How does one actually get the books onto the device? If I don’t have internet access, can I go to Barnes and noble to download books both to the kindle as well as Nook? If I get internet can I go to Amazon and down load books to either one? Does one or the other have a backlit screen?
How about some suggestions…(though I think this thread is still better suited for GQ). Is one better than the other? Are there advantages of one that I don’t know about. This is a gift for 80+ year old mom, who lives in the sticks and may not have proper internet access at home…and may need to go into town to get e-books.
My husband and I both got the nook HD and added a Kindle app, so essentially we have both. The screen is backlit and you have the option to change font style and size. Many libraries have e-books now, which is convenient. You can get them from Amazon, B & N or lots of websites. Go to the library for the WiFi. One site we like is www.onehundredfreebooks.com, which has all kinds of free content updated all day long.
The Nook is (slightly) more compatible with library books, so if she’s planning on going to the library to have them load books, she’ll have a bigger selection.
However, it’s easier to add books on the Kindle, if she’s going to be doing it herself.
Is there cell service? Nook and Kindle both have 3G options, but there’s a small fee.
Both Nook and Kindle have models that are backlit and models that are not. The less expensive versions of both are not backlit. Some people don’t like reading on the backlit models due to eye strain, but reducing the brightness can help a lot with that. If she gets a backlit model, make sure she knows how to turn down the brightness.
Too late to edit: The backlit models are also heavier. My dad, who is 84, has a Kindle Fire (backlit) and a Kindle Touch (not backlit). He prefers reading books on the Touch due to the lighter weight. I’ve found it is more comfortable when reading on the Fire to hold it in landscape mode (it balances better and isn’t top heavy) and keep a pillow on my lap to support the weight.
They are mostly identical, unless you want to get into nitty-gritty specs. For an 80+ year-old mom, the minute differences aren’t going to matter.
What is going to matter is the health (i.e. survival) of the company backing the device. Specifically, if Barnes and Noble goes belly-up, and I’m seeing pretty much every indication they’re rapidly headed that way, your Nook may become an expensive paperweight. Perhaps someone else will come along, buy the company, or at least break off the Nook part of the company and keep it alive, but do you really want to make that gamble?
As already mentioned, a Nook HD or HD+ can install the amazon kindle reader app automatically with no hardware/firmware hacks of any kind. So even if/when B&N goes out of business, you’ll still be able to get your ebooks from the library, or from Amazon on your kindle app, or whatever.
I read books I buy on amazon and have downloaded directly to my Nook HD+ all the time. It’s quite easy and simple to do. I’ve literally never bought a book from B&N in my life.
Some of the Kindle models have 3G, which would mean you can download books that you buy from Amazon directly to the device practically anywhere, even without an internet connection.
Otherwise, if you don’t have home internet, you would need to go to someplace that offers WiFi, and download the books to your device there.
To be even more specific, they both have models that are backlit, models that are frontlit, and models that aren’t lit at all.
The backlit models (various versions of the Kindle Fire and Nook HD) are essentially tablets, so they can do other things, including running apps (e.g. the Kindle app on the Nook HD that people are talking about). So they’re more versatile (they’re not just for reading books), but they’re heavier, don’t last as long before needing to be recharged, are harder to read in direct sunlight, and many people find them harder to read in general.
The e-ink models (some of which, like the Kindle Paperwhite, are frontlit) are mostly just for reading books on, but they’re very good for that. The e-ink screen is easy on the eyes, and the front-lit models can light up the screen to make it easy to read in dim light.
Thanks for that clarification- I wasn’t aware that the Paperwhite is frontlit. On checking the B&N Nook page, it appears that the Nook GlowLight is comparable to the Kindle Paperwhite.
The Kindle Fire is not just an e-book reader, it’s really a tablet. It has a backlit LCD screen.
But there’s also an illuminated version of the Kindle e-book reader called the Kindle Paperwhite; I believe this replaced the Kindle Touch. Technically it’s not “backlit”, it’s front-lit, but it allows you to read it in the dark.
