Nook Glowlight or Kindle Paperwhite

[bogey21]

I'm thinking of buying an e-reader and am considering either the Nook Glowlight or the Kindle Paperwhite. All advice is welcome.

George

 

[Blues]

Never used a Nook. DW and I both love our Paperwhites. Allows us to read in bed and not disturb the other. I'd buy one again in a heartbeat. Advice - DW got the Amazon official cover, I bought a cheaper aftermarket one, because Amazon's is (I thought) overpriced. I regret the decision. Her cover works and fits so much better than mine.

-Bob

 

[DeniseM]

I haven't tried the Kindle, but I have upgraded my Nook 3 times, and I like it. The last time, I bought the Nook Tablet, and it's handy for checking TUG, or email, when I'm reading.

If you go into your local Barnes and Noble, you can try out the various models before you buy.

Are you buying this for yourself or someone else?

 

[Passepartout]

If you have a relationship with Amazon, go for the Kindle. They really are awesome. Their customer service is second to none. You will never lose any of the content (books, magazines, music) you buy for it, no matter how many times you replace/upgrade it. You can also have (free) Kindle apps on your computer and phone so that while you're reading something, you can just keep reading on any of your devices and it automatically keeps track of where you are in the book. The newest generation of Kindle Paperwhite is called Kindle Voyage. Thinner, longer battery life, adaptive backlighting, no lifting a finger to turn a page.

Jim

 

[DeniseM]

no lifting a finger to turn a page.

How do you turn the page?

The Nook has the same features that Jim mentioned on the KW. I haven't really looked into this, but I have heard that Amazon ebooks may be a little cheaper?

 

[LisaH]

I lost my Kindle on a United flight. Now that I read on my ipad or DH's tablet, I really want my kindle back. The problem with iPad and android tablet is both are too heavy for me to hold in bed. I am looking into Kindle Voyage...heard it will come out around Christmas shopping season...

 

[Passepartout]

How do you turn the page?

From the Voyage ad on Amazon:

Effortless page turns
New—PagePress allows you to turn the page without lifting a finger. Simply apply pressure on the bezel to turn the page, and PagePress will provide a silent haptic response for consistent and immediate feedback.

The whole ad:

http://www.amazon.com/High-Resoluti...&qid=1414435797&sr=1-1&keywords=kindle+voyage

 

[DeniseM]

Yeah, but, isn't applying pressure "lifting a finger"? Or maybe "pressing a finger." Same with the Nook - "tap" to turn.

I thought maybe you could turn it with a psychic message.

 

[Passepartout]

Yeah, but, isn't applying pressure "lifting a finger"? Or maybe "pressing a finger." Same with the Nook - "tap" to turn.

I thought maybe you could turn it with a psychic message.

I just read 'em, I don't make 'em up. When I read that 'no lifting a finger' bit, I wondered if you had to wiggle your nose or something.

At between $200 and nearly $300, and a Kindle Fire HD at $99, I'll keep my Fire. So what if it needs plugged in every couple of days.

 

[DeniseM]

My Nook Tablet is about 4-5 mos. old and it was about $129, but I don't know if you can even buy these any more.

The new Nook tablet is pricey:

Samsung Galaxy Tab® 4 NOOK® 10.1. - $299

For me, it was worth approx. $30 more to upgrade to the Nook Tablet that I have (instead of a Nook ereader for $100) but I would not have paid $299.

You can still buy a Nook ereader (no tablet functions) for about $100.

 

[theo]

My $0.02 worth...

I'm thinking of buying an e-reader and am considering either the Nook Glowlight or the Kindle Paperwhite. All advice is welcome.

George

I have a B&N Nook Simple Touch / Glowlight and like it just fine. I got it mostly because I had received a Nook HD+ as a gift from the family a few years ago, only to soon discover that I could not read or see anything at all on the screen of the Nook when outdoors. The Simple Touch / Glowlight e-reader solved that problem nicely and all books on the Nook HD+ self-transported quite seamlessly over onto the Simple Touch / Glowlight.

I know nothing at all about the Kindle, so cannot knowledgeably compare the two.

