WWYD? Kindle/Nook?

[sczos911]

I like the concept of my nook. I hate B&N. I've had gift cards that I have stored in my account go "missing" and just all around trouble trying to DL books when I want to. I am an AVID library-goer. So I rarely purchase books, but when I do - I want to do it without issue.

I've been thinking about ditching the nook (nothing wrong with it - just hate B&N) and getting a Kindle. I have never had an issue with Amazon. I have gift cards in there and never have had one go missing.

Do I go with a Fire? Or a regular Kindle? I do not have a smart phone. I like the e-ink on my nook - am I going to hate the glare on a Kindle for reading?

Or do I suck it up with B&N and the stupid nook and just hold out until it breaks? It's about 2 years old. My girls are just starting to read, but they are no where near as avid readers as I am/was at that age - so I don't think they would appreciate it.

WWYD?

[Darcy Baldwin]

If you are doing it ONLY for reading, get the Kindle - the cheap one

The Fire has no 3G, only wifi - and we're finding that in our area, many places are locking up their wifi access, which means it's not readily available any longer, and we live in a major metropolitan area, so you can't always count on it working as a 'smart phone replacement' out on the road.

I'm finding I love my Fire for reading and watching movies in the dark. I love my regular Kindle for daytime, but really dislike it for night. I can't find a good light for it that works for my eyes well.

The page turning by touch or by button is a non-issue for me. I find the button almost easier since I'm already holding the thing, but the touch turn is almost just as easy.

Buying the K3 with the keyboard that has 3G access wasn't worth it - I'd go with the cheaper $79 version if I had it to do all over again.

[nsrush83]

I agree with Darcy. I have a fire and I LOVE it! But I use it for ALOT, I have my address book on there, my family planner AND some books! But if you are going to JUST read, get the cheaper Kindle.

[Txcorey]

I have the Kindle fire and an older kindle with the E ink. I much prefer reading on the older Kindle with the E ink. My eyes start to hurt if I read on the Fire too long. There are times when it's nice to use the Fire though, such as when I'm putting my son to bed and I can read with the lights off. I also like the Fire for use with PDF files and scrapbooking E books. I am a new subscriber to the Digi Files and I like looking at the playbooks on the Fire.
I've never had any issues with Amazon, but then again I don't have any gift cards with them either. I try to check out the books I get from the library because I'm cheap and think most of the prices for the books are too high, but I have bought some. I think maybe you should try the Fire since it would give you some different capabilities than you currently have.

[maryinaz]

I have a Nookcolor and I love it - I also love having a B&N very close and they have given great customer service. However, I'm saving up to buy a Kindle for my kids with Swagbucks. So I can swing both ways.

I am also one that could not live without my Nook being backlit. I love that I don't have to have a book light or be near a lamp. I love that I can read in bed after DH goes to sleep with the Night option on the Nook.

If you hate the Nook and can afford a new Kindle, then go for it! Your girls could always use the Nook as they get more into reading. And honestly you are probably always going to be upset with B&N (who could blame you?), so maybe it would relieve your stress to get a Kindle! LOL

[rach3975]

If you're thinking of switching, I'd do it sooner rather than later. Even though you said you don't purchase many books, why spend 2 years buying books in 1 platform that won't transfer to your future format? I don't think there are quite as many Kindle books available from the library as e-pub books, but if you'll have both you can still use the Nook for e-books that are only available in e-pub format. I've also been told there are a lot more freebies offered for Kindle, but I've never compared to B&N to see if that's true.

As for which Kindle, that depends what you want it for. It sounds like you're just going to read on it and it will be mostly you, so I'd get the basic or the Touch. I have the Touch, and I prefer it because of the touch screen and the Text to Speech (it will read to me while I scrap or clean). The one advantage to the Fire would be that I think you can read e-pub format books on it with the right app, so you wouldn't lose access to your Nook books. But the battery was an issue for me-I wanted the much longer battery of an e-ink.

My 8 year old sometimes reads on my Kindle or phone, but he would rather read a real book. He mostly uses the Kindle if I didn't get to the library and need to get something downloadable for him. My 6 year old is more of a reader than his older brother, but I don't trust him with the eeader yet. (He's not exactly known for treating electronics gently.)

