Amazon Kindle - ebooks & readers v "traditional"

[nevermind]

I was going to preorder the nook but I think I'm going to hold off. There's no benefit to preordering other than guaranteeing delivery on release. Couple a 14-day return period and a restocking fee and I'm wary. A few things have popped up (see below) that concern me and I'm gonna wait and see how things turn out between now and then, and wait for some reviews. I've waited this long for an ebook reader, I can wait a bit longer.

-The gift card thing is not a good move.

-You can only annotate books purchased from the B&N store.

-They are being very weird on the B&N boards about what exactly the lending feature is... 14 days - ok. But they are continually making it sound like those books that the publisher allows to lend are only lend-able one time. Not once at a time. One time. If you have two friends to lend it to - now is the time to decide who you like more. If so, they really made a mistake it listing it as a major feature you can't find anywhere else. True, you can't... but it's so crippled to the point it is almost useless. I predict a backfire by the press and I predict Amazon may also jump all over this.

and the biggest problem of all, IMO...

-The B&N store ebook prices (outside of bestsellers) are generally higher (some a little, some a LOT) than Amazon. Some B&N store ebooks are even more than the paperbacks, which is ridiculous.

Taken from the boards over there (which btw - all threads concerning book prices have been locked ):

Gates of Fire
Kindle: $6.39
Nook: $7.99

The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier's Education
Kindle: $9.99
Nook: $14.99

Sookie Stackhouse Set
Kindle: $29.90
Nook: $51.13

Joker One: A Marine Platoon's Story of Courage, Leadership, and Brotherhood
Kindle: $9.99
Nook: $20.80

Kite Runner
Kindle: $9.51
Nook: $11.20

The Big Necessity: The Unmentionable World of Human Waste and Why It Matters
Kindle: $9.99
Nook: $9.99

The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives
Kindle: $9.99
Nook: $12.00

Descartes' Bones:
Amazon for Kindle: $9.99
B&N Hardcover member $18.72
B&N Paperback (member) $10.80
B&N ebook: $20.86 MOST EXPENSIVE OPTION AT B&N

Devil in the White City
Amazon for Kindle $9.99
B&N Hardcover member $19.40
B&N Paperback member $10.80
B&N mp3 member $19.04 (unabridged)
B&N ebook member $12.00 MORE THAN THE PAPERBACK


The Nook sure looks nice and has many pluses going for it, including the user replaceable battery and native pdf support, but I think I got too excited too quick. I hope I can be swayed back - the biggest being the ebook prices. Having the hardware priced the same as a Kindle is nice, but doesn't amount to much if book costs are a few hundred a year more...

[nevermind]

Stephen King: The Stand

Kindle: $7.19
B&N ebook: $40.00


Jesus. They better get their act together in the next few weeks with the pricing structure or they are gonna have a flop.

[Ranger]

Originally Posted by Dusty Bottoms

When you use a gift card at Barnes And Noble, the balance of a gift card remains on your gift card instead of your B&N account. There doesn't seem to be a way to apply the card to your account. Based on the thread on the B&N boards, it sounds like others have already tried unsuccessfully to use gift cards for ebook purchases. Anything can change, but B&N is claiming there are no immediate plans to allow it I'm not sure I want to purchase a Nook for my father until I know that gift cards can be used as a payment method.

So BN really does not have an e-gift card at all? With amazon, it is just a simple e-mailed gift card code to add to your account balance. I'm sure BN will add it later.

BN's prices are a bit higher, but I think their selection is a bit larger than Amazon. Correct me if I'm wrong on that.

if I don't like the PC reader from Amazon, then I probably will go with BN. Amazon's download manager for mp3s is pretty good, but I remember that their 'unbox' video software wasn't so great.

[mhg83]

Originally Posted by nevermind

Stephen King: The Stand

Kindle: $7.19
B&N ebook: $40.00


Jesus. They better get their act together in the next few weeks with the pricing structure or they are gonna have a flop.

This and a lot of other new info on the Nook has convinced me to cancel my order. I'm sure those prices will most likely change when it's actually released, but I think i'll wait for reviews before buying.

