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I Need Your Advice...

In the big scary world of e-book readers, there are too many things I'm willing to admit I don't understand...at least not well enough to make an informed decision. So here's the deal, I want to hear from you:

The Kindle

The Kobo

The Nook

Sony eReader (edited to add this one, because how did I miss it???)

(I'm purposely leaving the iPad out of the mix, because I'm considering straight e-readers here!)

What do you love and what do you hate? And what made you ultimately decide???

I need the good, the bad, and the ugly...

AND...GO!!!
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Comments

Lynsey Newton said…
I'm also delving into the big bad world of e readers as I've finally decided I need one. I'm going to go for the Kindle as I want it to read PDF's. They're bringing a new one out soon which is lighter and better.

I also think there is more choice with kindle books?

I don't have one yet but I definitely want one!
August 4, 2010 at 4:18 PM
Kristen said…
I'm going for the Nook which you can also read PDFs and all sorts of other books on. I haven't bought it yet, but my friend who has one highly suggests it - they also have a lower budget one for 149 that doesn't have the 3G but I plan to mainly use it for free books from netgalley and the library, so I'll have to download those from the computer anyways. Also, if you go to Barnes and Noble, they'll let you play with it and tell you all about it which is really cool.
August 4, 2010 at 4:23 PM
Melissa said…
I have a Sony eReader, which I notice isn't one of the choices that you're interested in, but for me, it was between it and the Kobo. And this is why:

Yes, amazon does have a lot of books, but with the Kindle and the Nook, you can only buy books from the respective sites. I'm about 99% sure that you can't read PDFs on either one of them. Only Kindle formatted books.

With either the Sony eReader or the Kobo, you can download any PDF and EPub formatted books. This means you can buy books from the related websites, but you can also use all types of PDFs and you can download and read books from NetGalley. Not sure about the Kobo, but you can download library books as well onto the Sony eReader, but if you send a question to Kobo either on their site or through Twitter, they'll let you know if that's possible as well with Kobo. (The library downloads requires, of course, only that you have a local library that allows eBook loans). Also, keep in mind that with the Nook, you can only download books while you're in the US, so if you travel elsewhere with it, you'll need to have all the books you want to read already on your eReader. Hmmm...think that's it.
August 4, 2010 at 4:27 PM
Katie said…
I have a Nook and I love it. They are constantly upgrading the software so even if there is a problem they fix it super quick. It's easy to figure out which is good because I'm not the best with technology. I also love the 3G feature and the web browser. Barnes And Noble has always been my favorite bookstore so I had to stick with them when I finally got an e-reader and I am glad that I did. =]
August 4, 2010 at 4:52 PM
Unknown said…
I recently got a Nook, I love it - easy to use, I love the touch screen and you can read PDF's and all kinds of formats with it. It's easy to hold and it works really wonderfully.

I looked at it and the Kindle mostly. GOOD LUCK!
August 4, 2010 at 6:42 PM
Jess (The Cozy Reader) said…
I've owned the Kindle 1.0 forever it seems, since they came out, and I love it.

I picked it mostly for two reasons:

Wireless, instant book delivery of books
Easy shopping from a trusted retailer

My favorite things about it:
Battery life
Easy of use (one hand or no handed reading? Yes please.)
Text size adjustment
Dictionary
Lots of free books

I'm sure I'm missing some things but those are the things I can think of right now. :)

I've suggested the Kindle to lots of people who've purchased it and love it. (Mom, aunt, and a few close friends)

I'd love to get one of the new ones that just released but I probably won't seeing as mine works fine. :)
August 4, 2010 at 9:30 PM
Anatole said…
I personally don't have an e-reader, but one of my friends got one a month or two ago . . . and spends his life on it. He even brought it to our writing course to show it off. (I guess if you're gonna bring it in, what better place than that.)
He has the Nook, and bought a special case for it and everything. He swears by it.
August 4, 2010 at 10:16 PM
Lori said…
I have a Kindle and I LOVE it! No complaints at all. You can read PDF's on it as well. And of course Amazon has an incredible selection! I haven't tried any of the others, though.
August 5, 2010 at 4:33 AM
Steph said…
I have used and abused of my brother's Kindle and I can attest to its awesomeness. Plus the selection on Amazon is great, and you should read this post on customer service at Smart Bitches: http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com/index.php/weblog/comments/customer-service-is-a-ruthless-business/

