Kindle or Nook?

[Antarctica32]

What brand of e-reader do you prefer? Personally, the Kindle is by far the best with its amazing e-ink screen, incredibly low cost, and month long battery life.
Please be true to Linux and vote for Kindle or Nook.

[aysiu]

Nook. The touchscreen at the bottom makes navigation a lot easier, but you still get the benefits of e-ink for reading. Works well with ePubs without the need to convert.

[gnomeuser]

It's my understanding that the Nook Color can run a homebrew version of Android 3.0 making it a cheap multitouch tablet.. That works for me.

[themarker0]

Right now i have a Exopc tablet, which i use for mostly news reading.

I just bought the kindle with 3g and wifi for my mom, i think it'll be better.

[aG93IGRvIGkgdWJ1bnR1Pw==]

Kindle user here, it's pretty light, really effortless to hold it up for long periods (which, for me, was not the case with Nook and iPad). Also up to 3 weeks battery life, but in reality closer to 1 week if you use wifi and 3g a lot.

I was going to replace my €30 dumbphone for an Android for the purposes of email and web browsing, but the Kindle does the job well enough and costs far less. I don't see lack of ePub support as a problem, I use Calibre to convert all my eBooks and organise RSS feeds anyway.

[Antarctica32]

It's my understanding that the Nook Color can run a homebrew version of Android 3.0 making it a cheap multitouch tablet.. That works for me.

Believe it or not, the nook color can actually run Ubuntu. I have heard it is even faster then the OS it comes with, which isn't to hard to believe because the nook color is rather slow.

[Antarctica32]

I am very happy to see not a single iPad vote! I have never been the biggest fan of Apple, and am not surprised being as this is a Linux forum and the Nook and Kindle both use Linux. I am also pretty sure a couple of the other ones like Sony and Samsung use Linux, I know the Samsung Galaxy Tab does.

[gnomeuser]

Believe it or not, the nook color can actually run Ubuntu. I have heard it is even faster then the OS it comes with, which isn't to hard to believe because the nook color is rather slow.

Android is rather slow so that doesn't surprise me the least.

[aG93IGRvIGkgdWJ1bnR1Pw==]

Frankly, I don't see iPad, Galaxy Tab, etc in the same category as dedicated e-readers like Nook and Kindle. E-readers were designed for a single purpose, while tablet computers are converging towards being general purpose computing devices. If your criteria for listing something as an e-reader is "can display e-books", you may as well include desktop computers in the list.

[Antarctica32]

Good point. The only reason I created a separate option just for iPad was because around here allot of people have iPads and I didn't want everybody just selecting other and saying they have and iPad. I agree with you that the iPad and Gtab are not e-readers, I just didn't want the "other" option to be the winner, I hate charts/graphs that have that.

[MisterGaribaldi]

Classic Nook here. The issue I have with the color one (which has been rooted and is otherwise widely regarded as an awesome little Android pad) is it isn't as easy on the eyes, and the classic one is not impacted at all by direct sunlight or other comparable bright light sources. e-Ink ftw!

[gnomeuser]

Frankly, I don't see iPad, Galaxy Tab, etc in the same category as dedicated e-readers like Nook and Kindle. E-readers were designed for a single purpose, while tablet computers are converging towards being general purpose computing devices. If your criteria for listing something as an e-reader is "can display e-books", you may as well include desktop computers in the list.

That is a very fair point, the e-ink style screens are much nicer for the pure reading experience.

However I would still go with the Nook Color since I prefer it's design and it being a hackable device which already runs a, some what, open platform adds that extra value for me.

I readily admit though that if the sole use of the device is reading, get something with an e-ink screen.

[Paqman]

Nook is only available in the US, so for most of the world it's all about the Kindle. I've got one and it's excellent.

The Ipad isn't an e-reader any more than a PC or smartphone running e-book software is. To be an e-reader the device needs to have an e-ink screen and be designed primarily for reading.

[Antarctica32]

Nook is only available in the US, so for most of the world it's all about the Kindle. I've got one and it's excellent.


I never knew that. Around here (eastern US), iPads and Nooks are very popular and very few people use kindles even though I do and think they are the best. I have seen a lot of guys have sony readers and samsung tablets. It seems that every day someone else I know has a new iPad and I can't stand it anymore, although Linux looks likes it is becoming more popular over here as a whole.

