Civil War: Nook Vs. Kindle

mike33phillip

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So I'm sure everyone who regularly uses an E-reader has been asked this a thousand times: Do you prefer Nook or Kindle? I don't think I've ever met anyone who is neutral on the matter, seems like everyone is passionate about, and loyal to one. So I'm curious to know where everyone stands.

Me? I'm team Nook all the way. I have the new GlowLight Plus and it's without a doubt the best E-reader I've owned.
 

Brightdreamer

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Considering that B&N's long-term outlook isn't great, my guess is Kindle will be the ultimate winner.

That said, I own a Nook tablet and a Kindle e-reader, and use both regularly. The tablet is useful for Overdrive and Hoopla from my library, while the dedicated e-reader Kindle has much longer battery life and, not being backlit, is easier on the eyes for long stretches. I also find it easier to import third-party books, such as Tor e-books of the month, into a Kindle. So I guess that makes me neutral.

Coexistence is possible. I present again my photographic evidence:
BNKsmall01jW_zpsb3fad9d8.jpg

Note the lack of spontaneous combustion or black hole formation when a Nook tablet, a Kindle, and a physical book come into direct contact.

(Incidentally, though I've recently upgraded to a Kindle Paperwhite, the old keyboard model still works great and holds a charge beautifully. It was just showing its age with a few small stress cracks in the plastic casing, plus an occasional issue with page turning, easily cleared. The interface on the Paperwhite is taking a little getting used to, but I like the illumination option, and it's thinner and lighter... plus the cover closes nicely so I don't get coins stuck in it anymore. And since this photo was taken I upgraded to the Samsung Galaxy Nook, which was well worth the price, as it's more powerful and functional as a tablet. I suppose I should update my proof-of-coexistence photo one of these days.)
 

edutton

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I had a Nook, but wasn't incredibly impressed - mostly because I determined I really don't need a tablet. I now have a Kindle DX (9.7" screen, no longer made) that I bought off my dad. The wireless doesn't work anymore, but I can transfer files to it just fine using Calibre. I don't know what I'll do when it dies, as I really dislike the new tiny Kindles but the options for larger format e-ink readers are very limited... thanks a lot, Amazon.
 

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Keep in mind that many of us use smart phones and Android or iOS tablets.

That said, I'm really considering a Kindle Paperwhite.
 

Bacchus

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Kindle fan here. I love the simplicity and the battery life - the nook may be just as good, never tried it. On my third... (don't leave them in the shower, they're not waterproof)

The biggest win for me is that old mother Bacchus can still use a Kindle paper-white with her 93 year old eyes and advanced macular degeneration which leaves her unable to read paper!
 

Bacchus

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Keep in mind that many of us use smart phones and Android or iOS tablets.

That said, I'm really considering a Kindle Paperwhite.

Amazon offer free software for Android/PC (don't know about iPhone/Mac, maybe someone else can advise) and now allow synchronisation across your devices for your own files - which at least one of my betas found invaluable!
 

mike33phillip

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Kindle fan here. I love the simplicity and the battery life - the nook may be just as good, never tried it. On my third... (don't leave them in the shower, they're not waterproof)

The biggest win for me is that old mother Bacchus can still use a Kindle paper-white with her 93 year old eyes and advanced macular degeneration which leaves her unable to read paper!

The Nook GlowLight is a lot like Kindle's paper white, that's actually what my girlfriend has. Bonus points for the Nook though, it is waterproof. I have dropped it twice in the tub and it hasn't suffered one iota from it.
 

Marlys

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Never tried a Nook. No problems with my old keyboard Kindle, which holds a battery charge for a long time. I love it for traveling. I also have the Kindle app on my iPhone, which is fine for reading for shorter periods of time. And I have a Kindle Fire, but mostly just play games on it--it's too glarey for reading.
 