Anyone else think Amazon will drop the price of Kindle when Nook is released?

[Ginwen]

Originally Posted by nevermind

Stephen King: The Stand

Kindle: $7.19
B&N ebook: $40.00


Jesus. They better get their act together in the next few weeks with the pricing structure or they are gonna have a flop.

The Stand (and a bunch of other Stephen King books) were MIA from the Kindle for awhile, when they came back it was 7.19 (I bought it) and then the next day it was $40. A few days later it went back to 7.19 where it has stayed ever since. I suspect this and a lot of the other B&N prices will drop back to earth, there's a lot riding on this succeeding since, for Amazon at least, in spite of the limited market size, they are making a ton of money from the Kindle.

Online retailer Amazon.com has posted quarterly profit that easily beat Wall Street estimates and said holiday sales could come in far above expectations.

The world's largest online retailer also said its Kindle electronic reader was its top item in both unit sales and dollars across all of its product categories

[nevermind]

Then they better drop back to earth in the next week or two, because the Christmas shopping season isn't going to wait until 11/30.

[mhg83]

I cant believe some titles are still not in Kindle format. They dont even have T.H. Whites "The Once and Future King"!

[Ginwen]

Originally Posted by mhg83

I cant believe some titles are still not in Kindle format. They dont even have T.H. Whites "The Once and Future King"!

A lot more books are not on any e-reader than are, so you can't buy one expecting everything to be on it, not even close. Amazon says that is their goal but they have a long way to go.

[mhg83]

Originally Posted by Ginwen

A lot more books are not on any e-reader than are, so you can't buy one expecting everything to be on it, not even close. Amazon says that is their goal but they have a long way to go.

I know that but it just came as a surprise for that particular title. It's considered a classic so I figured the most popular novels would be up there.

[Ginwen]

From the outside, it's pretty random what is and isn't there. What's most annoying to me is stuff that was there (and they even still have links) that has been taken off for whatever reason. If you go to the kindle sf page, they have a bunch of hugo award books pictured there, but several have been taken down (in some cases the author wants it there but it isn't up to them due to some bad contract they signed in the past).

[mhg83]

Originally Posted by Ginwen

From the outside, it's pretty random what is and isn't there. What's most annoying to me is stuff that was there (and they even still have links) that has been taken off for whatever reason. If you go to the kindle sf page, they have a bunch of hugo award books pictured there, but several have been taken down (in some cases the author wants it there but it isn't up to them due to some bad contract they signed in the past).

Is there any way to track a book on Amazon? For example; I wanna buy a novel but it is not on the kindle store. I click on a button and when the book arrives, Amazon sends me an E-mail notifying me that the book is now available for download.

[Suprmallet]

Well, I'm not in love with what B&N is doing regarding gift cards and pricing, and I would consider switching to a Kindle (since I could actually have one by Tuesday if I wanted), but for me the pros of the Nook still outweigh the cons:

-Replacable battery. I've already got an iPhone and hate the idea that I can't replace the battery on it myself. Last thing I want is an expensive ereader whose battery I also cannot replace.

-Android OS. As someone else mentioned, the open nature of the Android platform could have very positive results for Nook owners, as people develop apps to customize Nook and address issues they find with it.

-Wi-fi Access and 3G access. I have Wi-Fi at home, Wi-Fi at work, Wi-Fi at the library. No reason I shouldn't be able to use it.

-Expandable memory. The base Nook can hold more books than the base Kindle, and with an expandable memory slot, can hold more than the DX.

-Access to more file types. Let's face it, Kindle is Amazon's attempt to close the walls of copy protection around a digital product, and the file support proves that. PDF support alone makes me prefer Nook over Kindle. And, again, being an Android device, someone could write in a widget that expands compatibility. It was brought to my attention that the Kindle DX can natively read PDF, but only PDF, not epub or other formats that Nook supports. In addition, the DX is close to $500.

