Barnes & Noble Nook discussion
Nook - Your Personal eReader
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Why Nook and not Kindle?
I know that some of us were talking about buying a tablet.....Today's special value on QVC is the Nook 16 GB tablet which goes for $229 on the B&N site; but is for sale on their website for $169 and it comes with a cover and other stuff:http://www.qvc.com/webapp/wcs/stores/...
I have had both the kindle and nook color and liked kindle better. Nook is too heavy and not as easy to organize. Now I have iPad mini which I love and use both kindle and nook apps to read on.
There are different reasons to like the two. Kindle:
Good: good organization on the carousel
Bad: unlike Nook you can't click on the photo of the book cover and get a description. therefore, if you want to remind yourself of the book, you have to go through leaving the book and going to the web, then looking up the book. Real pain in the backside as I have hundreds of e-books.
Good: much better web browser. you can have several windows open at the same time.
Bad: terrible organization capabilities. i downloaded a pattern for my knitting so i could just drop it into my knitting bag and go for my knitting circle. Uh, what happened to it?!?!? nothing in my docs. I KNOW i downloaded it! Where is my stuff? How do I get to it? I can see it on my computer through device management, but on the flippin Kindle? Nope. How frustrating!
Good: Amazon downloads
Bad: Amazon downloads. you are jerked around so that the only easy book downloads are amazon ones. you have to download the nook app to download any other books to the kindle, then use calibre to reformat and load. pain in the backside. the same kind of manipulation of the customer that microsoft does, and i despise it.
Bad: managing your documents on the kindle is a pain. i have a lot of books i would like to remove, but you have to do it one at a time. the books in the file folders on your computer are named things like "B009YMJ2AO_EBSP.prc.luci" which makes no more sense than pouring water into a bottomless bucket, so you have to do it from the kindle - but that is a true pain in the fanny, or from the amazon site, another true pain - one by one by one by one....
Good: more library downloads lately
Bad: not as many kindle downloads as normal Adobe e-pub book download library books which are not fully compatible with the kindle
Good: both netflix and amazon movies.
Bad: i gave up the amazon prime - I can't afford the $79. right now. also, amazon movies can get expensive, even with prime. and sometimes you download a movie, go back to watch it later, and all of a sudden it says that even though you own it, you can't watch it! at least i was able to return for a refund, but that is a pain!!!
Good: freebooksy gives you anywhere from three to six freebie books every day for the kindle. bargainbooksy is several low cost books a day. problem is, it is all set up through amazon, so kindle format only. . . another reason it ticks me off that amazon bought goodreads. what are they going to do here to mess things up?
Questionable: I can listen to my audio books on either unit, but audible and amazon (yes, amazon owns audible now) have an agreement, so I would imagine things will be different in the future but who can tell?
Questionable: something called immersion reading/whispersync for voice. haven't checked it out yet but it is apparently a way to listen on audio and then switch to written on the kindle. uh. why? if i buy an expensive audio book, why would i want to go to e-reader format? will check it out at some point and if i remember i will let you know what i think, but maybe some else has checked it out?
Nook:
B&N needed really good management, which they didn't get, hence all their financial problems. if they had better management, they could survive - their platform is better in a lot of ways. more flexible, easier to manage, but truly lacking in some areas.
Bad: weight. the unit is bulky.
Good: downloads to the nook are easy
Good: you can hold your finger down over the book cover and get details of the book.
Good: Sorting books is easy and quick through the library. Most recent, title, author. also headers with books, magazines, newspapers, and my stuff.
Good: my stuff. you can actually see my shelves of books sorted in the order I want them, my files (knitting patterns, anyone?!) I can even archive files to cut the clutter in my books (last count, I have 541 books in my archive, including snippets of books that I might want to look at later but haven't bought yet) but only 89 books in my library.
Good: deleting or archiving books is much easier
Good: books I stored on sugarsync or other outside web storage areas are very very easily loaded, read, managed, deleted.
Bad: lousy web browser software
Good: Personally, I don't like the whole Amazon "bully" attitude of setting up their own formatting so that it is hard to read anything but amazon books on the kindle.
Good: movies and video on the kindle are crystal clear but so are nook so netflix rocks my world right now on the nook.
