Kindle vs....

[slyprentice.livejournal.com]

Hi all,

I'm currently in the market for a new e-reader and thought I'd ask around before I made a decision. Does anyone have any recommendations?

I've had my eye on the new Kobo Touch since it seemingly suits my needs perfectly -- I don't really care about a text-to-speech option or an mp3 option since I have an ipod and a text-to-speech program on my computer -- but a lot of people told me that the Kindle is the better deal since the programers have had longer to work on the updates. Others have told me I really should just spend the extra cash and get a Nook Color since its a reader and a tablet in one so...opinions?

Comments

[elf]

The best readers for just-plain-reading are probably the Sony line, although they're getting a bit hard to find. (Sony has a longstanding tradition of retiring every bit of hardware just as it reaches peak efficiency.)

Mobileread recently had a thread comparing different e-readers; it might be worth looking at that to see what different users mark as the *real* pros and cons.

The Nook Color is not an e-reader as much as it's an Android tablet. (It comes with most of the functions turned off but can be rooted to be a full-feature tablet.) Pros: App-ready, internet-able, color. Cons: short battery life, screen harder on the eyes than e-ink. (The battery life knocks it out of consideration for me.)

I've heard troublesome things about Kobos; apparently the firmware is sometimes glitchy.

The Kindle is very good. The biggest problem with the Kindle is that it has very limited PDF support and no ePub support. The Sonys have better ergonomics, and possibly the best PDF support of all the e-ink readers. They don't, however, have the best font support; the Jinke readers seem to have that. (Including font sizes; the Jinke line has 12 sizes; I gather the Kindle has 6 or 8; the Sony has 3.)

Mobileread also has a Which one should I buy? forum, but it can be hard to follow sometimes.

[yourlibrarian]

I'd second the Sony. The real question is what are your needs? Price? Portability? Ease of use? Independent from vendors?

The Sony Pocket is currently selling around $100-120 depending on the vendor and it's the most portable of the lot. It just barely fits in a pocket, though its text can enlarge enormously making it very easy to grab and go without sacrificing readability. It's also easy to sideload without having to go through other software and it's not tied to any particular bookstore, plus as Elfwreck points out, battery life is a consideration and the Sony does well.

[slyprentice.livejournal.com]

I actually have a PRS-300 at the moment, but am finding it a bit dated for my needs since I use it for both work and play these days. I might have to look into getting another Sony though, price be damned, since it seems to be one of the few readers that doesn't seem heavily tied to one format or another.

[thornsilver]

I have Kindle2 with 3G and I use it to surf the web as often as I use it to read books, since I mostly Internet to read fanfic. I have to say I adore it and hug it and call it Ubi.

[slyprentice.livejournal.com]

I have to admit that the internet feature is one of the bigger selling points for me on the Kindle and the Kobo. I read fic all the time and being able to do it without sitting at the computer and/or downloading and formatting it for my current reader would be awesome.

Do you find it easy to surf on? I've heard mixed reviews in terms of how easy it is, especially since you have to arrow key down so much.

[thornsilver]

It really depends what you are trying to see. Mostly text-based sites such as Wikipedia, LJ or Archive of Our Own are really not that bad. On the other hand, the browser is very simple. It does not understand things like JAVA, so some websites are not accessible. For fanfic reading though, it works just fine. Once you open a fic, you use the TurnPage button to keep reading.

[elf]

I cannot pry my daughter away from ff.net on her Kindle.

It's slow to browse, and doesn't load most scripty-based sites and misses a lot of images--but it works fine for text-heavy sites like fanfic archives.

[slyprentice.livejournal.com]

That's definitely good to know. I don't plan on using my device for anything other than reading (e.g. checking e-mail, etc.) and like the idea that I could visit a fanfic site and read without having to worry about downloading the story to my reader first.

[josieb1.livejournal.com]

I have a Kindle, which I adore, previously I had a Sony, another lovely ereader. I don't know about the devices you mentioned (other than the Kindle) but tbh I wouldn't touch the Nook Colour as the screen will be a LCD rather than an e-ink so it won't be as easy on the eyes, and could cause eye strain if you try to read for long periods.