[calvinawalsh]

I use both a Kindle Fire and Nook Simple touch. When I bought the Nook Simple Touch library books weren't available for the Kindle but they are now. I like my Nook best for holding-in my opinion it is more comfortable than a Kindle. At nite I use a Mighty Brite lite that works great. I don't really buy books from B&N only download the freebies-I don't really like the process of checking out there-it takes more clicks and waiting than Amazon for me. I subscribed to 2 feeds for free books and of those 2 I get more Kindle freebies than B&N. I love my Kindle Fire especially for watching movies in my Lazy boy chair. We have Amazon Prime so there is a large selection of movies, TV shows etc that we can watch for free. You can also read 1 book a month for free with the Amazon Prime.
I did purchase the cheapest Kindle $79 for my mom, but if I could do it over again I would choose the Kindle Touch. The Kindle I purchased has these obnoxious arrow buttons that seem to take a long time to spell out a search. With the Touch it would be much faster!
As everyone always says, the choice will be up to you depending on which would best meet your needs. Good luck!

[NeverendingJen]

I have a Kindle 2, Kindle Fire, Nook Color, and Nook Tablet. My favorite is the Kindle 2, followed by the Kindle Fire. You can read your B&N books on a kindle fire wiht a little bit of sideloading and work, but not on a regular e-ink kindle.

[Libby Pritchett]

I just have to chime in as a huge fan of the Kindle Touch. I got mine when it first came out, and I LOVE it. I'm so glad I spent the extra $20 and went for that model over the cheaper $79 version. I love the fact that you can listen to audio books on the touch, it has a larger storage capacity, and the touch screen is so easy to navigate.

[scrap2day]

In the interest of disclosure, I'm an Amazon Associate and I have a blog (not the one I have linked here) where I post about books available for Kindle.

I have a Kindle Touch. 2 major reasons I purchased the Touch.

1. e-ink to be easier on my eyes. I look at enough screens in my daily life. I wanted the e-ink experience. That eliminated the Fire from my Kindle choices.

2. Text to speech. I wanted the option of having the Kindle read to me when my eyes are too exhausted or I just want to fold laundry/do dishes and still "read". The inexpensive Kindle does not have this option.


My best friend has the inexpensive Kindle and my sister has the Fire so it is a matter of choosing which Kindle is BEST for YOU. I just wanted to share my thoughts on why I did not choose the Fire or the inexpensive kindle.

[Julie Billingsley]

I'm going to echo Libby, I LOVE my Kindle Touch. The Touch is e-ink, which you said you like. The Touch is super easy to turn pages since you just click on the screen. I like that I don't have to hold the Touch since I typically read with it propt up on a pillow. No fumbling with buttons. I do have carpal tunnel, so I'm always watching out for ways to ease my hands, and the Touch definitely does that. My library has a lot of Kindle titles and there are lots of freebies. Plus you can sign up for www.lendle.me and borrow/lend books for the Kindle too. There are some games for the Kindle as well, but if games is your thing you might go for the Fire instead. I'm considering getting my DH a Fire. He doesn't read, but loves to play games and the little ipod screen is getting too hard for his old eyes. :P Anyway, if it is for reading, then I completely recommend the Touch.

[LJSDesigns]

I hope this is not hijacking Stephanie's thread, but I too am trying to decide whether or not to get a Kindle Fire and would appreciate some input. I want to be able to read, watch TV programs and maybe play some games, like the words with friends one that my entire family is into. I don't have a smart phone so I can't play along. If I want to do all that, is the Fire the one I should get?

Kinda worried about how hard it seems to be to see it. I will be doing a lot of reading on it so if it is not good for that, I need to know. Thanks!

[mummytothree]

I have both a Kindle with E-ink and a Fire and I always always read on my plain old Kindle......I can't stand reading on my Fire....they only exception is the few cookbooks I have downloaded. I use my Fire for mainly streaming Hulu Plus and Netflix with I walk on the treadmill!!! Also we do have a few games on it that the kids like every once in a while (Angry birds, Fruit Ninja and Cut the Rope). If I had to give up one I'd definitely give up the Fire!!!

[NeverendingJen]

I do a lot of reading on my kindle fire, but I prefer to read on the e-ink. If you want the versatility, the KF is great.

In the interest of full disclosure, I do work for a company that develops apps for kindles(both e-ink and the fire) and nook(color and tablet).

[LJSDesigns]

Originally Posted by NeverendingJen

I do a lot of reading on my kindle fire, but I prefer to read on the e-ink. If you want the versatility, the KF is great.

In the interest of full disclosure, I do work for a company that develops apps for kindles(both e-ink and the fire) and nook(color and tablet).

I knew that. Jen, if I want to play games, I need the fire or the nook tablet, right?

[NeverendingJen]

Originally Posted by Loriebug66

I knew that. Jen, if I want to play games, I need the fire or the nook tablet, right?

