not - but obviously that would be a deal breaker.

After a year of daily use, I don't really have any complaints about the kindle. I think it is a great device. I think if I was to make one adjustment to it, it would be to have a built in book light. If you are reading in the dark or a rooom that is not well lit, you will need a book light.

Thanks for the info. I've been considering buying a kindle. How does it work in sunlight? I'd like to use it on the beach. Also, I see there are at least two versions of kindle. Is the newer, more expensive one significantly better than the old? Amazon has a grea selection, especially older books that you can't find any more. I'd like to read all 100+ Agatha Christies.

Thanks in advance for additional information/advice.

i know that with the sony, they will not ship down here but they also offer free 3g service. i have been doing a bit of research on this subject. i am an avid reader too and dont have much room for more books. the public library here is good, but some books you just want to keep.
i know someone else that has a kindle and loves it. alot of people who love the sensory of books have actually switched to ereaders and love them.
let me know what you decide as i am concidering a kindle also.

Linda - Kindle's screen works very well in the sunlight. I read mine outside all the time and enjoy the fact that I don't have to worry about my pages blowing! I did not opt for the newer, more expensive model. It has a bigger screen, but you can adjust the font size on the older one, so that really doesn't matter. It offers international newspapers and connectivity, but I don't travel internationally. It's also significantly heavier, which was not a good option for me. The older model fits in my purse, travels well on the airplane and has a very long-lasting battery, as long as you remember to turn off the wireless feature when not in use. All-in-all, I'm a huge fan!

Lisa

Kindle's eink is not backlit like an ipad or a computer screen so it great to read in the brightest of lights and will not hurt your eyes like an ipad or computer screen will. If you take it to the beach, like any electronic item I would be careful with it. They have special covers that make it water proof or a ziploc will do in a pinch.

I don't think you get a choice between the old and new kindle unless you are buying refurbished. You have the kindle and the kindle dx. The kindle is as big as any book lover will need and will fit easily anywhere and is incredibly light and will hold somewhere between 1500 and 1700 books. I would only recommend the dx if you needed it for textbooks or newspapers. The dx is heavier and the weight is a bit top heavy, so its not really uncomfortable but it felt annoying to me. 🙂

I have a Sony and I do not recomend it.
Has a very bad glare and you have to down load the book to your laptop and then transfer it to the E Reader and no back light
The E store is not as good as B & N or Amazon
If all you want to do is read a book it is OK

thanks for the info, it helps.

This article breaks down the differences.

http://ireaderreview.com/2010/04/24/kindle-vs-nook-review-2010/

BTW - This was posted using the browser on my Nook. Connected to WiFi at home. Since the Nook is based on Android, I expect to see a lot more apps available.

So, I bought the Kindle. Got it on Wednesday. On Thursday they came out with the new version. DAMN! Really like it and don't think it's worth the effort to return. But, please! I have the last day of the old technology???????

you and my brother!!! At least you are not the ONLY one!

An industry magazine recently said that we're headed for a huge price war on e-readers leading up to Christmas. They're talking big price drops, partly in response to the iPad, but also in recognition that the profit is in the books. The business model many are expecting this all to follow is that of the low or no cost cellphone. Each of the reader companies is also coming out with new models and we should expect that on a regular basis.

This past month, Fast Company magazine published an article about Apple, which include former Apple engineers talking about Apple's strategy of releasing products such as the iphone and ipad KNOWINGLY leaving out key features in order to create demand for the next rollout which their faithful will go out and buy. Of course they're not the only company to do that. Interestingly, it quoted research on Apple followers showing them to have the same profile as religious fanatics.

Disclosure: I don't own an e-reader, or anything-i or pod. I prefer my music hi-fidelity, and my books battery free.

You can return it within 30 and get a full refund, any longer and they take out a restocking fee.

I'm thinking about the new one, but more as a backup. I like the fact that it's even lighter and smaller. I'll say it'll be for hubby but most likely it will be mine!

if i am not mistaken, b&n's nook has 3-g and wifi for 199 and ships here. does anyone have one of these??

I looked at both and bought the latest kindle 3g. The features that closed the deal for me were the dictionary (kindle=awesome; nook=terrible by all accounts) and the reported 30 day battery life. I envisioned reading through hurricane recovery on one charge. If you're not in a hurry, consider waiting for a next generation tablet computer...the backlight is very nice.

I have a Kindle DX and really like it a lot. I was afraid that I would miss the sensory aspect of handling a real book, but after three uses, I was reaching up to the right hand corner to flip the pages, so I knew that this was going to work for me. The look of the ink is very much like a real book. It has a long battery life, and I really like that it has actual buttons on it. You can easily operate it in a waterproof bag because you don't need to work a touch screen.

I am an Apple freak, and love anything Apple, but there were some real draw backs for me on the iPad. First, the back light. Not good for reading in bright sun, and there is also the whole thing about back lit devices interrupting your sleep cycle. If you are starting at a back lit screen, your brain thinks it's day time, so you don't get into that wind down sleep mode. I read at the beach, and before bed, so these were two real issues for any back lit item. The next thing is the cost. I would not be comfortable taking an iPad to the beach. I would be too worried about it being stolen, getting sand on it, rubbing sunscreen all over the screen. Ok, so don't get me wrong, I would still like to have an iPad, but I wouldn't use it for an eReader.

My sister has a Nook. I do have to say that I think I might prefer the size she has on the Nook. I have the larger of the Kindles, and with the hard leather cover that I put on it, it is weighty. If I take it off, and put it in the waterproof case, it is much lighter. But I don't like to use it without some kind of cover because I am trying to keep it in good shape.

Overall, I really like the Kindle and would recommend it over other devices to anyone who is looking for an eReader. Lots of books available, have never had an issue with connectivity, long battery life, can see it in the sun, feels a lot like a real book.

I did purchase a kindle, the $139 one. I like it. I too read on the beach and this one works well. I put it into a ziplock bag and can still "turn the pages" I read it every day and only charge the battery about once a week.

One feature I'm still trying to figure out is going back and forth in the book. I read a lot of mysteries and sometimes want to reread an earlier portion of the book or look at a map or floorplan. I'm sure there is a simple way to do this, but I'm still trying to figure it out.

I also love ordering books from Amazon. They have a huge selection of kindle books, some are even free. I one-click to order a book (they have all my cc info). Then I take my kindle (registered with Amazon) to a WIFI hot spot and the books download into my kindle automatically, I don't do anything, just carry the kindle in my bag. If we had WIFI at home, this would happen immediately.

All in all I am very pleased.

love all of the input from you all. thanks

Linda you can set a bookmark anywhere you like. When you're reading the book go to menu and set bookmark or something like that. Sorry don't have my kindle with me today. And when your reading the book you can search bookmarks from the menu.

Thanks, I know it can be done, I just need to sit down and figure it out.

The new NOOK, announced today, with a color backlit touchscreen, looks like the best yet. $249/wifi only.

wifi only, no 3g? for 249. i will have to look that up

Ya but it had a backlit screen. That mean more eye strain, possible wash out when viewing in direct sun, and not good on the eyes at night.