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I just wanted to take a general view of how people stand.
Does anyone have both the original nook and kindle? If so, which do you prefer?
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Last summer I compared and contrasted the "classic nook" and the Kindle 3 pretty heavily. I chose the nook for the following reasons:
1. The touch screen LCD vs. the keyboard: I find the keyboard on the Kindle to be fairly obtrusive and also head reports of the letters wearing off over time. I also dislike the direction buttons; but I disliked the tiny joystick on the older Kindles even more.
2. Ability to sideload EPUBs
3. Credit Card Companies: Although this has nothing to do with the device itself, I had several major issues with Chase bank regarding my Amazon credit card to the point where I finally canceled my account. I now carry a Barnes & Noble Credit card and receive B&N Gift cards as rewards; a few of which funded my nook purchase.
My wife, on the other hand, recently purchased a Kindle. She shops on Amazon weekly (daily?) so it made sense for her to own a device that was tied to a company that she does business with regularly. Now that I've seen both in action side by side I can honestly say that the Kindle 3 does have a few advantages over the original nook:
1. Faster page turns: It is, quite literally, a fraction of a fraction of a second faster but it feels less...abrupt. The nook page turns used to be slower prior to a recent software upgrade, and since then the page turns are faster but they can kind of startle you until you get used to it. I'm not sure if I explained this well...
2. Page contrast: The contrast on the Kindle screen is brighter than that of the original nook. The difference is minor yet noticeable; particularly in a side by side comparison. I think the darker color of the Kindle 3 makes the screen appear brighter as well.
3. The Kindle 3 is lighter and thinner than the nook. Of course my wife has wifi only on her Kindle 3 and I have WiFi & 3G so that may account for both.
A note on battery life: The Kindle 3 originally advertised one month of battery life. Since the announcement of the new nook it is suddenly able to go two months in between charges. Based on usage in my household: (your mileage may vary.)
1. The Kindle 3 needs to be charged every three weeks. My wife uses her Kindle for about half an hour a night, 7 nights a week an the occasional hour long session midweek. WiFi is always off unless she's downloading new content.
2. The nook needs to be recharged every 10 to 12 days based on the same amount of usage. WiFi is always off, I connect exclusively through 3G when downloading new content.
3. That being said, I'm the type of person who recharges my devices when the level indicator reads less than 50%; my wife is the type of person who recharges when she gets the first "low level" warning. So that may account for a +/- one or two days on both ends.
In a nutshell: While each device has its definite pros and cons, the cons on either device aren't really significant enough to be deal breakers. If you're a frequent Amazon customer then the Kindle may be a better choice (particularly if you're part of their rewards program.) Likewise if you shop with Barnes & Noble frequently then the nook is the better choice.
Look around, keep asking questions. Don't trust the word of anyone who is overly fanatical about one or the other. Look up a few books you're likely to read on both Amazon and BN.com to see if they're available as e-books.
Good luck!
1. The touch screen LCD vs. the keyboard: I find the keyboard on the Kindle to be fairly obtrusive and also head reports of the letters wearing off over time. I also dislike the direction buttons; but I disliked the tiny joystick on the older Kindles even more.
2. Ability to sideload EPUBs
3. Credit Card Companies: Although this has nothing to do with the device itself, I had several major issues with Chase bank regarding my Amazon credit card to the point where I finally canceled my account. I now carry a Barnes & Noble Credit card and receive B&N Gift cards as rewards; a few of which funded my nook purchase.
My wife, on the other hand, recently purchased a Kindle. She shops on Amazon weekly (daily?) so it made sense for her to own a device that was tied to a company that she does business with regularly. Now that I've seen both in action side by side I can honestly say that the Kindle 3 does have a few advantages over the original nook:
1. Faster page turns: It is, quite literally, a fraction of a fraction of a second faster but it feels less...abrupt. The nook page turns used to be slower prior to a recent software upgrade, and since then the page turns are faster but they can kind of startle you until you get used to it. I'm not sure if I explained this well...
2. Page contrast: The contrast on the Kindle screen is brighter than that of the original nook. The difference is minor yet noticeable; particularly in a side by side comparison. I think the darker color of the Kindle 3 makes the screen appear brighter as well.
3. The Kindle 3 is lighter and thinner than the nook. Of course my wife has wifi only on her Kindle 3 and I have WiFi & 3G so that may account for both.
