To Kindle or not to Kindle

[Crystaly]

Have been contemplating on buying a Kindle for about half a year now, but kinda put it off, cause I still have some actual books to finish and wanted to wait till I?d go traveling. I heard the Kindle 4 might come out early summer this year.. but I?ve only heard some vague humors. Who knows more?

 

[Alli]

Why not Nook?

 

[anon(631531)]

My wife is thinking about an iPad for downloading and reading books. Any thoughts?

 

[bamf-hacker]

I have the iPad and the Kindle and for extended periods of time I recommend the Kindle. The e-ink is much better on the eyes, at least mine. I use the Kindle app though but not for hours on end like I can do with the actual Kindle.

Why not Nook?

Alli, do you have the Nook? I was wondering how it compared to reading on the iPad.

 

[pilsbury]

My wife is thinking about an iPad for downloading and reading books. Any thoughts?

My brother bought an iPad 1 a few months ago primarily to read books on-he swears by it. He also has an iPhone 3Gs so he's pretty familiar with Apple Inc.

 

[tripod]

Call me old-fashioned and as much as I love my iPhone I prefer to read real books. It just feels better

 

[Alli]

I have the iPad and the Kindle and for extended periods of time I recommend the Kindle. The e-ink is much better on the eyes, at least mine. I use the Kindle app though but not for hours on end like I can do with the actual Kindle.

Alli, do you have the Nook? I was wondering how it compared to reading on the iPad.

The Nook feels like a feather compared to the iPad. One of the reasons I got rid of my iPad so quickly was that I couldn't use it as an e-reader - too heavy to hold with one hand. Not so with the Nook.

 

[teejaywhy]

I use the Kindle app on my iPhone and sometimes on my iPad. I have a Kindle 1 but I never use it. I like reading on my iPhone because its always with me.

 

[Crystaly]

Why not Nook? I actually don't know.. all I know is that I want an e-ink reader. So anyone any experience with the Nook?

 

[smiley44]

Switched to iPad

I had a kindle but recently bought an iPad. The iPad is so much better on the eyes and you can do so much more with an iPad, my kids love the games and you can download apps for just about anything, some of the childrens book apps are far superior with sound, animation and interactivity on the ipad. Definitley go for the iPad if you can afford it.

 

[Alli]

The problem with the iPad is that it is a lousy e-reader. You can't hold it with one hand (like you can with a paperback, or a Nook or a Kindle). It's way too heavy to hold up to read if you're lying flat on your back in bed. And if you're sitting to read, you still need both hands to hold it and have to keep moving to turn the page. I prefer e-reading on my iPhone.

As for info on the Nook - check this out: http://justanothergeeksite.com/2011/01/nook-vs-nookcolor/ - it answers a lot of questions.

 

[Crystaly]

Yeah, but I'm not looking for a tablet.. I want a device just for reading. And a LCD screen is just not as good for reading..

 

[thee_computer_guy]

The glass display is a definite downfall for e-reading purposes (IMO, of course). I own an iPad and iPhone and recently sold my Kindle. When it came to it, reading on the Kindle was a much more enjoyable experience primarily due to the e-Ink being much easier on the eyes, the weight of the device itself made reading with one hand much easier in comparison with the two (it is still VERY possible to do with the iPad - just cumbersome), and the glare as mentioned previously. The Kindle/e-Ink takes an opposite approach when it comes to the sunlight: it becomes easier to read in direct sunlight! I sold mine due to the nature of the books I read (Technical/Tutorial/Programming/Coding/Etc) and how they just haven't taken to the eBook evolution very well, just yet! Funny thing too as it is the basis of these books! I don't really blame the technology but the retailers of these eBooks. The biggest gripe I have is that I pay close to the same price that I would pay for the real-deal printed copy which almost always includes an accompanying CD/DVD with all the code, software and utilities commonly mentioned in these books. The books are not 100% useful without them so for now, I am stuck with printed copies. At least until iTunes, Amazon and all the other eBook retailers out there implement some kind of feature providing me with this information, as well. I just don't understand why they don't yet. This stuff can be placed on a server somewhere for easy direct downloading in an ISO format or a ZIP format for some of the less-savvy users out there. I would even pay a nominal media mail fee to have the copy sent to my home. Anyone else out there feel this way??