Nook vs. Kindle

ElcaB

I decided I'm ready to join the e-reader club (*cringes*). I love everything about regular books, but I also love the pros of e-readers. I've done a tad of research, but can't decide between the two. Tell me knotties, what do you recommend? What are the pros/cons of Nooks & Kindles?

AprilH81

I use the Kindle app on my iPad mini, so I'm not much help.

I had a first or second generation Kindle (still use for reading on the beach/by the pool) that I really liked.  It isn't back lit so you can't read it in the dark but it is super easy to read in bright sunlight.

WinstonsGirl

I've still got my first Kindle. It's got the keyboard at the bottom.  I still love it.  I've had it about 4 years now.  I know nothing about Nook.  

MrsMack10612

I don't know if this matters to you and I don't know if it's the same for Kindle, but you cannot give a Nook a static IP address.

My H works from home a lot and because of that we have a our home WIFI network locked down pretty tight.  All of our devices are assigned IP addresses to be on the network, rather than dynamic and just pulling one out of the ether.

He bought me a Nook for Christmas last year (we returned it and just got a regular tablet) and we tried everything, but here is no way to assign it an IP.  For me that was a deal breaker because if I can't use it at home, what's the point.

Ven&Radio

I have a Nook.  I bought it originally because I really hated how the Kindle had a keyboard and the Nook runs a version of Android, so I could root it and do other stuff with it.  I'm on my third Nook in about 3 years (all warranty replacements).  The first one basically stopped charging.  The 2nd one was a refurb and never worked right - I think I had it for about 3 months.  I think it also had a battery issue - I'd have a decent amount of battery left and it would randomly turn off and tell me it had insufficient charge to power on.  The third one I've had for over a year and no issues (knock on wood).

I've heard the Kindle doesn't have "page" numbers, which would drive me nuts.  My Nook gives me a page number for everything I read.  Sometimes the numbering is wonky, but it's really easy to figure out how long it's going to take me to read a chapter (if I know I need to do something in X minutes, should I bother to start a new chapter?). 

Overall, I really like my Nook.  I also like that I can use the cashback from one of my credit cards to get B&N gift cards, so I very rarely spend "real" money on eBooks.  However, if I have another hardware issue, I'll probably switch to a Kindle since they no longer have keyboards.

theartistformerlyknownas

I haven't played around a lot with Nooks, but I love my Kindle. I had a Fire and it got stolen, and just got the Fire HD a few months ago. My only gripe with it is the Silk browser somehow doesn't identify the text entry boxes on the TK forums so it won't let me reply to threads. No knotting from Kindle I guess! I'm still a huge fan of real books but it's great for magazines so I don't need to worry about all that paper waste, and spur of the moment book purchases when I don't want to get off the couch and go to the store.

Maggie0829

Well what do you want out of an e-reader?  Do you want it just for reading purposes or would you also like to use it as a tablet?

I got the Nook color when it first came out years ago.  It has internet capabilities and I can download apps and such but I really only use it for reading purposes.  The only thing I don't like about it is that it is hard to read in the sunlight.  I know they sell screen covers that help to eliminate glare but I have just not gotten around to getting them.  Instead I just turn up the brightness when I am out in the sun and deal with it.

GoldenPenguin

I have the Kindle Paperwhite & love it.

I was also a late converter to the e-book realm, and went with the Paperwhite because you can ONLY do books. It connects to wifi to download books & such, but there's no apps, no games, no internet browser, etc. It's black & white, and is JUST books. That's what I wanted - I play enough games on my phone - I didn't want to be distracted by them on my e-reader too! 

The other thing I really like about the Kindle in general is that I can buy books on Amazon, while I'm at work or wherever, and they are sent immediately to my Kindle. I always hear of books that I want to read & then forget about them once I'm on the device, so being able to log into Amazon when someone tells me about a book, and getting it sent right to the Kindle is awesome. 

DanikaMarie0227

I know nothing about Kindles but I had (it was stolen earlier this month) the first ever Nook and LOVED it. Primarily because I read A LOT & it looks like a page, instead of a computer screen so it doesn't ever hurt my eyes. FI has a newer version of the Nook and that's awesome as well. I've used that to read (though I preferred mine solely because of the screen) and to watch Netflix, which was great. The kids also play games on it and like it for that reason. I also love B&N so there's that. Again, I have no basis for comparison, but would certainly recommend the Nook to anyone. 

ashley8918

GoldenPenguin said:

I have the Kindle Paperwhite & love it.

I was also a late converter to the e-book realm, and went with the Paperwhite because you can ONLY do books. It connects to wifi to download books & such, but there's no apps, no games, no internet browser, etc. It's black & white, and is JUST books. That's what I wanted - I play enough games on my phone - I didn't want to be distracted by them on my e-reader too! 

The other thing I really like about the Kindle in general is that I can buy books on Amazon, while I'm at work or wherever, and they are sent immediately to my Kindle. I always hear of books that I want to read & then forget about them once I'm on the device, so being able to log into Amazon when someone tells me about a book, and getting it sent right to the Kindle is awesome. 

You can also do this on the B&N/Nook website.

I have a nook and really like it, but I have never used a Kindle, so I can't really speak to compariaons.

melbenso

I love my Kindle (regular kind, not Kindle fire).  One of the things I really like about it is that it is not back-lit, so there is no eye strain when reading.  I got a little case for it with a reading light so I could read in low light.  I have friends who have the Nook too and love it as well.

My suggestion, check out what platforms your local library has for e-books.  Some only have Kindle available.  Some have everything but Kindle.  If you plan on checking out a lot of e-books (which is great: just go online and download the book from the library site and you can access it for about 3 weeks on your device), I'd look into that before making a decision.