[Nkosi]

Nook works world wide, too. You just have to make the purchase from the US or use a proxy, what I do overseas. Works fine! Plus, the Nook uses the standard epub format. Kindle uses the mobi format, I understand and does work anywhere in the world without the proxy bypass. Both are a wakeup call to the book publishing world -- there's a huge profit to be made if they can agree to lower the prices and ease access so we the consumer can read books. I have about 150 books on my Nook right now. Cool.

[Lucradia]

Nook Color, since it's also got wi-fi. :P

[Linye]

It seems that battery life its the nooks problem.

[aysiu]

Nook Color, since it's also got wi-fi. :P
Except that the Kindle and the regular Nook both have wi-fi.


It seems that battery life its the nooks problem. Not according to my wife. She loves her Nook and goes for weeks without having to charge it. Or were you talking about the Nook Color?

[Lucradia]

Except that the Kindle and the regular Nook both have wi-fi.

With a web browser that you can use to check out websites, view flash elements, etc?

[aysiu]

With a web browser that you can use to check out websites, view flash elements, etc?
With a web browser, but not one with Flash. So "Wi-fi" now means "ability to browse with Flash"?

[Lucradia]

With a web browser, but not one with Flash. So "Wi-fi" now means "ability to browse with Flash"?

Nook color has a full android desktop :V

And basically, yes, since most all "good" websites use flash. Let's just hope HTML5 takes that away in 5 years (doubtful.)

[JRV]

My daughter's boyfriend has one that came without Digital Rights Malware installed. If I were looking for one I would look into that.

Digital Rights Malware is a virus, any corporation employing it is no better than the Russian mob.

[mamamia88]

I can only comment on the kindle. I got one a few months ago and love it. I got the wifi only version and I think it's great. Only thing is that some type of wifi protocols won't work. You might want to get the 3g version if you go with the kindle. works out of the box with drag and dropping kindle books onto it in Ubuntu 10.04

[solitaire]

I got a Kindle 3 (Wi-Fi only version) 6 months ago and only had to charge it twice in that time! But i'm not on it 24/7!

I like it, it worked out of the box on my network.

I've stuck on it a load of training PDF's and Linux / Windows manuals (I know! don't hate me! but i'm trying to get some MSCE Qualifications under my belt as well as some Linux ones.)

I find it easier to read them on the Kindle's E-ink rather than my Laptop's screen or my Android mobile.

Also side note:
I've had a few women come over to see my kindle when I'm out and about. ^_~ (they ever do when i'm on my Android or Laptop ) :(

I've not seen a lot of Kindles up here in Scotland, so it's a good way to strike up a conversation with the ladies... lol! ^_^

[Antarctica32]

The few Kindles I have seen here in eastern US, a total of 2, (besides the one I have) have all been Women's. Perhaps the Kindle is more attractive to the female gender? If that is true, the iPad is definitely masculine because I have only known about 4 women with iPads my entire life and over 20 guys. Just a thought.

[aysiu]

The few Kindles I have seen here in eastern US, a total of 2, (besides the one I have) have all been Women's. Perhaps the Kindle is more attractive to the female gender? If that is true, the iPad is definitely masculine because I have only known about 4 women with iPads my entire life and over 20 guys. Just a thought.
Do you have any stats on that? Seems a bit anecdotal. After all, I know many women who have iPads, and my wife loves her Nook (weighed it against and much preferred it to the Kindle).

[Antarctica32]

No, I just thought that you don't see too many women with iPads. It's probably completely false and just in my local area. It was only a thought.

[darrenn]

You have to be gentle with the kindle it breaks easily. I had it in my jacket and it broke it without realizing. Make sure you get a good case or make one yourself. I called Amazon and they had a new kindle shipped to my house two days later. They payed for everything even the shipping costs to return the broken kindle. But I did spend 40 cents in long distance charges to call them. Very unlikely you would get that good of service if your nook broke.

[aG93IGRvIGkgdWJ1bnR1Pw==]

The few Kindles I have seen here in eastern US, a total of 2, (besides the one I have) have all been Women's. Perhaps the Kindle is more attractive to the female gender? If that is true, the iPad is definitely masculine because I have only known about 4 women with iPads my entire life and over 20 guys. Just a thought.

Apple, masculine? I thought they were the ones who made computing accessible to the clueless, non-masculine users?

[Antarctica32]

You have to be gentle with the kindle it breaks easily. I had it in my jacket and it broke it without realizing. Make sure you get a good case or your make one yourself. I called Amazon and they had a new kindle shipped to my house two days later. They payed for everything even the shipping costs to return the broken kindle. But I did spend 40 cents in long distance charges to call them. Very unlikely you would get that good of service if your nook broke.