A note on battery life: The Kindle 3 originally advertised one month of battery life. Since the announcement of the new nook it is suddenly able to go two months in between charges. Based on usage in my household: (your mileage may vary.)
1. The Kindle 3 needs to be charged every three weeks. My wife uses her Kindle for about half an hour a night, 7 nights a week an the occasional hour long session midweek. WiFi is always off unless she's downloading new content.
2. The nook needs to be recharged every 10 to 12 days based on the same amount of usage. WiFi is always off, I connect exclusively through 3G when downloading new content.
3. That being said, I'm the type of person who recharges my devices when the level indicator reads less than 50%; my wife is the type of person who recharges when she gets the first "low level" warning. So that may account for a +/- one or two days on both ends.
In a nutshell: While each device has its definite pros and cons, the cons on either device aren't really significant enough to be deal breakers. If you're a frequent Amazon customer then the Kindle may be a better choice (particularly if you're part of their rewards program.) Likewise if you shop with Barnes & Noble frequently then the nook is the better choice.
Look around, keep asking questions. Don't trust the word of anyone who is overly fanatical about one or the other. Look up a few books you're likely to read on both Amazon and BN.com to see if they're available as e-books.
Good luck!
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I own a K2, a K3, and a Sony Pocket 300. I have also in the past owned the original Nook. Out of all of them I prefer my K2 (except for the screen). The Nook didn't even last a month before I gave it away.
The touch screen was horrible and took forever to wake up, page turn buttons were hard to press, the B&N ebook store was hard to use IMO and it always seemed to take 2-3 extra steps to do anything on the Nook compared to the Kindle (look a word up, highlight a passage, add a book mark, etc).
The added benefit of library books just wasn't worth the hassle so I gave it to a friend who wanted one.
The touch screen was horrible and took forever to wake up, page turn buttons were hard to press, the B&N ebook store was hard to use IMO and it always seemed to take 2-3 extra steps to do anything on the Nook compared to the Kindle (look a word up, highlight a passage, add a book mark, etc).
The added benefit of library books just wasn't worth the hassle so I gave it to a friend who wanted one.
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141 Posts
My first reader was the Nook Classic (I bought it because I used to buy at B&N exclusively), then I bought a Kindle3 because some books I wanted I couldn't get at B&N. Finally this year I bought a Sony350. My favorite is the Sony350 followed by the Nook & finally the Kindle3. Why? Because I prefer touch screens. I have nothing against the Kindle because it is a fine reader also, but I find myself accidentally hitting the keys & turning pages more than I would like. That is just me though.
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I have a K2, a Nook Classic, and a Sony 300. My favorite is the K2, followed very closely by the Sony. I have the same issues with the Nook that Kindlegrl81 stated above - yes, it's sleek and pretty, but the abysmal LCD touch screen, the extra steps that touch screen adds to almost any function besides checking the time, the B&N book store - all those things just become annoying. For just pure reading, it's fine. When you go to do anything else, though, that LCD touchscreen is just awful - takes forever to wake up UNLESS you inadvertently touch it while reading, then it wakes up immediately and you have to wait for it to go off to be able to swipe to turn pages. How do you engineer that one
And for so many functions you have to leave your book - even turning WiFi off if you realize you forgot to do that. It just bugs me to have to leave my book, turn off WiFi, then get back to my book.
Having said all that, though, I love the looks of the new Nook Touch, and would be very tempted by it - but I'm waiting for the K4 - my money's with Amazon. That's where my eBook library investment is - any books in my B&N archives were freebies - if I'm paying for a book I get it from Amazon, with a few exceptions of books I've picked up from Kobo with coupons, or a couple of specially priced bundles from Sony. There are 4 of us on my Amazon account, so when I pay for a book, I want to be able to share it easily.
And for so many functions you have to leave your book - even turning WiFi off if you realize you forgot to do that. It just bugs me to have to leave my book, turn off WiFi, then get back to my book. Having said all that, though, I love the looks of the new Nook Touch, and would be very tempted by it - but I'm waiting for the K4 - my money's with Amazon. That's where my eBook library investment is - any books in my B&N archives were freebies - if I'm paying for a book I get it from Amazon, with a few exceptions of books I've picked up from Kobo with coupons, or a couple of specially priced bundles from Sony. There are 4 of us on my Amazon account, so when I pay for a book, I want to be able to share it easily.
