Investigated – What’s the Best E-reader?

Posted January 30, 2015 by Emily in Investigated / 10 Comments

investigated

Nowadays e-readers are really popular as ebooks are well… popular. But there’s a lot of different kinds. Which one is the best?

Nook

I think Nook is my favorite e-reader. Note, it is the only I have ever personally owned so I might be a bit biased. It’s just so annoyingly convenient. And I say annoyingly because I can read and buy books anytime and practically read them on any device. It’s a lot easier than doing homework which is problem if I want to go to bed at a reasonable time. There are different types of nooks, ones that are more like tablets with LED screens and ones that are more like normal e-readers with e-ink. But my favorite part isn’t the Nook device itself (that’s pretty great too – I own a NookColor and after 3-4 years and my slips and drops, it still functions well enough) but the fact that you can read all the books on your actual Nook on any other device as long as there’s a Nook app. And the last time I checked, the Nook software was pre-installed on Windows computers.

Kindle

Okay, I haven’t personally owned a Kindle so I don’t really know what it’s like. But I can say that fact that its books are .MOBI and not EPUB is a bit inconvenient for me. But besides that fact, everyone I know who has a Kindle has have nothing but praises for it. Kindle books are also really cheap at times compared to Nook books and have sales more often as Kindle is owned (part of?) Amazon. And honestly, one of the reasons why I got a Nook instead of a Kindle, besides the formatting problems, was that at the time I was desperate to support Barnes & Noble against Amazon. Borders had just gone out of business and my eighth grader mind thought getting a Nook would help B&N stay open (it’s the only bookstore near me so even if it has its faults, it’s better than nothing). And then there’s the fact that Amazon can’t sell books from certain publishers or something like that.

iBooks

The only problem with this one is that I’m not a huge Apple user. Yeah, I like pears better than apples, and looking out the window, that’s cool too. Once I got a phone and gave my iPod to my mom to use, I kind of also lost access to all my iBooks. And I can’t get them to open in iTunes on the computer (are they supposed to?) But what I really liked about them was they have a free book every week and it was easy to find out which book they were promoting. This free book deal introduced me to a lot of my now favorite books including Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry and The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken. Those are two books I probably would never have heard of or tried if they weren’t for free. Now granted usually when they are free on iBooks they are free everywhere else, but it is just so much more convenient to notice the sale on iBooks than Nook books for instance.

What is your favorite e-reader?
Would you ever change your current e-reader?

Emily

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10 responses to “Investigated – What’s the Best E-reader?

  1. Em

    I have owned several e-readers, and I think my favorite by far is my Kindle Fire…One reason is because Amazon has great customer service.
    I don’t know, I think that it depends on whether you do most of your book shopping on Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

  2. I have a Kindle Paperwhite and I love it! But I hate Amazon.. I really want to get a new Kindle because they’re a lot easier to get accessories for but I do think I recall Nook accessories being a lot cuter as well… Honestly, I might go with a Nook next time around because again, Amazon is a really terrible corporation/business/company.

  3. I own a Nook SimpleTouch and a Kindle Paperwhite. I think they both have their pros and cons. The Nook is a common ePUB file, which makes shopping around easier. As long as it’s in ePUB format, you can read it on the Nook. However, the Kindle Paperwhite is convenient especially for eARCs. The eARCs for the Kindle don’t expire like the ePUB files do. Plus the Kindle device has an email associated with it. So you can easily email books to your device without connecting it to the computer.

    I generally read all my eARCs on my Kindle and try to buy all of my regular ebooks for my Nook. I do shop around though. Sometimes it’s cheaper on the Nook. Sometimes it’s cheaper on the Kindle. Sometimes it’s only available on one device. Ultimately, they both have their pros and cons.

    I do think though that the Paperwhite is better than the Glowlight, if you’re looking for a e-ink device that lights up. The Glowlight is probably the Nook device with the most issues I’ve seen out of the entire Nook family.

  4. I have a Nook HD and absolutely love it! I started with a Nook Color and then upgraded when the HD came out. One of the big pluses for me is that the Nook has access to the entire Google Play store while on the Kindle you have to use Amazon’s store. This way, if I buy an app for my Nook, I can also use it on my phone (Android). It also means I can have the Kindle app on my Nook so I have the best of both worlds, really.

  5. I just got my 7th generation Kindle last Christmas and I already love it! I believe it is true that Kindle ebooks are cheaper than Nook Books. That was a big factor for me. I also have never had a Barnes and Noble anywhere near me, so I really have no attachments (even though it did break my heart when my local Borders closed. Now all I have is a Books A Million). Great discussion!

  6. I really like my Kindle Paperwhite, but I haven’t actually tried any other e-readers. The Amazon deals are great, I’ve gotten so many amazing books for under £1 🙂

  7. I bought myself a Kindle Paperwhite over the summer and it’s one of the best things I’ve ever bought. I like the technology so that it doesn’t feel like you’re looking at a screen, but rather it looks like a page out of a book. And Amazon is super easy to use, it’s fast and cheap, and I just love it. I used to really hate ebooks, but now I’m a happy convert. 🙂

  8. I have a Nook, and I know people who have Kindles, and I actually prefer using my tablet. I prefer the colour screen, backlight and I love the ease of making notes and highlighting with such a responsive screen. The Nook is good and has its uses for me, it looks more like an actual page, but for ease of use, especially for NetGalley, my tablet wins. R x