Which e-reader do you have?

I didn't vote: I initially bought a Kindle and used it for almost a year; then my kids bought me an iPad and, when I forgot my Kindle in the UK, I started to use that and actually prefer it to the Kindle except for one or two matters. Now my Kindle is at work and I use it when I have a free hour (not often!) and use the iPad at home.

I have the most basic Kindle, which cost me...$89, if I remember right. I love it. It's light and is a total no-brainer to use and I love that I can lend books to my friends (and they don't need a Kindle to be able to read it).

Buuut I've never had a different e-reader, so I don't know how it compares to other brands.

ETA: I sometimes write on my iPad and beta on my Samsung Galaxy iii, but with both of those, my eyes get tired really quickly. The e-ink screen on the Kindle is still gentlest on my eyes.

I'm using Calibre on the laptop. I'm pretty new to the ereader world. I'll probably get an ereader of some sort when I return to the US (or where ever I go after this). The problem with the laptop is that it's not very snuggly. I really like not having a bunch of paper to lug around, but the only thing I don't like about ereading is that if I want to go back and reread a certain part it's harder to find.

I have Kindle, can't remember the exact model, but it's a basic one. So far it has worked like a charm, even me not being in the US. First I thought that there might be a problem because I'm living overseas (don't know why), but there are none, and I'm really pleased. It does its job!

I've tried iPad for the same purpose, and although it was good, I still prefer Kindle.

My iPad is my ereader. Since 2010, I've read all my books on an iPad. I use it to edit my WIP, too. The Retina Display on the iPad 3/4 makes for a wonderful reading experience, almost as good as an E Ink reader like Amazon's PaperWhite.

When you consider everything else you can do with an iPad...well, it's become my constant companion.

Note that I think Apple's iBooks software offers the best reading experience, period. The handy thing, though, is that there is a Nook and Kindle app for iPad, too. That means you can read books bought from those platforms on your iPad.

Two things:

1.) If you want JUST an ereader and aren't interested in a tablet, per se, the PaperWhite is likely the best one on the market. The display (for reading) is amazing in the right lighting.

2.) If you are interested in a tablet, I know many people who were happy iPad users who became much happier reading on the iPad mini because the smaller size was easier for them to hold. Not an issue for me, but it is for some.

What the heck, a third thing:

3.) Apple will be announcing new iPad models in the next few weeks. The smart money says wait and see what they do. At the very least, the current generation of devices will get cheaper.

I have a half-dead Android smartphone with the Aldiko app for my main e-reader, but I also use my laptop with both Calibre and Adobe Digital Editions.

The phone might be better called a tablet. It's a huge, ugly phone with a screen not quite the size of a paperback page. The 'phone' part of it died ages ago, but it still makes a good alarm clock and e-reader and the price was right ($0) so no complaints.

I have a Kindle and loved it. Now I've been using my phone, a Nexus 4, more often because it's just easier to read on; great screen, lighted, small so I can hold it with one hand and put in my pocket.

Honestly, I really wouldn't mind getting the new Nexus 7 for reading. Screens nowadays are getting so fucking good, I don't think there's a reason other than battery life to get a dedicated e-reader.

I have a nook tablet, and I've enjoyed it. I do a lot of reading on it, and use it to review chapter drafts of my novel, as seeing them in "book" format makes it easier to see with fresh eyes. I still read a fair number of books on paper too, but the reader is handy to take to the gym. Not interested in reading books on my android phone, as the screen is too freaking small to read at a comfortable sized font and not have to turn the pages ever two sentences. It's very nice to be able to slip it into my briefcase to read during down times at work, or to take to the gym (sits up on the ledges on the exercise machines much better than paper books do).

I have a kindle app on my computer, and I've got a couple kindle e-books on that, though they're reference books.

Lately, I've had the frustration of some new books I want to read coming out and not being available on nook, though. One became available after a month or so, but another probably won't for quite a while, as the e-contract for this book was published via an imprint that has been bought by Amazon. They're DRM locked, so you can't use calibre to convert the kindle format to nook (epub), which is irritating.

One general disappointment with ereaders is how a lot of older titles from some of my favorite authors have not been brought out in digital format, even though they've been reissued on paper. I have a ton of mouldering old SF and F paperbacks from the 70s and 80s on my shelves, and I thought a great thing about ebooks would be I could replace those books as ebooks. It surprises me that they haven't, since it seems bringing out a new printing as an ebook would be cheaper and easier than the paper runs of these "collector's" or "gold" editions of these books.

I have a Kindle (the black-and-white kind). I love the display -- I can read for hours without getting eyestrain. It has buttons for next and previous page on each side, and I've noticed that the "next page" button on the right side is getting a little difficult to press. I've had this Kindle for two years, and that's the only problem I've had so far. Well, that and the fact that the USB cable that comes with it is apparently really attractive to cats; mine decided to chew off all the insulation one night.

It's black and white and fairly small, so while it works well for books that are just text, it's not good for books with lots of illustrations or graphs.

I also have the Kindle app on my android phone, and that's convenient, but downloading books to it can be a little slow, and the display isn't quite as comfortable to read as the regular Kindle. You can also switch back and forth between devices without losing your place: when you power up and visit a book, it will ask you if you want to sync to the last page read (on any device). This is great, but it means that Amazon is keeping track of what you've read, not just what you've bought. Also, if you've looked at a footnote at the end of a book, the "last page read" is that footnote page, which probably isn't what you'd want to sync to.