Finally:
Nook is MUCH the better book reader overall IMO, because it is so much easier to manage and works so much better with outside sources like sugarsync and the library, etc. while for movies and web browsing kindle hangs in there as the better purchase as well as having freebooksie, etc. since i don't have prime any longer, i don't get access to the amazon library (which was just one book a month anyway for free). I broke down and have both - a Kindle Fire (bought used when someone upgraded to the HD) and a Nook Tablet that I got when my cancer treatments kept me in bed for days on end. both have their pluses and minuses. A quick look at ebay garnered me an 8-gb kindle fire for $49.99 so if you want to do like I did, you can gather up all the old stuff around the house you no longer want and have a garage sale, or throw it on ebay, and pretty soon, voila! you can get yourself a kindle fire cheapo and then save a TON of money on free books through amazon freebooksie etc and it will more than pay for itself in the long run. or the other way around - a quick look at good old ebay and i saw a nook tablet with a nice case and free shipping for $60.99. there could be cheaper ones?
overall? it is what you are looking for in a reader. i use both constantly. decide what is important to you and go for it!
Katya wrote: "I know that some of us were talking about buying a tablet.....Today's special value on QVC is the Nook 16 GB tablet which goes for $229 on the B&N site; but is for sale on their website for $169 an..."My Mom has been thinking of upgrading from the Simple Touch to the Tablet, and when I saw this on QVC she jumped on it. Great price plus it comes with a case.
I wanted an actual physical person I could go to for help and so went with the Nook, and when anyone asks I tell them go with the Nook. It's easy to use, reads many formats, and has an actual physical store instead of a 1-800 #.
I don't like Amazon. I hate them for forcing libraries to buy books that will work only on the Kindle instead of playing by the rules already established and allowing epub.
I have never really been an Amazon shopper, when the Nook came out I was all over it. People automatically think that if you have an ereader that it is the Kindle, I love that we have another option out there, I have 3 Nooks, yes, I said 3, I have the 1st generation Nook, the Simple Touch Nook and now the Nook HD, and I love all 3 of them. It saddens me that B&N is having management issues, or whatever the case may be, I hope they can get it together, I would really hate to see the Nook go to someone else. I love that I can go in to a B&N with my Nook, sit in the café, eat, read a book for free, or talk to a rep about my Nook if I am having an issue or just want to ask a question, that personal service is very important to me. And I'm with Leiah, I think you just need to decide what is important to you and then go for it. I think there is enough of us consumers to go around.
I have 2 nooks, the 1st generation e ink nook and the nook color. I received an iPad for Christmas that I have nook app on but I rather read on my nook. I'm trying to decide if I want to upgrade my nook color to the nook hd. Is it worth spending the money for. It would be a easier decision if I didn't have an iPad also. I like the idea of being able to put the kindle app (not an amazon fan..just a book fan) on it for the books I can't get at b&n. pros & cons welcome.
Venus I love my Nook HD and have been considering upgrading to the Nook HD+, I need to do the research too see if it is rally worth it to me. As far as your question though, I don't own the Nook Color so I can't really give you any pros for the upgrade, except to say that I really do love my Nook HD. I have the Kindle app for that very same reason that you do.
Oh my flipping word! Did you see this week's sale on the Nook HD?? It starts at $129 and now has Google Play! I am flippin' amazed! I want one NOW! Who wants to buy my original Nook tablet so I can buy one? LOL
So the Nook HD is the one you can put the kindle app on? does that make it possible to get the books that are always listed from amazon to it without issue?
I was waiting for this sale to help me decide. They had a similar sale the week of Mother's Day so I got the Nook hd+ for my husbands birthday for him. I don't think I want to go to the plus for me because of the 9" screen. I like the size and weight of the 7" screen of my nook color because it can fit in a purse easy. I have an iPad with a bigger screen. I so wish I had a Barnes and Noble store here. My husband is having issues getting online and downloading the google apps. It is very slow, times out or says his device is not compatible. We are wondering if we need to upgrade our Internet. I don't want to pay the money to upgrade from the Nook Color to the Nook HD to have new issues.
Valerie, I am assuming so.....that is want I read. That is one of the reasons I'm thinking upgrading.
Linda, is the screen size the only difference in the HD and the HD+?
Valerie wrote: "So the Nook HD is the one you can put the kindle app on? does that make it possible to get the books that are always listed from amazon to it without issue?"Yes you can add the kindle app (download it from the Google Play store). I don't understand your second question.
perhaps this was mentioned..... i just learned about N2A. where you can insert an SD card and run it as android. has anyone used it?
I just broke down and bought the Nook HD+. I was really pissed with what they did concerning the Tablet and mine wont even be a year old until October. And I had been considering the kindle. But with the price they have them at this week I really couldnt pass it up. I got the Nook HD+ 32gb for $179. Regular $299.
Vicki wrote: "Oh my flipping word! Did you see this week's sale on the Nook HD?? It starts at $129 and now has Google Play! I am flippin' amazed! I want one NOW! Who wants to buy my original Nook tablet so ..."I just broke down and bought one. I couldnt pass up the HD+ 32gb for $179
Venus wrote: "Linda, is the screen size the only difference in the HD and the HD+?"Just a couple of things are different, the size of course and the table has more pixels and 1 other thing - that I can't remember right now. I am still on the fence though - this sale price just may pass me up.
