<p>abasket - oh yes the typical waiting list to download library books is you can’t believe! I am a Kindle owner, with a second cheaper discontinued Sony reader which I got used for the purpose of library books. My local libraries (a big metropolitan library, and a smaller local one) has a good selection of eBooks - however they only have one copy of each book, and they don’t typically have any new releases from the past year or so available yet. The popular books can often be found to have waiting lists of 40-50+ people! At 2-3 weeks each person, that’s several years of waiting! The majority of ebooks typically have waiting lists of average of 2-3 clients, quite doable of a wait. For the most part, the only books that you can check out right away typically are more of the backlisted pulp genre types which no one has ever heard of.</p>
<p>Just be sure to actually check the catalogues of your library’s online e-media section to see if your types of books of available (with acceptable wait times - you may have to add them to cart to see waitlist number) before you decide for ePub format support as your decision swaying point in choosing eReaders.</p>
<p>PS - the reason Libraries need to put waiting lists on eBooks is because of licensing issues. They only have the license to lend one copy of the eBook, so they can not have it out simultaneously to different people. If they want to lend it out simultaneously, they would be required to purchase another license.</p>
<p>PPS - in all of the library catalogues I’ve searched - I’ve never found any library to have more than one copy of any particular eBook / audiobook / mp3 album, etc etc.</p>
<p>Anything new at the libraries I have access to has a waiting list. The longest I’ve joined has been for the new Patricia Cornwell and it was 20 people. Many of them are only 2-3 people, but if the library only has a license for one copy and each person can have it for 3 weeks – well, patience is a virtue!</p>
<p>It will be interesting to see how libraries deal with ebooks in the long run. It seemed to me that in December, when I didn’t have the device, the lists weren’t this long, so I am assuming after Christmas a bunch more people are using the ebooks. It also seems that the libraries are constantly adding more titles. I think it is evolving.</p>
<p>I could have posted this reply from my nook color, but it would have been a peck and poke pain to do. From looking at a friend’s kindle, I think that keyboard is a little easier to use than the touch screen one.</p>
<p>Still, I’m happy. I have a drawerful of worn out, burned out, shorted out, discontinued book lights and I’m glad to be done with them.</p>
<p>Due to extreme eye fatigue (too much computer work for someone with eyesight in only one eye), I had pretty much given op on reading before I got my Kindle for Christmas. I recommend it for anyone with vision issues.</p>
<p>“Unbroken” is my pick for nonfiction right now.</p>
<p>2 Kindle family here. I have had one for a little over a year and we got 17yo S one for xmas. We both love them. I don’t know much about the Nook. I will suggest that if you get the Kindle, get the one with 3G so your D can get books anywhere, or pretty much anywhere. If you get just the WiFi she will not be able to get books if she is someplace without WiFi. I know many places have it now, but it would stink to be stuck somewhere without it. Both S and I have Amazon hinged covers on our Kindles. I think it protects it very well from drops and being in a tight backpack or laptop bag. </p>
<p>I love my Kindle, a friend of mine has a Nook and loves it (not the color one). She likes the idea of being able to get books from the library, but there isn’t much selection yet.</p>
<p>Got a Kindle as a surprise this Christmas. Not sure about it at first.
I was a bit disappointed about the lack of library borrowing, but there are apps if you download to computer then format to upload to Kindle (read about it but haven’t tried yet).
But a friend recommended the hinged cover with built in light, that uses Kindle battery and now I’m sold. If I read in bed using the light from the cover, H on the adjacent pillow is completely in the dark!</p>
<p>I have a Kindle. I didn’t especially want one, but my thinking has changed to the point that I don’t even think anyone should decide on a Kindle vs. color Nook vs. iPad vs. something else. They have their individual benefits, and prices have gotten to the point that many of us could justify getting them all (well, I’m waiting on the iPad). But really, Kindle for the long battery life and ease on the eyes. Nook for the library. Maybe the question now is which one to have with you when.</p>
<p>A Kindle update soon to hit the newest-generation Wi-Fi and 3G models will grant books with “real” page numbers, corresponding with pages of popular print editions.</p>
<p>The Kindle update has other features too, including:
Public notes - Now you can share your notations with total strangers, and follow authors and friends alike as they fill books with their own liner notes. I’m not a note person, but I can see how some people would get turned on by this.</p>
<p>“Before You Go…” - Just as you’re finishing a book, you’ll now get a “seamless” invitation to rate the book, share it on Twitter or Facebook, and of course, buy more books like it, or by the same author. Truth is, I’m surprised it took Amazon this long to create a built-in marketing feature.</p>
<p>New newspaper and magazine layouts - Apparently, browsing wasn’t so easy with Kindle periodicals, so they’ve revamped the format to improved the scanning of multiple articles. Given the slowness and awkwardness of e-ink screens, any way to provide more options in a given glance seems like an improvement.</p>
<p>I got my 19yo avid reader a Kindle for Christmas. He loves it. I have gadget envy in the worst possible way. I have the Kindle app on my mac, iphone, and ipad, but the digital ink on the Kindle is amazing and the size is perfect. The free classics cover just about every book on S2s AP Lit reading list this year. If I had really put some thought into it, I would have saved the $100+ I spent on paperbacks for the class and put that money towards a Kindle for him.</p>
<p>Received email this morning ----in next few days they will deliver the new features to my Kindle ! </p>
<p>Real Page Numbers</p>
<p>Public Notes </p>
<p>Before You Go …
When you reach the end of the book, you can now immediately rate the book, share a message about the book with your social network, get personalized recommendations for what to read next, and see more books by the same author. </p>
<p>New Newspaper and Magazine Layout
A new browsing layout makes it easy to scan newspapers and magazines more quickly</p>
<p>I was given a regular Nook as a present, so I have not done much comparison shopping. But I love it. Easy on eyes, easy (but slow) access to websites. </p>
<p>Eggson has a friend who uses his Nook for textbooks. Since he can also share the books with his PC, he can view them in a large, color format as well as small and portable. I would think that the ability to annotate and highlight an electronic textbook is very useful.</p>
<p>Does the Kindle allow this sort of interaction? Now I am thinking about eggson’s birthday.</p>
<p>Hi–I’m reviving this thread because people may have insight on any new changes to Kindle or Nook. I’m not looking at the tablet because my husband doesn’t need that since he already has a Blackberry and a laptop. Are the Kindle fans still fans?</p>
<p>Well…we have lots of choices in the Thumper household. I have an IPad with the Kindle and Nook apps loaded onto it…and my books go there. My husband has a Nook Color (he calls it the poor man’s IPad) and he loves it. DD is getting a Kindle for Christmas and that is also a hit. </p>
<p>Here is what I think.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I like the IPad because it’s portable device that has my books, and also can access my email and use Skype. </p></li>
<li><p>My husband likes the Nook Color because it’s smaller…and it’s backlit…something the Kindle does not have.</p></li>
<li><p>DD wanted the Kindle because really it’s very lightweight and the one we got her (old one) holds a charge for a long time…and can store a couple thousand books. It is not, however, backlit and needs a light for reading in the dark.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Personally I think it’s different strokes for different folks.</p>