Romance, Historical or Otherwise discussion
Everything E-Reader
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Ereader Queries
I love Apple! If you don't have a good computer or laptop then and Ipad could do all that you need. I hear they are heavy compared to a classic reader.That was my issue. I got the Nook Color and it just had to many extra stuff on it not related to reading. So I have a MacBook Pro laptop, Iphone and now that Nook Color that is a simple version of the Ipad. It was just overkill in my opinion. If you go to Best Buy D. G they have all the ereaders there to check out and look at. Also, they have a better return policy than say B & N. Plus they have a program there where you get some points or something. My husband buys stuff there I don't.
Good Luck! It's hard picking the right one for you :)
That's one of the pros of getting an iPad. We have a desktop at home that both my Hubby and I use but it would be nice to have something of my own. :)The iPad is over 1 lb. so it's heavier than I'd like...the size is also on the big size and not as manageable and I read a lot in the subway so a smaller size would be better for me because I'm always carrying my purse PLUS my gym bag. Somebody here at work has an iPad2 and it doesn't feel heavy but again, I haven't carried it for a long time in my purse to see if I'll feel the weight after carrying it a while. My Hubby is also afraid somebody will conk me in the head in the Subway trying to steal an iPad. :)
D.G., personally if you have an iTouch, I wouldn't get an iPad, but that is me. I am in complete agreement with Leea on this. But, I am in front of a computer all day and I use my iPhone for everything else and it keeps me happy. I often am using my iPhone at the same time as I am readnig on my ereader, yup I am crazy. It drives my husband crazy. I personally think the Kindle is the best ereader when comparing the basic Nook and any of the three generations of the Kindles (I have never tried another kind of ereader -- there are so many out there), but this opinion is a personal opinion based on my needs and experiences and I know other people have different needs.
If I were you, I would make up a list of the stuff that is important to you, maybe it happens that the tablet is the best thing for you?
Also, Amazon has an amazing return policy. You can return it for free (including shipping -- they pay for the return shipping) no questions asked up to 30 days after the original purchase. No restocking fee. So in my opinion, if you know you want an ereader - -just buy the Kindle (but buy it from Amazon) and then try it out and if you don't like it -- return it! In message 9 in this thread: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/5... I detailed my personal comparison between the Nook and the K2. But take it with a grain of salt: 1) I love Amazon and am biased toward anything they do, I often joke that if I wasn't already married I would marry Amazon; 2) I have had my Kindle longer, so that may affect my opinion; 3) I have had several very bad customer service experiences with B&N that have definitely affected my opinion; 4) I wanted something that has usable and convenient highlighting and dictionary access; and 5) reading ePub format is not important to me.
Not everyone likes the same things, I think it is great that there is so much competition out there, there are also many non-apple, non-amazon and non-B&N readers. It is overwhelming, but I do think it is good for the market. I hope you find something that suits you!
D.G. ~Black Magic Woman~ wrote: "That's one of the pros of getting an iPad. We have a desktop at home that both my Hubby and I use but it would be nice to have something of my own. :)The iPad is over 1 lb. so it's heavier than I..."
I ride an El train that has a high crime rate, it is unique as we have to go through a high crime area to get to our neighborhood. It makes the riding experience very unique. Daily iPhones (the big target) are stolen. I have seen a small tiny thing of a woman confront a big guy, chase him out of the train and demand her iPod (just a Nano!) back -- she pulled the emergency break and we were all transfixed watching her. Eventually he gave it back. There have been kindles stolen too. Crazy -- I am guessing the thief didn't know what it was!
Anyway, I have been reading on my Kindle for 2 years and using a smartphone on this line for 4 years. You just have to be careful of where you stand/sit and how you do it. Hold it in a way that someone can't come up behind you and run, etc. I wouldn't let criminals limit your behavior in that way! If you really want an iPad, don't let them stop you.
My husband is not so concerned about it getting stolen...but that somebody would hurt me trying to steal it. :)I'm not that much worried about it, though. I've been taking the NYC subways for 10+ years at all hours of the day and night and nothing has ever happened to me. I'm very careful with my surroundings although I could be an easy target because I'm always carrying so much stuff with me.
