Anyone out there with a NOOK?

[Wafer]

But where is this 'library'? Is it like a government thing?

Local Library service. I know the 'Libraries West' people who run libraries in Somerset/Old Avon area (User482' and my area) allow you to download books for free like borrowing books from the library buildings, but they don't support Kindle. You just do it via the web site. Different Library services round the country may do things differently.

 

[marknotgeorge]

Apart from the library, the main advantage of non-Amazon e-readers is that you can (legally) get your books from a number of websites, not just Amazon. And using a program called Calibre on your PC means you can use Amazon too.

 

[CopperBrompton]

You can get books from multiple sources whatever e-reader you use.

The future of B&N is less than 100% certain - they've been closing bookshops at a rate of knots, and so far have been losing money from digital sales. The current model of the Nook is about to be permanently retired in favour of a rebranded Samsung Galaxy Tab, which may change things but I wouldn't count on it.

No-one is ever going to regret buying a Kindle.

 

[SimonJKH]

You can get books from multiple sources whatever e-reader you use.

No-one is ever going to regret buying a Kindle.

I certainly love mine. I'm no fan of tax-dodging Big Business Inc., but the Kindle surely has the biggest 'to buy' library out there. Plus thousands of books for free on sites like many books.net and even documents in plain text or pdf can be sent to your kindle if you use an app like Calibre or similar.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

I'm not the best person to advise, I've not had NOOKie for years

I swapped my Nook for a Cranny. Can't find either of them now.

 

[swee'pea99]

No. It's amazons own library. You can borrow one book at a time. Once you send the one back, you can borrow another. You can also lend books you have bought from amazon. I mean you can lend books to other people you know if you want

Just went to check this out & it seems you have to have Amazon Prime, at £79/yr, to access the library. I also went to check out my local library, and tho' they do have ebooks, their range is thin to say the least. Just as a 'for example', I checked out Martin Amis (none) and Ian McEwan (none). I did find a few sites where you can get pdfs, but again, the range was pretty thin. Still, definitely some food for thought...and further googling - thanks all.

 

[TheDoctor]

Kindles are excellent, and will be supported for quite some time. More than a Nook will.
Although I use the Kindle app on a phone or tablet just as much, the long battery life and get-online-free-worldwide of my Kindle 3 is fantastic for travelling.

 

[swee'pea99]

I love my Kindle, and my missus loved hers (till she trod on it). But looking for a replacement, I did run into this NOOK with a built in light, and she had said that one thing she did miss, using the kindle (as against the tablet she now uses) was being able to read easily in little or no ambient lighting - so that immediately raised my interest. The fact that it's probably an obsolescent technology doesn't worry me in the least - as long as it lasts, it'll do what she needs it to. The only issue, really, is the availability of books. With Kindle, you can go to Amazon and if it exists, you can probably get it. Often at a reasonable price. From my brief trip to B&N, it looked like the range was less extensive and the prices on the high side. If I could find a comprehensive library of cheaply/freely downloadable pdfs, the NOOK would become a very persuasive option at that price.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Unless you really can't afford the Nook then get a Kindle.

Ebay might be useful for the older non-Paperwhite version which is still a decent thing to have.

 

[martint235]

Whilst I'd also recommend the Kindle having owned one for a few years, the Nook may be worth watching for a while. B&N are to release a joint venture with Samsung today, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 NOOK. Now whilst Samsung have had few issues of late (I think their profits dived from several squillion dollars to a couple of dollars less than several squillion), a company with that much financial firepower isn't going to link it's name to something unless it feels there's something to be made from it.

 

[John the Monkey]

No-one is ever going to regret buying a Kindle.

I think I would.

The Nook simple touch (I got one ages ago for £30) is a cracking little device with an easily rootable Android core.

Although I use mine for reading epubs, mostly, I've used native installations of the Kobo and Amazon readers to read my content from those stores on the device as well. The Kindle is more expensive, and more restricted. Not a problem if it does what you want, but not, for me, the best option.

Looking to the future, I'd be wary of an Amazon device because of their penchant for restricting what you can do with their services (Prime Instant Video has no streaming option on Android, for example, I suspect because they want you to buy a Kindle fire).

 

[John the Monkey]

'er indores is thinking about a new ereader, and I've been looking at listings for the NOOK, which make it sound pretty good - and very good VFM, compared with a Kindle. Does anyone have one? Any thoughts? How does it compare when it comes to buying books? Price-wise, selections, other? Any thoughts much appreciated.

I have one, and I like it a lot.

Selection is good, although sometimes you'll pay more than you would on Amazon. (You can, however, buy on Amazon and read on the Amazon android app on the Nook, or convert to ePub using a programme called Calibre with a little and slightly less work respectively).

If you get the Simple Touch version, it can be "rooted" and run Android apps fairly easily. ( http://www.babblingengineer.com/how-to/how-i-turned-my-nook-into-an-e-reader-monster ) although I don't use the Android stuff much anymore.

I'm not keen on Kindles for the reasons I gave Trikeman, but my daughter has one and they're ok as a reader if you're ok with the proprietary format Amazon impose on you &c.

 

[CopperBrompton]

Looking to the future, I'd be wary of an Amazon device because of their penchant for restricting what you can do with their services (Prime Instant Video has no streaming option on Android, for example, I suspect because they want you to buy a Kindle fire).

Buying a dedicated ebook reader and then complaining that you can't easily use it as a general-purpose tablet would be rather odd when you have the option of buying the latter and using it as an ebook reader ...

On Prime Instant Video, though, I agree that Amazon has been extremely incompetent in the rights they negotiated. I'm currently watching West Wing (despite having the boxed set, streaming is a more convenient way to do it), and their rights allow it to be streamed on an iPad but not a Mac. Easily circumvented by using Airplay to send it from the iPad to the Mac, but very silly.

 

[John the Monkey]

Buying a dedicated ebook reader and then complaining that you can't easily use it as a general-purpose tablet would be rather odd when you have the option of buying the latter and using it as an ebook reader ...

Not really what I'm doing - I'm able to use the Android base of the Nook to read stuff I've bought and paid for, but can't read on Nook because of the restrictions placed on the content by the vendor. It works ok for black and white comics via Perfect Viewer, Dark Horse Digital and Comixology too.

It's a subset of Android apps suited to the e-ink display, really, that you get access to because of the versatility (possibly unintended) of the device.

The ePub format (as opposed to .mobi, or .azw3) is appealing (for me) too.

 

[CopperBrompton]

I started with a Kindle and then switched to an iPad when I bought that, as it seemed silly to carry two tablet-style devices and I rarely read in direct sunlight. But although that's the best option for me, a Kindle would still be my default recommendation to anyone who doesn't have a use for a full tablet.

As to formats, I'm completely agnostic. I use Calibre software to convert as required, and I still have around 1500 paper books too.