Monday, April 18, 2011

Nook or Kindle?

Okay all you e-reading people out there, I *think* I'll be heading into e-reader land in the near future. There will still be some books that I will physically buy, but I'm thinking of taking the dive.

This begs the question: which brand is better? Amazon or Nook?

On principle I like Nook better. They pay the publishers and authors more, which is almost enough to get me to decide right there, but I'm curious about book availability, user friendliness, durability and all that fun stuff of both brands. And since I'm not interested in the Nook Color, that puts Nook and Kindle on a somewhat even playing field.

Since I've worked for B&N I clearly know more about the Nook. Some of the perks I like is that you can loan books to other Nook owners, check books out of the library, and go to a store if you have any issues with the device that you need help with. Does Kindle allow for sharing and checking out books? And how is the customer service?

Those are just some basic questions, but all input is very welcome.

Thanks!

5 comments:

  1. I work at a public library and chose a Nook after one of our librarians brought several different eReaders to work to let us test them out whenever we felt like it. After lots of research, the Nook seemed the best bet to me. One of the biggest reasons I chose the Nook is because it supports a wider variety of eBook files while the Kindle only supports one file type. If I had chosen a Kindle, I would not have been able to download free eBooks via Overdrive through the public library. I know so many people who got Kindles and are disappointed that they can't check out eBooks from the library. I'm pretty sure Kindle will eventually open up their device to read other file types, but right now I feel that the Nook is the way to go (when it comes between the two - there are other good eReaders out there).

    I have had my Nook since January and really love it. Also, I should mention that I got the regular Nook with wifi and not the Nook color. I don't see the point of the Nook color if all I want to do is read books. The e-ink is so easy on the eyes. I just love it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Amy, thank you! That is so helpful. I've been looking at the 3G Nook, just because I like the idea of not having to find a wi-fi signal. I tend to be easily frustrated by technology, so the fewer brain cells required, the better in my world.

    Thank you again and again. I'll let you know what I end up with :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I did a similar "Survey" among my friends and out of twenty people I had only one person say they preferred the Nook and two went off the wall and suggested the iPad 2 (which wasn't an option). I am purchasing the Kindle and will let you know what I think :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. That's good to know, Chelsea. I know that Kindle definitely has larger market saturation, but what I'm noticing is that most people tend to be happy with what they've got. I wonder if it's just one of those things where branding really doesn't matter that much.

    Really, the main perk I see with Nook is that it will read all types of files. You can side load documents from your computer--I think even straight up Word docs. Don't know if I would ever do that, but that seems to be one of the larger differences. Also, I don't know if Kindle plays music.

    Let me know how you like your new toy :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I know that the iPad is probably not in your price range (heck, it never was in mine), but that is what I have (I won it in a crazy fluke online giveaway thingy) and having the option to have both Kindle and Nook books is really nice...but if I were to choose one..I would probably end up with the Nook...I too like the sharing capability with that Nook offers.

    ReplyDelete