Is that what usually happens on the subway in NYC -- thieves hurt the targets? On the El in Chicago it is almost always a grab and run. Although there was a very sad and horribly tragic murder -- a man mushed a woman down a stairway to take her iPhone. :( But that is not the typical way the thefts happen.
My husband is the same way... He just tells me to give them whatever they want and fight like hell. Plus I've always got the kids with me so there is that. I sometimes get terrified they will want my car and I cannot get the boys out - crazy mama I know. We all know that 'Stuff' is just now what's important. D.G I do know that the new iphone 5 is coming out in the fall and it is supposed to have the processing power of a laptop and way faster. Not sure if the screen will be bigger but that might be an option.
The bottom line for me was reading off a backlit screen. I also think that it's not really necessary to get a ereader with wi-fi (even though mine does) just because I get most of my books on 'off sites' that I need to reformat.
D.G I hope we are helping you and not just confusing you more :)
LOL. I hope we are not confusing her. Leea, that is great news about the new iPhone! Do you know which network it will be on?I worry about that stuff too. Always trying to have an exit plan.
I just saw this -- apparantly if a customer buys a book through an App on an Apple product, Apple charges the vendor 30% for the sale. If a customer, howver, purchases the book outside of the app -- i.e. online through the web browser, then Apple doesn't charge the fee.http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-200...
Regina wrote: "Is that what usually happens on the subway in NYC -- thieves hurt the targets? "There have been instances of thieves pushing people in the tracks to steal purses (it doesn't happen often though.) That's I'm always watching my back and have a crossbody. But with hot items like an iPad, it's not unknown for thieves to pull out a knife, a gun or hit you over the head, specially if it's in the evening and the platform is lonely.
That said, I've never had a problem in the subway and have rarely witnessed anything and I've taken the subway at 2am by myself, roaring drunk (I try not to do it anymore, though.:)
Regina wrote: "LOL. I hope we are not confusing her. Leea, that is great news about the new iPhone! Do you know which network it will be on?I worry about that stuff too. Always trying to have an exit plan."
By network, do you mean AT&T? Apple keeps this super hush hush... I have a few friends on facebook who work for apple and they just say for me to 'wait for the fall' Plus stuff get's leaked. The guy at the apples store told my husband he should wait a few months *wink wink* because upgrading from my 3G to an iphone 5 would be a big jump :)
We live in a very crime ridden town - unfortunately and people will steal anything and everything. I don't go to the mall here unless it's just to B & N and never with my children. Crazy! I ran into this lady who in the course of a week had her house broken into, iphone stolen and then they stole her purse. We live in a very nice neighborhood and almost every house has had to call the police because criminals are coming here to steal (they are not stupid). Around that time we made the decision to buy a fire arm and safe. It was really a hard decision but here the city is so hurting for funds that they are now taking money from the police and fire. So now call times are longer. It's a mess here... We can't wait to move :)
Do you have a house alarm? Or a dog? Leea that is crazy stuff. My 'burb does have a higher crime, for the same reasons you say above, but it isn't where people are afraid to go out or take kids out. CRAZINESS!yes -- I meant AT&T or Verizon or who knows! Cool, thanks for sharing!
We don't have an alarm anymore because it was just not helping people so we figured our HUGE 85lb dog scares everyone anyway. We have great neighbors and we are always looking out for people we don't know. Living in a court is awesome and my kids play outside with their friends every night. It is getting better because the police have not been here in a long time. It's just a shock from Texas. It was hard adjusting to feeling unsafe because I never felt unsafe in San Antonio. I have AT&T so i'm guessing that it will be at both AT&T and verizon since you can get iphones there now :)
I love my house alarm, crazy it wasn't helping people! But truthfully, my dog has let us know about intruders before the alarm did (we had two almost burgalries/home invasions in the middle of the night).Your block sounds like mine -- my kids play with block friends every night too.
You and Stacia crack me up with your names.
How can you tell if a kindle book is loanable?
There are two ways. First before you buy you can check the book's info and second, after you buy, in your archived section on the Amazon website, in the Manage Your Kindle -- where the books are listed, if you expand the info for each book. If there is a button that reads, "Loan this Book", then it is lendable. Finding Lendable Books
Titles that are eligible for lending, as determined by the publisher or rights holder, will have a message on the product detail page. Scroll down to the "Product Details" section and look for "Lending: Enabled" as shown below: (there is a picture on the Amazon website that gives an example -- link beow)
For titles you already own, you can check the Your Orders section in Manage Your Kindle. Click the "+" symbol next to a title to reveal additional information about the title. If lending is enabled, you'll see a Loan this book button next to the product image.