 

[Ken555]

I've got a Kindle Paperwhite and think it's great. I also really like the features of the Voyage, but likely won't buy it soon (I do most of my reading on my iPad).

Your choice should be focused on where you intend to acquire books. If buying retail, do you prefer BN or Amazon? If not, research the process for compatibility with libraries or other sources before purchase so you're familiar with the transfer process. It's easiest to download books you buy from BN or Amazon (for their respective ereaders). I read and can sync where I am in a book on my iPhone, iPad, Kindle, etc.

 

[theo]

Yessa!

<snip> Your choice should be focused on where you intend to acquire books. If buying retail, do you prefer BN or Amazon?... If not, research the process for compatibility with libraries or other sources before purchase so you're familiar with the transfer process. It's easiest to download books you buy from BN or Amazon (for their respective ereaders). <snip>

I believe that this is very good advice; I sincerely doubt there are any truly stunning or remarkable feature differences between the two devices under discussion.

 

[pittle]

I have had 3 Kindles and loved them all as they get better. My first one was renamed Kindle Keyboard - I bought the Kindle case with the pull out light. - hubby uses that one now. Then I bought the "new" Kindle and the cover with the light that you could open and it shined in the center of the page - D-I-L now uses that because I sprang for the Paperwhite when it came out a few years ago. I love it, but am seriously thinking about the newest version - Voyager. I just need to find someone in the family that would like a Kindle. I am thinking hubs would like the Paperwhite touch screen. Maybe I will let him try it out when we are on our next vacation. (I could be using my newest one.)

When I share with family, they have access to all my books. They seem to like that.

Amazon books are easy to download and I often get freebies form the local library. I use Kindle Boards Daily Specials a lot just before vacations. That is a good way to check out some new authors for less than $2.

 

[Ken555]

I believe that this is very good advice; I sincerely doubt there are any truly stunning or remarkable feature differences between the two devices under discussion.

Well, I'm not so sure. I don't know much about the Nook features, but I do know that Amazon continues to push forward with making their product better. Full disclosure: I know people on the Kindle software team...and while I don't know any confidential info, I do know these are some of the smartest people I know and I trust them to make really great solutions.


Sent from my iPad

 

[theo]

I don't know much about the Nook features, but I do know that Amazon continues to push forward with making their product better. Full disclosure: I know people on the Kindle software team...and while I don't know any confidential info, I do know these are some of the smartest people I know and I trust them to make really great solutions.

No argument from me, but as an admitted (and apparently non-recovering) techno-idiot who only wants to be able to read on the Simple Touch / Glowlight (my "big" Nook has tablet abilities I seldom even utilize anyhow) assorted ingenious and innovative bells and whistles are frankly just likely to be completely lost on me.

 

[Passepartout]

Full disclosure: I know people on the Kindle software team...and while I don't know any confidential info, I do know these are some of the smartest people I know and I trust them to make really great solutions.

Including our very own TUGger who has been with Microsoft's Win8 team and recently joined the Amazon Kindle QC Team, hypnotiq

Jim

 

[MULTIZ321]

Hi George,

Here's a good article to help you decide: Kindle Paperwihite vs. Nook Glowlight - from Goodreads.net

"The two top e-readers. Comfortable. Easy-to-use. Built-in lighting. Which should you buy? Read on to find out..."

Richard

 

[Ken555]

No argument from me, but as an admitted (and apparently non-recovering) techno-idiot who only wants to be able to read on the Simple Touch / Glowlight (my "big" Nook has tablet abilities I seldom even utilize anyhow) assorted ingenious and innovative bells and whistles are frankly just likely to be completely lost on me.

Actually, the improvements I think are great are those that you don't even notice. It's not "features" as in a new or faster function on a computer, but rather something which improves the reading experience. Of course, I'm sure there are great people working on the Nook software, too. (I just don't know them! ).

 

[carmena79]

I got a 9 inch nook tablet over a year ago. I bought it as an ereader but I use it so much as a tablet that I don't even use my computer very often anymore. It has 32 gb. I downloaded the kindle app onto it when I first got it but have only used it once or twice. I synced it with my htc one quite easily and I'm not very tech savvy. The only drawback is that it overheats easily, like in the shade at 90°. I didn't like the 7 inch nooks, too small.