I have a Kindle eInk reader - the old kind with the keyboard on it. I love the thing; it lives in my purse most of the time, and keeps me from getting bored on breaks at work.

I also have a Nook HD+ tablet, and love it, too. I read books on it, and also do some light websurfing and a little casual gaming.

Of the two, I find long-term reading easier on the Kindle; the eInk screen's easier on the eyes than a backlit monitor or tablet, though sometimes I run across illustrations in a Kindle book that clearly were meant to be viewed in color. (I really wish someone would come up with a color eInk screen, so I could get the best of both worlds...) I also find more freebie Kindle titles than I do Nook, or at least I find them more readily. But the Nook's still fun, and easier to read on than my computer monitor.

laurasbadideas said:

I have a Kindle (the black-and-white kind). I love the display -- I can read for hours without getting eyestrain. It has buttons for next and previous page on each side, and I've noticed that the "next page" button on the right side is getting a little difficult to press. I've had this Kindle for two years, and that's the only problem I've had so far. Well, that and the fact that the USB cable that comes with it is apparently really attractive to cats; mine decided to chew off all the insulation one night.
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What annoys me about that "Next" button is that my thumbs are just too damn short -- I can't reach the button if I'm holding the book at the base. So instead of just pressing the button, I have to move my hand up a bit.
I know, I know. First World Problems!.

Nook tablet and love it to pieces.

I also have Kindle for the PC on my computer as well as Adobe Digital Editions so I'm set to read just about any format that I would purchase.

I read on my iPhone 4, using the Kindle and Overdrive apps (the latter for library ebooks). It's incredibly convenient, as I always have my phone with me.

I have a Nook Simple Touch w/ Glowlight and love it, though I'll admit, I usually just use it to borrow books from the library. When it comes to actually buying books, I'd still rather own a hard copy.

If your biggest gripe is with the website, what about buying your books elsewhere? It's epub format...you aren't restricted to buying from Kobo.

I have a Sony that I got for Christmas in 2011 (PRS-T1). It is e-ink, no light. I use it regularly. It has some bizarre little problems: freezing 10% of the time when using the dictionary, occasionally (very rarely) skipping pages when I click "next"--a problem which I solve by changing the font size because clicking "back" doesn't work when this happens. Once it got itself into demo mode, and it took me a while to track down how to get it back to normal. Also, recently the software has started taking a looooong time to find my e-reader when I plug it into the computer. So...ummm...other than that I am happy with it though. It is very nice to read on. The Sony store is OK, but there are a number of books I just can't find there, and have to buy from elsewhere (usually Kobo). I have had problems with formatting in a few books I have bought, but they have always uploaded a corrected version within a few days when I complain. When I get new one, it will be probably be another Sony or Kobo. Definitely e-ink.

I use a Samsung Tab 2.0 10.1 with the Kindle app. Nice, big and clear and it tells me how long till the next chapter, how long till the end of the book and how far (in %) I am through the book.

I think it's great if I'm stuck in a book and I don't want to keep looking away to check the time.

I have a Sony. I like it, though it does have some quirks, as LJD said. I bought the cover with light for it, which makes it nicer for bedtime reading.

I buy most of my books from Kobo (their site could use better search, but I like its simplicity). I occasionally buy ebooks from other sites, even Amazon or B&N as a last resort. Which brings me to this:

Roxxsmom said:

Lately, I've had the frustration of some new books I want to read coming out and not being available on nook, though. One became available after a month or so, but another probably won't for quite a while, as the e-contract for this book was published via an imprint that has been bought by Amazon. They're DRM locked, so you can't use calibre to convert the kindle format to nook (epub), which is irritating.

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Not true. Google "Apprentice Alf." There are plugins for Calibre that make it easy to strip DRM and convert Kindle books.

I've got a Nook as well, and my only complaint is books that are Amazon-only. Had it for three years now though, and still works a treat.

Amadan said:

Not true. Google "Apprentice Alf." There are plugins for Calibre that make it easy to strip DRM and convert Kindle books.

Click to expand...

I've been having trouble of late with getting it to work. :/ I could be doing something wrong but I have had books that would convert and some that just flat refuse.

Phooey on e-readers! Paper all the way.

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... poll option appreciated

bearilou said:

Nook tablet and love it to pieces.

I also have Kindle for the PC on my computer as well as Adobe Digital Editions so I'm set to read just about any format that I would purchase.

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Me too!

I love my Nook.

My son has a Kindle, and I don't care much for it. The ads are ubber annoying (he doesn't care though), and the menus just aren't as user friendly as the Nook, IMO.

To be fair to Kindle, the process for borrowing books from the library is easier than Nook. And when you buy a book, Kindle books download faster than Nook. But they are small issues, nothing I would switch over.

My son has Kindle because it has text to speech, he's a kid who struggles a bit with reading, so this has been a help for him.

For those books that are only available on Kindle, I have the Kindle app on my computer. I didn't know you could convert books with Calibre until I read this thread...so I'll have to look into that!

Gave my wife a (2013) Nexus 7 (32G) tablet for her birthday. Google Play is pre-loaded, and assorted apps (Kindle, Nook, etc.) give her access to a host of e-book sources.

She loves it - (yes! major husband points).

I have the Kindle touch. I got it two years ago for Christmas, and I loves it. Easy on the eyes, checking out books from the library is much easier (and no more late fees!), and I buy a lot more books now too. I read and purchase ten times the books I did before I had my Kindle.