Even if prices tend to be a bit higher with B&N, the closed nature of Amazon's Kindle system is enough to turn me off. I like to tinker with my gadgets, and the idea of a Nook homebrew community is very exciting to me. I'm still holding on to my pre-order for now, unless someone can convince me that the cons outweigh the pros, which I feel is certainly the case for Kindle. And looking back at my list, the Nook offers almost everything the Kindle DX offers, for almost half the price, along with some things that the DX doesn't offer at all. So, to me, it's a no brainer. None of these ereaders are perfect, it's just about finding one that is most compatible with what you're looking for.

Also, to the people who have concerns about the LCD at the bottom: The LCD screen is more than just a scrolling library. The purpose of having an LCD in the first place is so that Nook can display all sorts of graphical content in color that the user can interact with. Thus it works as the interface for everything that doesn't involve directly reading a book. You use it to access the main menu, change settings, select books to read, buy new books, and make notes on the books when you're reading them. I believe you can also swipe the LCD screen to turn the book pages on the e-ink display. Rest assured, it will not just be a picture of the cover of the book you're reading at that time.

I would say if all you care about is thinking of a book, finding it online, and downloading it instantly, than Amazon's cheaper prices would probably be enough to make you get that over Nook. But since I'm looking for a more versatile and open experience, the Nook is right up my alley.

[Ginwen]

Originally Posted by mhg83

Is there any way to track a book on Amazon? For example; I wanna buy a novel but it is not on the kindle store. I click on a button and when the book arrives, Amazon sends me an E-mail notifying me that the book is now available for download.

No, at least not usually. I know I keep checking for the Ender's Game books since Orson Scott Card says they'll be available sometime. If there was a button that would be nice.

[mhg83]

i did end up ordering the Kindle. After looking over all the features the Kindle has I think the device will work out for me.

The free internet was a big draw for me. Most times when I'm at work I'll want to access the internet on my break. But since we only have one computer that can go on the web, most of the times someone else is using it.

Expandable memory isn't really a concern for me. It can hold 1,500 books and I don't see myself buying a crap load of books. And even if I use up the memory, you can delete a book and re-download at a later time.

The non-removable battery is kind of concerning. Does anyone know what the typical life span of the kindle battery? five years?

And the prices are very reasonable on Amazon. I just ordered 45 books and only one cost one cent. There's a few new books I want to buy and I will save a lot in the long run.

I got the re-furbished Kindle ($220) and a carrying case ($30) Plus I get 30 days to try it out and can send it back for a refund if i don't like it.

[Tommy Ceez]

The expandable memory comes in big in an academic environemnt

hell, I have over 2000 engineering and technology books on my PC, to have all that knowledge at my fingertips anywhere I go is quite amazing

[KirstenS]

I'm leaning heavily towards the Kindle at this point. The ebook prices at BN really turned me off, and I really like the idea of having a portable web browser. It's not perfect and it can't access everything, but even having free access to wikipedia is nice. I've also read that you can link up to 6 Kindles to one account, so I can put mine under my mom's account and we can download all the books the other person has purchased. MUCH better than the Nook's "lending." It's ugly as sin and I like the look of the Nook much better, but the new leather covers for the Kindle help that situation as well.

[Suprmallet]

I use my iPhone for the web, but the screen is too small for book reading and doing it for too long causes me eye strain. So the web element of the Kindle does nothing for me.

[nevermind]

Yeah I have an iphone too. I can read about 10 minutes of a book on it, tops. Safari rocks on the iphone, though. I'd never use a web browser in e-ink.

I'm really bummed about the B&N book prices. I am holding off on a Kindle for now as well. As Kirsten said - they are just too ugly for words.

Hopefully Kindle 3 will shitcan the physical keyboard, add user expandable memory, replaceable battery, and epub. Of course, if B&N doesn't lower book prices, Amazon may not even consider them a legitimate long-time threat.

But if B&N does lower book prices, a Nook looks very attractive to me again.

[Suprmallet]

I have a feeling prices will lower when Nook actually comes out. I can't imagine B&N thinks they can compete with Amazon if they don't.