And I was also a firm "I like real books" person, until I went to a week long conference and lugged 4 hard backed books with me to read.  Downloading four books to my Kindle is so much easier.  And if you are purchasing books, it's less expensive and there are lots of free downloads available for each platform.  This doesn't mean I don't still read paper book all the time, though.

flyingfoxes

I have the second generation Kindle, and I also like the non-backlit screen and the ability to check out e-books from the library.  I DL'd the Kindle app on my iPad and loved how the two would keep track of where I'd left off on the other device when I would switch around between the two. 

KPBM89

We have both in our house.  H has the original Kindle with the keyboard and I have the Nook HD tablet.  We both enjoy each for various reasons, but one thing I love about the Nook is that you can read anything for free for an hour while you're at a B/N store.  We don't live far from one, so I like to take it there, get coffee, and just relax.  I've finished 6 books for free by doing this!  I wanted an e-reader for a while, so H did a lot of research into the two devices last year before he ultimately chose the Nook for me (he always researches tech stuff!).  

DanikaMarie0227

melbenso said:

I love my Kindle (regular kind, not Kindle fire).  One of the things I really like about it is that it is not back-lit, so there is no eye strain when reading.  I got a little case for it with a reading light so I could read in low light.  I have friends who have the Nook too and love it as well.

My suggestion, check out what platforms your local library has for e-books.  Some only have Kindle available.  Some have everything but Kindle.  If you plan on checking out a lot of e-books (which is great: just go online and download the book from the library site and you can access it for about 3 weeks on your device), I'd look into that before making a decision.

And I was also a firm "I like real books" person, until I went to a week long conference and lugged 4 hard backed books with me to read.  Downloading four books to my Kindle is so much easier.  And if you are purchasing books, it's less expensive and there are lots of free downloads available for each platform.  This doesn't mean I don't still read paper book all the time, though.

To the bolded: FI bought me my Nook years ago. I loved it but it sat around as a pretty decoration for 2 years (it had the cutest case ever, so I still liked seeing it, haha). I kept reading physical books & lugged them on vacation and such (this got to be a pain when trying to keep my suitcase underweight also!) Once I realized that I could download books from the library, I never turned back. But it's true, some libraries only use certain platforms. 

beethery

FI has a kindle and he looooooves it. And I looooove it too because I borrow it to read a lot, and we both play games and watch amazon prime tv shows/movies on it.

Inkdancer

I love my Kindle Fire. At first I wasn't sure whether I would use it, but now I use it every day. There are tons of free book and game downloads, plus you can get Mozilla Aurora and use it just like a tablet for surfing, etc. A+ would get as birthday gift again.

hellosweetie1015

I've got the Nook Simple Touch. I won't lie, I never really use it - but I never read much any more, which is sad. When FI's home, I'd rather spend time with him. When he's not, I'm hanging out with my mom or running errands. 

That being said - my family and I are about to have a few long-ass flights for our Christmas vacation. I am super excited to have it for that - I can take any book I want to without having to actually lug a heavy book around. I can also read really trashy books and not get made fun of for it. I haven't had any problems out of it yet.

Something I'd be wary of: I've heard rumors of people's Amazon accounts being deactivated and all the books they'd bought for their Kindles being revoked. I don't know how true that is, but it definitely played into my choice to go with Nook. I don't even want to think about my books disappearing for no good reason and with no recourse.

bethsmiles

I love my Kindle. I have the second generation and I can only use it for reading which is all I want to use it for. E-books are cheaper than real books and you can get a lot for free on the Kindle (I don't know about the Nook). I probably have about 10 books waiting to be read that I got for free. With the Kindle you have access to a larger library of books to choose from, although with more recent/popular texts the two are the same. Also, with a lot of Kindle books you can download a sample of a lot of books so you can read some of it before deciding if you want to buy the book.

arrippa

I had the original Nook and now I have the Kindle paperwhite. I tend to use my Kindle more than my Nook. The Kindle is smaller and lighter. I also tend to buy more ebooks at Amazon than B&N.

 

emmaaa

I prefer a regular book so I'm not much help. However, I got the original Nook when it came out and I did like it. It was pretty easy and self-explanatory. 

ShellD13

I have an original Nook - loved it! At the time I bought it there were like three features that Kindle didn't offer yet - book lending, Slot for an additional SD card for more storage, and something else - can't remember. I love "regular" books but traveled a lot and liked the convenience of reading what I wanted where ever I wanted and not having to worry about weighing down my luggage. It is only black and white, it does offer a couple of games but I used it specifically for reading and I appreciated that I didn't strain my eyes like I would on a typical computer screen. Also borrowing ebooks from the library is a huge bonus - our library supports both platforms. However, I got an iPhone a couple of years ago. Now I predominately use the Nook and Kindle apps on my phone to avoid carrying multiple devices.

falsara

I have a Kindle Fire, but I started with a classic Kindle with the keyboard. LOVE IT.

Also look at the prices of the books for the e readers. It's been my experience that Nook/B&N books cost more than Kindle/ Amazon books. Also if you have Amazon Prime then you can browse a whole lot of Books from amazon for free on your Kindle. Totally worth the 80$ a year.

jdluvr06

I have the first edition Kindle and I love it. I think I'm going to upgrade to one of the new Kindles soon though because my is getting ready to die. Plus that new one that is probably overpriced, the Kindle Voyger looks super awesome.

NYCMercedes

I have two nooks that I adore. The first generation color I use as a tablet while I travel. The other is the glowlight, which I throw in my purse because it has no weight whatsoever. They've both been excellent products through the years.

Sugargirl1019

DH bought me my Nook Color as a surprise one year - and I LOVE it! I read all the time. Its backlight is adjustable so I can turn the light really low at night in bed. I knot from it sometimes, and I've had no problems with WiFi access.