Which is better a Nook or a Kindle?

Answer 1

I would recommend you buying a Kindle. It's worth it. The books on Amazon are much cheaper and also the number of books is increasing. You can store up to 1500 books in the Kindle. I have added a link from the Amazon reviews to compare.

Of course, it depends a lot on what you want. If you want a good and reliable e-reader, get the Kindle. If you want something to impress others with and read books on, maybe you should get the Nook.

Think of it this way: the Kindle has been around for 2 years, so their software is very possibly more reliable and less liable to crash in some way or other. On the other hand, Nook designers had the opportunity to learn from Amazon's mistakes, and create an e-reader that fixes some of the common complaints.

For example, the Nook:

- looks flashier: it has a touchscreen;

- is easier to personalise: you can change your screensavers without going through the complicated and risky process of hacking your device (which is what happens with the Kindle)

- has the lending feature -- you can lend books to your friends (note: the Kindle 3 can do that too, but the lending process has to be initiated by a US customer. On the other hand, the Nook is not sold at all outside the US).

- has a memory card slot (so did the Kindle1, but now the K2 is restricted to 1.4GB)

Still, the Kindle:

- is sturdy

- has an amazing feel

- has a longer battery life (around 14 days while the Nook goes up to 10 days)

- reads very well

- the technology is more mature

- Bonus: many more third-party accessories to choose from (and they kind of look better than the Nook ones)

- is available internationally!

This is by no means an exhaustive list. Just a set of things you might want to consider.

NookColor Recommendation

I recommend the NookColor. It has Pandora Radio, web Surfing capabilities including share a book and Facebook, Hi-Def color touch screen, large and clear screen, read aloud capabilities, thousands of free and discounted books, organize your books, and special searching abilities. I recommend the NookColor by Barnes & Noble.

Additional Information

Both are good choices and offer different advantages. We're a two reader family: my husband has a Kindle because there are more tech (computer) books available for that format; the battery lasts about 10 days on a single charge; and he finds the light gray background easier to read than the backlit background on the Nook. He can't read it in the dark, though, except by using a little reading light.

I have the NookColor because there are more college textbooks available through B&N; the text can be enlarged (for us old folk) for reading comfort; and I find the backlit screen easier to read, both in the dark and in full light. You can also highlight areas of text in one of four colors, which really comes in handy for studying. The main drawback is the battery only lasts 4-6 hours on a single charge (off the charger), but you can read it while it's plugged in. I've found the software to be very stable (not a single problem in three months).

The person above is correct about about being able to surf the internet, etc., on the NookColor using either WiFi or a Hotspot. You can purchase books directly from the device without having to download them through your computer, and can also go into any Barnes & Noble store and read any Nookbook free for one hour each day (not just the free books). As far as pricing goes, some books are higher priced than on the Kindle, some are lower priced, and some are comparably priced.

You can also find free books by typing 0.00 in the ColorNook's search box, or limit the search to a particular author, title or topic by typing 0.00 followed by a space, then the key words.

Of course, you can have the best of both worlds using an iPad, because it runs both the Nook and Kindle readers, but the iPad is bigger and not quite as comfortable to hold for long periods. I think publishers will eventually make their books available in both formats, so book availability of titles may become moot.