This link explains it better than me though: http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/custome...
Thanks Regina. I was hoping I might be able to loan my husband something I bought for the Kindle app so I could read it on his kindle (as opposed to my tiny ipod) but no luck.
Do yoou have separate accounts? If not, he can just download it. But if you have separate accounts You can just share accounts. Amazon allows account sharing. If you go to that link do a search fo accout sharing. Basically you can register multiple devices to an account. Just deregister from one account and register tothe other account. No big deal, takes a few seconds and amazon allows it. I share accounts with about 5 or 6 friends.
Willaful and for anyone with a kindle that wants to know how to share accounts, in my post on this thread: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/3... (#301), you will see the steps on how to do it and the link to where Amazon discusses this option. And here are the links to Amazon where Amazon discusses it -- http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/custome...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/custome...
Marcella, what does SMUT mean?
So weird Aroma, I just got a private message from you in my email, but it dissapeared from my private inbox here on goodreads. As to the question you sent me, I am not sure. My most recent understanding is that the Nook was not for sale internationally and books could not be sold internationally -- anyone know something more recent? The Kindle is sold internationally, I know the book selection is different, I do not know about charging. Amazon has great customer service though, I recommend you contact them. SMUT is trashy sex books. :)
Marcella and Smut - i'm so shocked LOL Where have you been?
@ Regina: That's weird... just finished reading this thread :D So, Internationally I could go with amazon's kindle not b&n's nook.... Then shall it be ipad2 or latest kindle?@ Leea: About iphone5, I heard they are stopping its manufacturing, Is it true?
Aroma -- I would ask Barnes & Noble about the international thing though, that info might not be the most recent.
I get all my iphone info second hand. I did not hear that, I heard they were pushing it back till Aug/September. All I know is I'm getting the new one. Ha!! I cannot live without my iPhone or MacBook Pro Laptop. My older brother just got a iPad2.Honestly Aroma, I would go with the kindle unless you don't have a good computer or might want the iPad2 for school. I got the Nook Color and although I think they are awesome it just did not work for me because it was backlit and hurt my eyes. I ended up with the Nook since I already have a great laptop and a phone that I can get email/internet on it was kind of overkill with the Nook Color. Have you gone and checked them out... I hear the iPad2 is heavier than say the Kindle.
I love my Nook and I say it's helped me read more because I have all kind of books ready to go and waiting for me. I think you cannot go wrong. Good Luck!
@ Regina: Thanks, I will contact amazon and b&n and ask them my questions...@ Leea: I hope you are right about them not discontinueing the manufacturing but just pushing the date back. I own a blackberry at the moment its good for chatting and sending masseges but my sister and friend who both own iphone 4g tell me its better for browsing the internet and viewing pictures. So I was hoping for the iphone5 to come-out soon :D
I'm not very friendly with macintosh, I had to use it a few times in the Graohics department back at university and it drove me nuts every time just to figure out the commands and such. I'm hoping the iphone coming from the same company apple would be easier for me to operate! If i get an ipad2 it will be so i wont feel backwards in technology compared to others around me nowadays... I've got a Toshiba laptop last november, but as am i not a lucky person when purchasing gizmos/gadgets, phones and laptops, i've been having problems with it and took it to service 3 times already :(
As yomany of you praised the lightness in weight of e-readers and how it is easier to carry around, and i'm an addict romance reader and would love <3 to have such gadget !Hence the undesicion on what to buy.
Service is very important to me, and as i live in Qatar and have no b&n here and amazon is an ocean away, i'm confused. At least we do have apple re-salers who could "maybe" provide services!
aaaaah I'm still undecided and confused,,,,,:(
Honestly, I don't even buy books from B&N... I do understand being far away from both. It took me 6 months to buy one - take your time so you don't regret it. Also, Regina has an issue with her Kindle (I think it was her :) and they were great and replaced it. I don't think there is much difference between the nook and kindle. Happy hunting girl!