Yup. Of the two, the Fire gets my vote.

[rach3975]

Originally Posted by Loriebug66

Kinda worried about how hard it seems to be to see it. I will be doing a lot of reading on it so if it is not good for that, I need to know. Thanks!

It's definitely a "your mileage may vary" situation. Some people can stare at a computer screen for hours with no problem, and others get headaches and are bothered by the glare. The Kindle Fire's screen is backlit like a computer. I went with a Touch because text to speech was a must-have for me, but I also read on my phone and wouldn't have minded that the Fire's screen was backlit.

[NeverendingJen]

One thing I've found that helps on the backlit part of the Kindle and other tablets, is changing the font color. in the kindle fire and kindle apps on other devices, most books you can choose to change the background to black and writing to white.

[jessica31876]

I truly love my Nook so very much. I play games on it. I watch netflix on it. I read on it. I surf the net on it. I take it with me almost everywhere I go. So I am kinda partial to my nook. For the most part I have found if I buy from my nook there are no issues getting my stuff but if I buy it on my laptop to download onto my nook it is kinda a pain. I gifted a few books to my daughter and she downloaded them but they did not show up on her nook. She had to power down wait 30 seconds and then power back up. Then they were there. To answer your question I found a lot of people complaining about kindle fires screen compared to the nook tablet. I would say though if the nook is still working I would stick with it and then get a nook tablet LOL. Im sorry I personally love Barnes & Noble. They always have every book I have ever wanted and some I did not know I wanted.

[MamaBee]

We have an old generation Kindle - which I use... and a Fire that is my hubby's - well, Kiddo has taken it over during the day to play angry birds. Hubby said that he LOVES the fire, but because of the amount of time he wastes on Word with Friends and Angry Birds, he isn't reading as much as he did... haha... but then he reads on his phone, so I guess it's a wash.

I'm still struggling adapting to reading on the Kindle... I went through a two week phase where I read a book a day (I have a bit of an obsessive personality ) and now I haven't turn it on in over a week... *sigh*

[maryinaz]

Originally Posted by Loriebug66

I knew that. Jen, if I want to play games, I need the fire or the nook tablet, right?

Or the Nookcolor. One thing I like about the NC I have is that it has the card storage and can be used as an Android, if you go through the process. I can't remember if the Fire has that or not?

[LJSDesigns]

I think I am going to go with the Kindle Fire then. My son is going halvesies with me for my Mother's Day gift so I want to make sure I am not wasting his money. I do want to be able to play some games, read and watch a few shows on it, so it seems like the best choice.

Mary, I don't know what it means to use it as an android? I'm sorry to be so unsavvy with all the new media gadgets.

[Sherri Tierney]

I got a Kindle Touch in March at the advice of several here. I like it but I don't love it. I don't know what I was expecting but I rarely use it. My daughter uses it much more than I do. I was thrilled about the text to voice capabilities yet I haven't found a single book I can use that feature with so its not really worth having for me. I do like the added storage though. I've read 2 books on it since the beginning of April (I guess 2 books in a month isn't too shabby really considering I lost it for 2 weeks in there) but I still don't use it as much as I expected to. I think part of the problem is that I haven't bought a case yet so I hate taking it places with me. I need to look in to buying a case.

I bought the $79 Kindle for my daughter (for $49 during the recent Walmart special) and I know she'll love it. I would, eventually, like to purchase the Fire to use like a tablet I love the e-ink and that I can read in the van with the sun shining on the Kindle and my eyes don't hurt like they do when I read on the Kindle app on my phone. That backlight really kills my eyes. I think the Fire would be great for my son since so many of his books are still books with pictures and color. He's 6 though. My 9 year old reads mostly books without pictures so it wouldn't matter for her. I know the kids would enjoy other things about the Fire though.

[nun69]

I absolutely LOVE my Kindle Fire. We have WiFi in the house so we use it for surfing, watching movies, playing games and all kinds of other stuff...I also downloaded an App (Evernote) and use it to make all of my "lists" (grocery, to do, home deopt, etc)....I have also downloaded some GREAT Dr Seuss e read books the kids absolutely love! Mine got used by some many people after Christmas that I got my DH one for his birthday in march!

[LJSDesigns]

Originally Posted by nun69

I absolutely LOVE my Kindle Fire. We have WiFi in the house so we use it for surfing, watching movies, playing games and all kinds of other stuff...I also downloaded an App (Evernote) and use it to make all of my "lists" (grocery, to do, home deopt, etc)....I have also downloaded some GREAT Dr Seuss e read books the kids absolutely love! Mine got used by some many people after Christmas that I got my DH one for his birthday in march!