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I have a K2, K3 and recently bought a Sony 650. Love em all but the 650 has made me a believer in touch screens! I find myself reading the Sony more, followed by the K3. Sadly, my K2 looks like it's just going to be a back-up.
I tried out the original Nook, but compared to the others, found it bulky and slow (IMHO). The new touch Nook looks interesting, but I'm holding out to see what the K4 will have (the INFR touch screen would be awesome on the Kindle).
I tried out the original Nook, but compared to the others, found it bulky and slow (IMHO). The new touch Nook looks interesting, but I'm holding out to see what the K4 will have (the INFR touch screen would be awesome on the Kindle).
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I have the original Nook and I have two K3's. I much prefer the Kindle. The main things I dislike about the Nook: it feels heavy, the dictionary feature is awful, and I don't like a touch screen. But have to admit it's mostly because it just feels heavy. I use it for library books only.
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Well, does anyone own both the simple touch and the k3? Which is better?
I did purchase the nookST, and my wife still has her K3.
The most obvious pro to the K3, or any Kindle, is that the shopping experience with Amazon is light years ahead of bn.com. Additionally if you prefer a physical keyboard then the Kindle is for you.
Aside from the touch screen (which is a perk for some and a bane for others) the nookST has more formatting choices for fonts, font sizes, line spacing and even margin setting. It is lighter and easier to hold then the K3...although if you're the type of person who will put their e-reader in a cover the "easier to hold" feature is irrelevant.
Thus far the battery life on the ST is better than the original nook, but I have not owned it long enough to determine if a single charge will last a full two months.
The most obvious pro to the K3, or any Kindle, is that the shopping experience with Amazon is light years ahead of bn.com. Additionally if you prefer a physical keyboard then the Kindle is for you.
Aside from the touch screen (which is a perk for some and a bane for others) the nookST has more formatting choices for fonts, font sizes, line spacing and even margin setting. It is lighter and easier to hold then the K3...although if you're the type of person who will put their e-reader in a cover the "easier to hold" feature is irrelevant.
Thus far the battery life on the ST is better than the original nook, but I have not owned it long enough to determine if a single charge will last a full two months.
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I have both, the original Nook, and the Kindle3, as well as the Sony 300. I find that I alternate between all 3. I use the sony for library books, for some reason loading them to this ereader is so much easier, at least for me anyway. I flip between the Nook and the Kindle. It depends on the prices of the books, if one is cheaper. If I am traveling, I take the kindle, since the battery lasts so much longer. The nook does not hold a charge long enough for long trips. I'm a gadget person, so I use all 3 of my devices.
best of all 
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My first eBook reader was the original nook, and my wife has a Kindle (we decided to get one of each for maximum power). You really can't go wrong with either one. I personally like the nook a bit better. The menu structure got along better with my brain, and there are admitedly some politics at a play (namely, the 1984 incident). The nook is slightly more of an open platform.
Between the Kindle 3 and the nook touch, however, I think the nook is much better. The touchscreen is the discriminating feature, but it makes a world of difference.
But to reiterate: they're both great choices, and the decision really comes down to whether you like Amazon or Barnes & Noble better.
Between the Kindle 3 and the nook touch, however, I think the nook is much better. The touchscreen is the discriminating feature, but it makes a world of difference.
But to reiterate: they're both great choices, and the decision really comes down to whether you like Amazon or Barnes & Noble better.
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Exactly what I was thinking. Device-wise, the nook is so much better than the kindle, but company-wise, amazon is a billion times better than barnes and noble. Although a deal-breaker for me on the nook is the lack of a back button and the lack of arrow keys which I use to navigate quickly between chapters.
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I only own a Nook but am looking to buy my niece an ereader and wondered which I should get her. This is a lot of helpful info. Thanks!
Alicia Dean
Alicia Dean
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I have owned an original nook 3G and kindle for iphone for a year. This was so that I could buy books from kindle that weren't available on my nook. Last month I got the K3 3G - an I LOVE it. It downloads faster, it's a little bit smaller and slimmer, and it's easier to search the kindle store than B&N. I still use my nook to download books in epub from smashwords and booksneeze, and for my use, the nooks battery seems to last longer than my kindle's.
Overall, I love both - but kindle wins.
Overall, I love both - but kindle wins.
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I actually had so many issues with the nook 3g that I ended up replacing it with the kindle... I haven't looked back since!Hosanna said:
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