Kindle vs Nook vs.....?

[KevinP]

http://mashable.com/2010/07/01/kindle-dx-screen-price/

Kindle DX Gets a Better Screen, Lower Price

Kindle DX, Amazon's e-reader designed for reading magazines and newspapers, made some sense before Apple introduced its iPad, but afterwards it was really hard to justify buying one. The iPad is more powerful, has a more attractive screen, and yet the cheapest version costs $499, only ten bucks less than Kindle DX's original price.

Amazon had to take some steps to make the DX more competitive, and now it improved on its two crucial aspects: the price and the screen. Kindle DX now costs significantly less – $379 – and its new screen has a 50 percent better contrast, Amazon claims.

The DX also has a new, graphite-colored case, which should further improve readability. The new Kindle DX will be shipping on July 7th, but you can pre-order one now.

By the way, if you're still interested in the smaller, original Kindle, you can now snatch one for only $149.99 on Woot, the sale-a-day e-commerce site Amazon acquired today.

[jwinter]

I've had a Nook since around February, and love it to death (my wife now has one too).  I literally do not leave the house without it anymore, and have gotten to the point that I truly do prefer reading a novel on the Nook to a paper copy.  I like the fact that I can buy ebooks from pretty much any site out there (except Amazon).  The in-store options are nice if you live near a B&N store, and the web-browser, while still pretty crude, will work fine with mobile sites designed for blackberrys etc., or to check your email in a pinch.  The software had a few bugs when it first came out, but they've put out four system updates so far and at this point it's very solid.

I also use the free Calibre software a lot -- it will easily convert anything non-DRMed to EPUB, which seems to work best on the Nook (though it will read PDFs and PDBs just fine).  It also has a handly feature that will create and download epub versions of many websites, like newspapers, magazine, etc., for later reading on the Nook, quite handy.

I haven't used a Kindle, but if you have any specific questions on the Nook I'd be happy to answer them.

Cheers,
JWinter

[Josquin des Prez]

What's the capacity on the DX, and can it be cracked to read unsupported formats (if any), like the ipod? The price is still too steep for me but i might consider buying one in the future.

[petrarch]

What's the capacity on the DX, and can it be cracked to read unsupported formats (if any), like the ipod? The price is still too steep for me but i might consider buying one in the future.

I believe it holds 4 gigs (don't have it handy to check). Not sure if the software was cracked already.

[Scarpia]

I haven't used a Kindle, but if you have any specific questions on the Nook I'd be happy to answer them.

I've never even seen a Kindle, but have tried out the Sony reader at a Target store.  It does this weird thing where the a negative image of the page is briefly displayed during a page flip.  I found it distracting.  The Nook uses the same screen as the Sony and Nook, does it also do this negative image thing on page turns?

[petrarch]

I've never even seen a Kindle, but have tried out the Sony reader at a Target store.  It does this weird thing where the a negative image of the page is briefly displayed during a page flip.  I found it distracting.  The Nook uses the same screen as the Sony and Nook, does it also do this negative image thing on page turns?

The Kindle also does it. It is only disconcerting for a little while, until you get used to it. It will also feel slow on page transitions initially, especially if you're used to the responsiveness of a laptop. As soon as I finished exploring the device and started reading a book, all of those "annoyances" went away and were completely forgotten--e-ink is that good. Can't live or travel without my Kindle.

[Scarpia]

The Kindle also does it. It is only disconcerting for a little while, until you get used to it. It will also feel slow on page transitions initially, especially if you're used to the responsiveness of a laptop. As soon as I finished exploring the device and started reading a book, all of those "annoyances" went away and were completely forgotten--e-ink is that good. Can't live or travel without my Kindle.

Do these devices support Cyrillic text, is it possible to get books on Russian on any of these devices?

[petrarch]

Do these devices support Cyrillic text, is it possible to get books on Russian on any of these devices?

I never tried non-latin character sets, but since it renders pdf files without issues, you could get cyrillic that way (for instance, this pdf is rendered exactly as on the computer, gothic type and all).

[KevinP]

My Kindle displays Korean although it's not as nice-looking as Roman fonts. So Cyrillic would probably work just fine, but you need to take this question to a Kindle board to be sure.

[KevinP]

Kindle 3 announced.

Looks really good and the price is really nice.

[Gurn Blanston]

Kindle 3 announced.

Looks really good and the price is really nice.