[Dusty Bottoms]

There is an interesting article about the Nook at Slate.com's The Big Money.

The Big Money

One of the big features of the Nook is the ability to read e-books for free while in a Barnes & Noble store. This article mentions something I haven't heard anywhere else. It says that owners will be able to use their Nooks to "browse inside a book for up to an hour on each title". So, unless you're are a speed reader, it's doesn't sound like you can expect to spend your weekends at B&N reading complete books without paying for them.

[Tommy Ceez]

Originally Posted by Dusty Bottoms

There is an interesting article about the Nook at Slate.com's The Big Money.

The Big Money

One of the big features of the Nook is the ability to read e-books for free while in a Barnes & Noble store. This article mentions something I haven't heard anywhere else. It says that owners will be able to use their Nooks to "browse inside a book for up to an hour on each title". So, unless you're are a speed reader, it's doesn't sound like you can expect to spend your weekends at B&N reading complete books without paying for them.

Its similar to browsing the aisles at B&N. If you want to read a whole book for free download from the library

[Dusty Bottoms]

Originally Posted by Tommy Ceez

Its similar to browsing the aisles at B&N. If you want to read a whole book for free download from the library

I agree. I just hadn't seen this limitation mentioned anywhere on B&N's site. I wonder how many people planned to be able to read an e-book as long as they wanted while in the store.

[Suprmallet]

To be fair, I'm also not seeing a lot of the marketing materials say "Read whole books while at B&N!" I'm seeing more stuff like "Get exclusive coupons and deals if you bring your Nook into a B&N."

[Dusty Bottoms]

Originally Posted by Suprmallet

To be fair, I'm also not seeing a lot of the marketing materials say "Read whole books while at B&N!" I'm seeing more stuff like "Get exclusive coupons and deals if you bring your Nook into a B&N."

I'm not sure if it's listed in all of their marketing materials, but it seems to be a key selling point. B&N has been posting articles on their eReading blog since the announcement. The first article ("Introducing nook") listed the following features:

*Download eBooks, magazines and newspapers in seconds flat
*Enjoy eBooks on an incredibly readable E Ink® reading screen
*Navigate your eBooks and other content on a color touchscreen
*Sync your eBooks to your iPhone, iPod Touch, BlackBerry, Mac or PC
*Share eBooks with friends using one of our eReader clients
*Read any eBook for free in a Barnes & Noble store
*Get special content and promotions in any Barnes & Noble store

Also, if you click on "Features" from the Nook page at BN.com, it mentions that "And soon, you will be able to read entire eBooks for free at your local Barnes & Noble."

Honestly, this won't be the make or break feature for me. I'm more concerned with the current lack of gift card support, lack of membership discounts and the ebook prices in general.

[drmoze]

I am definitely not in the mainstream with respect to ebooks, if the comments here are representative of general opinions. I want (and have) a nice "electronic book" that stores hundreds of volumes (mostly novels), has a large and very easy-on-the-eyes display (e-ink) that is far more paperlike and comfortable than an active display, has a simple menu system that is accessed briefly when I start a new book, and has a huge battery life (2-3 weeks) so it acts more like a book than a power-hungry gadget that is likely to die on you at the worst time.

Do I want or need wi-fi/3G? Hell no. Eats battery up fast, and I don't need it when I have a couple of hundred books waiting for me to read on my ebook device.

Do I want a color lcd display? Hell no. Eats battery, and is useless. Simple sortable text menus let me quickly find my next book (in a few seconds) which I then spend up to several hours reading before revisiting the menu.

Do I need a cool Android OS? Hell no. Whatever is running on my ebook device works fine for selecting books to read, turning pages, changing font sizes, etc.

Do I need a dictionary/web browser/touchscreen? Hell no. All I need is something that stores and lets me read lots of books comfortably. I have a blackberry and netbook for looking up things on Wiki, reading short blogs, etc.

Seriously, trying to tack non-core features onto an ebook device really impairs the basic functionality. Apparently it sells, but I (and several friends/relatives who are also avid READERS) are happy with our simpler, focused and handier ebook devices.