The Nook or Kindle?

My vote is for the Kindle or iPhone [has Kindle app], based on the size of the library alone.

I really love my nook – it just feels sexier without the type-pad. Plus, how often do I use that thing (hint – never)

I’ve never used a Nook, so I’m biased. I love my Kindle and I love the free classic books that they offer! Also, the Kindle has apps for just about everything now, so you can read on your Kindle, on your computer, on an iPad (if you have one), and on your phone (if you have an iPhone or Droid). Each device will sync with the others so you don’t lose your spot as you switch from one to the other.

I’m going to follow this. I love my paper books, but after moving so much in the past few years I’ve lost nearly all my books. So I’ve been thinking of getting either the Kindle or the Nook (although I hate buying books twice, which I would because I love my paper books).

I love my paper books as well, and I strongly believe it is good to save or replace lost ones because we’re entering an age where they will be collectible.

But since I started college 10 years ago I’ve been on an ebook binge…so my paper book library is rather small in comparison to my ebook library :(

I really like my Kindle. The only thing I thought the Nook really had going for it was the ability to lend books and Amazon says they are on that, so I think the Kindle is the winner. Why the Kindle? As mentioned, you can read your books on just about any system—it’s not just an eReader, it’s an entire platform designed to win the eBooks race. You can read on your laptop, iPad, iPhone, Blackberry, or eReader. I also really enjoy the selection available, the ease of dropping my own files onto the Kindle, and the ease of book purchase. There are some great features built in (the ability to return accidentally purchased books), and the customer service is fantastic (I once wrong them about a fairly minor issue with a book and was immediately offered a refund if I wanted one).

I believe that the sexy contest has been won by physical paper books. They have something that eBooks don’t—resell value. Buy them used for $3 – $10, and sell them back for $2 – $9.

I own a Kindle and have used a Nook quite a bit, but lately I’ve been buying physical books on Amazon to read. A shelf with a small library is much more rewarding than a full memory on an eBook.

Do eReaders cause eye strain?

I don’t get any more eye strain reading on my Kindle than I do reading a book in print. I actually get less because I adjust the font size so that it’s easier to see.

I still by some books in paper because I want to keep them as a collection and for my children to read them when they get old enough.

@Aesthetic_Mess No more so than books do if you have a classic eReader. They use e-Ink in a non-backlit system. So what you look at then is who has the best contrast—my Kindle’s contrast is about that of a trade paperback, whereas my mother’s Kindle (the current generation) has better contrast. So it’s easier to read, less eye strain, but mine still strains my eyes far less than a computer screen and no more than actual trade paperbacks.

While I really enjoy paper books still, I travel quite a bit and the benefit of one eReader over an entire backpack (literally, no exaggeration here) of books is simply and undeniably amazing.

Nook just came out with a color version, creatively named the Nook Color. Since it is color it has some functionality that you would find in a tablet, and of course all the e-reader functionality as well. It’s worth a look.

I love to read. ANYTHING! (paper preferred!) So I was Not interested in a Kindle or a Nook when they first came out. I finally got interested in ebooks when the iPad came out because now I have a address book, a calandar, and ebooks in one machine, Don’t get me wrong- I stil prefer paper books, but with my iPad I have a Kindle, a Nook, and iBooks on my iPad. I also have my planner, an iPod, and an address book all in one package. I still will always have paper copies of my favorite books. I love the feel, smell, and look of paper, and I think that I always will.

I have never used a nook, but kindles are really cool. They have a really large selection of books to choose from. Also there are always some free books. If you have an iphone or a droid then you can get the kindle app and read from there also. But, I have realized that if you are doing a book report or a research project or something, then it is pretty hard using the kindle. Im not sure about the nook, but if it is set up the same way then it would be pretty hard also. Because if you have to go back and look something up then you have to go through all the pages or know exactly what section and page number the information is on. So for reports and what not I would use regular old paper books(:

I could not be more happy with my Kindle (third generation).

I went with the iPad.

Much more versatile and you won’t come off as some reading snob.

After comparing several eReaders, I chose the Nook, because I can download books from the public library.

@AmWiser That is one of the nice features of the Nook, unfortunately, not all libraries participate in that right now. The ones around here don’t have that yet.

@Aesthetic_Mess

Did you decide on this or not? My mom gave me a $50 gift certificate to Amazon and now I don’t know what to do. The Nook is color and uses an open format vs $50 off a Kindle.

Is there going to be a color Kindle? Should I get the 3G Kindle and pay the same as the Wi-Fi only? Or just get the Wi-Fi one for less?

I have no idea what to do and I’m relying on this question.

@mrentropy Wow this is incredibly belated, but I chose to get a Nook. It comes tomorrow!

@Aesthetic_Mess Ya think? But I guess this answer is a bit belated, too.

Congratulations on getting a Nook, though :)

2015 update: I have tried both the Kindle for PC and Nook for PC reading apps, and found the Kindle app to be far superior. As has been mentioned already, Kindle does offer a surprising variety of eBooks for $1.99 or less, including a nice selection of either collected works, or complete works, of major classical authors for $0.99. Nook does not.

While both apps allow textual highlighting, only Kindle offers the option of copying textual passages for pasting into word processing files. This works seamlessly with Word Perfect, so I would assume that it would works with Word as well. Plus, with each copied section, the Kindle app appends all of the data needed to create a bibliographic entry should the material be included in a paper or article. Nook does not offer this option.

Also, with Kindle, purchased books begin downloading immediately, and the download continues until the entire book has been downloaded. With Nook, generally that is the case as well, however two or three books that I purchased failed to download at all, despite repeated tries. Trying to get this situation resolved through Customer Service was an adventure in futility.

As to the tablets, the 4th generation Kindle FireHD tablets win hands down. More reasonably priced than the Nook, and loaded with far more capabilities than the Nook Color, FireHD tablets function like Android devices, and make virtually the entire Android app collection available, As well as third party apps, such as the Scribd.com mobile reader app.

Based on my experiences, the Kindle Fire HD tablets and the companion Kindle for PC reader app are clear winners.