[MichelleR]

1. I'd made a great offer for my friend to buy Trixie Lovejoy/my Kindle 2 from me. She'd always admired it and I wanted to do something nice for her. So, Trixie, 2 Oberon covers, and a Cole Haan for $85. She agreed and seemed excited and then went shopping with her sister, probably at the B&N in story #2, and ended up buying a Nook. I wasn't even angry, but I was sad for her, because everything I've read said Kindle was better and owning Trixie has been a dream.

2. We live in the middle of nowhere, but we decided to trek to Duluth, which is about a 2 hour drive (each way) so that my husband could go to a hobby store and because I was craving Indian food. I saw the Barnes and Noble and said, "I want to finally see a Nook first hand." As I walked in the sales guy was talking to a woman about all the advantages and kinda subtly putting down the Kindle. Well, don't blame him for doing his job. There were two models on display and so I was looking at the other one with what seemed like a glacial page turn as the woman decided she wanted one. Now I know it's absolutely not my place, but I wish I could have through sign language or the surreptitious passing of notes communicated, "I have a Kindle in my car -- really, come see the difference! Don't do this!!"

3. Told the sales guy the truth: Just looking, have Kindle, love Kindle. He was pretty nice but tried to say slow page turns was because they got so much use. Not sure I buy that, but still told him the Nook seemed nice. Think he lost a little patience when I called my husband over to show him. I didn't say to husband, "look how slow" but it was probably in my expression and hubby gave out a little laugh. Hey, bought a couple books for my grandmother so wasn't a complete pain in the rear.

4. At a Mexican restaurant shortly after, because the Indian restaurant was closed. **Sigh** Reading Willow who is of course the new girl. My husband was reading a magazine. The waitress asked me how I liked my Kindle and I told her I loved it. She said her fiance had bought her a Nook and she really liked it. Seriously got the idea she would have preferred the Kindle -- "it was the only one he knew" -- but loved the gesture. We bonded.

I'm glad I got some hands-on time with the Nook, because there seems to be no comparison and I'd been curious. I will hug Willow all the closer.

 

[tnt]

Sorry, but I can't resist:

If, as it has been so often said, every society gets the Duluth that it deserves, the United States of America in the last but one decade of the twentieth century has come up with a knockout.

Gore Vidal, Duluth

 

[MichelleR]

I deserve the Duluth with the open Indian Restaurant.

 

[Sandpiper]

Two hours from Duluth in the middle of nowhere.  Where is that?  Years ago my aunt and uncle had a fishing resort in Pequot Lakes, 25 miles north of Brainerd.  Are you around there? 

That aunt and uncle are the maternal grandparents of Greg Mortenson of "Three Cups of Tea" and "Stones Into Schools".  Those books are available on Kindle.

 

[MichelleR]

Two hours from Duluth in the middle of nowhere. Where is that? Years ago my aunt and uncle had a fishing resort in Pequot Lakes, 25 miles north of Brainerd. Are you around there?

 

[lanfearl]

Neither eReader can be "objectively better" than the other one. There is no reason for you to bite your tongue or be upset that the salesmen was pushing a nook.

 

[Kindled Spirit]

I'm one of those ppl that usually bites my tongue and keeps quite. But I just wanted to say that first off I LOVE my K2...I love KBs. But...I recently bought a nook and I also LOVE it. So I think a person can own both and love them both equally. My nook...so far...is not slow at all. I just like having options with the different formats and am glad there are so many options available for ppl to choose from. I also plan on getting an iPad and will probably love it to.

 

[Belle2Be]

I did the same thing, we went in yesterday and I played with the Nook, HATED it. Not just because I love my Kindle, but if Nook was the only option I would not own an ereader. I'm very big on ease of use, and I don't know if it was the settings on that particular nook, but I couldn't even find a book to test read on it and I am super electronic savvy. The Kindle, on the other hand, you pick up, select the book and read. I also didn't like the touch screen, it was finicky :/
The K3 IS objectively better than the Nook. It has significantly faster page turns, better eInk, more free books available. It's pretty black and white.
Anyway OP, I hear you! And if you want to sell all that to me for 85$ I'll buy it!

 

[lanfearl]

The K3 IS objectively better than the Nook. It has significantly faster page turns, better eInk, more free books available. It's pretty black and white.

I'm sorry, but you are wrong. I love the K3 more than the Nook, but the nook offers some GREAT advantages over the K3

Better file formats. You can borrow eBooks from a library. This is HUGE!
MicroSD slot. This allows you to expand your storage. This is a MUST HAVE for some people. If "pretty" is one of your reasons the K3 is better than the nook, how about the COLOR SCREEN ON THE BOTTOM OF THE NOOK

It's ok to be biased one way. But let's get the facts straight.

