Barnes & Noble Nook discussion
Nook - Your Personal eReader
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Why Nook and not Kindle?
I've had both. I currently have a Nook Color and used to have the Nook Gen1. I also had a K2. For me though, most importantly, is the issue of Amazon being too controlling. I feel like they are the next big bully on the block, intent on taking over the ENTIRE market, and I'm just not down with that.
I had decided on the Kindle. First of all-I love Amazon and use it all the time for all kinds of purchases and thought at the time that the Kindle was a superior product from the research I did.Then a friend told me she had the Kindle and returned it. She gave me all sorts of reasons and one big one was that they had no in store tech support like B&N did for Nook.
I bought it and liked the no buttons thing. At the time it was unique.
I was getting ready to upgrade to a newer model, but just an ereader...nothing fancy.
I was leaning/thinking kindle, but really liked the the Nook Simple touch. Another friend bought it and I was impressed at it's simplicity and small size. It is a tad bit smaller that a comparable Kindle and was on sale on Black Friday for $79.00-That sold the deal.
At the time I bought my classic Nook, Kindle wasn't available to download library books. That sealed the deal for me. Of course since then Kindle can now do the same, but I recently got a Nook Color since I already became a fan of the Nook through my first one. I'm very happy with it.
I got my Simple Touch Nook for a very different reason than you folks. I backpack and am looking at a three week trip this summer. So the eReader needed to be light and have a good battery life. Plus being able to download books by the bushel from Gutenberg helps.Since that time, my wife has bought a Simple Touch and a tablet.
I have an original Nook (I guess what is being called a Gen1). I couldn't decide which I wanted...but ultimately went with the Nook b/c it had the in-store option. (both help with the unit and the in-store coupons)
I went with the nook because it supports epub and pdf documents so you can actually buy from any store that sells these two formats. I also chose the nook (at the time) because the kindle did not have expansion slots for extra memory cards. I own the nook simple touch and love the e-ink technology because it is easy on my eyes. The battery life is also very good.
I have 2 nooks the 1st gen with 3G + wifi and a simple touch. my daughter received a nook color for xmas. Several of my friends had kindles but what made me get the nook was at the time only they had library access and about 5 months before i got my 1st gen my local library added several hundred ebooks. It was a no-brainer at that. I got the 3G because i tend to do a lot of reading in the car or at my kid's events so i needed to be able to buy something and not have access to wifi. about a month or 2 after i got it the read in store became my 3x a week routine. I finished many a book that way. All of those are features kindle could not at the time offer, even now they only offer library books but nothing from penguin.
Lastly when i learned that the kindle only read its own format i was happy i picked it. i have books on my nook i purchased from kobo, smashwords and a few other random places that you can't put a on a kindle.
I have the first gen Nook; I chose it over the Kindle for the replaceable battery, SD card slot, lack of a phyiscal keyboard, and the ability to purchase books from more than one revenue. I also have always liked B&N so it was nice being able to deal with them. With the way the devices are now, I'd really have to compare them again to see which I prefer.
Mod
Just FYI, Smashwords books can be read on the Kindle. Some other smaller etailers also have kindle (mobi) format. Also, if the book is DRM free, it's very easy to convert to the right format for any ereader. Epub and pdf are definitely more common, though.
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Willa that must be just the NST because on my Nook Color once you archive they disappear from the main library.
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Sherri *SheLuvs2Read* wrote: "I've had both. I currently have a Nook Color and used to have the Nook Gen1. I also had a K2. For me though, most importantly, is the issue of Amazon being too controlling. I feel like they are th..."I've heard the same issues from the library about Amazon & they're e-book collection
willaful wrote: "Well this is weird... I did some googling which confirmed the problem, but now I'm archiving stuff and it is going away. Maybe they fixed this in the software update?"I got a ebook that had an issue with the pages not changing, and the guy at B&N archived it and unarchived it and the issues with the book went aways, and that was before I installed the latest update on my Nook Color in December. You can press & hold on a book and a menu will pop up and one of the options is to remove from home. That might help with what you're trying to do. After I read a book I remove it from the home page.
I chose the Nook Color over Kindle because it was tied to B & N, and because of being able to get e-bboks anywhere and able to read books in other formats. I also got my Mom the Nook Simple Touch. I like being able to put both machines on one account (can put up to 6 machines on a account) and sharing all the books we get from B&N without having to "lend" the book to each other and having a time limit
I very quickly snubbed my nose at the Kindle. When I started doing research I was even more convinced to go the way of Nook. Amazon had locked out tons of books I was interested in buying through my eReader. In particular, as a manga fan I found that a lot of manga weren't being made available on the Kindle among many other books. So my decision was based almost purely on content and availability. I also have an avid reading friend who has the Kindle and she says she has fallen out of love with it because it's not offering anything she wants to read.
I think what ticks me off right now is that Amazon has made these agreements with authors to offer their content EXCLUSIVELY. Sure its nice for the author but what about all the Nook and Sony readers who won't be able to buy their work? One more thing that to me proves Amazon is in it to kill ALL the competition.
