As most of you know, I have had a Kindle for several years and I recently got a Nook as it handles library books. I thought I would type up a comparison of how the Nook stands up.
Nook Pros
• Very easy to get my library books onto it – woohoo! (So far, I have used the Phoenix Overdrive system and it has worked with both ePub and ePDF books.)
• A slightly ‘rubberized’ back means it isn’t slippery and easy to grip
• Love the touch screen (but see bullet below under cons)
• Like being able to ‘swipe’ to turn a page (although this is more of a novelty and I find I use the buttons most often)
• The web is much easier to access/browse than the Kindle
• You can loan a book out but, only one time to one friend for 14 days. No second loan allowed though – to that friend or anyone else (like Sophie’s Choice)
Nook Cons
• Sharp bright contrast screen is difficult on the eyes (like a computer screen). Kindle is easier on the eyes although, the thicker Nook font makes up for it. I don't find it a big deal once you adapt.
• Does not have text-to-speech capability
• It doesn't have as many options for resizing the text
• You can't access Amazon eBooks. This is not due to Barnes & Noble but, rather due to Amazon having their properiatary formating and wanting to force people to buy a Kindle. Although B&N and other providers give you a wide selection of books, it is something to be aware of as it does limit your book selection.
• The battery does not seem to last near as long as the Kindle. Kindle easily lasts me a couple of weeks but, the Nook appears to be about 4 or 5 days. This could be due to the next 2 bullets.
• Wireless default is always “on”. Unlike the Kindle that is easy to turn on/off from any screen, you have to get out of your book, the web or shopping and go through a couple steps on the menu to get to a separate screen to turn it on/off.
• It is a loooooooooooooooooooooooooong start up/load time, so I keep it in screensaver mode vs. turning it off. It is a 5 second start up time on the Kindle and a 55 second start-up time on the Nook. That is a huge difference.
• The touch screen can be confusing (maybe this is only for blondes) as it is only touch screen on the bottom portion. The top portion is controlled by the bottom portion but, I forget this and frequently try to touch the top portion to make it do what I want.
One final thing. From the day I got the Kindle, it would spontateously reboot/crash. I did talk to Amazon's support department and they got me to make a few tweeks that lessened the frequency of these unexpected reboots but, they still happened. The Nook has not crashed once since I got it. I am willing to admit that my Kindle may just have been quirky so, this may not apply to your experience.
You need to evaluate both to decide which features are important to you. I am glad that I have both :-)