Thanks Leea for the advice to take my time on deciding :D
Aroma, did you read my post above that links to comparing the Nook and Kindle? It is post 104 in this thread. I do think the Kindle is superior to the Nook in ease of use and technology, that is just my opinion and based on my own expereince and needs. But not everyone is going to agree with me and I do like both the Nook and the Kindle. This is what I think you should do -- figure out where you will be getting your books? Buying them at a store? Which store? What format does that store sell them in? That should help you decide which ereader you want b/c the Nook and Kindle read different formats. Also, there are other ereadrs out there, I would take a look at all of them and read various forums that are dedicated to ereaders. There is a mobile reader forum (if you google it, it will pop up). There is www.kindleboards.com, nook has a forum. Look at the specs at each vendor's website, loook at the books available to you in the format for each ereader. Look at the customer service and the return policies for reach vendor (both the vendor for the ereader and where you will be buying the books). See how they pertain to you especially living outside of the US. For me, everything comes down in favor of the Kindle, but that is my needs and we all have different things we want in an ereader. So that is where I would start if I were you and in fact that is what I did when I bought mine! :)
Great advice Regina! It's so hard to pick one but I bet the Kindle will work best for you.
That sounds like really awesome advice.I sorta went like this... "I buy almost all my books from Amazon. I'm gonna go with the Kindle." Hahaha, I did go to Target and played with the Kindle, and to the book store and played with others. But it was the bottom line for me. I shop for my books primarily on Amazon.
Leea, it is the best for me, but I also wouldn't give up my Nook. Silly I know. Wendy, that was my reasoning too -- ultimately. I have been a long time customer from Amazon. It is pretty scary to look at my purchase history on Amazon -- have youe ver done that? I started purchasing activiely and regularly from Amazon in early 2002.
I really like the swiping ability on the Nook. For everything else I prefer Kindle. If service is important, I would definitely go with the Kindle; I've heard nothing but good about Amazon kindle service. Library books are supposedly no longer going to be an issue soon.
You've got me beat by quite a few years. I only discovered Amazon when I started working for a Publisher Fullfillment Center about 3 years ago. My orders are always books/music/movie's, and I still order 2-3 times a month, and that doesn't even touch my Kindle purchases! I try so hard not to, but I will admit that I buy an ebook almost once a day. (It's why I'm drowning in things to read!)
You know, it is funny I don't use the swiping capability at all on my Nook -- shows how different we all are. And why I think it is great that there are lots of options.
I have no idea what the 'swiping capability' is, haha.
The nook is billed as touch screen, but the main screen is not touch screen (like a tablet), the touch screen part is a small strip at the bottom. That is the part where all the controls are (turn on wifi, access library, etc.), that is touch screen. When reading a book, the reader can swipe the touch screen part at the botoom (not where the next appears) to turn a page.
Huh, interesting... so sorta like the mouse pad on a laptop.
Yes! But it is visual also. So pictures of the covers appear and that is where the choices to do stuff appears.
That sounds pretty interesting. I think it's funny that everyone who touches my Kindle immediately starts poking the screen. I don't know how many times I've had to quickly go "It's not a touch screen."
Wendy F wrote: "I have no idea what the 'swiping capability' is, haha."I have a nook and had no idea you could do that LOL Although, I do believe i've done it before because i've been reading and found myself on the next page. I love my nook but I almost got a Kindle.
So can you side load books onto your kindle?
Yup! I do it all the time. Calibre is compatible with kindle too. Lol that is funny Leea!
You guys use terms I've never heard of. Side load = USB cord? If so I do it all the time too.
Yes... Side load = Free books to me :)
I guess I like swiping because my first ereader was an iPod, which is all touch screen. I actually really love that with the kindle app for iPod, you can just touch the side of the screen to turn the page. Wish the Nook did that too.
willaful wrote: "you can just touch the side of the screen to turn the page...."The Nook color does this. I never swipe on my color. I always tap the side of the screen. For my Nook classic, I use the page turn buttons because I like to rest my thumb on them. Swiping seems like too much work when I can leave a finger in place and not really have to move it much.
Thats why I don't mind the button. I know just when to press it that I don't think it's any slower then an actual turning page.
True...I hadn't thought of that.
I'm really considering getting an iPad but given that my main aim is to get something for reading - after all, I already have an iPod Touch for my music, apps, etc. - I don't know that I should spend that much money...