Using a Kindle

[WillsBabe]

Perhaps I'm a bit of Luddite (I've been called worse) but can anyone actually give me a good reason why anyone would want to read a book on one of these, as opposed to just reading from a book.

I find there to be little difference reading on a Kindle and reading from paper. What I am finding with my Kindle is that I'm using the dictionary more and so improving my vocabularly; I'm downloading some great free novels and having some great interactions with the author, and when I've finished reading I can browse and buy exactly what I feel like reading next, not only what I have laid by in the house. So, I guess it isn't that reading on a Kindle is superior to reading a book but there are things associated with a Kindle that you don't get with books.

 

[Sci]

I'm thinking of acquiring an eBook reader, preferably an electronic ink reader. Would a Nook or a Kindle be a better purchase? What are the relative advantages/disadvantages of each?

 

[ATimson]

I'm thinking of acquiring an eBook reader, preferably an electronic ink reader. Would a Nook or a Kindle be a better purchase? What are the relative advantages/disadvantages of each?

Nook: Supports better formatting in books (custom fonts and higher-quality images are the two most obvious to end users). Supports ePub books purchased from other vendors, not just B&N. Free in-store reading. User-expandable storage (insert a Micro SD card - much like a camera or phone).

Kindle: Less expensive. Slightly wider selection at their home store (the big publishers are all on both, but some smaller ones - like BBC Books - don't sell through B&N). Depending on model, can have audiobook support. Vendor's future is lot more certain.

It's up to you; I can't really call either a bad purchase. From a technical perspective I'd recommend the Nook, but I can see how the Kindle would have a more appealing end-user experience.

I'd highly recommend getting the touch Kindle over the $80 one, though. The on-screen keyboard will make searches, etc. much easier.

 

[Brikar99]

I'd highly recommend getting the touch Kindle over the $80 one, though. The on-screen keyboard will make searches, etc. much easier.

I definitely agree with this.

 

[DrCorby]

I'm thinking of acquiring an eBook reader, preferably an electronic ink reader. Would a Nook or a Kindle be a better purchase? What are the relative advantages/disadvantages of each?

I'm trying to weigh the two, as well. I'd been leaning towards the Nook, for many of the reasons already well-outlined by ATimson. I definitely want a reader with e-ink (not a tablet-lite like Kindle Fire or Nook Color), but I like the 8-inch height better than the 6-inch height of the Nook Simple Touch. Is this a quibble I should just ignore as irrelevant to the reading experience? Anyone used both?

 

[Sho]

Oddly enough, I prefer reading on TFT to reading on e-Ink myself, the long page switch times on e-Ink annoy me. And a device with a more generalized OS allows for more software flexibility. Luckily there's so much choice on the market now.

 

[ATimson]

I definitely want a reader with e-ink (not a tablet-lite like Kindle Fire or Nook Color), but I like the 8-inch height better than the 6-inch height of the Nook Simple Touch. Is this a quibble I should just ignore as irrelevant to the reading experience?

I'd ignore it as irrelevant; both have the same screen size. (And the Kindle Touch is just about the same size as the Nook Simple Touch; only the Kindle Keyboard has the 8-inch height.)

Oddly enough, I prefer reading on TFT to reading on e-Ink myself, the long page switch times on e-Ink annoy me. And a device with a more generalized OS allows for more software flexibility.

I agree with you that the long page switch times are annoying. However, starting with the Nook Touch (and I believe the Kindle Touch as well - maybe this goes back to the Kindle 3/Keyboard?), they've gotten the refresh rate down quite a bit. It's still not quite as fast as LCD, but it's acceptable to me.

I also figure that I've got my smartphone or iPod Touch with me if I need software flexibility. There's a few iPad-only games I've missed out on, but not enough to make me wish I'd paid the price and weight premium for one.

 

[JD]

I have a non-touch WiFi Nook, and I haven't noticed it doesn't take it to long the turn the pages. Honestly, it's about the same speed I turn a page in a physical paperback.

 

[Sho]

I also figure that I've got my smartphone or iPod Touch with me if I need software flexibility. There's a few iPad-only games I've missed out on, but not enough to make me wish I'd paid the price and weight premium for one.

I actually read mostly on a smartphone, believe it or not . But it's one with a big screen and a high screen res.

And I should come clean on what "software flexibility" means to me, though it will get me odd looks and disqualifies my opinion as irrelevant: I'm a software developer, which means I get to make the software act as I want it to, provided it lets me. The latter is best accomplished by an open platform like Android or Maemo/Meego. I currently read in a version of the open source FBReader e-reading app that has a fair number of personal modifications applied and integrates with a dictionary overlay app I wrote myself, which can e.g. query Memory Beta for information. Both control just the way I want.

Now, both the Nook (which actually runs a fork of Android) and the Kindle (which actually has an FBReader port available) can be jailbroken and modded, but it's laborious and voids the warranty, but more importantly I don't actually want to vote with my wallet for platforms which are designed to be so hostile towards personal development by the vendor.

I have a non-touch WiFi Nook, and I haven't noticed it doesn't take it to long the turn the pages. Honestly, it's about the same speed I turn a page in a physical paperback.

Yeah, if you're coming from DTEs (Dead Tree Editions) it might be a non-issue. But when I tried my first e-Ink reader I was already used to the snappier TFT.