Oh the list feature would be great for me. I do love my lists. lol

[rach3975]

Originally Posted by Sherri Tierney

II was thrilled about the text to voice capabilities yet I haven't found a single book I can use that feature with so its not really worth having for me.

Oh, no--that's so disappointing! Maybe I've just been lucky, but I've had my Touch since they came out (November?) and I haven't found any books that I couldn't use it on. I probably use TTS at least 50% of the time that I'm using my Kindle. I hope you have better luck with future books!

[LibbysMommy]

We have a regular Kindle and I got a Kindle Fire for my birthday. I do love my Fire, but it's mosty for indoor reading. I've taken it outside to read and I have to turn the brightness all the way up. I definitely prefer the e-ink. But then there's the convenience of being able to check email and access other things online with the Fire. I guess it all depends on when and where you'd use it most. You can't go wrong with either, in my opinion!!

[nsrush83]

If you want to do all that, I would get the fire if I were you!

Originally Posted by Loriebug66

I hope this is not hijacking Stephanie's thread, but I too am trying to decide whether or not to get a Kindle Fire and would appreciate some input. I want to be able to read, watch TV programs and maybe play some games, like the words with friends one that my entire family is into. I don't have a smart phone so I can't play along. If I want to do all that, is the Fire the one I should get?

Kinda worried about how hard it seems to be to see it. I will be doing a lot of reading on it so if it is not good for that, I need to know. Thanks!

[nsrush83]

What are Digi Files?

Originally Posted by Txcorey

I have the Kindle fire and an older kindle with the E ink. I much prefer reading on the older Kindle with the E ink. My eyes start to hurt if I read on the Fire too long. There are times when it's nice to use the Fire though, such as when I'm putting my son to bed and I can read with the lights off. I also like the Fire for use with PDF files and scrapbooking E books. I am a new subscriber to the Digi Files and I like looking at the playbooks on the Fire.
I've never had any issues with Amazon, but then again I don't have any gift cards with them either. I try to check out the books I get from the library because I'm cheap and think most of the prices for the books are too high, but I have bought some. I think maybe you should try the Fire since it would give you some different capabilities than you currently have.

[schock77]

I have the kindle 2, kindle 3 and fire. I don't have problems with the fire unless reading outside- glare. I love the option of text to speech when driving my kids down to my parents house as they're reading or drawing anyway and fire doesn't have it. If you're just reading, I'd go e-ink, but if you want web, apps, mail, etc. go fire. Love them both.

Originally Posted by scrap2day

In the interest of disclosure, I'm an Amazon Associate and I have a blog (not the one I have linked here) where I post about books available for Kindle.

I have a Kindle Touch. 2 major reasons I purchased the Touch.

1. e-ink to be easier on my eyes. I look at enough screens in my daily life. I wanted the e-ink experience. That eliminated the Fire from my Kindle choices.

2. Text to speech. I wanted the option of having the Kindle read to me when my eyes are too exhausted or I just want to fold laundry/do dishes and still "read". The inexpensive Kindle does not have this option.


My best friend has the inexpensive Kindle and my sister has the Fire so it is a matter of choosing which Kindle is BEST for YOU. I just wanted to share my thoughts on why I did not choose the Fire or the inexpensive kindle.

[Txcorey]

Originally Posted by nsrush83

What are Digi Files?

It's associated with the website, thedailydigi.com. They offer a montly subscription based plan where you get 7 digi scrapbooking kits for $7.50 plus a playbook that has tips and tricks for digi scrapping. I finally signed up for the Digi Game membership which includes the playbook in April because 2 of our designers were featured in them. This site is also the host for the digi show which is a digital scrapbooking podcast. I love the podcast and after listening to it for a couple of years I decided to bite the bullet and subscrbe the Digi Game. So far I've been very happily surprised.

[sczos911]

Thank you ladies for all the input. I don't know WHAT I want it to do. It would be nice to check email, play games and stuff like that, but when I am reading, I don't want that. I know if I had it, I'd read a lot less than I do now. Plus my kids would probably steal it from me.

Hmmm.... This is a tough decision.

[LJSDesigns]

Last night I did a little research on the Fire vs the Nook Tablet and the Nook was actually rated better in almost everything except the Prime Membership offered by Amazon. They all said that the graphics were not as good on the Kindle. Do any of you find that to be the case? And if so, why is it better for game playing than the Nook?