Should I buy a Kindle ($139) or a Nook ($149)? Both hold the same number of books and have Wi-Fi. What's the X-factor?
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$5 Answers
I've known the Kindle since its earliest launch, and I ordered one as soon as they became available for International delivery.
The second generation Kindle was a huge improvemend over the first generation, especially in design (flatter, round corners etc). The now-released third generation is more of a minor improvement, not a giant leap forward.
When comparing the nook and the Kindle, I'd suggest picking the Kindle. Some of the 'cool' features of the Nook, including the second -touch- screen are actual drawbacks, as the touchscreen is an active screen, draining the battery, while the Kindle is entirely focused on battery saving.
Further, The Kindle can also play mp3s (for use of audio-books, or for background music while reading), AND supports text-to-speech.
Lastly, but not unimportantly, the Kindle supports a larger number of file formats, including plain .txt, and has a larger online store which can be reached directly from the Kindle, and can have books sent to your Kindle within 60 seconds after purchase.
As far as I can see, the Kindle simply wins on all fronts, and is easily the best choice. And, with the new 3rd generation Kindle, at this price, the choice is even easier.
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
Personal experience
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
Personal experience. I own a Kindle. http://www.amazon.com, http://www.barnesandnoble.com
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nook/compare/index.asp
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$With the fact that so many big names have put their power behind the e-book market (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Sony, and now Borders) there are few that are going to tell it to you straight. E-books are most likely a passing phase due to the fact that in many (if not most) cases, the writer does not get as much money for an e-book. Also, with the fact that files can be copies, many writers realize that their take from books is going to dwindle.
If a handful of the strong writers band together over e-books, the market will dry up pretty quickly. With a family that is in the book industry, I can tell you that there are many writers that are trying to work this issue into their contracts right now.
Unless major security precautions are taken to kill the copying of files, the e-book market will go away quickly. Unlike the copying of music, writers do not have concerts. Most of the music makers in the world make more money off of tours than sales of their CDs. Writers only have their books, and if they are very lucky (or very popular), they might get a TV or movie deal. Anything that hurts a writer's intake of money is an enemy to be dealt with.
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
You gave a C answer to an A or B question . . .
That is like Ford vs Chevy and someone says Toyota. Or Lion or Bear and someone says Gopher.
While I like your train of thought . . . if the question is "Should I do A or B?" and someone says, do "C" it does not provide an answer the question.
Sorry, but I disagree. Amazon is selling more e-books than physical books, and writers/publishers benefit greatly from this.
Writers who band together against the ebook readers are missing out on a huge market, and their income will hurt deeply.
The ebook market is expanding at an enormous rate, and is only just beginning. With the new readers (like the Kindle and Nook), people have their bookshelf, as well as the bookstore at hand all the time! No more need to go to a physical store to get a book, just simply browse, buy and read. This is every publisher's dream come true: millions and millions of selling points for their books!
For every bok that is being sold through Amazon, hundreds are being downloaded illegally. There are tons of torrent sites that are flooded with ebooks right now. This can't be making anyone in the publishing world happy.
I would like to know where the stat is coming from that states that Amazon is selling more ebooks than regular books. Their recent investor reports show growing numbwers of ebook downloads, but still nowhere close to their book sale numbers.
As for my comments not being relative - what if his question had been a year or so ago, and he wanted to know about which HD-DVD player to buy? Would it not be relevent to point out that maybe it would not be in his best interst to look into HD-DVD players when Blu-Ray players were out? Would it not behoove someone to point out that the technology might have a strong chance of becoming obsolete very quickly?
While the ebook market is spreading at an alarming rate, it does not mean that it will continue to do so. With the number of illegal downloads passing the sales, there will be major changes soon. Authors will find that they are not making the money that they were expecting (which is happening right now) and will raise questions.
The question was Kindle vs Nook.
I would vote you up if the question was "Kindle Nook or book?" but I am afraid to say you just gave a C answer to an A or B question which is not helpful.
"if you are reading in public, you don't get the thrill that you can get by the looks from other people. "
You've obviously never read an ereader in public. It attracts more eyes than the average book, that's for sure!
Sorry, but you sound like someone who still thinks an old record player is better than a CD player, because of the 'feel' of the music (but overlooks the scratches and noise in the process).
Books don't stand the test of time either, unless you store them in library conditions, which none of us is able to do. Books get old, fragile and fall apart after reading them one time too often.
Books have their own charm, but they are not the holy grail of reading. There are other, newer (and maybe better) alternatives nowadays.
Couple answers to the statements that you posed.
Yes, I have used an e-reader in public. I got a few looks, but nothing like I get when I am reading a copy of War and Peace, Wuthering Heights, or a hundred-year-old copy of Pilgrim's Pride.
As for your record comment, I actually own, and regularly use my MP3 player. Digital music sounds a lot better than the old records, or even some CDs. When it comes to technology, I am usually ahead of the curve especially when it comes to laptops, cameras, MP3 players, and portable technology.
When it comes to e-readers, they really do not make the much sense to me. While a book might have a limited shelf-life if not taken care of properly, e-readers will wear out. The batteries will only last a certain number of charges (as any battery does). Over time, the batteries will hold less of a charge and will have to be replaced.
That is, holding the fact taht the e-reader will last that long. Touch-screens wear out over time, especially when exposed to direct lighting. The buttons usually wear out over time as well.