I agree with you. My brother has the Kindle wi-fi only and his broke when it fell from a yard tall desk. Amazon gave him a new one though within a week, I have no clue how good the service was though.

[Antarctica32]

Apple, masculine? I thought they were the ones who made computing accessible to the clueless, non-masculine users?

lawl, but seriously it seems that a lot of my mac-loving friends are men and not a lot girls.

[Warpnow]

Alot of men have ipads.

However, this obviously shows that not all men are masculine...

;)

[cblnchat]

Alot of men have ipads.

However, this obviously shows that not all men are masculine...

;)




:lolflag:
And i dont actually use an e-book reader yet. but ive been wanting one and have been looking into them, and i really like the look and sound of the kindle. And it seems to generally get good reviews.

[Jazzy_Jeff]

Nook works world wide, too. You just have to make the purchase from the US or use a proxy, what I do overseas. Works fine! Plus, the Nook uses the standard epub format. Kindle uses the mobi format, I understand and does work anywhere in the world without the proxy bypass. Both are a wakeup call to the book publishing world -- there's a huge profit to be made if they can agree to lower the prices and ease access so we the consumer can read books. I have about 150 books on my Nook right now. Cool.

What wakeup call. It has already been reported that ebooks are outselling paper books on Amazon. Don't see them lowering prices any time soon.

[Jazzy_Jeff]

I have the Kindle 3 WiFi version and love it. It has help up very well under a lot of use. If I didn't have the Kindle then I would probably go with one of the new Sony's. As for which format is better (epub or mobi) it does not make a difference. Calibre is great for converting. I could care less about DRM as well since I remove it as needed for whatever device I happen to be using.

[Calash]

Between family and friends we have 4 nooks (1 3G, 3 Wifi) and 1 Kindle.

Personally I prefer the Nook. I like the touch screen pad at the bottom with eInk as the main reading screen. ePub reading and a larger library also are pluses in my book.

Not to say the Kindle is a bad product at all. I found the interface to be a bit quicker overall. Not sure I liked the keypad but my friend says she love it.

I am a bit mixed about the Nook color. It seems like it is too close to a Android tablet running the Nook app than a eBook reader. The screen did not look as good in the sun to me, something I have noticed is important for my eBook reading friends...they like to go to the beach or sit on the deck and read.

However, being the geek I am, I would love to get a Nook Color and hack it with a more usable Android OS. Just so I could have a nice sized tablet that did not cost me two arms, a leg, and my first born.

[FoxEWolf]

Kindle FTW!!! E-ink screen (low power usage) and amazing battery life? there is no question almost.

[William Dojinn]

Nook.

Partially because I like the fact it has a somewhat open standard other readers can also use (epub). However in all honesty mostly because that's what I got for Christmas and 'll make maximum use of anything I get whether it's backed by DRM lovers or not.

I mean c'mon. One of the first things i did with my DS was get a flash cart for it and load it with no-foolin-honest-to-FSM homebrew content/programs (moonshell, POWDER, tried a few other things but most of the content felt meh.... though Still Alive was pretty rocking.)

[Antarctica32]

And a lot more of my PC and Linux friends are girls.

[teejay17]

I use the Sony PRS-650 myself, and love it. The e-ink reads well, there is no glare, and it's touch to boot. Plus, works excellent with Ubuntu.

[youbuntu]

Kindle. Goes without even a second thought.

[Dry Lips]

I use the Sony PRS-650 myself, and love it. [...] Plus, works excellent with Ubuntu.

Could you elaborate a bit? I'm in the process of buying an e-reader, and
naturally I would like my e-reader to work well with Ubuntu...

[aysiu]

Kindle. Goes without even a second thought.
Nook, after much thought. No regrets.

[Aquix]

I think that I would choose a nook since you can root it and put android on it :)

http://http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/guides/2011/02/howto-root-a-nook-color-to-transform-it-into-an-android-tablet.ars (http://http//arstechnica.com/gadgets/guides/2011/02/howto-root-a-nook-color-to-transform-it-into-an-android-tablet.ars)

http://http://www.retrevo.com/content/blog/2011/03/250-tablet-around-corner (http://http//www.retrevo.com/content/blog/2011/03/250-tablet-around-corner)

http://http://ubuntuforums.org/newreply.php?do=newreply&noquote=1&p=10673909 (http://http//ubuntuforums.org/newreply.php?do=newreply&noquote=1&p=10673909)

[teejay17]

Could you elaborate a bit? I'm in the process of buying an e-reader, and
naturally I would like my e-reader to work well with Ubuntu...
Just plug it in and drag and drop your books onto it; works like any other flash memory. The only caveat to my statement, of course, is that I don't purchase DRM books, but instead download Creative Commons and/or public domain epub books, so I can't speak about what that entails. I've seen it discussed here in the forums, if you are interested in purchasing books with DRM.