If you want a simple device purely for reading books, and want to buy/download books without an Internet connection, the Kindle Paperwhite 3G is probably the best choice. It has an eInk display which is very easy on the eye (looks just like regular paper), but it also has built-in illumination. The 3G capability allows you to buy and download books from anywhere. (Well, pretty much anywhere you can get decent cell phone signals.) There is no monthly fee for the 3G (because it’s really only useful for buying books from Amazon).
The Kindle uses MOBIs and the similar AZW files where are mostly unique to them. A Kindle won’t read EPUBs without converting using a program called Calibre.
The Nook store uses a DRM-locked EPUBs. EPUB is the open-source format, so many of the smaller e-book retailers and public domain book sources use it. Although Project Gutenberg, the big one, does support MOBI too. The ebook checkout schemes from libraries also always support EPUBs, but may or may not support MOBIs, or it may take an extra step to put a book onto a Kindle. Converting an EPUB to a MOBI is relatively easy, whereas converting a DRM-locked MOBI to an EPUB is close to impossible. But I’m guessing an 80-year old is probably not going to want to muck around with converting files anyways.
So, bottom line is, with the Kindle you’re mostly tied to the Amazon store, assuming you don’t want to mess around with file conversions. With the Nook, you would mostly be sourcing stuff from the Nook store, but might have a few more options. If it’s something you think she’d be interested in, you should probably check with her local library to see what kind of checkout system they use and if an EPUB-compatible reader is significantly easier than a Kindle.
From what I understand B&N is mostly through the woods now, but even before that the Nook division has always been doing fine. If the dead tree book division went belly-up, it’s pretty much a certainty that the Nook division would either get spun off or bought by someone. Plus (see above) there’s plenty of other sources for EPUB books, so there’d still be plenty of options out there if the Nook store went away.
It depends upon the version. We have two Kindle Fires, version 1. They are color ebook readers with some enhanced capabilities. We will soon be getting two Kindle Fire HDX (Version 3). They are now being called tablets in their own right, competing head to head with iPad tablets.
For a less-than tech-savvy end user, I’d highly recommend the Kindle Paperwhite as the best option, unless you actually want a full-color tablet. Then I don’t have a recommendation so much, as they can both do pretty much the same things.
But as an actual e-reader (e-ink, meant for reading, not internet browsing and games, etc) you will definitely want the paperwhite - as others have mentioned, Amazon has more expected longevity, but in addition to kindle books you can also download PDFs and Amazon has hundreds of thousands of free (public domain) books.
3G is highly recommended for someone who doesn’t already have wifi network in their home, and once you buy it the 3G cell access is free forever, there’s no contract or fees or payments - the cost is all upfront, and the downloads of actual books are so tiny that Amazon just covers the cell costs for all their 3g devices.
Librarian here. Amazon and libraries settled their dispute about a year ago. If you can get an ebook from your library on Nook, there’s a 99% shot you’ll be able to get it on Kindle too.
And borrowing books through the Kindle is much more straightforward than borrowing books on the Nook. So if public library usage is a deciding factor, go with a Kindle.
Just got back from best buy, where they said the kindle paperwhite 3G would incur a monthly fee. This seems contrary to what I think I’m seeing here where the 3G is said to note have additional monthly cost.
Maybe they were referring to a data plan on her cell phone service … Would she need to have a data plan on her cell phone to download books?
For the sake of argument, if she doesn’t even have a cell phone, but there’s a nearby tower …will she be able to download books for free on the 3G kindle paperwhite?
Here’s a link to the Amazon page for the Paperwhite 3G. It says “Free 3G wireless - no hunting or paying for Wi-Fi hotspots, no annual contracts or monthly fees. 3G wireless works globally” so yeah, it looks like the Best Buy employee was wrong.
And yes, with a 3G Kindle she would not need a cell phone and it will not impact her current cell phone data plan.