<p>At some point I thought I understood the difference and had decided that the 3G didn’t make sense with the Nook. But now I can’t remember why I thought that . . . can some tech-savvy person remind me (or convicne me that 3G really does make sense with the Nook) . . .</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>I have the Kindle and decided that the one time charge of $50 was worth it for 3G vs the wi-fi. I’ll admit upfront I’m a gadget hound and generally look at the mid-top end and talk my way down from there depending on the price point. The thought that I might want to ‘go shopping’ while I was out of range, either from the house or a hot-spot, and wouldn’t be able to wasn’t appealing. I should also note that I’ve had an iphone for years so I am used to connectivity all the time. The lack of it seems odd to me. So, that’s my two cents. Either way I think you will really love the Nook!</p>
<p>D1 has the Nook with 3G, and is perfectly happy with it.</p>
<p>Doesn’t it simply depend on how impatient you feel you will be to download a new book if you are not in wi-fi range? It’s not like you need it to actually read something on the Nook (or Kindle or…). </p>
<p>So, if you want to pay $50 so you know you can download a book any split second that you want, go for it.</p>
<p>If you think you can download when you’re near wi-fi and then read away until you need to download again (when you’re again near wi-fi) and you want to spend the $50 somewhere else, don’t go for it.</p>
<p>Me? I can think of better ways to spend $50. But, then, I gave up my Blackberry data plan a couple of years ago (once I no longer needed it for work), thinking I don’t need instant connectivity every moment of my life.</p>
<p>Buy an IPad – you get all the functionality. It made my Nook obsolete. I use it to buy from both Amazon Kindle and B&N.</p>
<p>I have a Nook Color that is Wi-Fi and I love it. I download books at home and don’t need access to the internet any other time.</p>
<p>Hold off on your decision, Amesie. Looks like there will be some kind of new ‘Nook’ on the 24th…which may mean going for the new one or, if the price drops, saving on the old model. </p>
<p>[New</a> Barnes & Noble ‘Honeycomb’ E-Reader Coming Soon? | The Stir](<a href=“Parenting, Baby Names, Celebrities, and Royal News | CafeMom.com”>Parenting, Baby Names, Celebrities, and Royal News | CafeMom.com)</p>
<p>It really depends on where you anticipate downloading your books or using the nook. If you fequently travel to places where you don’t have access to wi-fi but want to download books then 3G is useful but if you’ll mostly download at home avia your home wi-fi then you won’t really use the 3G. Even if you’re traveling most hotels now have free wireless unless it’s an expensive hotel that wants to charge you for wireless but if you know you’re going to travel you can load up with books beforehand anyway. If you anticipate using the Nook to do email or web browsing in random places then the 3G would probably be a good idea.</p>
<p>I bought a Kindle (no question that I prefer it for reading books to an iPad - even if it wasn’t a quarter the price) with both wi-fi and 3G but haven’t actually used the 3G yet since I’ve only downloaded books at home using wi-fi.</p>
<p>Call me a dinosaur, but I use my nook for only one thing – reading – and I always have 3 or 4 books on the shelf ready to open. I can’t imagine that I’d ever have a downloading emergency, so spending $50 on 3G would be a ridiculous waste of money for me.</p>
<p>ucsd<em>ucla</em>dad, I’m with you about iPad for extended reading, same thing with the nook color. That backlit screen would kill my eyes after a while. Another reason I love my low-tech nook classic. :)</p>
<p>Thanks everyone–now at least I remember what the difference is. I also remember why I still don’t own a Nook. D has a kindle but I like the sharing feature of the Nook.</p>
<p>Pizzagirl: How do you find reading on the ipad? H has one; I’ll have to see if he’ll let me play with it. My guess is that I would like the screen on the Nook better than the ipad, when I am going to be reading for a long time (like on a plane). But I could be wrong. </p>
<p>Novelisto: Not the thing to tell a procrastinator! I think I do want just the ereader and not a tablet kind of thing. I usually take my laptop when I travel because I need to be able to open and edit documents in Word, so an ereader that can check email is not such a bonus. But I wouldn’t mind if Barnes and Noble introduced a new product and lowered the price of the Nook.</p>
<p>^^ The main reasons I like reading on a Kindle better than an iPad -
<p>I don’t have the non-color Nook but I assume it’s similar to the Kindle in the above attributes.</p>
<p>Amesie:
The Kindle has the same sharing abilities that the Nook has with the same very restrictive rules (these are set by the publishers). The sharing feature is actually quite ridiculous on both devices. Not all books are able to be loaned and each book can only be loaned once.</p>
<p>It was also announced that Amazon is working with Overdrive and that library lending (complete with wireless delivery) will be available to the Kindle later this year. Also, if you’re on your daughter’s Amazon account, you can share any books connected with the account without limitations beyond how many devices they can be downloaded to simultaneously.</p>
<p>I might be wrong on this, but I recall reading that B&N was reducing their Nook 3G stock. Or maybe that was just to the physical stores…</p>
<p>In any case, I can’t say much for 3G on the Nook. While I usually fully support having 3G, I find the Kindle’s to be far less restrictive (I can use it to surf the web including checking my email or google maps when I get “too lost in a book” and find myself actually lost around town ;)… the 3G is also able to be used internationally). It’s cumbersome, but great in emergencies. I have found the 3G access to be useful when I see a book I like and I want to see if an ebook version is available for my device. The 3G access allows me to check this and to compare the price. I often will also add the book to my wishlist so that I remember to keep an eye on it if I feel the price is too high (have to love the Agency Model…)</p>
