Nook or Kindle - Portage,MI

Updated on July 16, 2012
N.L. asks from Portage, MI
17 answers

Ok moms I need your help. I want to get an E Reader but can not decide which one I want. Nook or Kindle. Also which of those brands I want. Nook Tablet, Touch or Kindle Fire, Touch 3G. I have researched both and am just driving myself crazy figuring these out.
I mostly want it to read, but may be nice to have it for apps and other stuff.

Thanks for the input

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M.F.

answers from Chicago on

Angie C, I just want to clarify that Nook doesn't have its own proprietary format. It reads common formats such as ePub and PDF, just like a Sony or Kobo reader. It just can't read mobi (Kindle format).

2 moms found this helpful
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L.M.

answers from Chicago on

I use a tablet and use the Kindle app. Love it. I'm guessing long term B&N will not be in business. Their books are too expensive, and so many of us are going to ereaders. I didn't want my ereader tied to a business that may fail, and I doubt Amazon will.

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D.B.

answers from Madison on

My mom got the Kindle Fire and i got it all set up for her. I really liked it, it was easy to use, easy to set up. She wants to read books, but when they travel - we put movies on it.

Good luck with your decision - I just bought a new camera and about killed myself . . . I had analysis paralysis - haha

2 moms found this helpful
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S.W.

answers from Minneapolis on

I have an old Kindle, it is just an e-reader, no other features. I still love it. If I were to buy a new one, it would be a Kindle again. I do a lot of business with Amazon and don't see that changing.

I have read reviews that favor the Kindle over the Nook, but they were close. I think you'd be happy with either. Have you gone into a Best Buy and tried them? I usually can decide more easily when I can pick up and touch them.

2 moms found this helpful
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S.T.

answers from Houston on

I wouldn't' even tie yourself to "Nook or Kindle" There are plenty of new 7 inch tabs out there that are ereaders, and can do so much more.
Google just brought out the new nexus tablet, which is the same price as the kindle, but has double the memory, and the new jellybean operating system, and an ultrafast processor so you can play the latest games. Plus a 5 megapixel camera, and loads of other stuff. I'm gonna get me one!
I have a lenovo 7 inch tablet, which was $199, I have a kindle reader on it, can browse the web properly with firefox, play games, listen to music. It has a windows style interface, easy to use, even has an SD slot!

I tried the kindle fire, and it WAS nice, but that carousel interface they have just about drove me crazy!

1 mom found this helpful
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K.G.

answers from Fort Wayne on

Spend the extra coin and get an Ipad they are at great prices now that the Ipad3 is out, it does everything you can get all books and mags through the itunes app and everything will be backed up on icloud. I had the nook and was really disappointed. I am so in love3 with the ipad that I am thinking of getting an iphone. if you have wifi you can message anyone who has an iphone just like sending a text. Its a very user friendly tool.

1 mom found this helpful
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S.B.

answers from Dallas on

I have a Nook Color and my hubby has a Kindle Fire. Here's what we have noticed. Neither one is fantastic on the web, but the Kindle Fire appears to be just a touch faster and slightly easier to navigate.

The Nook seems to us, to be just a bit better to read on, especially if you are out in the sun. And we often read outside while watching our kids play.

The Kindle is a bit more proprietary. You have to go to amazon.com, for most of the books. Since we have an Amazon prime membership, it's no big deal. Because we can get one free book a month, plus they offer many free books on amazon, it's just a matter of finding something that you are interested in reading. With the Nook, I am able to find more freebies online. It will take PDFs.

The Kindle battery life is shorter than the Nook, but it charges pretty quickly. The Nook has a longer battery life and charges a bit more slowly.

Customer service on both appears to be good. My MIL broke a cable (yanked it really hard) and Amazon was great about getting a new one to her free of charge. But she did have to wait for it. When my Nook cord stopped working, I took it to Barnes and Noble and they replaced it right there.

I can't really recommend one above the other. It all depends on what is important to you. We are pretty happy with both. Maybe I gave you some food for thought.

1 mom found this helpful
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J.☯.

answers from Springfield on

This was me last Christmas. So many choices! It was overwhelming.

I new I didn't want to get a tablet (I-Pad or Samsung Galaxy). I mean, don't get me wrong. They sound great. I just wasn't looking to spend that kind of money. I felt guilty enough wanting to spend $200 on myself.

I realized I really did want the Nook Color or Kindle Fire (as opposed to the simpler models) because I did want to have access to the web. Using the internet on these is no where near as good as a laptop or desktop, but it's nice to be able to look things up or read a page while the kids play at McDonalds!

So, it came down to Nook Color or Kindle Fire. I chose the Nook because it has the ability to use memory cards (don't know if I'll need that or not, but it's nice to have the option), it can read other formats (I have an older reader) and we have a Barnes and Noble here in town. Nice to be able to walk in and show them my Nook and say, "It's doing this, and I need it to do that. Help!"

