Kindle vs Nook vs.....?

[Geo Dude]

I picked up a Kindle Paperwhite and it arrived a few days ago.  I've been quite impressed for the most part.  One of the few things I didn't love about my Kindle Touch was the need to turn on a bright overhead light any time I wanted to use it.  Now I can read in total darkness, a moderate amount of light, or sunlight.  They've tuned up the page turning and other functions too; they all work faster than on the Kindle Touch.  And I really, really love the time system for locating your place within a chapter or book and a few days of use indicates that it is pretty accurate.

On the other hand, a few of the glitches from the previous generation of Kindles are still present, mainly that there tend to be issues with slow down if you use non-native files in the kindle (txt, etc.).  This is a minor concern, though, and I'm quite happy with it.

[Parsifal]

Latest word is the Barnes and Noble is opening up the Nook HD+ to Google Play, meaning that in addition to the Barnes and Noble specific applications and content it can be used as a vanilla Android Device.  It would support Chrome, and you could run the Kindle App.

Anyone have a Nook HD+ and care to comment.  The device is on sale for $150 this week (down from $270) making it a lot cheaper than the Kindle HD 8.9", to which it more or less equivalent in hardware.

[SonicMan46]

Latest word is the Barnes and Noble is opening up the Nook HD+ to Google Play, meaning that in addition to the Barnes and Noble specific applications and content it can be used as a vanilla Android Device.  It would support Chrome, and you could run the Kindle App.

Anyone have a Nook HD+ and care to comment.  The device is on sale for $150 this week (down from $270) making it a lot cheaper than the Kindle HD 8.9", to which it more or less equivalent in hardware.

Well depends on your needs and apps needed, i.e. do you want just a 'book reader' or added features?  Wife had the Nook Color and enjoyed for nearly 2 yrs - I bought her an iPad Mini earlier this year and she has been transformed - only saving the Nook for the books on it - not sure what your needs may be for these tablet devices but just a suggestion to consider the Apple products (might save you buying something more than once?) - Dave

[Parsifal]

Well depends on your needs and apps needed, i.e. do you want just a 'book reader' or added features?  Wife had the Nook Color and enjoyed for nearly 2 yrs - I bought her an iPad Mini earlier this year and she has been transformed - only saving the Nook for the books on it - not sure what your needs may be for these tablet devices but just a suggestion to consider the Apple products (might save you buying something more than once?) - Dave

Thanks for your comments.

We have an iPad mini (with cellular data) which we adore.  But that's an expensive device.  I have one of the previous generations Kindles with black and white display which I also like a lot.  What I'm looking for is basically a book reader but with a screen that doesn't require bright overhead light, and which would have the ability to open a browser for the occasional web search.  Paperwhite kindle might satisfy me on the display but would be almost entirely useless for accessing the web.   Kindle Fire HD would satisfy the display and web needs, but would be locked into Amazon's sandbox.  At first, it would seem that the Nook would be worse, since previously it locked you into Barnes and Nobles smaller sandbox.  However, now that they've opened it up to Google Play, you can access Chrome and the Kindle App, which would make it a general purpose Android device.

Finally, it's 40% off this week, which means I can get a Nook HD for the price of a Kindle Paperwhite.

[Gurn Blanston]

Thanks for your comments.

We have an iPad mini (with cellular data) which we adore.  But that's an expensive device.  I have one of the previous generations Kindles with black and white display which I also like a lot.  What I'm looking for is basically a book reader but with a screen that doesn't require bright overhead light, and which would have the ability to open a browser for the occasional web search.  Paperwhite kindle might satisfy me on the display but would be almost entirely useless for accessing the web.   Kindle Fire HD would satisfy the display and web needs, but would be locked into Amazon's sandbox.  At first, it would seem that the Nook would be worse, since previously it locked you into Barnes and Nobles smaller sandbox.  However, now that they've opened it up to Google Play, you can access Chrome and the Kindle App, which would make it a general purpose Android device.

Finally, it's 40% off this week, which means I can get a Nook HD for the price of a Kindle Paperwhite.