Interesting, eh?
August 5, 2010 at 7:19 AM
Wicked Walker said…
I got a nook a couple of months ago and I really love it. I love having all those books on hand. It reads pdf's downloaded straight from Adobe Digital Edition so you can put whatever on it. My only complaint is that I thought the battery would last longer...it last like 4 days or so, but maybe they weren't expecting me to read so much haha. It isn't a big deal to charge it, takes about 3 hours for a full charge.
August 5, 2010 at 7:25 AM
Heidi Willis said…
I wrote about them on my blog and my group blog when I got mine. You can read my thoughts about why I love my nook here:

http://tinyurl.com/hwnook

http://tinyurl.com/hwnook2

At the time of writing, the Nook didn't have wireless internet. It does now. It's a bit clunky, but it works.

Good luck!
August 5, 2010 at 2:03 PM
Heidi Willis said…
Oh - also, I don't know if the others do this, but you can download samples of books for free - the first few chapters - to read before you buy. I love that because I can decide if I like a book before making that commitment. (and also, B&N has my book on their Nooks in Michigan for store samples. How cool is that?)

Also, the Nook can read almost every format published, except the Kindle format. Amazon is pretty broad though, so I'm not sure if that's a big deal.
August 5, 2010 at 2:07 PM
What Do You Live For? said…
My husband gave me a Kindle last year. Of course I wanted one though. I love the size, and being able to read in direct light. I can also read PDF and Word doc's I load onto it as well. I love that I can read any of my Kindle books on my iPhone. My kids can read the same book I am reading at the same time as well. You can also sync between the two.

The only negative is that not all publishers/authors release new books as ebooks. The last one I really wanted was not released as an ebook for alomst six months. That was sad, but recently there has been new books becoming ebooks at the same time. ;o)
August 5, 2010 at 4:57 PM
Ginamarie said…
I would go for the Nook. I own one and absoluletly love it. It links to your B&N account online so you can order e-books online or straight from your nook. I also like that you can buy from other stores like (kobo or another e-book store) and It also upgrades itself! The kindle and ipad and sony come out with new e-readers like every other month where the nook just upgrades its software and you get new gadgets for it. I also heard the kindle is a little weird with page numbering and other files downloading. So if you ask me Nook is the way to go.
August 5, 2010 at 5:07 PM
Sara {Rhapsody and Chaos} said…
Okay, so here's the thing. I am CLUELESS about ereaders! So I'm hoping whichever you choose, you'll review for those of us who are so late to the game that we know nothing about them!

PS Kim, I had such a blast meeting you in LA =) I'll email you some of the pictures soon!
August 5, 2010 at 8:30 PM
Miranda said…
I love my nook so much. I think the only thing I don't like about it is that I can't read while I'm in the bath. And alot of books don't come on e-book version until awhile after the release date. So when I'm desperately waiting for a book to come out I cave and buy both versions, so my little habit has become twice as expensive!
August 8, 2010 at 11:20 AM
Sherrie Petersen said…
I won a Kindle last year so that what I ended up with. If I was going to buy one, I'd get an iPad (in spite of the unfortunate name!)

It was so good to see you in L.A.! And if only I'd known, I'd have let you play with the Kindle to see if you liked it!
August 9, 2010 at 3:26 PM
Kimberly Derting said…
Ahh, I'm not sure you guys have made my decision any easier...it seems to be very split, although I definitely see that it's between the Kindle and the Nook for most of you.

Decisions, decisions...
August 12, 2010 at 4:41 PM
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