Vickie you won't need the N2A card with the Nook HD & HD+, all of the Google stuff is there and it is fabulous. I talked with a friend of mine via my tablet thru the GTalk app! I loved it!!
I was tempted because of the addition of Google Play! It really is a great price. But after installing the N2A card and running full android with Google Play... I am happy with my original Nook Tablet again. LOL. But I might still get one to hang on to for next Christmas for my son. He has a Nabi, but it is so limited!
That makes sense. I am going to pass my tablet on to my son as well. He was supposed to get my pandigital ereader but since its just a crappy system I thought this would be good for him. But with LOTS of parental locks.
Well I'm not going to pass up this sale....I just have to decide which one to get HD or the HD+. I'm worried that the size of the HD+ will be cumbersome after holding it to read for a couple of hours. I wish I could put the book I'm reading on my husbands HD+ to try it to finish out the book with out him having to purchase it. If it was lendable I could just lend it. I set up a profile for me on his but it uses the b&n account of the profile that the nook is registered in.
Venus wrote: "Well I'm not going to pass up this sale....I just have to decide which one to get HD or the HD+. I'm worried that the size of the HD+ will be cumbersome after holding it to read for a couple of h..."I got one of those cases that has a built in stand. Plus they said that the HD+ is supposed to be lighter than the tablet. I ended up getting the HD+ 32gb. It was $179 couldnt pass up that price.
Theresa the HD+ is the tablet, which one is it supposed to be lighter than?? the HD is pretty light, I can hold it with one hand.
The HD is 11.1 oz with a 7" screen and the HD+ is 18.2 oz with a 9" screen.
I just got my HD+ in and it is a lot lighter than my Nook Tablet in its case! I am so loving it!
Katya wrote: "I know that some of us were talking about buying a tablet.....Today's special value on QVC is the Nook 16 GB tablet which goes for $229 on the B&N site; but is for sale on their website for $169 an..."I bought it during the sale only see that the Nook HD+ is $149 this week. Sheesh! lol
I bought the Nook HD 16 GB a week ago for $200 at Best Buy. I was so upset when I saw it was on sale for $149 this week. Fortunately Best Buy gave me a refund. I'm in love with my Rhea the Ever Ferocious but Sometimes Shy (my Nook's name) :-) This is a pretty fantastic device.
I have a Simple Touch Nook and a very basic Kindle. The Nook has a touch screen, the Kindle does not. Nook can read a bunch of different formats, Kindle can't. Nook has awesome support in B&N, Kindle doesn't. Both have millions of free books.
Several years ago I bought my first nook. I stepped up when they came with a new model. I own the first simple touch w/light. My daughter in law got a new Kindle and hates it. She asked me why didn't I talk her out of buying the Kindle. Oh well, I like mine.
I have had two Kindles previously, the 1st gen and the Tablet. I just replaced the Tablet with a Nook HD+. The HD+ has a larger screen, has on-site customer service at BN stores, has a great warranty replacement, and I can still download and read kindle books using a Kindle app on the Nook. I also have more flexibility with the Nook, as I don't have to convert my books in order to read them - I can download from the library easily as well.
Overall, the HD+ is a great deal. Of course, that is my personal opinion!
Leiah
soireadthisbooktoday.com
For those of you who have a kindle tablet, I have a question: Can you download the B&N app?? I have a nook hd+ and love it but one of my kiddos wants the kindle but already have a lot of books on B&N.
No, you can not get the BN app on the kindle fire. There are some sites that show how some have rooted the device, but I am not willing to mess with my devices in that way. Hubby bought me the Kindle Fire HDX for Christmas. As a tablet, it is fine for basics, but the Amazon App Store does not have all the apps I love. As a color ereader, I like it very much. It's very lightweight and easy to hold. I like the interactive options too with book suggestions and integration to goodreads. I've moved some of my magazine subscriptions over to the kindle, but not all are available on both devices.
I picked Nook because I've bought my books and reading accessories at the Barnes and Noble stores for years. My first was the Nook Color but I have since upgraded to a Nook HD. I love it! It fits all my needs and connects me with google, too. It took me a while, but I finally got an Amazon account as well because there are some authors that don't publish with B&N. I'm happy to say that I downloaded the Kindle App from Google Play and I'm able to access, buy, and read all my books from Amazon. For me, it's Nook all the way! <3
Jamie, I with you, I also have a nook hd+ and it is my 3 rd nook, I started with the first nook then a nook color and now the hd+. I love my nook and being able to buy from amazon is great but my son seemed to want a kindle but not being able to read his BN books was a deal breaker so now he is wanting a ipad.