Personally, I think you have to decide whether you want the simpler model or the tablet type model. Choosing between the Nook and the Kindle is "6 or one half dozen of the other," and only you can decide. Once you do decide, don't look back. Just enjoy!

1 mom found this helpful
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S.B.

answers from Kansas City on

I have the first generation Nook and my mom has the Nook Tablet. I have a friend with a Kindle Fire and one who just bought a tablet and then got the Nook and Kindle apps. It really depends on what you like. I love my Nook, even though it barely does internet, it does just what I need it for, which is be an ereader. My mom loves her Nook Tablet. My sister loves her Ipads. You need to compare them all and see what you want. I know best buy had a bunch of different kinds when we were there the other day, and Walmart does too, so if you want to see them in real life before you buy, find where they are in stores.

1 mom found this helpful
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K.M.

answers from Detroit on

Kindle fire but if can I pad better!

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B.B.

answers from Missoula on

I'm a Kindle girl, but I got a Samsung Galaxy tablet for my birthday in March and I love it for reading books. I have the Amazon Kindle app which lets me read all my Kindle books on my tablet and synchs between any devices I use. If you are interested in more than just reading, a tablet may be a good choice for you.

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A.C.

answers from Washington DC on

Honestly I'd skip either of those ... too proprietary for me.

I have the Sony touch with wifi e-reader and boy do I LOVE it :) I can read ANY document format (rtf, html, doc, epub, pdf, etc and so forth) except the kindle and nook formats.

I have the lighted cover so can read in the dark AND I can read in bright sunshine with no problems at all :)

So there ya go ... I say neither :) Go with the Sony or Kobo or some other open format reader :)

And yes I edited my previous answer LOL

S.T.

answers from Washington DC on

all i've ever used is my fire, which i love!
khairete
S.

L.P.

answers from Tyler on

I have a 2nd generation Nook and love it, but if I were buying today I would go for an Ipad.

K.H.

answers from Detroit on

I went through the same thing a while ago. Couldn't decide for the longest time. I ended up going with the Kindle Fire and LOVE IT.

But here's a few suggestions:

If you read in the sun a lot - get one with e-ink. The drawbacks of the e-ink is that it is in black & white only and it can only be used for reading, but if you do a lot of reading in the sun it's the best option and you can always have a smartphone or a laptop for all the other stuff. They are easier on your eyes too.

If you read lots of magazines or want to use some apps (I use mine for facebook, looking up recipes in the kitchen, and whatnot) then the e-ink isn't for you.

If you read in the dark (like in bed) make sure you get one with a backlight. Sure, they have lights that clip on to the e-ink ones, but I like the backlight on my Fire.

Whatever you get, get a good case. I have a rooCase (http://www.amazon.com/rooCASE-Dual-View-Genuine-Leather-A...) and it's great! It's sturdy, has a slight magnet in it so it doesn't flop around when closed, you can easily turn it either way to read it, and it does a nice job of protecting it when I shove it in my purse or bag.

One of the major reasons I chose the Kindle Fire is because I use Amazon a lot. I order all sorts of misc stuff from there (especially around Christmas) and so I bought the Prime membership too. I have barely used the prime for the books though - you don't really need it unless you want to watch their video apps and such. It IS nice having it but, just so you know, you don't actually NEED it.

Good luck! :)

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B.

answers from Augusta on

Nook Tablet.
Anything kindle you are limited to buying books from amazon.
Nook you can get them from other sources. Kindle does not support e pub format, nook does.
Nooktablet is also faster than the Kindle fire.
Nook takes a microSD card so you can expand the memory. Kindle you are limited to what it comes with.
Nook , I LOVE the customer service with Barnes and noble. You can go in and talk to an actual person and they are very nice and the know what they are talking about. My first Nookcolor had a hardware issue it refursed to accept the newest software update, I didn't even buy it at Barnes and Noble but I took it into B&N the Nook Specialist immediately looked at it to see what the issue was. Well they found that it was the hardware , they sent me a new one in the mail for free and I send the other one back to them no questions asked. My second one was in a scuffle with the kids and the corner got cracked. Now by this time it was out of warranty but again , I got to trade it in for a new one, this time it was 65$ but still less than what it would cost for me to repair it myself. You can by a certified pre owned Nook Tablet , 16GB , for $199 from Barnesandnoble.com .
There are currently 1.8 million free books available for the nook.

ETA: if you have a smart phone you can get the nook app for free and it syncs with your e reader and you can put one down and start reading the same place where you were reading on the other device. So if I'm reading my Nooktablet , and we need to go somewhere and I don't want to stop reading, I can put down my tablet and just open up the book on my phone and I don't have to find the page it's already there.

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D..

answers from Charlotte on

I would want the Nook that you can see in the dark. I forget what it's called - it's rather new. You can use the light feature in bed and not bother your spouse.

I have an iPad, but it's very bright and bothers my husband if I use it in bed. The Nook light is evidently different.

Don't know if this helps since you want apps...

Dawn

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