This morning when reading the morning paper, I saw a different e-reader in the Best Buy ad: an Android Pandigital. Oh, it's got almost everything the Nook has, it's color and it's a hundred bucks cheaper. Curious and excited about this discovery, my husband did some of his techie guy searching. The Pandigital recently had an upgrade. It wasn't anywhere near in the running with either the Kindle or Nook until last month. An Android tablet with all its apps and an e-reader. Nice. Plus, the price!
We took a field trip to Best Buy this morning to get some hands on time with the tablets. While the Pandigital has a lot of the same functions as the Nook, it's slower, choppier and buggy. I don't like how it's set up. It might be able to better compete if it had another overhaul, but it was too annoying to get around on. The Nook Color, on the hand, blew me away. It's smooth, fast and sensitive. It has all its B&N apps plus Android apps. It has a new Netflix app. The e-reader is easy to use and fun. You can even have it read to you.
I can play my games on it. Yay for Angry Birds! I can surf the net and check e-mail. I can watch movies. I can use it as a learning tool with my son. Goodness knows he didn't want to leave the store that had all the techie stuff! Most importantly, it has the best e-reader.
My husband is more excited than I am about my birthday gift. He's already planning on buying extra memory cards to store the stuff he wants on them!
I know people are very loyal to their e-readers. For those of you who do have them, which one do you own? What do you love about it? What do you dislike about it?
I received the Nook Color for my birthday this summer, and while it has taken me some time to warm up to it, I'm starting to really enjoy it. Part of the reason that I wanted the Nook Color was that it's taken me a multitude of years to train my family/friends to give me B&N gift cards for for Christmas, etc, instead of actual books that I've probably already read. So I like the fact that I can go online and input the gift card to automatically charge purchases to.
ReplyDeleteI haven't explored the app functions too much yet, but I have noticed that the charge doesn't last as long when playing chess (for example) as it does when just reading. The ability to access email is kool, as well as the ability to post to FB and Twitter, and someday I might actually use them! But it's nice to know they are there.
At first I thought the Nook Color was a little heavy, (no more than a hardback, I guess) but I've quickly gotten used to it. I've always been a bit hesitant about getting into e-readers, but the Nook Color really has made it easy for me to get used to it, and I'm loving it more and more as I use it more often.
Good luck on whichever you end up choosing!!
I purchased a standard Kindle for my birthday. I figured for my first e-reader I just wanted something simple and as inexpensive as possible. No doubt the technology will be improving in the next few years so by the time we can afford another one maybe there will be a super awesome e-reader available.
ReplyDeleteAhhh... neither... as I'm still in denial you see. I'm still fiercely attached to my paper books, but all those people on the train with an e-reader DO look super cool... trying so hard not...to... cave... :)
ReplyDeleteBest choice? IPad. Because it is so much more than an eReader - just a step below a laptop and better than a netbook. Plus you can download the Kindle and Nook apps and purchase many formats of eBooks.
ReplyDeleteAnd no, the backlit screen is not difficult to read, and it can be read outdoors. Can be read in the middle of the night as well! It's its own nightlight...
Sunny, the Nook did feel a bit heavy to me too. Hopefully it won't bother me because I'd love to take it everywhere. I'll just make sure to get the warranty with a toddler running about!
ReplyDeleteSarah, I seriously considered getting a Kindle. Yet the more my husband and I talked, the more we wanted something portable that was net capable too. I'm sure there will be a super e-reader in a few years too. The tablets as they are now will likely be so cheap!
WritingNut, I prefer paper books still. Yet a lot of people I know are publishing ebooks and I want a portable way to read their stories. I'm not big into tech stuff like my husband. I'm probably one of the few people left in America that does NOT own a cell phone!
Alex, an iPad I might get one day, but that was out of our price range. I like the idea of reading with only the tablet on at night! :)
I love my kindle with its easy-to-read screen. Admittedly, I haven't tried the others.
ReplyDeleteI don't have one, but I want one badly. So I'm here to soak up the comments.
ReplyDeleteI prefer my Kindle--I heard that they are having a color tablet version soon but I LOVE the e-ink. My mother in law has the nook color and I get the same eyestrane from that as I do the computer. The kindle is a lot easier to look at IMO and I have used both. It is also lighter. I pretty much love everything about it. It even has FAR superior battery life.
ReplyDeleteajkulig, I'm worried a little about the battery life, but I know since I'll be doing a lot of stuff on it, I won't have the same long life as if it were only an e-reader.
ReplyDeleteI don't own an eReader, and am also rather attached to the paperback books. If I was to get one though, I'd get a Kindle.
ReplyDeleteYou need to decided exactly what you want out of your ereader and where you plan to use it. If you are reading mostly outside, you will want e-ink like a Kindle, but if you want to read in bed without the light on, like I do, you will want something backlit like a Nook Color, Pandigital, or iPad.
ReplyDeleteWhere do you plan to get your books? If you are planning on purchasing from Amazon, Kindle is your best choice, though an iPad or Pandigital will allow you to load the Kindle reader. Nooks take books from Barnes and Noble and I believe you can also purchase from Kobo. The Pandigital acts just like a Nook as far as using books from the B&N store, downloading them to your library over wifi.
One big deal breaker for me was the ability to use library books. If your library uses Overdrive you might want to look into that before you make your decision. You can see compatible devices here!
I have had one of the very first Pandigital Novels since they were released July 2010 and I love it. I only want to read on mine, so apps is not a big deal, but it is capable of apps. There is a facebook group with some very knowledgeable people that can help you with Pandigital info... I Love The Pandigital Novel ereader
And of course, free ebooks are always a possibility. There are many available at stores like Amazon, B&N, Kobo, and SonyReader. I pick out a few good ones and list them on my blog, Time 2 Read every Friday.