Mod
Word! I'm trying to avoid buying anything from Amazon whenever possible.
I researched both the Nook and the Kindle before buying and the real deciding factor is that I could go to the store and get a real live person to help me. And they are able to answer questions. I however have found out that calling customer service for Nook is not that helpful. You get someone in the Philipines and they only go by their manual. Note to self-do not call. All in all I am very happy with my Nook and feel that it is the best thing that I could have done.
2 years ago when I first started looking into getting an ereader I fell in love with the Nook. I looked at every possilbe ereader I could find. I searched blogs, read reviews, compared prices the whole 9 yards. In the end I had to choose between the Nook and Kindle. The Nookcolor had everything I wanted and needed. The Kindle Fire wasn't even heard of then. It killed my pocket book but I knew I was paying for quality. Looking back at it, Barnes and Noble had a broader outlook for it's product. I knew that it would only get better from then and I would have no reason to buy a new ereader every other year. Well that is if I don't mess my device up :/ but I still have insurance. I still stand by my device and it's company. I don't complain about prices and things becuase I actually believe in the Nook and BN and I know that they value their customers (:
willaful wrote: "Sherri *SheLuvs2Read* wrote: "I think what ticks me off right now is that Amazon has made these agreements with authors to offer their content EXCLUSIVELY. Sure its nice for the author but what abo..."me too!!
I feel that by supporting the Nook (and we do, mine will be the 4th in our house) I'm supporting real book stores. I use amazon for buying computer parts and music sometimes but rarely books.It was bad enough losing Borders. I'd hate to lose our B&N stores because we let amazon monopolize the business.
I get the best price for my Black Tiger & Jet Fuel Kcups on Amazon...I buy cd's, water filters, printer ink, flip flops and believe it or not....bras and undies from them. But I like being able to walk into any B&N store and have someone fix my ereader when I mess it up or show me how to do things-face to face.
I love both honestly and need yo try nook tablet I prefer nook simple over kindle keyboard ....I have kindle fire but I bought it for my daughter tor Xmas...the nook tablet was gone!!!
The fire is.solo easy to use and using the goodreads qpp now n its working great and love the cloud storage BIG time yet I still will try out the nook tablet I'm sure ill love ot and no need to share lol
I agree about how kindle organizes is much simpler I Sony enjoy going through every book every time BUT you can make shelves and just jump.yo.the shelves but not same unless we archive them??? Like kindle does?
Sherri *SheLuvs2Read* wrote: "I think what ticks me off right now is that Amazon has made these agreements with authors to offer their content EXCLUSIVELY. Sure its nice for the author but what about all the Nook and Sony reade..."I really agree. I happen to have a Nook & a Sony and find I sometimes have to wait for a book because of the exclusivity.
Pat wrote: "Sherri *SheLuvs2Read* wrote: "I think what ticks me off right now is that Amazon has made these agreements with authors to offer their content EXCLUSIVELY. Sure its nice for the author but what abo..."I'm lucky in that I have plenty to read. I refuse to buy from Amazon. I have downloaded some of their freebies but very few have been something I'd pay for.
I was never a fan of B&N because they didn't have as good a coupons as Borders, the people who worked at the store near my house were pain rude, and their manga selection was horrible. However when it can to choosing an ereader, I bought the Gen1 Nook because you were able to loan books to other people. Kindle did not have that feat. at the time. Over the summer/fall I was comparing the Kindle Fire and the Nook Tablet to see which one was a better product. After comparing the specs and looking at reviews, I went with the Tablet because it had twice the amount of space, supports epubs, able to add an SD card, and had overall better reviews. I am extremely happy with my Tablet and very glad I didn't go with a kindle.
Sandie wrote: "I was never a fan of B&N because they didn't have as good a coupons as Borders, the people who worked at the store near my house were pain rude, and their manga selection was horrible. However when..."The flexibility, external media/storage capability, numerous formats able to be used, these were my big reasons to get the Nook as well.
Is the Nook able to read e-books from Amazon? I thought Amazon only sold Kindle format e-books. I have huge problems getting the right music from online for my iPod because of choosing the wrong formats, and would rather not do that with my Nook.
Mod
You can convert Amazon books with a free program called Calibre, if they're DRM-free. Since DRM is expensive, Amazon freebies often don't have it.
Calibre is awesome and very easy to use: http://calibre-ebook.com/
@Missyb I use Realplayer on my computer to converter video and music files and that works great. It has a converter for many different devices and it's free!!
At the time, it was mainly for library access.However, the more i hear of Kindle owners and their frustration over lack of tech support, or being charged for tech support, I'm happy with my decision on a Nook.
I can walk into any store and get free help.
Thats a big perk for me, as I've used the support on several occasions.
I also like that I'm not forced to purchase ebooks directly from B&N.