LJD

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Well, I still have an old Sony e-reader. It's the only e-reader I've ever owned. Nook isn't available where I live. Next time, I'll probably go with Kobo.
 

edutton

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Never tried a Nook. No problems with my old keyboard Kindle, which holds a battery charge for a long time. I love it for traveling. I also have the Kindle app on my iPhone, which is fine for reading for shorter periods of time. And I have a Kindle Fire, but mostly just play games on it--it's too glarey for reading.
I have a Fire because it was $30 on sale once, and I wanted an emergency backup... but I find I can't read for long stretches on it, any more than I could the Nook tablet. My aging eyes need the e-ink.
 

Marlys

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I have a Fire because it was $30 on sale once, and I wanted an emergency backup... but I find I can't read for long stretches on it, any more than I could the Nook tablet. My aging eyes need the e-ink.

Yeah, the good thing about Fires is how crazy cheap they are. My husband got mine free with credit card points.
 

mike33phillip

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That's what I love about the Nook GlowLight, it's incredibly easy on the eyes, even on it's brightest setting. And I prefer an actual e-reader to a tablet. I find myself getting distracted by other stuff on a tablet hah.
 

JimmyB27

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I don't think I've ever met anyone who is neutral on the matter

You have now.

I can't imagine having strong feelings on such a subject. But then, I feel the same about Mac vs PC*, Canon vs Nikon, etc, etc.

I use a Kindle (and a PC, and a Canon), but only because it was a present, and I don't think the Nook ever really took off over here anyway.


*Actually, the thing that does get me worked up about the Mac vs PC debate is that Macs are PCs too (PC standing, as it does, for 'Personal Computer').
 

RaiscaraAvalon

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I have several Kindle Paperwhites, and at the rate I accumulate books, are going to need a couple more! I use mine for everything and couldn't be happier. The only thing I've debated getting a Nook for is to read magazines on as several of my mags include digital subs with the regular subs. So there's that. Keep in mind I also have a tablet and smartphones lol.
 

EMaree

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Terrible eyesight over here, so e-ink readers were a lifechanger for me and I'm definitely in the 'strong feelings about them' crew. Sooo much kinder to my eyes than reading ebooks on PC like I use to do.

I've used, in order:
Kindle 3 Keyboard
Nook Glowlight
Kindle Paperwhite

I really liked my Glowlight -- it was a great price for the specs -- but the infrastructure is just frustrating. Nook didn't even really try in the UK, appearing without fanfare and disappearing without a fight (and in fact, scorching the earth as they went by leaving customers stuck with unreadable books). The Glowlight was also damn near unusable for non-techies. My Calibre-loving self loved it, but a normal reader used to buying books online would have struggled.

And then when it started to break, there was nobody left to provide customer support.

Great kit, terrible company. I'm so disappointed with Nook in the UK.

So, it's onward to the Paperwhite, hopping between direct purchase from Amazon and Calibre transfers as the whim takes me.
 
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Much as I am wary of Amazon's monopoly, I was one of those abandoned by B & N, via their purchase of Fictionwise.

Not all my books transferred over, and many of those that did B & N slapped on encryption when the books had not had DRM before.

So I'm not really even looking at a Nook unless I root it.
 

Komnena

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I belong to the Kindle party. I tried the Nook because I believed in supporting physical bookstores but neither my Nook nor its replacement functioned for long. A Kindle 7 can be had for around thirty dollars on Cyber Monday. I bought that first Kindle 7 three years ago and it is still functioning. I will probably buy another come Cyber Monday.
 

EMaree

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Calibre was a game changer for me! Converting .rtf to .mobi transforms my friendly little kindle into a tool (c:

The conversions are wonderful! I'm also a big fan of the Amazon send-to-Kindle feature that converts .docs/.rtfs/.pdfs and sends them straight to your Kindle. It's incredibly handy when beta reading manuscripts or revising my own work.

It's one of my most-used features and one I missed on Nook. Calibre conversion is great but the speed and convenience of the Amazon process (forward the file to your @kindle.com address, wait five mins) is wonderful.