Cozy Mysteries discussion

If you were going to purchase and ereader which would you get a Nook color or a Kindle?

I have both. I prefer my Nook color. For one it will do PDF's a whole lot better. I've had numerous problems with PDFs on the Kindle. I can read magazines and really do like the color. Plus it has better font abilities.

On the other hand, the Kindle gives you a LOT more free books. Nook is just not very generous. Plus, Amazon charges your bank account immediately. Barnes and Noble drafts the money which puts a hold on the bank account for five days. Drives me nuts.

The Kindle keeps a charge a lot longer. Obviously the Nook will run through a charge due to the color.

Plus with the Nook you can buy books from almost anywhere and can borrow from the library. So easy and so nice.

Good luck with your decision.

Jan

Depends on what you want it for Yolanda? Are you going to use the wifi a lot where you would like the color? Are you going to get ebooks from the library? If your answer is yes to both I would go with the Nook Color. If no, I would go with either the Kindle or a regular Nook.

I just bought a Cruz Reader, but I got it primarily for trips so I could use the wifi (color) and read books on it then. It is not eink. There is also the Kobo from Borders. Anyway, I guess the question is - where are you going to get your books from primarily? And also, do you want a multi tasker or just an ereader? Lastly, do you want wifi on yours, because another option if you just want an ereader are the Sony ereaders - but they don't have wifi, so I believe you plug them in like an mp3 player.

I have a Nook Color, my mom's old Kindle 2, a Pandigital Novel, an iPad, and I used to have a regular Nook before I gave it to my mom.

For reading, the Nook Color is by far the best. The only way I would recommend a grayscale ereader like a Kindle or classic Nook is if you read outdoors FREQUENTLY. Other than that, the Nook Color is the top of the line.

Of course, the Nook Color costs a hundred dollars more than a regular Nook or Kindle, but if you can afford it, it's the best.

Jan wrote: "On the other hand, the Kindle gives you a LOT more free books. Nook is just not very generous. Plus, Amazon charges your bank account immediately. Barnes and Noble drafts the money which puts a hold on the bank account for five days. Drives me nuts."

You have to remember though, that with a Nook you can get books from anywhere, whereas with a Kindle you're stuck buying ONLY from Amazon (except public domain free books which are generally not copy protected.) If you put together all the free epub format books that are available from a variety of places, I think the Nook has as many if not more free books than Kindle.

Also about the credit card, that depends on your bank. When I buy ebooks from BN they just take the money immediately.

If you read novels a lot, IMHO an eink screen (Kindle, classic Nook, Sony, Kobo) strains your eyes less than a classic LCD screen (Nook color, iPad, any tablet). If you want to read PDFs, magazines, or web-surfing, it's better an LCD screen.

But it depends on you trying to do with the device. There're a lot of options, not only these two ones.

Marisa - that is what I was trying to say (but I went on and on about!) - it depends on what she is going to do with the ereader. You put it much better :)

Yolanda, As Marisa and Heidi have said, you really need to consider how you'll use it. I travel a lot by car (as a passenger) and read my Kindle. I need the e-ink because I can't handle the glare the screen of an iPad (a VERY generous friend let me borrow hers one weekend). I also occasionally commute by train/bus and the sun coming in the windows would be a problem in that situation as well. I love my Kindle!

I've been reading all the posts 'cause I am thinking about buying one of the ereaders. I only want to read books on it. I worry about the eye strain that comes from reading on a screen and the font size. I don't want a very small font, but I don't want a font size so large that I can only read four lines per page. I like a longer battery life, also. E-ink may be the way to go. Price is very important, too.

I have a classic Nook. I don't use it very much as I prefer to actually read a book. I love the feel of a real book. I chose the Nook because you can easily make the font bigger and because the screen was closest to a printed page. I use the Nook when I travel. Saves on my back.

Paula you can change the font size on almost all ereaders now. If you are getting ebooks from the library, I would get a Sony, Kobo, or Nook since they all recognize the epub format. Since price is important to you, you can buy often buy refurbished Nooks for $99 on the Barnes & Noble website or for a little more on sites like Overstock. Also, you can get a brand new Kobo from Borders for $99 right now (they are on sale). If you plan to buy most of your books and use Amazon a lot, I would recommend the Kindle. It just depends on where you plan to get most of your books. It also depends on how you want to load them -- do you want to plug them into the computer each time you get a book, or not -- if not, you need to get one with at least wi-fi (or the Kindle 3g).

Thanks Heidi, I'm in the buying mode, though I hope to resist for a while! I'll probably load the books to my computer. I do buy most of my books via amazon.

Ok Paula, then the Kindle would be a good option. I know you can't get ebooks from Amazon onto a Nook - I am not sure if you can with a Kobo or Sony reader. Anyone have either of those devices that can answer that question??

I have a Nook classic. I got it for my birthday in the summer, and I spend a lot of time outside so I needed something that I could read outside. I also liked that I could download a book from anywhere, I wasn't restricted to Amazon. My husband just bought one because we will be retiring soon and going to full time RVing. We don't have the room for books. I keep my current reads on the Nook and keep the rest in Calibre. I have close to 1000 books now. I really love my Nook.