I originally bought the 3G Nook when it first came out. When the Nook Simple Touch came out, I bought that (longer battery life and lighter weight was important, because I read a lot!).I originally went with B&N over Amazon because I'd read a lot of articles online about how Amazon treats their kindle users. Amazon has in the past deleted a book off of kindles (I believe there was a copyright issue, so Amazon just took away everyone's copy of the book). I've also heard of individuals who's Amazon accounts were locked by Amazon, meaning that they lost their entire Kindle library. If I pay for a book, I want to own it & not have someone take it from me without my permission.
Melissa wrote: "I originally bought the 3G Nook when it first came out. When the Nook Simple Touch came out, I bought that (longer battery life and lighter weight was important, because I read a lot!).I origina..."
Oh wow that's horrible!!!! Yeah with amazon it's most likely more about the money. With BN they actually care about the world of reading!! I love that they now have the Harry Potter series!! How amazing is that?!?!?
Valencia:You only buy the Potter Series at Pottermore, B&N just link you to it. I only recently started using my Nook Color more because I have more books on my Sony having had it longer and its heavier. Anyway, I like the lending feature on the Nook but I do wish they had more free books. I also like that I can use the extra memory slot for my non B&N material also.
Oh ok I didn't know that. Yeah it's pretty awesome even though you can't lend a lot of the newer items. I think they still do Free Fridays...I think. Oh and I wonder what books Amazon have for free. It seems like the most free books are like by Indie authors, self publishers, and some classics.
I was a die hard kindle user until I got the Nook tablet as a gift in December I use it much more often than my kindle now. I like the feel of it , love the color , and shelve layout . I wish they had more threads about books on their homepage since I like to hear others opinions . I wish they also promoted books from foreign authors since I think there are a lot of good stories that we miss out on .
Valencia wrote: "@Missyb I use Realplayer on my computer to converter video and music files and that works great. It has a converter for many different devices and it's free!!"I think we have that program, Thanks for the info
I purchased my Nook when I discovered my publisher use to be partially owned by B&N. The ability to do an in-store purchase with actual people I could look at when I had an issue was more than I needed to know. I've owned my Nook a while now and the more I hear about Amazon and it's plot for world domination I'm kinda glad I went the way of the Nook. It's the original Nook that still works great and brings me hours of adventures and escapes. :)
I like the idea of being able to go to a B&N and have access to any book sold there for a couple of hours for free. Being that I live and work in NYC, I don't have to sit home and order books online. I can go out anywhere in the city knowing a B&N is not far.
I went with the Nook Simple Touch, and a few months later the Nook Color, because I already owned 2 Sony Readers and the books I'd purchased from the Sony store could be read on the Nook.I'd originally gone with the Sony for the same reasons I'd purchase a Nook now, if I was a first time buyer.
1. Epub format. Amazon just seems to want to make everything difficult with their mobi files and not being able to even read an epub edition.
2. SD slot
3. I find both the Sony Readers and the Nooks easier to hold and turn pages one handed.
4. Again, back to the epub format, Kobo is about the only ebook store that emails coupons so I like that it's easy to buy books from them and put them on my Nook.
My only problem was with book covers. Nook and iTunes generate covers from the Metadata and everyone else just uses the first page of a book for the cover. So, books purchased somewhere else don't have covers on the Nook. I hated not having covers. I searched and found a solution. I found a third-party plugin for a software program I was already using to manage my book library, Calibre (much easier than Adobe Digital Editions). The extension strips the DRM off books that your computer can already read (i.e. books you own), then using Calibre I edit the metadata to include a book cover and then convert the book (keep it an epub) to save the new metadata. Now my Nook shelves are all pretty and everything has a cover.
I researched extensively and went with the Nook for the simple reason, that if I had problems I could go to the store and get help from a real live person. I started with the simple touch and loved it but the Nook froze up and when I took it into the store I asked about an upgrade and then went with the tablet. Love my Nook!!
I had problems with my Simple Touch went into a B&N Store for help and they just exchanged it for a new one. I just bought the Simple Touch With Glow Light which will be delivered tomorrow. :-)))))))) To me that seals the deal. Light in bed without waking anyone.
I currently have both the 1st Gen and Simple Touch I and love it. (selling them on Ebay!)
I like the Nook Simple Touch for its hackability. I now have the stock B&N, Kindle and Kobo on mine. Choice is great.
My nearest BN store is about 3 hours away. The nearest BaM is about an hour away. So is the nearest Best Buy....... So yea I'm pretty dependant on over the phone Customer Service.
I have 2 Barnes & Nobles less than a mile from where I live and 2 blocks from my job in Manhattan, NY. That was a deal breaker for me. I bought my Nook Color the month it dropped. The only problem I had with mine was the charger. And they sent me a new one for free.
That's great!! I guess it's good that there arn't many around here (like 3 in my whole state) because you'd never get me out of them!!!
I have both the Nook and the Kindle.(kindle was a gift) I am curious why you like the Nook better? What made you buy it over the Kindle?