| Author | Message | ||
     Toona |
I've got a birthday coming up in a month or so and my wife always asks me what I want for a gift. I've been thinking about an eReader like a Kindle or Nook. I did a search, but BWB/Google search only turned up 1 thread about using one for college text books. Anyone have one? Which brand did you choose and why? I just do casual reading. I'd get an eReader app for my iPhone, but the battery life of my phone is tolerable just using it as a phone. Plus the small screen font is tough on my eyes after 15-20 minutes. I've thought about some kind of tablet computer..., but I dunno  | ||
| Greg_e |
There will probably be a new Amazon tablet thing in the next month or two, you might want to wait. That said the Kindle has a great display for text, there really is nothing better at this time (and currently available). If you need to read PDF then go for the larger Kindle DX, it doesn't really have a full pdf reader so you need the larger screen to display them in full page mode. Acer Iconia 100 is getting good reviews due to the price and I see their is a 7 inch Galaxy tab at best buy for similar price but it is only Android 2.2 not the 3.2 that the Iconia has installed. Then of course their are Windows tablets like the Acer w500 or MSI 110w but the price is still keeping me from being too tempted. | ||
| Trbulnt |
Bought my wife the Nook Color last fall and she loves it. My only complaint is that it always looses the wireless signal in the house. I have read that it could be the software in the phone or the router I am using. That is my only complaint. She has bought and downloaded many books on it with zero issues. If you are tech savvy there is an android hack for the tablet that is suppose to make it a lot more fun to use as far as apps and such. I find that books are cheaper this way and I don't have to buy a larger bookshelf! | ||
| Azxb9r |
I bought a Nook. The e-ink screen is easy on the eyes and can be read in direct sun. I also like the touch screen as opposed to the keyboard on the Kindle, it is cleaner and allows for a larger screen on a smaller device. It is compact, light weight, and the battery holds a charge for a ridiculous amount of time. The only books I have loaded on it now are e-books I got from B&N via the built in wi-fi, but you can download any book using the Nook program with a PC or Mac. | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
I'm a page-a-holic the idea of e-books does nothing for me, I like the thought that all the words are in my hand. I like the smell & the feel of books & that I can just pick one up & put it down when I feel like it, I usually have 2 or 3 on the go at once. Plus the batteries never go flat. | ||
| Reepicheep |
I was ambivilent about ebooks for a long time... couldn't bring myself to buy a reader. Then I got a hand-me-down kindle as a gift, and I have been hooked ever since. It really is a "better book" in every regard except for handing it to somebody else when you are done with it. The screen is easier to read than paper, you can read in more positions (it is lighter and more compact then a book, and you can turn a page with just one finger). And I can have 5 or 10 books on it at a time. You can also transfer a PDF to it (free locally, cheaply via Amazon cloud services if you just send it via email to a special address). If you pay the extra for the 3G kindle, it also has very basic cellular internet without any monthly fees. Not the kind of thing you will be doing actual work on, but if you want to check and see if you have mail, or check the weather, do a quick google search, or see what the drudge report says, you can do it reasonably painlessly. Battery life is pretty amazing... I almost forget it has batteries at times. It definitely needs one of the covers with a built in light. They are clever, in that they use the battery already in the kindle, and seem to last a long time (led's). It makes it easy to read in bed without bothering a spouse. I have no experience with the nook, it is probably nice as well. And I have no idea what the new Amazon tablet will be. That might be the one to wait for. Amazon is pretty smart these days, and there is a heck of a niche here waiting to be exploited for a less appleish ipad (a give away the razor and sell the blades model... apple so far is getting away with both, sell the razor for a fortune then sell the blades). So anyway, I really like my kindle. My first one (2nd gen smaller screen 3G) got clobbered by the toyota that clobbered the Uly, and I replaced it with a refurb non add supported newest small screen 3G. | ||
| Jumbo_petite |
I'm on my second Kindle the first had a display problem that a shut down and restart may have cured but in my investigation I may have cracked the display screen. I called Amazon help, explained the situation and they sent out a free replacement and call tag to replace the original under the one year manufacturers warranty. I was back up and reading in three days. I have not tried the Nook , but I do really like my Kindle. | ||
| Andymnelson |
We have a Kindle....they truly are pretty amazingly good at what they do. That said, we just picked up some Acer Aconia a500 10" tablets for $299 (rumor has it they will be available for $250 this week), and have not touched the Kindle since. Having a dedicated reader is nice, having an ereader/web surfer/note taker/mp3 player/game player/emailer/business tool is nicer! | ||
| Chauly |
Source for the $299/$250 Acer? | ||
| 99buellx1 |
Got the SWMBO the latest Kindle right when they came out. She loves it. It's dead simple to use, the Amazon store is just as easy, and there is a huge list of free books all the time for her to read while she decides what paid book to purchase next. We played with a Nook (not a color) in the store, and the touch didn't seem to work very well, it was really delayed and not very accurate, kind of turned us off on them. (could have been the one we were using, could have been fixed in an update?) But, if you like to tinker, a Nook Color is the way to go, there are other OS's you can flash on there and turn it basically into a tablet. | ||
| Hootowl |
"Battery life is pretty amazing... I almost forget it has batteries at times." I've had mine for 6 months, and have had to charge it three times. I use it every day. | ||
| Chauly |
Just ordered a 7" Airpad through X10 for $200. They compared it favorably to the Nook Color. I was on my way this afternoon back to B&N to exchange the Nook for the Nook Color; I'll still do that, but personally compare it to the Airpad on Wednesday. All that being said, I have a Kindle with 3G that I absolutely love (I lost the one I got for Christmas from my wife, and replaced it mid-trip four days later!) I agree about the lighted case comment. (I have a separate light that's OK, but not as elegant.) My wife liked the simple Nook, but found it didn't do any games or puzzles, so she wanted the Nook Color. "SWMBO", indeed! | ||
| Greg_e |
Yeah, source for the a500 at $250??? |