I have a Kindle Fire HD, and it's probably way more capable than what use I get out of it. I downloaded a pisspot-full of PDF musicology essays from my computer that I hadn't time to read previously, and they make great lunchtime reading, and I have a few ebooks, although I rarely buy them as long as they cost more than a hardcover of the same book. Other than that, a couple of minor games for diversion and a bunch of music and that's it. I know that will do so much more, but I just don't need that much more.

[Karl Henning]

You can expand PDF files on that 'un, yes, Gurn?

[Gurn Blanston]

You can expand PDF files on that 'un, yes, Gurn?

yes, it isn't native, but the app is pretty seamless.

[Karl Henning]

I shall want to do that at some point, very handy for reading PDF scores, I should think.

[Gurn Blanston]

I shall want to do that at some point, very handy for reading PDF scores, I should think.

It was on mine when I bought it. Yes, very handy for that. And the tons of online essays that are available if you have access through jstor. Wish I did again.

[Brian]

Thanks for your comments.

We have an iPad mini (with cellular data) which we adore.  But that's an expensive device.  I have one of the previous generations Kindles with black and white display which I also like a lot.  What I'm looking for is basically a book reader but with a screen that doesn't require bright overhead light, and which would have the ability to open a browser for the occasional web search.  Paperwhite kindle might satisfy me on the display but would be almost entirely useless for accessing the web.   Kindle Fire HD would satisfy the display and web needs, but would be locked into Amazon's sandbox.  At first, it would seem that the Nook would be worse, since previously it locked you into Barnes and Nobles smaller sandbox.  However, now that they've opened it up to Google Play, you can access Chrome and the Kindle App, which would make it a general purpose Android device.

Finally, it's 40% off this week, which means I can get a Nook HD for the price of a Kindle Paperwhite.

Have you considered the Nexus 7? Also, I've used the Kindle Paperwhite's "experimental" web browser; you need to be on a wifi network, but it actually works okay for some things. I used it to break out of Amazon-land, go to www.gutenberg.org, and download a bunch of free books. I also used it to visit some blogs, read Wikipedia (good), read the New York Times (a little awkward but doable), and access my Gmail (rather more awkward, but still doable).

[Karl Henning]

Gosh, and Roy Batty was just a Nexus 6!

[Parsifal]

Have you considered the Nexus 7? Also, I've used the Kindle Paperwhite's "experimental" web browser; you need to be on a wifi network, but it actually works okay for some things. I used it to break out of Amazon-land, go to www.gutenberg.org, and download a bunch of free books. I also used it to visit some blogs, read Wikipedia (good), read the New York Times (a little awkward but doable), and access my Gmail (rather more awkward, but still doable).

I have considered a Nexus 7, but it seems too small and feels cheap to me.  Nexus 10 seems too big.  A 9" device seems like what I want.  The bigger Kindle Fire would fit the bill, but this review is a bit off-putting.

http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenberg:Kindle_Fire_Review

[Parsifal]

An update.  Was at Staples to get some packing tape and they had a Kindle HD to demo.  The software is definitely configured to make it awkward to escape from amazon.com.  I did manage to get to a browser (their "Silk").  I pointed it to GMG just to see how it feels.  In the middle of scrolling the first first page of postings I managed to get to it crashed, announced that Silk had to exit and returned to the start screen.  Oh well.  Cross one off the list.

Nexus 7 and the nearly identical Samsung tablet were at least functional, but a very poor cousin to the proper iPad.  One annoyance is that the aspect ratio is too large.  Maybe good for watching widescreen video, but not optimum for reading.  Asside from that, they have copied the iPad basic functionality, but nothing in Android works as smoothly as in iOS.  Even simple scrolling is a jerky annoyance in Android.

[DavidRoss]

My Kindle has scarcely been used since I got a Nexus 7.  Together with a bluetooth keyboard (Logitech K810) it even replaces my notebook for all but CPU-intensive tasks like photo editing.

[Parsifal]

My Kindle has scarcely been used since I got a Nexus 7.  Together with a bluetooth keyboard (Logitech K810) it even replaces my notebook for all but CPU-intensive tasks like photo editing.