<p>I would be hesitant to buy a Nook in general, though. It uses the old eink and it’s very likely that an update might be on the horizon. Nook Color I would just say no to unless I wanted a cheap tablet to root into a proper tablet without the bloatware on it.</p>
<p>^^ Sounds like you might be right about B&N revamping the Nook Classic:</p>
<p>[New</a> Nook coming soon; most likely e-ink model](<a href=“http://news.cnet.com/new-nook-coming-soon-most-likely-e-ink-model/8301-17938_105-20059970-1.html]New”>CNET: Product reviews, advice, how-tos and the latest news)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I do all of this on my nook, without 3G.</p>
<p>I really do hope it’s an eink. I might be a Kindle kind of girl since it suits my needs better, but an updated eink screen would definitely help Nook out. Both Sony and Kindle use Pearl eink and there is definitely a noticeable difference between it and its predecessor.</p>
<p>Thanks for finding that link :). I hadn’t seen that information yet (last I read about it was months ago).</p>
<p>If there is a new eink device on the way, it definitely could be beneficial to wait to make a final decision. I’ll be curious to see if they maintain a 3G model with it since WiFi models seems to have become quite popular.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>When you’re away from WiFi access, though? I meant that I perform that function when I’m some place such as Costco or a book store without WiFi access.</p>
<p>3G definitely isn’t for everyone, but I have found it to be more than worth the extra $50. Amazon probably hates me for how much I make use of the 3G access. It just depends on one’s needs. There have been some on the Kindle forums that regret not getting the 3G models while others are quite content with their WiFi only.</p>
<p>Considering 3G is so limited in its uses on the Nook, though, 3G is probably not necessary on it. I wouldn’t dream of not having it on my Kindle, though.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Oh I see what you mean. I do almost all of my downloading at home. I sit down at the computer and purchase a couple of books at a time through the B&N website, and move them onto my nook right then, so wifi suffices for that. When I’m hunting a new read, I usually go into a B&N, browse around the store, and then use their wifi to either purchase or add to my ewishlist. </p>
<p>OTOH, just today I bought a book while I was sitting under the dryer at my hair salon! I’m not sure I completely understand this whole wifi/3G thing, but like I said, I’m a dinosaur. :D</p>
<p>ETA – And if I run across a book somewhere else and can’t get wifi, I jot it down and tuck the scrap into one of the pockets of my nook cover and add it when I get home.</p>
<p>Do they make Kindle covers?</p>
<p>At least you seem to understand the WiFi enough to use it properly! There are some people that come onto the Kindle forums who don’t understand they have to have a wireless router at home to make use of their home internet. They only bought the WiFi model since it was cheaper. By the time they’re done buying equipment and going through the headache to have wireless available in their home, the $50 savings doesn’t work out to that much anymore.</p>
<p>I do love that B&N has the wireless set up in their stores. I haven’t checked out the details on it, but I also recall reading about the hour of free reading for books they sell.</p>
<p>I may not be a Nook person, but I fully support having strong competition for the Kindle and other ereaders. I want to see the market improve!</p>
<p>The notes on paper is a great idea for many, but bad for me since I tend to lose things like that. I have done notes on my cell before, but I often forget I put them in there :(. The wishlist helps me better to remember about books I thought looked interesting. I’m terribly forgetful otherwise.</p>
<p>And yup, there are a lot of Kindle covers. I’m using one from M-Edge right now (Leisure Jacket I think it’s called?). They make Nook covers too :). Love their products!</p>
<p>And psh, dinosaurs are awesome. Therefore if you are a dinosaur, you are therefore awesome :D</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>This is, of course, highly individual, but I don’t get the fuss over a backlit screen. Reading is reading, to me. I don’t notice any difference. And this sounds silly, but with my nook I had to click to turn the pages and it made an audible click. There was a way to swoop, but it didn’t always work. With the iPad, I swoop. I’m a very fast reader so it’s far easier for me to swoop than listen to the incessant clicking. And with the iPad, if I need to take a break, check my email, etc. it’s all right there. It can be used for both reading books and watching movies, which is a real advantage when it comes to travel. I will be going to Europe in July and have already figured out what books and movies I want for the plane ride … much easier to have it all be one device. I had gotten a nook in December 2009 and then got an iPad through work unexpectedly a few months later, and wound up giving away the nook – it made it totally obsolete. I can buy through Amazon Kindle or B&N, whichever I prefer, instead of being stuck with B&N the way I was with the nook.</p>
<p>
I wouldn’t make a decision on which device to get based on the physical stores since bookstores are following in the footsteps of music stores and video rental stores in going under right and left. That B&N store is likely to not be in business any longer within a year or two.</p>
<p>You all have convinced me to wait a little while longer to see what happens to the Nook.</p>
<p>Pizzagirl: Are you planning to charge the ipad on the plane? I am not an ipad expert, but one movie seems to wipe out the battery on H’s ipad.</p>
<p>The Kindle has the exact same sharing capability (lend a book out once, for 14 days) as the Nook.</p>
<p>In addition to that - the Kindle also lets one account to have up to 5 Kindle devices on it. Books purchased once can be freely read and shared between those Kindles as many times as you want. This is not possible with Nook.</p>