The average person who I have seen holding an e-reader holds it on one end. This puts the stress of the weight on one corner and will cause undue stress to weigh over time.
As for the e-books outselling books - the original comment was that e-books outsold books. The link that you provided states that e-books outsold hardcovers. Did you realize that in the book industry, softcovers outsell hardcovers on a usually basis of 12:1? My statement about the original quoter still stands as the fact that e-books have not outsold books.
Also, as I looked into the article, and into some other articles on the same topic, they pointed out that the e-books outsold Amazon's hardcovers, not all hardcovers sold on the site (such as from other vendors).
A person reading the article, or the original statement, without delving into it would naturally think that e-books have made more of a significant mark in the industry. They have not, yet, but they probably will.
E-readers, are the rage right now. But there are a lot of worried publishers out there that are worried about the file-sharing aspects of e-readers. There are tons of websites online that allow you to illegally download e-books. There is also the fact that there are ways to link two e-readers so that both can share the same books between the two.
While there are positives for e-readers, there are still a lot of negatives. The funny thing about so many of the people that I have talked to about e-readers (that have them) refuse to look at the negatives. They stand behind the argument of progress and ease. How can one have progress without considering the negatives?
true...a book is a book! great answer!
I believe that my answer is valid because of the fact that it gives a variant point of view. Granted, he was asking about A or B, but in a world of many options, there would have to be variant answers like mine.
If a person gave a third option of an e-reader, woud that be a wrong answer? What if I had pointed out the fact that Borders will be coming out with a good e-reader in the near future? What if I had toted some of the great points of the Sony e-reader? How about if I had pointed out that you can actually convert a PSP into an e-reader with very little effort through a simple download? Would any of these be bad answers?
While a number of “major writers” might not be all that pleased, there are thousands upon thousands of writers who are very welcoming of e-reader technology, as it promises to make it easier for them to make their work available worldwide, and generate revenue for themselves, without even needing to involve a publisher.
Even if some of your assertions held true (and there are many twists and turns still to come on the road of e-publishing before any can be taken as fact), the points you are making are not really relevant to the question as it was asked.
Using a e-reader is like having a virtual girlfriend. You get the visual, but you don't get the other sensations. You don't get the feal of the book in your hands. You don't get the sensation of the eager page turning as you wonder what will happen next. You don't the get smell of the paper and ink.
Funny, another thing that I have always thought about is that if you are reading in public, you don't get the thrill that you can get by the looks from other people. If I am reading a classic, I love it when people look at me with a slight level of adoration when they see that I am reading a book that they could not get through.
I have had multiple times in which someone has come up to talk to me over the book that I was reading. Conversations ahve been struck up with peole that have read the book, and some have started up with people that wondered if the book was for them. I have gained to life-long friends this way, and been out on three dates over books.
With an e-reader, people to not have any clue as to what you are reading. There is no stroke for admiration, intimidation, or invitation. Plus, a book never runs out of battery life, and you rarely have to adjust where you are sitting due to a glare.
On your question about the sales of ebooks vs physical books:
http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/07/amazon-more-e-books-than-hardcovers/
Amazon Sells More E-Books Than Hardcovers
"Amazon hit a symbolic milestone last holiday season, when for one day its sales of e-books exceeded the number of dead-tree books it had sold.
Now the company has hit a more significant milestone, selling 143 e-books for every 100 hardcover books sold over the course of the second quarter. The rate is accelerating: For the past month, Amazon sold 180 e-books for every 100 hardcovers, and it sold three times as many e-books in the first six months of this year as it did in the first half of 2009.
Amazon’s Kindle bookstore now offers more than 630,000 books, Amazon says, plus 1.8 million free, out-of-copyright titles."
Face it, Ebooks are here to stay. Book publishers better get on the bandwagon.
It's obvious you're not commuting by train, like me. When in transit, or on holiday, having a single ebook reader instead of 4-5 books (yes, I read a lot) really makes a difference, just like the possibility to have a large portion of your personal libary with you...
And yes, my wife really DOES have a problem holding up thick books for a prolongued period, so for her this is even more of a solution to a real problem. We're now constantly fighting over who gets the Kindle, to the point where I'm considering buying a second one!
I am suprised to see that you number one reason to buy an e-reader was because of weight. If a person really has an issue with holding a book (1 and 1/2 lbs for a hardcover and around three quarters of a pound for a paperback) seeing a doctro should be more in line than dropping the money for an e-reader.
If I have a book, I can keep it and read it for years without having to recharge. If I find that I am no longer interested in the book, I can give it away, or take it to a used bookstore for trade for a different book. I rarely have to worry about going out to buy the, "updated," version of the book (and drop almost $200 for it). Heck, at a decent used bookstore, I could buy about 80 books for the price of a Kindle.
While the argument might come up about space being an issue - all I can say is if you are running into an issue where you have too many books in the house, you can sell them.
How long is your train commute? You need four to five books a day? Either you have absolutely to comprehension of what you are reading when skimming that fast, or you are reading childrens books.
I used to have a job in which I sat by a phone for eight hours a day waiting for the phone to ring. I would usually get two calls a day that would take about ten minutes of my time. I would read all day and, at most, I would take two books.
Thanks. This is a very helpful answer. Most others have encouraged me to go with the Kindle, and now that it's going to be $139, it's a deal I can't pass up.