e readers

[Knotdodger]

I hope I'm in the right place. I did a search but didn't come up with any recent discussion on this subject. We're researching e readers as a gift for our daughter. I'm considering Kindle, Sony Reader and Nook. I'm leaning toward Kindle. Do any of you use them and if so which one and why did you purchase that brand?

Thanks in advance.

[Dick Noble]

I have a Kindle. It was a Father's day gift. I've gotten so I don't leave home without it. I have the older model that many seem to prefer over the newer one. I like being able to down load lots of books for minimum prices. I don't like having to just use Amazon to get books from but any one you buy you will probably have to stick with their book supplier.

[BigSkyBob]

I bought my DW a Kindle for Christmas last year and she would dump me before she would give up her Kindle. She downloads books from Amazon to her laptop then to the Kindle, which is fast, and will work anyplace there is an Internet connection.

[Explorer2]

I have the second version of the Kindle. I love it, I can surf books and download where ever I'm at. I also can sync to my account from any computer. I have the app on my Smartphone- Droid 2 so am able to pull my books over.

Amazon has alot of kindle books that are free downloads.

My daughter asked for one last Christmas and enjoys it as much as I do. I frankly don’t know anything about the other e-readers because I have no experience with them.

[Explorer2]

I'd like to add that my daughter used her Kindle to download some of her textbooks for school (University) and.....it has a text to speach feature that I use when I commute to and from work. I get tired of the radio.

[Rocky Larson]

TMI, but I hope it helps: Kindle vs. Nook vs. iPad: Which e-book reader should you buy? | Crave - CNET

[rclarke]

The choice of ebook reader depends on where you hope to borrow or buy books. Many readers will not work with books borrowed from the library. Borrowed library books are usually encoded with a version of DRM (Digital Rights Management) and are not compatible with some readers. Even if the reader is able to read DRM epub books they cannot download the books directly from the library. They will have to be downloaded to a computer then transfered to the reader. Do the research before buying.

[buck62]

My DW is an avid reader so for Christmas I got her a Kindle and now I can't get it our of her hands. When I first bought it she said she probably would not use it and it was another tech toy. Now she uses her Kindle all the time and goes to the Kindle store and downloads books as we are traveling and she loves it. Amazon recently reported that it has sold more Kindle books than traditional books.

[Wayne M]

I bought my wife a Kindle for Mother's Day in 2009. She loves it. It uses the propriatary AZW format, but you never see that when you order a book. Kindle uses it's own 3G "Whispernet" network to download their books using their algorithm of DRM. I believe it also supports PDF Files now.

There is a Kindle APP for the iPad. (Bought that for last Mother's day. - need to keep DW happy when we are on the road. She loves both the Kindle and the iPad) The iPad is considerably heavier than the Kindle.

[Knotdodger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rocky Larson TMI, but I hope it helps: Kindle vs. Nook vs. iPad: Which e-book reader should you buy? | Crave - CNET

Thanks for the link. It's a good comparison. Thanks to everyone that has replied. It's been very helpful. I'm still leaning toward the Kindle for her use.

[LindaH]

We have a Sony and like them a lot.

However, if I were looking for a new eReader now, I'd get an iPad...you can get aps with the iPad that will read Kindle books plus a lot of other eReader formats. Plus it does a whole lot more than any eReader does!

[JSW]

I love my Ipad as an Ereader. There are free apps to help me get books from several sources. It also can handle PDF files so they are readable as books. One complaint I hear is about the back lit screen. Since I do not read in bright sunshine, that is no problem. The back lit screen allows me to read in bed or on the airplane without disturbing anyone.

[Alan_Hepburn]

We're in the minority it seems - my wife has a Nook and for her it was the only choice. Our local public library system supports it and Sony, but not Kindle.

Barnes&Noble provides a free book every Friday, as well as a huge selection of free books, low-cost books, and other benefits. They also have regular user groups at the local stores, and if you bring the Nook into any B&N store it will automatically download any software updates that are available.

My wife's Nook has built-in wi-fi and 3G so she is seldom out of reach of Free Book Fridays!

[Knotdodger]

Thanks again for all the replies. We ordered the Kindle WiFi/3G. It was cheaper than the Sony with comparable features and about in line price wise/feature wise with the Nook. She's 38 so we decided she could unwrap the Kindle and we'll buy her something else if she prefers and we'll either keep the Kindle or return it. I'm still sitting on the fence. My wife doesn't know it yet but I plan to get her one for Christmas. I need to quit dragging my you-know-what and make that decision.

Thanks again for your help.