[IHeequ5i]

I don't own an e-reader.

But as an author, I found it MUCH easier to publish my book on the Kindle than the Nook. Based purely on that, I would go for a Kindle.

[aysiu]

I don't own an e-reader.

But as an author, I found it MUCH easier to publish my book on the Kindle than the Nook. Based purely on that, I would go for a Kindle.
Looks pretty simple here:
http://pubit.barnesandnoble.com/pubit_app/bn?t=pi_reg_home

Can you give some more specifics about how it's easier for Kindle?

[IHeequ5i]

Six months ago - the last time I looked - there was nothing on the B&N website about how to publish for the Nook. An email to the company went unanswered, and I got blank looks in response to my queries at my local B&N store. That's what I based my previous comment on.

I'm very pleased that B&N has finally changed this.

[aysiu]

Yeah, PubIt is a recent thing. I don't know if it was available six months ago.

[galacticaboy]

Nook all the way, it can be cracked to run Android but it is harder to do and can ruin it if you do not do it right... so tread lightly.

[donkyhotay]

As much as I love computers and technology I can't get interested in E-readers and I still buy physical copies of books. Although they may not be as convenient to carry around I like the feel of a book in my hands as well as the certainty of knowing that I have paid for something that I *personally* own rather then a license for something that could be potentially revoked. Something that I can do whatever I want to (read it, give it away, sell it, write on it, burn it) without having to worry about violating some of the increasingly scary copyright laws that are out there.

[Dry Lips]

Just plug it in and drag and drop your books onto it; works like any other flash memory. The only caveat to my statement, of course, is that I don't purchase DRM books, but instead download Creative Commons and/or public domain epub books, so I can't speak about what that entails. I've seen it discussed here in the forums, if you are interested in purchasing books with DRM.

Thanks for replying! That's not too bad... I think you'll have to get
Adobe Digital Editions in order to buy DRM stuff... Worst case scenario
would be installing Adobe Digital Editions in XP on my VirtualBox....
But then again, I'll probably also mostly be reading free books.

[uRock]

I marked other as I only buy books that can be stored in my library and accessed without the use of electrical appliances.

[Dry Lips]

I marked other as I only buy books that can be stored in my library and accessed without the use of electrical appliances.

If e-readers makes you buy fewer physical books, I would be wary of them.
If your entire library was digital, and if an earthquake took out the power supply
for a longer period of time, you would be deprived of your books. *shudder*
Physical books also has the wonderful characteristic that they don't spill the beans
when you read them. From a privacy point of view, we should be careful about
depending too much on information mediated electronically.

I think I'll get an e-reader, but only for information that I'd read of the computer
screen anyway...

[forrestcupp]

I based my opinion entirely on the apps available in the Android Market, and not on the devices.

Kindle's bookstore on the Android is much better than Nook's, and it's a lot easier to find a lot of quality free ebooks in the Kindle store. I will probably use Kindle about all of the time and maybe even uninstall the Nook app.

[wrtpeeps]

Kindle. Haven't bought a physical book in ages.

Not a big fan of the magazines or newspapers on them though, prefer print versions of those cause at least I get a proper look at the pictures (especially page 3 of the Sun).

[Paqman]

If your entire library was digital, and if an earthquake took out the power supply
for a longer period of time, you would be deprived of your books. *shudder*


As opposed to paper books, which are impervious to fire, flooding, looting, falling masonry, being used as toilet paper and all other earthquake-related mishaps? ;)

You could argue that with an e-reader having all your books backed up on a remote server is a good thing.

[wrtpeeps]

You could argue that with an e-reader having all your books backed up on a remote server is a good thing.

This. I can re-download my ebooks from amazon as many times as I want. I don't think they're registered to a specific device either?

[Paqman]

This. I can re-download my ebooks from amazon as many times as I want. I don't think they're registered to a specific device either?

Nope, they're registered to an account, and you can put several Kindles on one account. Me and my wife have both ours on one account so we can share books.