Lol. I guess that works to get the best of both worlds. ;-)
For the most part I think I ended up with a Nook because there was a store I could walk into pick one up and look at it. I wasn't all about an e-reader so having one actually in my hand helped. That and when I first bought my Nook it had the LendMe feature that wasn't available on Kindle (not the case anymore). I AM a *little* disappointed that the Nook Simple Touch (what I started with) had a non reflective screen but my newer Nook Color doesn't.
I did the same as Jamie and downloaded the kindle app onto my Nook HD+. Kindle has more freebies, but I actually don't really like the interface of the Kindle app. It doesn't seem to be as easy to use as the nook.With the nook and kindle app I get the best of both worlds :)
I like the Nook because it has a memory slot card reader. I can have up to 32 G worth of books on! I own a simple touch reader and a Nook color. I still get books on Amazon and use Calibre to change them to .epub format. I also buy lots of books from Barnes Noble and get free books from them too. Kindle do not have memory slots in them. For the money I vote NOOK all the way. My only question to B&N is this: why did you make a new Glow Reader with NO memory slot???? I was going to buy one until I saw that! Dumb move B&N!
Kindle is not user friendly at all. Nook has always had a memory slot (until recently), and kindle hasn't.
Nook uses ePub format, kindle doesn't. ePub is more widely used than the Amazon format.
Marla,I think it is the fact that you get free Cloud storage that is moving them away from memory slots. I store all my books in the Cloud, even for my HD+, and only keep a few on the device itself - books that I am going to be reading within the next couple of weeks. Honestly, it keeps me focused. I have so many books that I miss the ones I am supposed to be reading for reviews simply because I have had SO MUCH in the past on the reader that I simply can't keep up. I have a spreadsheet of books, but when I get busy, the time flies and all of a sudden my review is due and I am simply not ready!
Leiah
soireadthisbooktoday.com
I have a external memory card in my Nook & my phone. I have the Amazon app on both, and use google books to put other books on my phone. The external memory cards that goes in my phone & Nook are both 8 gb, and I have plenty of room on both cards.
I was a huge fan of Nook. I started we nigh the simple touch and it froze. Took it back to the store for replacement and upgraded to the color. Liked the color but wanted a bigger screen so I bought the hd+. And I have had nothing but problems with the hd+. While reading the book would close and go to the first page. Or when I had a couple of minutes open the ereader to find my book is on the first page again! Took it back to the store and of course it does not happen in the store. Called the 800# and the want to reset the device. I got a replacement and everything is happening all over again. Called customer service so much and reset the device so many times I no longer have email on the nook nor do I have anything bookmarked. As a result I do not use the nook hd+. I use an iPad and bought a kindle to carry in my purse. This makes me sad cuz I loved the nook but the hd+ really soured me don't the nook tablets.
Nina wrote: "I was a huge fan of Nook. I started we nigh the simple touch and it froze. Took it back to the store for replacement and upgraded to the color. Liked the color but wanted a bigger screen so I boug..."Wow so many problems! I have a Nook color not the HD and it has worked great for 3 years strong! Sorry to hear that!
So, I Read This Book Today wrote: "Marla,I think it is the fact that you get free Cloud storage that is moving them away from memory slots. I store all my books in the Cloud, even for my HD+, and only keep a few on the device itse..."
Cloud...too many can access the cloud. I like having it on a chip and hard drive for privacy.
Nina wrote: "I was a huge fan of Nook. I started we nigh the simple touch and it froze. Took it back to the store for replacement and upgraded to the color. Liked the color but wanted a bigger screen so I boug..."The thing with that is - it gets too hot! Do you have it in a cover?? I had the exact same issues, took it into the store, and the lady there said the problem is that I have a leather cover with a bluetooth keyboard that snaps in. Since there is no fan, the unit gets hot, and when it gets too hot it spikes and blows out the components. Well, DUH... I should have figured that out! The replaced it with a brand new one and I no longer use the leather case and it is just as fine as wine and chocolate. I love my HD+ now! I quilted up a nice sleeve from fun fabrics and use the little hole on the bottom corner to clip the cover to the Nook when I am not using it (I have a REALLY bad infestation of gremlins, little buggers are consummate thieves, I can never find anything once I put it down!) and that works out perfectly for me. I fold the sleeve back and use it as a base, but can drop it down as well, when I am just sitting and reading. The keyboard goes in a quilted pocket on the front of the case and, voila! no overheating!
Leiah
Smashwords offers it and I think you can convert from epub to Mobi with Calibre, not sure.