 

[WinniWoman]

I have the Paperwhite and like it alright, but I still can't figure out how to go back and forth between pages and get back to my original place. I only read forward and am afraid to go back to re read something as I won't know how to get back to where I was.

 

[Passepartout]

I have the Paperwhite and like it alright, but I still can't figure how to go back and forth between pages and get back to my original place. I only read forward and am afraid to go back to re read something as I won't know how to get back to where I was.

Here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JG8GOWU/ref=nav_shopall_k_kdppnwn_top

You need to leaf through the tutorial. Look down this page, and see the "Reads like a Book" section. There's even a 'show me' button. It explains all.

And if that isn't enough, there's a Help button at the top right of every Amazon page. You can select how you want to be helped, web, email, phone. I've been flummoxed by a problem, asked to have a CS person call me, and the instant I've entered my phone number and hit 'send', my phone is ringing. It's amazing!

Jim

 

[sun&fun]

The advice offered here is good. You can't go too far wrong with either device, but I think the Kindle Paperwhite gets the edge for best reading experience. The Kindle Voyage is even better but it's the most expensive e-reader available. Unless you read A LOT, you probably wouldn't need the features of the Voyage.

I have used both Nook Glow and Kindle Paperwhite (DH has Nook and I have 3 Kindles) He has been borrowing my Paperwhite because he likes my library of books, so I ordered the Voyage. Love, love, love the Voyage which I've had for only a week.

 

["Roger"]

My Nook Tablet is about 4-5 mos. old and it was about $129, but I don't know if you can even buy these any more.

The new Nook tablet is pricey:

Samsung Galaxy Tab® 4 NOOK® 10.1. - $299

For me, it was worth approx. $30 more to upgrade to the Nook Tablet that I have (instead of a Nook ereader for $100) but I would not have paid $299.

You can still buy a Nook ereader (no tablet functions) for about $100.

Just to be clear, the $299 is for the 10 inch version of the Galaxy. There is a 7inch Nook enhanced version of the Samsung Galaxy available for $169.

 

["Roger"]

First of all, entirely ignore Rich's Goodread's link (sorry Rich). It is comparing the Kindle Paperwhite with the original Nook Simple Touch Glowlight. That model is long gone. (The sequence is B&N leap frogged Kindle by coming out with the Simple Touch Glowlight. Amazon then leap frogged B&N by coming out with a much improve version of the same thing (reviewed by Goodreads). Since then, B&N has come out with a new model, the Nook Glowlight. Basically, Theo has it right, there are only subtle differences between the two current models - nothing that is a game breaker.

Looking beyond the devices themselves, Kindle advertises having a MUCH larger number of ebooks available. As far as I can tell, many of these are self published books, but also include some earlier books by current authors. Advantage Kindle.

Barnes and Noble allows you to view any ebook (the entire ebook) that they publish for an hour while in one of their stores. (Both companies allow you to see free previews.) This can be important in that a few of the previews do not go beyond a table of contents or a table of contents and a preface not written by the book's author. Of more interest, it is sometimes very useful to see how readable maps found later in a book are or how well photographs and illustrations are displayed before buying an ebook. Advantage Barnes and Noble. (Tongue and cheek, if you are a complete freeloader, you can go back to Barnes and Noble every day for an hour and read an entire book for free.)

****************

Some posters have suggested getting a tablet instead. Briefly (and IMHO), the advantages of a Paperwhite or GlowLight ...

• Cheaper
• Much lighter
• Much better in bright daylight
• You only need to charge them about once a month (constantly having to charge a tablet gets old)

Advantages of a tablet

• Much more versatile, you can check email, the net, a weather app, etc. (Oh yes, and TUG too.)
• Book illustrations will be in color
• While the ereaders come with built in dictionaries, these dictionaries will often not have foreign words, proper names (places, historical figures, other authors). The tablets will give you a chance to automatically search out a word on Google or in Wiki.

Something to be said for both.