Yeah, I was looking it over today. Lots to be said for it (not available for a couple more weeks though), including faster page turns, 30% lighter in your hands, more contrasty screen. Looks like I'm about ready to take the plunge on it; that is, if they haven't completely cut out the wireless modem version in favor of WiFi, which I don't have or have access to. Not like I live in a damned teeming metropolis or something. Even with these guys to help I don't have a prayer there;



(off the front porch Wednesday evening)





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Now playing:
Capella Coloniensis - Carl Stamitz - Concerto #4 in Bb for 2 Clarinets 2nd mvmt - Andante moderato

[Szykneij]

Yeah, I was looking it over today. Lots to be said for it (not available for a couple more weeks though), including faster page turns, 30% lighter in your hands, more contrasty screen. Looks like I'm about ready to take the plunge on it; that is, if they haven't completely cut out the wireless modem version in favor of WiFi, which I don't have or have access to. Not like I live in a damned teeming metropolis or something. Even with these guys to help I don't have a prayer there;



(off the front porch Wednesday evening)





----------------
Now playing:
Capella Coloniensis - Carl Stamitz - Concerto #4 in Bb for 2 Clarinets 2nd mvmt - Andante moderato

Terrific picture, Gurn!

(where's Thumper?)

[petrarch]

Kindle screen vs. iPad, including a newspaper, a book and a magazine, all under the microscope: http://www.bit-101.com/blog/?p=2722. Enlightening comparison.

[DavidRoss]

Honestly don't understand why people are so crazy about these keyboardless laptops.

Taken at face value as commentary regarding the popularity of iPADs...right?

[DavidRoss]

Interesting thread, thanks.  My wife's been interested ever since they were introduced and when the latest price drop was announced decided she'd waited long enough.  I'm still holding out for a folding tablet PC the size of a trade paperback with the readability of a Kindle, the ability to use a virtual keyboard on one half of a hinged, open screen (can you say netbook?), and with a 250 GB SS drive and a DAC at least as good as an iPod...and phone connectivity.

Two years?  Three and a half before the price drops to $500?

No doubt if I've thought of it then someone already has it under development. 

[Scarpia]

Interesting thread, thanks.  My wife's been interested ever since they were introduced and when the latest price drop was announced decided she'd waited long enough.  I'm still holding out for a folding tablet PC the size of a trade paperback with the readability of a Kindle, the ability to use a virtual keyboard on one half of a hinged, open screen (can you say netbook?), and with a 250 GB SS drive and a DAC at least as good as an iPod...and phone connectivity.

Two years?  Three and a half before the price drops to $500?

No doubt if I've thought of it then someone already has it under development. 

I like the idea of dedicated purpose devices such as the Kindle.  My problem with it is that I have no faith in digital rights management systems as they are implemented today.  I have books on my shelf that I bought when I was 18 or younger.  Sometimes I read them again, but even if I don't they serve as a tangible record of the books that have made an impression on me.  Will I still have access to a book I buy for Kindle decades from now?

If I were to get one it would be for reading public domain ebooks such as are available from Project Gutenberg or similar sources, or for the most ephemeral of books.  A good piece of contemporary literary fiction or an interesting non-fiction book I'd want in a tangible, durable form.

Back to DRM, the fact that you are at the mercy of the person you bought the media from is a problem.  The one audio track I ever bought is unplayable because I had to reinstall my OS and the vendor that sold me the track is defunct.  I don't know what the solution is.  Maybe if there were a central server (maybe run by the Library of Congress or something) where your digital rights certificate were stored I would feel more comfortable.

[DavidRoss]

Back to DRM, the fact that you are at the mercy of the person you bought the media from is a problem.  The one audio track I ever bought is unplayable because I had to reinstall my OS and the vendor that sold me the track is defunct.  I don't know what the solution is.  Maybe if there were a central server (maybe run by the Library of Congress or something) where your digital rights certificate were stored I would feel more comfortable.

Stick with open source, rip your own tracks, and stay away from the slimeballs who push proprietary crap like Apple!

[Franco]

I saw where a new book by Pete Hamill is going straight to eBook and will not appear in print. 

And here's another article about the trend in the publishing industry toward eBooks.

[petrarch]

I like the idea of dedicated purpose devices such as the Kindle.  My problem with it is that I have no faith in digital rights management systems as they are implemented today.  I have books on my shelf that I bought when I was 18 or younger.  Sometimes I read them again, but even if I don't they serve as a tangible record of the books that have made an impression on me.  Will I still have access to a book I buy for Kindle decades from now?

If I were to get one it would be for reading public domain ebooks such as are available from Project Gutenberg or similar sources, or for the most ephemeral of books.  A good piece of contemporary literary fiction or an interesting non-fiction book I'd want in a tangible, durable form.

Kindle doesn't force DRM on you, it depends on the vendors of the ebooks. I can tell you because of the Kindlee I have read a lot of books I wouldn't think I would otherwise have read (not interesting enough to get the print version and take up space on my shelves). Most if not all Project Gutenberg books are available for free through manybooks.net, who provide ebooks in a myriad of formats. And obviously I still buy books in print form, typically those I want to flip through countless times or enjoy good quality printing.

[Saul]

There's nothing like reading from a real book.