 

[drenee]

3.He was pretty nice but tried to say slow page turns was because they got so much use.

Does this mean the longer you have and use a Nook the slower the page turns will become? I'm not trying to be sarcastic. His answer just doesn't make sense to me.
deb

 

[tamborine]

If "pretty" is one of your reasons the K3 is better than the nook, how about the COLOR SCREEN ON THE BOTTOM OF THE NOOK

I think s/he meant the issue of the comparison is "pretty black & white", not the kindle itself (though the kindle IS pretty ).

FWIW, I think the Nook's color screen is kind of superfluous and silly, but if it were the only e-reader around, I'd buy one.

 

[Belle2Be]

I'm sorry, but you are wrong. I love the K3 more than the Nook, but the nook offers some GREAT advantages over the K3

Better file formats. You can borrow eBooks from a library. This is HUGE!
MicroSD slot. This allows you to expand your storage. This is a MUST HAVE for some people. If "pretty" is one of your reasons the K3 is better than the nook, how about the COLOR SCREEN ON THE BOTTOM OF THE NOOK

It's ok to be biased one way. But let's get the facts straight.

Ok being able to lend from the library is not 100% a plus. More like a 10% +. I've yet to find a decent book to lend from the library that either isn't already free on Amazon, or is available within a reasonable amount of time (IE, not a 3 week minimum wait). And an epub is far from the best file format, Azw isn't the best either but the Kindle can read a ton of other formats, along with Mobi and pdf.
An SD slot is also not a bonus, there is not need for it. Who seriously needs more than 3500 books on their e-reader? And if it is a moral imperative that you have 3501, it it REALLY that bad to have to remove one and keep it on your computer or Amazon/b&n acct?
The COLOR SCREEN ON THE BOTTOM OF THE NOOK is also not a bonus in any way. Why would anyone need a color screen on a book?
I also never said "pretty" is one of my reasons. It said it is pretty black and white, as in, it is pretty basic, pretty clear, not as in it is a pretty e-reader.

 

[BTackitt]

I'm sorry, but you are wrong. I love the K3 more than the Nook, but the nook offers some GREAT advantages over the K3

Better file formats. You can borrow eBooks from a library. This is HUGE!
It's ok to be biased one way. But let's get the facts straight.

Ok.. Let's get them straight.. This is HUGE TO YOU! To me, it's worthless because my public library doesn't even CARRY E-books. As for that *pretty* touchscreen I looked at nooks off and on for 3 months... and it just plain did not impress me at all. If you want a pretty touch screen, get an iPad, or even an iTouch. Much better responsiveness. I do not have an iPad, but my DH does.
I am impressed with book selection & price.. Kindle wins in both of those catagories. Hands down.

 

[Meemo]

Ok.. Let's get them straight.. This is HUGE TO YOU! To me, it's worthless because my public library doesn't even CARRY E-books. As for that *pretty* touchscreen I looked at nooks off and on for 3 months... and it just plain did not impress me at all. If you want a pretty touch screen, get an iPad, or even an iTouch. Much better responsiveness. I do not have an iPad, but my DH does.
I am impressed with book selection & price.. Kindle wins in both of those catagories. Hands down.

As a Kindle lover and new nook owner, I prefer my Kindle. But, I've discovered the library feature is indeed huge after all, because I'm not limited to my local library. I found (thanks to a lovely member here) that while my local library has nothing, there is a library in my state that has instituted a free "e-card", that I applied for and received online. And they do have a good selection of books I'm interested in - enough that if I check them all out, I've pretty much paid for my nook. Plus there's the Free Library of Philadelphia - you can get a card there for $15, and they have a bigger selection of books, and a couple of checkouts will pay for that card. I look forward to using both.

To address someone else's comment, as far as ePub goes, it isn't that it's a superior format, it's that my nook can handle books from Sony, Borders, Kobo, any site that sells ePub - so I can shop around for the best price (although frankly, that "best price" usually is with Amazon - I've made very few e-book purchases outside of Amazon) and get freebies almost anywhere. It's far from perfect - customer service for warranty issues with B&N appears to be slow and pretty much totally non-customer-service oriented - luckily I got my nook on eBay so I'm warrantied through Square Trade if I have an issue in the next couple of years. There's no organization feature beside having separate folders for B&N books and "outside" books. The touchscreen is underwhelming at best (to me), the only thing I like about it is swiping to turn pages (and that takes a while to perfect - I'm not there yet). I don't anticipate paying for any books from B&N (or probably Sony or anywhere else anymore with the library feature) - great for me, not so great business-wise for them. Any e-books I pay for will almost certainly be from Amazon. Esthetically, it may be "sleeker" looking on the surface, but it's heavier and bulkier than the K2.

