Kindle or something else?

[Pilot]

Planning on giving my wife an ebook reader for Christmas. Seems like there are several kinds out there, the most well known being the Kindle.

If you have a reader, what do you have, how do you like it, what do you like and not like about it?

 

[bota7800]

Planning on giving my wife an ebook reader for Christmas. Seems like there are several kinds out there, the most well known being the Kindle.

If you have a reader, what do you have, how do you like it, what do you like and not like about it?

We have an iPad and a Nook. The iPad is, of course, more expensive and more versatile but, as a reader, I like the Nook. It has a pleasant screen to look at for long periods. You need some ambient light with the Nook but not with the iPad. We use both of them quite a bit.

Check ebook prices, Barnes and Noble is sometimes a little cheaper, I think, and has a good selection. Books on the Apple site (native for the iPad reader) are pricier but there are free apps to emulate Nook, Kindle, and Borders readers on the iPad. We use the Nook reader on the iPad.

Another thing to consider is that Kindle uses a proprietary format, Nook and others use ePub. That may or not matter to you.

I have not looked at the new NookColor.

 

[Obed]

Planning on giving my wife an ebook reader for Christmas. Seems like there are several kinds out there, the most well known being the Kindle.

If you have a reader, what do you have, how do you like it, what do you like and not like about it?

My mother-n-law has a kindle and likes it. It works fine if all you want to buy books from Amazon and read them. However, it has some limitations that made it unsuited for my needs. 1. According to my MIL, you can't browse the internet without paying Amazon a monthly fee, even if you have access to WIFI. 2. You may not be able to download and read the thousands of free classics available on Gutenburg.org.

I have an Android smartphone and read books on it and love it. If I wanted a larger format e-reader, I'd consider one of the new Android tablets. With the tablet you can read books, browse the web using your home wifi, send e-mail, listen to music, watch U-tube videos, and many other functions available to a full blown computer. You could also buy a low end I-Pad. I like the Android OS because it doesn't lock you down to Apple.

Obed

 

[ronjhall]

Another thread running on the same subject.
E Book readers

 

[Ken45101]

My wife and I have iPads and love them. As mentioned, you do not need ambient light, you can read in the dark. Maybe not so good if you read in bright daylight outside. Many of the other reader need ambient light.

The great thing about the iPad is that it can deal with all of the sources so you have many places to get books instead of being tied to one source.

Of course it also works as a general computer, internet, email, etc.

Ken

 

[jinman]

My daughter sells Kindles in her eBay store. My SIL told me he's thinking of getting her an Android for Christmas. Hmmm...what does that say?

 

[Wooddust]

Bought my wife an Ipad. Its incredible. We have Apple TV...costs 99 bucks and her Ipad is the remote for almost everything. We can listen to music thats on my computer on the surround sound using Apple TV and her Ipad plus she can download books from Itunes, Barnes and Noble, Amazon....wherever.

 

[yankeerider]

My daughter sells Kindles in her eBay store. My SIL told me he's thinking of getting her an Android for Christmas. Hmmm...what does that say?

I don't think it says anything in particular. I have a Kindle and love it. But I don't carry my Kindle with me 24/7. With my Android smartphone i can pick up reading any book i have on my Kindle at exactly the page I was at on the Kindle. Later that day, if i pick up my Kindle, it will tell me that i was last at the page i read to on my Android phone, and ask if I want to go there!

That's wonderful when i drive my wife someplace for "just a minute" and I'm waiting in my truck because she ran into someone she knows and started talking.

I have downloaded free books from sources other than Amazon for it. Not sure if it was Gutenberg or not. IIRC correctly, the "proprietary" format isn't- it's the same as another popular format-mobi I think.

 

[ronjhall]

My daughter sells Kindles in her eBay store. My SIL told me he's thinking of getting her an Android for Christmas. Hmmm...what does that say?

Not sure that says anything. Having a smart-phone does not make it a e-reader.

 

[Dargo]

As I mentioned in the other thread, I was right on the verge of buying my wife a Kindle last year when I learned that you have to buy the books. Screw that. My wife reads 5 to 7 books a week!! With a Nook, she plugs it into her laptop, logs into our local public library and downloads 10 books and is all set in about 5 minutes. Best of all, I've not paid one single penny for any book and she has been able to get all the newest releases no problem.

I have a Samsung Epic phone and an iPhone. After having an iPhone since the day they came out, I'm surprised to say that, IMHO, the Samsung Epic blows the iPhone 4 away big time. Sure I can use the Epic for reading books just like a backlight Nook, but the screen is far too small to consider it for reading a book. I do download audio books and listen to them most every night from the public library as well. Most play on the iPhone, but it gets some books all screwed up and you'll go from chapter 6 to chapter 20. The Epic running the Android OS doesn't seem to have that problem neither does the el cheapo Sansa MP3 player I bought 3 or 4 years ago.

Anyway, after looking at all involved, I am amazed at how well advertising has worked for Kindle. My wife and I both are far happier with the Nook she has used literally every day for almost a complete year now.