The Nexus 7 is very close to what I want except it is just a bit too small.  The Nexus 10 is bigger than I need and is not substantially cheaper than a proper iPad.  If there was a Nexus 8 they'd have me.  The Kindke File 8.9 is the right hardware configuration, but too obviously an advertising platform for Amazon.  As it stands, I'll probably stick with the eInk monochrome Kindle for now.

[DavidRoss]

The Nexus 7 is very close to what I want except it is just a bit too small.  The Nexus 10 is bigger than I need and is not substantially cheaper than a proper iPad.  If there was a Nexus 8 they'd have me.  The Kindke File 8.9 is the right hardware configuration, but too obviously an advertising platform for Amazon.  As it stands, I'll probably stick with the eInk monochrome Kindle for now.

The Nexus 7 was one of the best-selling devices of 2012 among technophiles for very good reason. Nearly-perfect execution, gorgeous resolution, svelte, comparatively light, first-rate construction by ASUS, and Android Jelly Bean.  The size is perfect for what it is--there's ergonomic wisdom in the form factor, same as the original Kindle and its ilk. It will even slip into a hip or front pocket of my pants, making casual carry a breeze -- any larger and it wouldn't fit.

I learned the virtue of the form factor by experience: I bought a Kindle Fire 8.9 and the bigger Nook, but found both of them too large and heavy, though I loved their displays and figured I would root one of them to make it useful if I liked one of them, but like the iPad they're just too big for something that's basically just a content consumption device (though my younger boy loves his!). If I'm going to carry around something that big and heavy, I'll stick with an ultrabook that I can do anything with.

BTW, v.2 of the Nexus 7 is due to debut next month, featuring a more powerful processor and twice the resolution!

[Brian]

I read that same review of the Kindle Fire HD, Scarpia/Parsifal, and was similarly alarmed. I read it, in fact, on my Kindle Paperwhite in the experimental browser. Afterwards I pointed the browser to the official Nexus 7 website - and it crashed. In fact, it was so mad that I'd looked at the Nexus website that the Kindle browser crashed on startup every time I tried opening it, for the next 24 hours.

David, can you comment on your Nexus 7 + keyboard experiences? I have 50 minutes' commute on a train every day, and have been using that time to read books on the Kindle Paperwhite (32 books so far this year!). But these days it's writing that I can't find time to do every day, and that train trip might be well-spent as enforced "writing time." So something like that would be ideal. I played around with a friend's iPad (fullsize) + keyboard, and enjoyed that experience.

[Parsifal]

I tried the Kindle "experimental" browser...once.  It was an experiment I didn't want to repeat.  It was a situation where I had to enter a network password and it was unable to show me the dialog box where the password was needed.  It took me half an hour to get it back to the book-reading mode.  I assume if I ever tried to open the browser again it would still be waiting for that password.

I've decided, Second generation Nexus 7.

[DavidRoss]

David, can you comment on your Nexus 7 + keyboard experiences? I have 50 minutes' commute on a train every day, and have been using that time to read books on the Kindle Paperwhite (32 books so far this year!). But these days it's writing that I can't find time to do every day, and that train trip might be well-spent as enforced "writing time." So something like that would be ideal. I played around with a friend's iPad (fullsize) + keyboard, and enjoyed that experience.

Works great, Brian. I tried a couple of other keyboards and liked the new Logitech one best. I couldn't find a commercial stand that positions the tablet where I want it, so I made one myself out of 1/8" plywood that's 6" high and opens flat for storage. The Nexus, stand, and keyboard fit nicely into a 6"x12" zippered pouch for carrying, and a real keyboard beats the dickens out of the touchscreen virtual keyboards on iPads and the like. The only drawback is that Word is not an option with Android -- but there are several cheap word processors that work fine and which let you save your work as a doc file.

Still, for "serious" work, I'd rather have a full-powered notebook running word. But the Nexus + kb is a great option, and with the stand it's even an ergonomically superior solution in some respects.

[Bogey]

http://money.msn.com/now/blog--barnes-and-noble-shares-plunge-on-nook-pullout