I get around the lack of PDF support by converting them to mobi files in Calibre. This works fine for fan fic PDFs but for original fiction it doesn't work so well. Calibre can convert any file to a mobi file assuming it is not DRM protected so it will be fine for fan fiction. A kindle will easily store a few thousand stories, I have over 1000 on mine already and I am not even a third full.

[offoncloud9.livejournal.com]

I had the same problem you had when i was in search for an e-reader, do i get the nook color or the kindle. I went to best buy and they have them all out for you to play with however make sure to talk to a sales clerk to get down the perks of each that they don't tell you on the box. I originally purchased the nook color but I couldn't get over the fact that it had an lcd screen (the same as a computer). Sure it was amazing all the things it could do however I couldn't imagine myself reading a really long book on it, when I had originally purchased it to be an ereader. I ended up buying the kindle. The newest one without 3g just because we have wireless in our home so I didn't need it. I love it and am so happy with my choice the e-ink is AMAZING.

[ghfan-98.livejournal.com]

I have a 2nd generation Kindle and love it. It's really easy for me to upload my fav fan fiction up to and I love the book fairy concept. I buy a book on Amazon six months before it's due to be released and when it suddenly uploads, I'm always pleasantly surprised.

[steve-ski.livejournal.com]

The non color nook is really good too.... Have had mine for a little over a year and love it

[alymid.livejournal.com]

Well I LOVE my Kindle. Fanfiction wise I convert PDFs to mobi with calibre (free software), or download the mobis from AO3. I am extremely pleased with the e-ink screen, and very pleased to be limiting my time on a backlight screen.

[chamekke.livejournal.com]

I'd suggest that you go onto the MobileRead forums, maybe post the same question there (there's a whole subforum called Which one should I buy? (http://www.mobileread.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=3e167140985497382f89a01c20bb3398&f=123)), stating what features are the most important ones to you, and then pay careful attention to the answers. Because it would be your very own thread, you'd get super-personalized answers, and of course you can post follow-up questions to the same thread.

A lot of the MobileRead regulars own multiple e-readers and will be able to advise based on their actual experience. Some people bought one and switched to another.

You can also check the the official "see a device in a café near you" hookup thread (http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26574), to see if you can meet up (in a public place) with other people who have the models you're considering.

For what it's worth, I love my Kindle 3G -- among other things, for its e-ink and no-glare screen, its configurability, the quick page turns (still the fastest out there AFAIK), internet connectivity (it was a huge blessing to have free 3G on a recent trip to the UK) -- but then I haven't tried others, and maybe there are others out there that will meet your specific needs better.

Good luck with your search for the perfect one for you!

[slyprentice.livejournal.com]

MobileRead seems to be the place to go for opinions, so thank you for the links! :)

[amalthia]

I love my Sony PRS-650 touchscreen. It's great if you plan on having large collections on your device. I've heard complaints about the lack of organizational options on the Kindle and Nook...but if you don't plan on having more than 100 stories on your device at any given time this isn't a big deal. If you plan on having over 1000 stories then collection management becomes much more important.

[xcziel.livejournal.com]

Just butting in for a sec- you might want to consider the Nook simple touch if the lcd screen is what's bothering you. It's e-ink like the Kindle, but has a full touch screen, 2 month battery life, weighs less than a Kindle and is super-fast. It's not for websurfing, alas. I pretty much just run all my (many, many) PDFs through Calibre to get a decent epub with a cover and everything and sideload the heck out of mine (obviously I'm prejudiced, as I have not one, but two Nooks - a 3G and a color - in continuous use). Amothea is right about the lack of organizational options, though. Nooks do have a shelf feature that lets you group titles by subject, etc. but it won't do it for you by tag - you have to add fics manually to the shelf *sigh*
Someone needs to make a Calibre app that will load on an ereader!