today I switched from Nook to a Kindle

[gorcorps]

WARNING: This is a long post, so if your immediate thought is "cool story brah" then do us all a favor and keep it to yourself. I tried to be detailed to help others in making their own decisions.

My first e-reader was an original e-ink Nook, which was the first to release a wifi only model in a 3G market which brought the price down to something actually affordable. Nook was also first with a touchscreen, first with a tablet version, and first with a backlight on the e-ink display. I've stuck with them over the years because they've been first to market with ideas I like, and they were the ones that brought real competition to the market forcing price drops and tech advancement. However, after some mulling around for a few months I decided to buy a Kindle Paperwhite and I don't think I'll be going back anytime soon.

The driving force for the move really came down to one thing: ebook price.

Despite the ruling and settlements last year regarding publishers fixing ebook prices, B&N doesn't seem to be trying to reduce ebook prices the way Amazon has done. B&N also has a bad habit of excluding all digital goods and Nook accessories from their coupons, making them pretty much useless for those of us who have adopted the ebook way. Amazon on the other hand has mostly lower prices to begin with, and then also seems to have decent sales at times for popular books. They also have the lending library for Prime subscribers, and seem to be the devices most libraries support. I've never tried ebook lending through my library, but mostly because they all claimed they only supported Kindle so I never went any further with my Nook.

There's a few other differences between the two that people regularly bring up too, so I'll go over a few quickly:

File type support
Everyone's gripe with Kindle seems to be that it doesn't support epub. After some years with ebooks, I don't understand why this format is a sticking point with some people. If anything I've had more issues with Nook support in the case of library books as I've mentioned before. Calibre can be used to convert to anything you want, and because of the library support the edge seems to go to the Kindle here.

Hardware buttons
The Nook has a larger, rubberized bezel with physical buttons. The Kindle has done away with any buttons on the Paperwhite, which results in a smaller side bezel that's just wide enough to hold the touchscreen reader comfortably. I always considered the hardware buttons on the Nook a perk, but now I'm beginning to believe that's only because the bezel was big enough to make using the touchscreen harder. Tapping the screen on the Kindle is just as easy as using the buttons on the Nook because the bezel is the proper size for such a thing. If you must have hardware buttons for some reason then you have no choice, but for me the transition wasn't a hard one. In fact, I may like the Kindle better now as I would sometimes have problems with the Nook buttons registering or double-tapping. Which leads me too...

Build quality
Even before having a Kindle to compare it to, I've never been the biggest fan of the Nook's build quality. It's cheaply built with some pretty "creaky" plastic fit, and as I've mentioned before the hardware buttons weren't flawless. Historically you could remove the back of the original Nook, but the new ones aren't designed in such a way so there's little reason for the back to feel so cheap and flimsy. The Kindle in comparison is rock solid. There's no flimsiness or creaking in any part of it that I've seen. The screens on both at this point are basically equal as far as I can tell.

File transfer
To get the obvious out of the way, both have a store and both can side-load books via USB as long as they're in the correct respective formats. What the Kindle brought to the table is something the Nook hasn't supported natively: wireless transfer. If you have the right file type, you can use Amazon's "send to Kindle" program to send to your device via wifi. If you're not at a computer with that software, you can also send an email to your Kindle with the file as an attachment as every device is given an @kindle.com email address. It may be small, but I appreciate not having to plug a cable in just to transfer a single file as I've often done.

So, that's about all I need to say for now. If B&N wants to keep customers they're going to have to compete with ebook prices. They can continue being first to market with certain ideas, but that won't be enough to keep customers in between major advancements.

 

[hclarkjr]

which one did you buy? i have the 8.9" with 4G

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I bought the standard Kindle eReader late last summer when they were being closed out in anticipation of the new units. My HP Touchpad had been my previous eReader but I wanted something smaller and easier on the eyes. I've been pretty happy with mine (bought the leather case with the light on it) but am contemplating upgrading to the Paperwhite. I imagine that there will be a refresh in the fall again, so maybe I'll just wait and see what the new ones offer or maybe grab the existing Paperwhite on clearance.

which one did you buy? i have the 8.9" with 4G

From his post:

However, after some mulling around for a few months I decided to buy a Kindle Paperwhite and I don't think I'll be going back anytime soon.

 

[hclarkjr]

oops, the post was so big i missed it!!!

 

[poofyhairguy]

Good post OP thanks for the info.

Sad to see Nook fall from the awesome Color till now. They had it right making nerds happy, when they betrayed us their advantage was lost.

 

[ponyo]

Good post OP thanks for the info.

Sad to see Nook fall from the awesome Color till now. They had it right making nerds happy, when they betrayed us their advantage was lost.

Bolded the truth! I said it back then when the Nook Tablet came out right after the mad success of the Nook Color. I said Barnes and Nobles was making a terrible mistake by locking down the Nook Tablet when nerds and the mod community was hugely responsible for its success. The nerds moved to Kindle Fire which wasn't locked down and the rest is history.