I actually got a Borders Cruz for Christmas and I love it. I downloaded the Kindle app so I have the ones from Amazon as well and Borders. It is color as well which I love and holds a battery for a good while.

Jan wrote: "I have both. I prefer my Nook color. For one it will do PDF's a whole lot better. I've had numerous problems with PDFs on the Kindle. I can read magazines and really do like the color. Plus it..."

I love my nook as well. I would say that the added attraction of being able to buy at other sites tips the scales. Considering you can get ebooks at sony, fictionwise, kobo, smashwords and lulu (etc), there are actually many more free books available for the nook than on the kindle.

I also love the e-ink screen with scalable fonts. I can make the font any size I need with no eye strain necessary!

Heidi I wrote: "Marisa - that is what I was trying to say (but I went on and on about!) - it depends on what she is going to do with the ereader. You put it much better :)"

I've written the same text a lot of times in a forum I belong (about ereaders :-D )

About free books: fictionwise, smashwords and lulu have books for Kindle (mobi without DRM is OK), so freebies are more or less the same for all the ereaders. Any ebook-store/publisher which sells without DRM is OK for all the ereaders (Kindle, Nook, Sony....). If we're talking about ebooks with DRM (main stores), it's different. You can read ebooks from Amazon only in Kindle, you can read ebooks from B&N only in Nook, and books from Sony/Kobo/Books On Board can be read in Sony/Kobo/B&N.

I like Sony 350 (5", 129" in some stores), but if you want a wider screen, Kobo/B&N can be a good option if you go to ePub. The main question, as they have said, is: where do you think to buy mainly your ebooks?

I just wanted to add that the Borders sale on Kobo is for the Wireless version-I think at $99 it's a great deal.
I'm going to wait though. I still prefer real books and I'm hoping within the next 5 yrs, Ereaders will definitely drop in price dramatically.

Anybody who's looking at an e-ink Nook, right now you can get a Nook refurbished from buy.com for $99.

I wonder what "refurbished" actually means - Is is a Nook that had defects and is now supposedly fixed?

I wondered about what "refurished" meant, also. I would like a cheaper ereader, but only with a good retun policy.

Refurbished means it was pre-owned and returned to B & N and checked over and fixed if any problems were found. The refurbished Nook is "factory certified" and has a one year warranty. I bought one through Overstock a couple months back. I had a problem with the keyboard on mine, so I sent it back, but from all the reviews on Overstock, mine was the exception as almost everyone loved theirs. I was out no money as it was free return shipping, so it is worth the purchase if you want one. I decided after I rec'd mine that I wanted more of a internet surfer for when I go on vacations (color), so I got a Cruz Reader instead -- but if I wanted a straight ereader I would not hesitate to get another refurbished Nook or even a new Kobo, as they are $99.00 right now.

I have 2 nooks, the classic and color, love them both. There are a lot of free books for the nook, you can download them from many sites. I also found that Barnes and Noble books are usually cheaper as the same ones from Amazon.

After saying I would wait, I just got a Nook color for my birthday. I love it! Though I will still purchase real books from time to time.

I got an amazon gift card for my birthday, so I went ahead and bought the Kindle. The cheapest one, since all I really want to do is read from it. I will still buy the real books of my favored series. I like to flip through them occasionally. I only hope that the Kindle is too technical to learn.

I have the Nook classic e-ink and LOVE it! I got the e-ink version to cut down on glare. I like the fact that Nook uses the epub format, so you can use it to borrow books from the library and can download free books from the Gutenberg Project on the Internet, as opposed to Kindle which uses their own proprietary format so that you have to purchase books from them. The e-ink is very crisp and easy to read--love my Nook!

Donna L wrote: "I have the Nook classic e-ink and LOVE it! I got the e-ink version to cut down on glare. I like the fact that Nook uses the epub format, so you can use it to borrow books from the library and can..."

That's the main reason I was excited to get the Nook because I know you can borrow from the library. I'm also considering changing my magazine subscriptions to the nook format.

Donna L wrote: "I have the Nook classic e-ink and LOVE it! I got the e-ink version to cut down on glare. I like the fact that Nook uses the epub format, so you can use it to borrow books from the library and can..."

Also, with the Nook you can get books from other ebook sellers like Kobobooks. I got the Autobiography of Mark Twain from kobo, with coupon, for under $5. Google is currently being sued by Amazon and if it's settled or dismissed, they plan to sell many new release ebooks for around $6. I've priced a few new books and quite a few of the books on google ebooks are about $1 cheaper which is not a lot, but significant if you buy a few hundred books a year.

Now I'm feeling really bad about my choice of a Kindle, but my gift card was for amazon and I can't afford to get the ereader.

Paula wrote: "Now I'm feeling really bad about my choice of a Kindle, but my gift card was for amazon and I can't afford to get the ereader."

Paula--Wasn't trying to make you feel bad about your choice of a Kindle! A lot of people have Kindles and prefer them. As far as selection goes, I think there are more new titles available for Kindle than for Nook because I think overall Amazon is such a huge company and has a bigger market share than B&N. If you tend to buy your books from Amazon a lot or get Amazon gift cards a lot, you're probably better off with a Kindle.

