<p>I’m looking for some advice. Sparked by the other thread, my interest in the Nook eReader has piqued. But I’m really torn. If anyone else has the Nook, I’d love to hear your insight. These are some of the pros, cons, and concerns I’ve had:</p>
<p>PROS
Read books on the go (lots of travel for me)
Free classics!
Instant access to new books
Read multiple books (one fic and one non-fic) without heavy weight
Internet connection and other fun
Very readable screen</p>
<p>CONS
$150 or $200 expense
Might encourage impulsive buying (but they’re books…)
Have lots of other capable devices</p>
<p>CONCERNS
Do I need another internet capable device? (mp3 player, laptop…)
How often do you use yours?
Does it feel like “screen time” when you use it?</p>
<p>I’d really appreciate the help. I’d also love to hear about great deals. It’s pretty cheap right now and I’m looking at coupons that may help.
applicannot</p>
<p>That thread totally sucked me in. All of my capable devices serve their purpose and get used for multiple hours every week; not all of them are used a lot but I keep things for a really long time, so I milk them for their money.</p>
<p>A new book can cost for $5 to $20 as far as I can tell; but the bonus is that I collect gift cards like a fiend and can start telling people B&N instead of Walmart or Amazon (people tend to like specific stores, especially book stores).</p>
<p>Right now I’m reading very little but I wish I could read more. I used to read 2-3 books a week. With my new job I am looking to read more, probably 2-3 books per month. In school, it would be more for magazines and the occasional light reading - plus if my class is reading a classic, I can get it on the Nook for free. The Nook appears to be very book format friendly, so I wouldn’t necessarily be PURCHASING all of those books.</p>
<p>Let’s see if I can answer all of these. I love my Nook and use it all the time. I do buy more books but I also read more books. Most of the books I have bought have been $9.99 except for the classics which I usually get for free. I have also gotten many books free from various promotions and from free Fridays (B & N selects one free book every Friday). I also can download books from my local library. The selection is limited but it is growing all the time. It doesn’t seem like screen time to me. I live 30 miles from the nearest bookstore, so I have really enjoyed downloading a book as oppose to waiting until I can get to town and buy one. The only down side I have is that I can’t take it into the bath and read.</p>
<p>I’ve owned a Nook for a couple of months now, and really like it.</p>
<p>One of the primary reasons I chose it was the ability to download library books to it. This feature is unavailable on the Kindle from Amazon. While our city library does not carry ebooks, there are several libraries in our state that allow state residents to have cards, and I have successfully downloaded library books from 5 different libraries so far after getting their cards via online applications and/or visiting in person.</p>
<p>To find out more about library downloads, go to [OverDrive</a> - Global distributor of digital eBooks, audiobooks, music & video for library, school & retail](<a href=“http://www.overdrive.com%5DOverDrive”>http://www.overdrive.com). You can search for libraries near your zip code or in your entire state, and check their lending policies as well as the number of books available to loan. Different libraries have different titles, which is why you may want to join more than one.</p>
<p>Also I am not restricted to buying only from Barnes and Noble with the Nook. About the only place I cannot buy from is Amazon as their ebooks will not work on the Nook. Barnes and Noble has offered lots of free books to me in the time I have owned it as well. Not always something I like or would pick, but for free, I will start to read it and stop if I don’t like it. Never hurts to expand your horizons!</p>
<p>If you go to the Barnes and Noble website, there is a link near the top called Book Clubs. There is an “E-Reader” section with lots of people weighing in with pros and cons. Might be useful reading for you.</p>
<p>I bought mine on Ebay from someone who had decided to go with an Ipad instead. But if I didn’t already have one, the price drop this week would have convinced me to buy one.</p>
<p>The nook looks excellent. I ended up deciding between the Kindle and the nook. I opted in favor of the Kindle. Here are pros/cons of each, at least from my vantage point:</p>
<p>nook:
+Can lend books to people (offset by the fact I know no one with a nook)
+Can read more formats (I just wanted something for books)
+Access to library books (although I prefer to own mine)
-Lower battery life</p>
<p>Kindle:
+Great battery life
+Slightly lower prices on books</p>
<p>The Kindle didn’t really have any drawbacks for me – the nook’s benefits are very real, but not ones that sucked me in. The pricing and the battery life were really the deciding factors – I guess it goes to show that the devices are very similar.</p>
<p>I think the Nook is going to be great over vacations - since it will be easier to access books (I’m a library queen but I don’t have a car or public transportation at home). I don’t think I’ll use it while I’m at college - who has time for reading? - unless I can score a free loan or classic for one of my classes. But I don’t think that $200 is a terrible investment, especially considering Maryland has a huge eBook library.</p>