Also, something funny: http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/3/9/

 

[JD]

 

[ATimson]

And I should come clean on what "software flexibility" means to me, though it will get me odd looks and disqualifies my opinion as irrelevant: I'm a software developer, which means I get to make the software act as I want it to, provided it lets me. The latter is best accomplished by an open platform like Android or Maemo/Meego. I currently read in a version of the open source FBReader e-reading app that has a fair number of personal modifications applied and integrates with a dictionary overlay app I wrote myself, which can e.g. query Memory Beta for information. Both control just the way I want.

As a fellow software developer, I don't think that disqualifies you at all.

That said: while having the ability to run my own dictionary, etc. would be neat, I wouldn't want to sacrifice ADE's superior typography for it.

But that's why there's a panoply of devices & software on the market: something for everyone.

 

[Sho]

Ah, the typography is not even that bad, though. FBReader implements some modern variant of Liang's algorithm to do quite good auto-hyphenation for English, and if it runs on a platform with one of the Harfbuzz-based OpenType layouters (i.e. Qt's Arthur or Pango) and you give it a good font it supports all the various forms of glyph substitution in OpenType, from basic ligatures to fancy stuff like post-base, and text figures, etc. And in terms of the book data, I buy the ADE ePubs just the same, I just crack the DRM away to be able to open them in FBReader.

 

[DrCorby]

I definitely want a reader with e-ink (not a tablet-lite like Kindle Fire or Nook Color), but I like the 8-inch height better than the 6-inch height of the Nook Simple Touch. Is this a quibble I should just ignore as irrelevant to the reading experience?

I'd ignore it as irrelevant; both have the same screen size. (And the Kindle Touch is just about the same size as the Nook Simple Touch; only the Kindle Keyboard has the 8-inch height.)

Good info. Thanks!

Also, something funny: http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/3/9/

BLAST!! I followed that link and got sucked into reading Penny Arcade for an hour! But they can be wickedly funny!

 

[JWolf]

I'm thinking of acquiring an eBook reader, preferably an electronic ink reader. Would a Nook or a Kindle be a better purchase? What are the relative advantages/disadvantages of each?

Put the Sony Reader WiFi PRS-T1 in place of the nook. It's a better reader with a much better user interface. Plus, the browser is not hidden and is right there up front. Also, the T1 supports ePub and downloading of library eBooks directly without needing a computer. The T1 supports all of the ePub features mentioned about the nook.

As for the Kindle, one feature was left out...The wonderful vendor lock-in for DRMed eBooks. That vendor being Amazon.

Now, both the Nook (which actually runs a fork of Android) and the Kindle (which actually has an FBReader port available) can be jailbroken and modded, but it's laborious and voids the warranty, but more importantly I don't actually want to vote with my wallet for platforms which are designed to be so hostile towards personal development by the vendor.

The T1 is also Android and can be jailbroken and modded. The Kindle not being Android is the least modifiable.

 

[JWolf]

I'm thinking of acquiring an eBook reader, preferably an electronic ink reader. Would a Nook or a Kindle be a better purchase? What are the relative advantages/disadvantages of each?

I'm trying to weigh the two, as well. I'd been leaning towards the Nook, for many of the reasons already well-outlined by ATimson. I definitely want a reader with e-ink (not a tablet-lite like Kindle Fire or Nook Color), but I like the 8-inch height better than the 6-inch height of the Nook Simple Touch. Is this a quibble I should just ignore as irrelevant to the reading experience? Anyone used both?

I've read on an iPhone, iPad & 6" e-ink screen. The reading experience on the 6" e-ink screen is quite nice. You won't be missing much by not having an 8" screen. To get an 8" screen, you'd have to go LCD with more reflection then an e-ink screen. Also, an e-ink reader has better battery life then LCD tablet.

Oddly enough, I prefer reading on TFT to reading on e-Ink myself, the long page switch times on e-Ink annoy me. And a device with a more generalized OS allows for more software flexibility. Luckily there's so much choice on the market now.

The time to change the page on a T1 is quite fast. By the time you get your eyes to the top of the screen to start reading, you're already on another page.

 

[JWolf]

delete this

 

[ATimson]

The T1 supports all of the ePub features mentioned about the nook.

Does it do hyphenation yet? (I'm pretty sure the Kindle doesn't.) Or passhash ("B&N") DRM?

 

[JWolf]

The T1 supports all of the ePub features mentioned about the nook.

Does it do hyphenation yet? (I'm pretty sure the Kindle doesn't.) Or passhash ("B&N") DRM?

No, the T1 does not do hyphenation or passhash. But then, from some of what I read, the nook can go overboard on the hyphens.

 

[Sho]

BLAST!! I followed that link and got sucked into reading Penny Arcade for an hour! But they can be wickedly funny!

Sorry about that .

As for the Kindle, one feature was left out...The wonderful vendor lock-in for DRMed eBooks. That vendor being Amazon.

Agreed, but then Sony is no hallmark of customer-friendlyness either, between episodes like the CD rootkits, removing the PS3 alternate OS install option, and others. Giving them money might merely be the lesser evil ...

 

[JWolf]

BLAST!! I followed that link and got sucked into reading Penny Arcade for an hour! But they can be wickedly funny!

Sorry about that .

As for the Kindle, one feature was left out...The wonderful vendor lock-in for DRMed eBooks. That vendor being Amazon.

Agreed, but then Sony is no hallmark of customer-friendlyness either, between episodes like the CD rootkits, removing the PS3 alternate OS install option, and others. Giving them money might merely be the lesser evil ...

I've had good customer service from Sony. But if you give money to Amazon for a Kindle, you are basically telling Amazon that all the bad things they are doing to/with eBooks is OK. That's a lot worse. Sony is nowhere near as bad as Apple is. Apple will sue at the drop of a hat.