Having a Kindle and a nook feels a bit like having the best of both worlds, and neither is perfect. But if I had to choose just one, it would be Kindle. Best selection, best prices, best customer service, and if you're only going to have one, I think it's The One. It's amusing to me that some people want ePub so they can shop around - when they can shop around anywhere but the Kindle store, where the best selection and prices are. And I think Amazon has the best business model for the Kindle, so I think they're most likely to come out on top in the end. But clearly, that's my opinion, and people who chose to go with nook (or Sony, or Kobo, or whatever, as their only reader) have other priorities and disagree.

 

[Ann in Arlington]

I'm sorry, but you are wrong. I love the K3 more than the Nook, but the nook offers some GREAT advantages over the K3

Better file formats. You can borrow eBooks from a library. This is HUGE!

As someone else said, huge for you. Not so much for me. But if I wanted a reader solely to be able to do that, I think I'd be looking at the Kobo which is much cheaper.

MicroSD slot. This allows you to expand your storage. This is a MUST HAVE for some people.

Again, for some people. . . .but I really think 3500 books, which is the capacity of the K3, is plenty for me.

If "pretty" is one of your reasons the K3 is better than the nook, how about the COLOR SCREEN ON THE BOTTOM OF THE NOOK

"Pretty" isn't one of my reasons. . .but I do find the K3 to be very elegant looking and classy. I find the nook, not nearly as attractive. But this is, of course, purely a subjective response.

It's ok to be biased one way. But let's get the facts straight.

There are no facts concerned when you're just talking about what you like or don't.

 

[jd78]

Does this mean the longer you have and use a Nook the slower the page turns will become? I'm not trying to be sarcastic. His answer just doesn't make sense to me.
deb

The sales guy probably didn't know what he was talking about. Prior to my K3 I owned a nook and previously a K2 and I can say that the page turns between the nook and K2 were very even. I think what was most likely the cause for slower page turns is that the demo units had not been upgraded to the latest software/firmware.

 

[lanfearl]

There are no facts concerned when you're just talking about what you like or don't.

The person I'm talking with claimed that "objectively speaking the Kindle is better than the Nook"

This is simply untrue.

I agree with every reason why the K3 is superior. I don't use libraries. I don't need a screen. I definitely don't need more storage.

I'm merely trying to help this person see that different people have different needs and that their opinion is not any more correct than someone elses.

 

[Belle2Be]

The person I'm talking with claimed that "objectively speaking the Kindle is better than the Nook"

This is simply untrue.

I agree with every reason why the K3 is superior. I don't use libraries. I don't need a screen. I definitely don't need more storage.

I'm merely trying to help this person see that different people have different needs and that their opinion is not any more correct than someone elses.

I would love to know who has the need to pay more a technically lesser e-reader?

 

[Ann in Arlington]

The person I'm talking with claimed that "objectively speaking the Kindle is better than the Nook"

This is simply untrue.

I'll give you that since, as I noted, it's really a very subjective thing. . . . . .

I would love to know who has the need to pay more a technically lesser e-reader?

But, is it? I would argue that, without some fairly detailed objective testing, we can't really say that. As Kindleers, we may feel it's 'lesser' but, for some, there are real differences that make the Nook vastly superior for them. And those alternate features may make the additional money worth it to them.

I just don't think we should get bent out of shape about that.

The BEST thing is that there are lots of options and e-readers are more mainstream everyday. . .which means that we don't need to worry that we might have bought an Edsel.

 

[Belle2Be]

I'll give you that since, as I noted, it's really a very subjective thing. . . . . .

But, is it? I would argue that, without some fairly detailed objective testing, we can't really say that. As Kindleers, we may feel it's 'lesser' but, for some, there are real differences that make the Nook vastly superior for them. And those alternate features may make the additional money worth it to them.

I just don't think we should get bent out of shape about that.

The BEST thing is that there are lots of options and e-readers are more mainstream everyday. . .which means that we don't need to worry that we might have bought an Edsel.

*Technically* it is. It holds more books, has better eInk technology, has text-speech and weighs less. The K2 is comparable to the Nook, the K3 at this point in time is the better ereader. I'm not a "kindleer", I'm a reader. I'm not picky about my medium as long as it is either as book like as possible, and super user friendly.
The nook has its *objectively better* points, a touchscreen, lending capabilities, but in reality, the touchscreen is a disappointment and not a totally necessary to a "book", and considering that breaking a DRM is now legal, Kindle books are sharable as well.

I fully understand that they both have their pros and cons, however at this point in time, the K3 is the best out there. This could change next month, and if it does then I'll be right there arguing that that e-reader is the best if it is in its technology.