[Dry Lips]

As opposed to paper books, which are impervious to fire, flooding, looting, falling masonry, being used as toilet paper and all other earthquake-related mishaps? ;)

You could argue that with an e-reader having all your books backed up on a remote server is a good thing.

I guess both earthquakes and book-looting mobs are quite
rare occurrences, (depending on where you live on the planet.) ;)

However, I think it's quite obvious that digital information is
more vulnerable than old fashioned books. In order to access
it you'll need electricity, and hardware that works the way it's
supposed to. As long as you've got physical access to your books,
they are accessible. I've never experienced loosing books in a fire,
but I have lost digital information many times due to hardware
malfunction. (And last week I had to reinstall ubuntu due to a failed
dual-booting experiment. I had the most important stuff backed up,
but I still lost some PDF's, articles, bookmarks.) I think most of us
have experienced digital data loss, even with routines such as
frequent backups etc.

I'm not saying that e-readers is a bad idea, I'm in the process
of getting one myself. But I would still prefer physical books though.

[forrestcupp]

I've never experienced loosing books in a fire,
but I have lost digital information many times due to hardware
malfunction. (And last week I had to reinstall ubuntu due to a failed
dual-booting experiment. I had the most important stuff backed up,
but I still lost some PDF's, articles, bookmarks.) I think most of us
have experienced digital data loss, even with routines such as
frequent backups etc.

True, but the good thing about Kindle is that your books are in "The Cloud" and it has nothing to do with the state of your hardware. If you lose your local copy of a book, you just redownload it from your account. A lot would have to go wrong for you to lose your books with Kindle or Nook.

[aysiu]

True, but the good thing about Kindle is that your books are in "The Cloud" and it has nothing to do with the state of your hardware. If you lose your local copy of a book, you just redownload it from your account. A lot would have to go wrong for you to lose your books with Kindle or Nook.
Also, if you're using a Kindle or a Nook with an e-ink screen (as opposed to the Nook Color), the battery charge can last for weeks without a charge. By that time, even after an earthquake, you can likely find a place to recharge. If that's not the case, reading your books is probably the last of your worries.

[Antarctica32]

I love how I originally created this to be a simple poll but we started talking about earthquakes and floods and book looters...
It is very entertaining :popcorn:

[Rasa1111]

Nook, 100%.

I'd give a kindle away if one were given to me.
Dead serious.

I've used both a kindle, and nook..
and I decided on nook, and couldn't be happier with it.

My sister even returned her kindle after using my nook. lol

nook allows soo many more freedoms, and is just soo much nicer.
If you enjoy Freedom, Go nook.
If you don't care about freedom, by all means, get yourself a kindle. lol
the end. <3

[aysiu]

I'd give a kindle away if one were given to me.
Dead serious. I actually did. Got one as a gift and re-gifted it. Nook all the way.

[Rasa1111]

I actually did. Got one as a gift and re-gifted it. Nook all the way.

haha! Nice. :)
:KS and <3 for you. lol :)

[Artemis3]

I like the Hanlin, it runs linux, and accepts all open formats, no DRM; no sneaking wirelessly to delete your books, etc; it is "e-ink".

[mmmichael]

I like my nook color. I dual boot it into either nook or android 2.3 (installed on micro sd card). Using it as an android tablet I can access my amazon kindle library with the android app, and I even found a way to watch netflix movies on it.

[coolmauistuff]

nook

[aysiu]

After eyeing my wife's Nook enviously for a while, I finally caved and got my own touchscreen e-ink Nook. It's awesome! I'm loving this thing.

[uRock]

If e-readers makes you buy fewer physical books, I would be wary of them.
If your entire library was digital, and if an earthquake took out the power supply
for a longer period of time, you would be deprived of your books. *shudder*
Physical books also has the wonderful characteristic that they don't spill the beans
when you read them. From a privacy point of view, we should be careful about
depending too much on information mediated electronically.

I think I'll get an e-reader, but only for information that I'd read of the computer
screen anyway...


As opposed to paper books, which are impervious to fire, flooding, looting, falling masonry, being used as toilet paper and all other earthquake-related mishaps? ;)

You could argue that with an e-reader having all your books backed up on a remote server is a good thing.
I get most of my books from the public library. I know they supposedly keep a database of everything checked out, but the fact I only get novels from Dean Koontz (http://www.deankoontz.com/), Robin Cook (http://www.robincookmd.com/) and the like, I think I need not worry much.

As for the house burning down, well most of my books won't be missed and home owner's insurance will pay to replace them.