Ereaders vs kindle vs nook

Clarekaye · June 2013

Hello, I am looking at buying a device for my partner for his birthday,
It needs to be easy to use ie buy books and anything else that goes with it and if I ever get a chance to read other than my aat books it would be nice!
Does anyone have any experiences/ personal opinions on any?

So far I think I have come to the conclusion I dont want a ipad mini, Nooks are good but apparently the people behind it are going bust and microsoft is buying them out so may be re releasing one soon,
Amazon kindle seems the best bet but are they ok in light & dark conditions, I think he will only really be using it inside but it would be nice to have the best of both worlds...

Thanks!

Nps · June 2013

I have an ipad. It's great at what it does, and the Kindle app is fine, but I wouldn't want to read lots on it. It's also no great in direct sunlight, you spend more time angling it against the sun than actually reading. I had an old Kindle which is brilliant for reading, no eye strain, great in the sun and great battery life. I used it with a clip on light for reading in the dark whilst trying to get a baby to sleep, but the light didn't light up the screen evenly. Hence, I now have the Kindle paperwhite which is the best of all worlds. Can be read in the dark and in direct sunlight and very easy to hold. I miss those night time feeds now as I never get time to read any more!

Amy Smith · June 2013

I agree with Nps1976. The kindle is the one to go for.

I use a kindle that isn't easily read in the dark ie when in bed, but I bought a case that has a light built into it! The lighting is even and makes the screen perfectly clear to read as well as the kindle being protected.

This set up works perfectly for me and I think it works out cheaper than buying a kindle with a light built into the screen.

Hope this helps, happy reading! :001_smile:

Clarekaye · June 2013

Thanks very much,
the kindle paperwhite was one I kept coming back to so will go for that one :001_smile:

Kampione · June 2013

Im looking at the kindles. I have read that some people wish they had opted for the paperwhite 3G apposed to the paperwhite without, not sure if this would interest you.
I think I am going to go for the fire HD 7. Not sure what it will be like for reading books (albeit I'm not a massive reader) but has more features that I would appriciate.

Nps · June 2013

On the 3G issue, mine does not have 3G but I've never had the need to do download a book outside of home. It holds more books than I could ever hope to read so if I ever found myself without a book to read, it would only be as a result of some serious lack of planning on my part. The only time I could envisage needing 3G would be if I finished one book in a set and it was so good that I was desperate to download the next one and I was in the middle of nowhere with no free wi-fi anywhere. Personally the extra cost of 3G for me would be pointless (put the money towards extra books!)

Clarekaye · June 2013

I saw the one with 3g but hes not hot on things like that, he had a iphone that I pretty much used all the stuff on compared to him, I could get the 3g one or the fire but I could just buy myself one to save sharing it.
I dont think we will be in the position of needing 3g...( I dont know what the difference is between 3g and wifi!) :001_unsure:

Nps · June 2013

Basically, 3G uses the phone network so can be used (in theory) wherever you can get a phone/network signal. Wi-fi uses your home broadband wireless signal (plus places like Starbucks and McDonalds allow you to use theirs, and public wi-fi hotspots are becoming increasingly common). You usually need a password to access wi-fi. 3G and wi-fi are just different ways to get the same access to the Internet.

Kampione · June 2013

I thought you wouldn't need it as you did say it would be used inside the majority of the time, but thought I'd throw it out there.
I have to admit the price with the 3G does seem a bit steep, but can see why some people may opt for it if they don't have broadband at home.

blobbyh · June 2013

A Kindle Paperwhite costs around £109 direct from Amazon, but if you can afford the extra £50 or so I'd consider the Google Nexus 7 tablet or Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 and just install the Kindle app.

I personally wouldn't buy the Kindle Fire HD as you're locked into Amazon and there's infinitely more freedom of choice with open Android.

Clarekaye · June 2013

Oh, are they as good for mainly reading, ie the paperwhite is white, and good in bright and dark conditions?

Nps · June 2013

I have a Nexus 7 too and it's a great little tablet (excellent price). If you want a handheld computer that lets you do everything (Internet, email, games, reading) then you won't go far wrong with a Nexus. However, if you are going to be predominantly reading, then the Kindle paperwhite (or any Kindle) wins every time. It is so much more comfortable to read from, you barely ever need to worry about charging it, and it is very light and comfortable in your hand. However if you are willing to sacrifice the reading quality in exchange for all the other things the Nexus can do, then you'd be better off with the Nexus. You definitely get more for your money with the Nexus, but if you are not going to use half its features and only use the kindle app which is better elsewhere, those extra features are irrelevant.

Despite having my iPad with me most of the time, I still carry my Kindle in my bag as if I want to read more than a few pages, the Ipad or Nexus doesn't come close (in my opinion).

Another thing I've just thought of, with tablets, the backlight is quite bright so can light up the whole room, the paperlight backlight is quite contained so you can be happily reading away and not lighting up the whole room. Just a consideration if you're a late night reader. Quite bizarrely, the darker the room, the lower you have the backlight, and the brighter the sunshine, the brighter you have the light (took me a while to get my head around that but it works).

I agree that I wouldn't touch the Kindle Fire HD.

blobbyh · June 2013

You can change the Kindle app to display white text on a black background which emits very little light in a darkened room... I just tried it on my HTC Flyer and it's fine. I'm also not sure what you mean about reading quality... while cheap tablets admittedly have poor resolution, decent ones have good dpi's where you can happily adjust the font size to find one that suits.

The only advantage Kindles have over tablets is long battery life and weight. If neither are deal breakers, a tablet is definitely the way to go. I'd sum it up like this: if I had a Kindle first I'd probably eventually want a tablet. But seeing as I got my tablet first, I wouldn't now buy a Kindle.

But ultimately, when it comes to reading... you still cannot beat a real book. They don't need batteries to work and aren't rendered inoperable by sea, sunlight or sand!

CeeJaySix · June 2013

I have both a tablet and a Kindle; I hate reading on a tablet, it's like sitting in front of a computer screen. Probably not great for your eyes either. The Kindle is exactly like reading from a page of a book, which was the whole point in them developing the 'inked' screen. Horses for courses: reading on a tablet is like using a butter knife to cut bread - you'll get through it, but it's not the right tool for the job. Personally I wouldn't be without the Kindle, saves having to cart half a dozen books on holiday, and isn't affected at all by bright sunlight like a tablet when you're lying on the beach.

Ereaders vs kindle vs nook

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