 

[Deeko]

Making nerds happy isn't going to make them money, though. They need to cater to the masses, not to the minority.

 

[ponyo]

Making nerds happy isn't going to make them money, though. They need to cater to the masses, not to the minority.

Yeah, how is that catering to the masses working out for B&N and HTC?

 

[poofyhairguy]

Making nerds happy isn't going to make them money, though. They need to cater to the masses, not to the minority.

Often when consumers purchase a device in a category they have never owned before (such as first ereaders, tablets, smartphones, etc.) recommendations from trusted mavens in their life go a long way towards determined their consideration set for final purchase.

Without the nerd vote, you pretty much have to survive on marketing which is a numbers game.

 

[Sheep]

Cool story brah!

Just kidding. I've seen my friends who bought e-ink Nooks a few years ago switch over to e-ink/paperwhite Kindles as well as a few others who dropped their Nook Colors/Tablets for full-on tablet devices like the Surface. So yeah, while decidedly anecdotal it appears that Barnes & Noble's foothold in the market is quickly disappearing with Amazon eating their lunch.

 

[Deeko]

Yeah, how is that catering to the masses working out for B&N and HTC?

When's the last time you took a look at Apple's financials?

Often when consumers purchase a device in a category they have never owned before (such as first ereaders, tablets, smartphones, etc.) recommendations from trusted mavens in their life go a long way towards determined their consideration set for final purchase.

Without the nerd vote, you pretty much have to survive on marketing which is a numbers game.

Sure - but you are a very bad nerd friend if you recommend a device to the average consumer based on how well you can hack it. When someone asks you for a recommendation, the response should be what you think is best for them, not what's best for you.

 

[ponyo]

When's the last time you took a look at Apple's financials?

When was the last time Apple catered to the nerds before betraying them?

 

[TallBill]

I wish I had bought a paper white instead of 8.9 HD. The keyboard is the worst that I've used on any device and the dictionary/rules combined make typing anything a chore. I do more internet browsing on my RAZR Maxx. Hell, I'm using my phone right now to type while the kindle sits 2 feet from me. Sure I'll use it later to read but the paper white would be better for that.

 

[Deeko]

When was the last time Apple catered to the nerds before betraying them?

Completely irrelevant to my point.

Anyway, I know the nerds are butt hurt over the newer Nook tablets, but it doesn't matter, because those same people would likely have bought a Nexus 7 this round regardless of the status of the Nook's bootloader. Plus, this thread is about e-readers, not ROMs, so I'm going to stop talking about tablets.

 

[Bateluer]

I've been very satisfied with my Nook Glowlight . . . but with B&N getting in bed with MS and nearly spinning off the nook lineup, I fear they'll be Borders in a few years. Amazon's demonstrated that they will be hanging around for the long haul. I wouldn't want my ebook collection to be unusable overnight. :/

 

[gorcorps]

I wish I had bought a paper white instead of 8.9 HD. The keyboard is the worst that I've used on any device and the dictionary/rules combined make typing anything a chore. I do more internet browsing on my RAZR Maxx. Hell, I'm using my phone right now to type while the kindle sits 2 feet from me. Sure I'll use it later to read but the paper white would be better for that.

Yeah, I wouldn't be happy using a Fire or Nook HD without running a proper Android rom on it. For reading I also never liked the added weight of a tablet or the bright LCD backlight. Now I use a Nexus 7 for some couch surfing and a proper e-ink reader which for me has been the best combo.

I've been very satisfied with my Nook Glowlight . . . but with B&N getting in bed with MS and nearly spinning off the nook lineup, I fear they'll be Borders in a few years. Amazon's demonstrated that they will be hanging around for the long haul. I wouldn't want my ebook collection to be unusable overnight. :/

I didn't even think of that, but yes that's also a concern.



I will add one more thing in the Nook's favor. It always had a quick "return to book" button at the top which would take you back to your book if you were in the store. The Kindle doesn't seem to have such a thing that I can see, so if I'm in the store I have to go back to home, scroll to the book I was reading, and open it again. A lot clunkier in comparison which could be helped with one simple button.

 

[Midwayman]

The reason why e-pubs were such a big deal was the a lot of libraries only lent books in epub format. Its was sort of the pre-eink format of choice. Apparently that has changed.

 

[poofyhairguy]

When someone asks you for a recommendation, the response should be what you think is best for them, not what's best for you.

Agreed to a certain extent, but my consideration set is determined by companies who products I follow and keep up with, which are usually companies friendly to my kind.

As far as I am concerned no one in my life needs a device that is anti-nerd- especially when I will end up giving the tech support for that device since I recommended it.