Paula wrote: "Now I'm feeling really bad about my choice of a Kindle, but my gift card was for amazon and I can't afford to get the ereader."

Amazon sells Nooks, too. And Sony's and probably most ereaders. If you're really want to return it, I think Amazon has a pretty decent return policy.

Thanks Donna, I was leaning toward a Nook, but when the gift card came to me I went for the Kindle. I rarely get a gift card that large. If there is no eye strain involved when reading a book, I'll be satisified. I'm easy.

Jan wrote: "I have both. I prefer my Nook color. For one it will do PDF's a whole lot better. I've had numerous problems with PDFs on the Kindle. I can read magazines and really do like the color. Plus it..."

Barnes and Noble does take the money out right away I guess it depends on what kind of account you have. Also I have found that BN has probably the same amount of books as Amazon. On BN you can do a search for free books by tryping in 0.00 more free books come up

Paula wrote: "Thanks Donna, I was leaning toward a Nook, but when the gift card came to me I went for the Kindle. I rarely get a gift card that large. If there is no eye strain involved when reading a book, I'll..."

I don't think you will be disappointed Paula...I love my Kindle ;)

I saw a Kindle today and it looked good. The owner showed me how to use it and I saw that the screen was very readable. Now I just want it to hurry up and get here.

Paula wrote: "I saw a Kindle today and it looked good. The owner showed me how to use it and I saw that the screen was very readable. Now I just want it to hurry up and get here."

Paula,
I have had my Kindle since Christmas and It is amazing to read. I can read it perfectly in the sunshine unlike my lcd phone which I have major issues reading with the sun is out. I also found that Amazon has a lot of free books and I suggest checking regularly as they do exclusive free books that aren't free after a week or so. I hope you enjoy your Kindle as much as I do =)

Lisa

I got my Kindle and I need to find a place that has wireless until I get wireless installed. I've yet to load a book. I do have a friend who knows about that kind of thing, so he can install the wireless router and fix any problems.

I posted earlier on this thread about being able to download free ebooks from Project Gutenberg (www.gutenberg.org) using the epub format on my Nook. Today I noticed that Project Gutenberg also has the Kindle format, so you can download free ebooks there for your Kindle. There are a lot of classics there, books that are in the public domain. I've downloaded a lot of classics from Project Gutenberg, and I use the Calibre program (http://calibre-ebook.com) to organize my downloaded ebooks and upload them to my ereader.

I own a Kobo and the first Kindle. I am saving up for the Nook color. A reader brought one to an expo to show us and I fell in love with it.

I also have an old Handspring PDA I plan to refurb to an e-reader, b/c unlike the Kobo that one is backlit.

I have to say, I have the classic nook and my husband has nookcolor. I chose the nook because I can rent library books with it, and I can't with the kindle. That is what did it for me. I LOVE my nook and haven't bought at book (besides with Christmas gift cards) since July of 2010!
Can't beat it, it pays for itself!!
I prefer the classic, because I hate a backlit screen. Husband has the nookcolor to read color pdfs for school (he is in grad school) and LOVES it, so it just depends on what you need it for. For dedicated reading, classic nook wi-fi rocks.

I own the Kobo wireless, which I like b/c you are not limited to buying books from one place to use it. I recently got the smaller Sony reader as well and hope to test that this weekend.

Friends love the Nook color b/c they can convert it to a tablet, but I figure if you want a tablet get the Xoom or iPad.

I'd like an ereader. I can't afford to buy many new ebooks for it because I buy all my books used from thrift shops or the library's annual summer sale. But I get so many free ebooks online I'd love an easier way to read them than on my pc. I've been hoping that with all the newer editions of ereaders coming out that some folks would start selling their old ereaders so I could get one cheap. But from the sounds of it, everyone's keeping both old and new here. I've seen a few on ebay but not many at reduced prices yet.

If you have a Border's going out of business in your area they are selling ereaders cheap - I think the Kobo was around $60.

The Kobo I purchased was around $70 - from a local Borders about to close.

The nearest chain bookstore to me is a Barnes & Noble and it's 90 miles away. And they aren't going out of business. Comes from living in the middle of nowhere. lol (In this case, that's Nebraska). So the only place I can look online for used or cheap ereaders is online.

Gotcha. Well, best I can suggest is keep eBay alerts running. Though the way the industry is going the sub-$100 reader is closer than we think.

My first eBook reader was actually the Handspring Visor (dating myself, yes). I set up a reader app on it and used it to read a number of Gutenberg.org books. First one I remember was Sister Carrie.

The first full size ebook I read on my pc (as I don't own an ereader) was James Potter and the Hall of Elders' Crossing by G. Norman Lippert (first in a series of 3 novels, all available for free ebook download off GRs.) 400+ pages is ALOT to read slowly on a pc... but the book was worth it!

Kathryn wrote: "The Kobo I purchased was around $70 - from a local Borders about to close."

Sorry $70 not $60!