<p>So, I have read the e-reader threads, but I am still lost, so I am hoping someone can help.</p>
<p>I am planning on getting my friend an e-reader or the Amazon or Nook tablet for his birthday. But I am really lost as to what to get. Let me start by saying that any of those things are within my price range, so the focus is not on that at all.</p>
<p>My main issue is whether to get a color tablet vs. just the reader. My feeling is that a tablet is neither here nor there. It does not have the capabilities of a ‘real’ tablet, it seems, and it doesn’t seem to be really good for reading. Please correct me if I am wrong. Should I go with e-ink if I want something the person would be really comfortable using for reading? I would really appreciate thoughts on this issue.</p>
<p>Secondly, if I do go with the e-reader, which kind should I go with? I am basically wondering what has more books to choose from for free. It seems like a lot of internet books are .mobi, which is a Kindle format but library books are ePub or pdf. Is there a reader that has both? I would really appreciate thoughts on this too.</p>
<p>Finally, BN books seem to be consistently more expensive…</p>
<p>You know, I think there are so many e-reader threads because w/models changing so fast and the media/companies trying to “prove” which is better, that people are left thoroughly confused!!!</p>
<p>In my opinion, if the purpose is pretty much strictly for book reading - not surfing, not magazines - go with a basic e-reader. Those with the e-ink look will be great for reading indoors or outdoors (think BEACH!). </p>
<p>Nook or Kindle really doesn’t make that much difference IMO. I am a avid B and N website and store visitor so I choose the Nook - no regrets. My very basic, 1st edition Nook can do audio books.</p>
<p>I think the readers can do audio. Some of the kindle books come with audio/video.
[OverDrive</a>](<a href=“http://overdrive.com/]OverDrive”>http://overdrive.com/) which our library uses, has books for kindle.
Kindle is also being sold for lower than what it costs to manufacture, so that sounds like a good deal. ;)</p>
<p>Last I knew, Amazon had a 30-day “no questions asked” return policy for the Kindle. (but you better check – I purchased my Kindle more than a year ago)</p>
<p>My Kindle is very comfortable for reading. There is no glare, even on the beach. My eyes do not get fatigued – it’s just like reading print on paper. I use a clamp-on book light to read at night in bed when DH is sleeping.</p>
<p>I also have an iPad, and have read a few books on that – but much prefer the Kindle. I’m guessing the color Nook whould be more like the iPad in terms of the reading experience. I also like using Amazon to purchase books and manage the content on my Kindle. But I was an Amazon customer long before I had a Kindle, so maybe I like the interface because it is familiar to me.</p>
<p>There are many free books available for Kindle. I have almost 300 books on my Kindle, and I haven’t spent more than $100 on books. The classics can all be found for free, and lots of books from new authors. (Granted, some of the free books are pretty bad – but if I start one I don’t like I just stop reading).</p>
<p>Kindle users are able to borrow books from public libraries using Overdrive. This is a relatively new feature; I’ve used it to read half a dozen books in the past couple of months. Amazon Prime members may also borrow one book/month directly from Amazon…I haven’t tried that yet because my “To Be Read” pile is fully stocked.</p>
<p>IMO, if you are really only looking for an e-reader, and not worried about browsing / e-mail / other tablet tasks…you can’t go wrong with a Kindle.</p>
<p>Thank you for all the responses so far! I am pretty sure I am going to go with a regular e-reader, but now the Kindle or Nook or Sony question is drving me crazy. I feel like my friend is the type of person who might want to be able to get books off of website (I know he is reading some non-mainstream books just directly from websites - the one that I know of is in the .mobi format, which I know is Kindle). What bothers me, I guess, is I feel Kindle is a lot more restrictive than Nook. It’s like the Apple v. Android debate (I have Android, so I am biased).</p>
<p>Any thoughts?</p>
<p>Have anyone tried using Calibre to convert epub or other books to Kindle format? Any luck?</p>
<p>I’m also in the market for a Kindle as my D asked for one for Christmas. When I bought mine, I just had to decide if I wanted 3G. Now there seem to be many models. I’m so tired of having to research every purchase and worry that anything I buy will be outdated in a week. Any recommendations on which one to buy?
Kindle, Kindle Touch, Kindle Fire??</p>
<p>I only have experience with the Kindle, but both my H and I have them. We haven’t found them restrictive in any way. My H uses Calibre all the time and has many, many free books. I use their free PDF conversion to load stories in Spanish for practice (and am able to change to a Spanish dictionary). That allows you to load PDF’s as text files instead of PDF’s and makes them easier to read. You can also send Word files to your Kindle for free. I don’t know if B&N has the sample feature. I LOVE that. You can listen to audio books, and if you purchase something through Audible, it shows up in your library. Also, the Kindle support people are super nice and helpful. There is nothing I don’t like about my 3rd generation Kindle. Maybe someone with a Nook can say whether all of that is true for them. It might just be a toss-up if so.</p>
<p>Puzzled88:
After looking at the new models, I think I would still buy the same Kindle as I have now (cheaper of course). That would be the one with the keypad and WiFi and 3G. I don’t think I want to change pages with a touch since I hold and turn pages with the same hand right now. My next choice would be the same one without the keypad or 3G- what a deal.</p>
<p>iphones also don’t have expandable memory- hasn’t been a problem for me.
Books don’t take up much memory, although video/audio will take up more.</p>