 

[Munky]

I have books for both Kindle and Nook, although I'm using their respective applications on a rooted tablet, not the designated hardware device itself. The beef I have with Amazon is that it requires me to register a specific device I use, and send books to that device. With B&N, I can download the book at any time to any device, with no strings attached. And given Amazon's history of deleting user's books from their Kindles, I go with B&N whenever the same book is available from both places. Unfortunately, their library is not as extensive.

I also tried Calibre in the past, and not only found its results unsatisfactory, but it insists on integrating itself into my system far more than I'd prefer. So, in the aspect of buying into a certain ecosystem, I'm much more likely to go with B&N for those reasons.

 

[Bateluer]

I have books for both Kindle and Nook, although I'm using their respective applications on a rooted tablet, not the designated hardware device itself. The beef I have with Amazon is that it requires me to register a specific device I use, and send books to that device. With B&N, I can download the book at any time to any device, with no strings attached. And given Amazon's history of deleting user's books from their Kindles, I go with B&N whenever the same book is available from both places. Unfortunately, their library is not as extensive.

Almost forgot about that. Thats a major turn off on the Kindles.

Anyway to convert a nook library or kindle library into the Kindle/nook library . . . aside from DLing the torents.

 

[dainthomas]

I have books for both Kindle and Nook, although I'm using their respective applications on a rooted tablet, not the designated hardware device itself. The beef I have with Amazon is that it requires me to register a specific device I use, and send books to that device.

I have periodicals download to my phone and Kindle Keyboard with no issue. Are you saying you can only download items to one device?

 

[Munky]

I have periodicals download to my phone and Kindle Keyboard with no issue. Are you saying you can only download items to one device?

I only have 1 Kindle "device" so I haven't tried multiple downloads. But I do know that I would rather not register any device with any provider for any reason.

 

[zokudu]

Almost forgot about that. Thats a major turn off on the Kindles.

Anyway to convert a nook library or kindle library into the Kindle/nook library . . . aside from DLing the torents.

You can break the DRM on Kindle and Nook books pretty easily then convert them. Mods would frown on a link though.

 

[Midwayman]

You can break the DRM on Kindle and Nook books pretty easily then convert them. Mods would frown on a link though.

I would suggest doing so to backup in calibre just in case they decide to shut down your access. Particularly on BN as they seem a little less stable.

 

[Ravynmagi]

I've had a Kindle 3 Keyboard, Nook Color, Kindle 4 Basic, Kindle Fire HD 7, and most recently a Kindle 5 Paperwhite.

Most of the time I use my Kindle Fire HD 7 for reading. Though I sometimes will bring out the Kindle 4 Basic if I'm reading outside (too much glare on the LCD tablet).

I tried to like B&N. But ended up going with Amazon for these reasons...

* Selection size. Not sure, but I would imagine Amazon and B&N probably have the same ebooks from the mainstream publishers. But Amazon has a huge selection of self published books and I'm often surprised at how good these are, and they are so cheap, often only $1 to $3.
* Price. Because seem to often be reading a lot of self published books, I find I'm spending much less money with Amazon.
* Lending Library. You can check out ebooks with both devices and I tried this once with my local library and it just sucked. The selection was lame and any decent book seemed to have a waiting list months long. Amazon has it's own Lending Library that lets you borrow one ebook a month. Again the selection is limited, but I found to be much larger than the library's choice, though much of it is self published books. And I don't have to wait.
* Book Samples. I don't get why B&N is so stingy on book samples. I download a book sample from B&N and it often just get a few pages, not even a single chapter. One book had a table of contents so long that I didn't even get any pages of the first chapter before the sample ended, haha. Amazon, I always get the first chapter, often I'll get 2 or 3 chapters in the sample. There is no way from B&N's book samples I can determine if a book is worth buying, while Amazon is more than generous with their samples.

I don't think this dissuaded me from buying B&N books. But I do worry a bit about how long this company will be around. Heck, part of me would like to support this company, because I don't think it would be good for Amazon to have an ebook monopoly. Though the more I buy from Amazon, the hardware it gets to want to buy from B&N. But I don't think I would be opposed to buying a Nook e-ink if they could fix some of the issues I mentioned above.


I tend to go back and forth between liking and disliking e-ink screens. At the moment I'm in my not liking phase it seems. My Kindle 4 is lighter and I think a bit easier on the eyes. But I love how sharp and clean the fonts look on my Kindle Fire HD 7. And the 7 inch tablet is still light enough that I don't mind it too much (usually) to read on a while.

I bought a Kindle 5 Paperwhite just a week ago, and returned it the very next day. My older Kindle 4 has an 800x600 resolution screen, so I thought the 1024x758 Kindle 5 would be visibly sharper. But I could really not tell the difference, even on the smallest font size on both. And the lighting on the Paperwhite was uneven and distracting to me, had quite a bit of light bleeding on the left side and with the light on, the text seemed to fade a bit.

With the basic Kindle at $70 and the Paperwhite at $120, the extra $50 or the mediocre lighting and touch input just didn't seem worth it. So the cheaper $70 Kindle is probably still my favorite.