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clare_dragonflyI got a Kindle for Christmas. (I LOVE IT so much.) My mom got a Nook for Christmas. Since she's surprisingly tech-illiterate for someone who spends half her time on Facebook, I got to set it up and play with it for her. Of course, they're the same basic idea, but I've noticed a lot of small differences--most of them adding up to me being glad I have the Kindle.
Thus, a review, in list form.
(For clarity, I have the latest Kindle 2 that everyone calls the Kindle 3; she has a regular Nook, not a NookColor.)
Why the Kindle is better
- Easy setup. The quick start guide clearly explains how to register the Kindle. The Nook's doesn't; if you do that first thing when you turn it on, it's presumably easier, but my mom didn't have a BN account yet, so I skipped it. Then I had to poke around a lot to figure out how to register it.
- Still on the topic of registration, you can create an Amazon account right on your Kindle if necessary. Can't do that on the Nook.
- The screen refresh is different; I think it's quicker on the Kindle, and at the least it flashes fewer times.
- The Kindle is a little bit smaller around than the Nook, but it's significantly thinner and lighter.
- The Nook's touch screen.
- It's bright, making the eInk screen very dim by comparison. I found it uncomfortable to read on the screen.
- It's very small compared to the screen, so navigation is harder than on the Kindle.
- Three words: touch screen keyboard. (The Kindle has a real, if tiny, keyboard.)
- My mom keeps hitting the wrong button playing Sudoku. I have almost never hit the wrong button playing Minesweeper or Every Word (yes there are games on Nook and Kindle!) and that was because I forgot, not because I missed.
- I like the Kindle's author portraits and other pictures (screensavers) much better than the Nook's author portraits. YMMV, of course, but I'm not a fan of BN's author portrait style.
- I find the page forward/back buttons easier to press on the Kindle.
Why the Nook is better
- It came bundled with games; on the Kindle I had to download them.
- The Kindle's on switch thingy takes some getting used to; the Nook just has a button to press.
Weird things
- There is no Kindle skin that says "DON'T PANIC" in large friendly letters. This seems like a glaring omission to me.
- Formatting seems to be inconsistent on the Kindle; I think this is the device itself, not the books, because all three things I've read (one free book, one paid book, and the user's guide) have had issues with paragraph indenting and pagination.
- I got an Amazon gift certificate and couldn't add it through my Kindle. I had to go to the website to do it.
And now I want help coming up with a name for my Kindle! Here are some names I have in mind:
- Spencer (after Dr. Spencer Reid from Criminal Minds)
- Digory (after Professor Digory Kirke from the Chronicles of Narnia)
- Teacher (after Teacher from An Intimate History of the Greater Kingdom
Thus, a review, in list form.
(For clarity, I have the latest Kindle 2 that everyone calls the Kindle 3; she has a regular Nook, not a NookColor.)
Why the Kindle is better
- Easy setup. The quick start guide clearly explains how to register the Kindle. The Nook's doesn't; if you do that first thing when you turn it on, it's presumably easier, but my mom didn't have a BN account yet, so I skipped it. Then I had to poke around a lot to figure out how to register it.
- Still on the topic of registration, you can create an Amazon account right on your Kindle if necessary. Can't do that on the Nook.
- The screen refresh is different; I think it's quicker on the Kindle, and at the least it flashes fewer times.
- The Kindle is a little bit smaller around than the Nook, but it's significantly thinner and lighter.
- The Nook's touch screen.
- It's bright, making the eInk screen very dim by comparison. I found it uncomfortable to read on the screen.
- It's very small compared to the screen, so navigation is harder than on the Kindle.
- Three words: touch screen keyboard. (The Kindle has a real, if tiny, keyboard.)
- My mom keeps hitting the wrong button playing Sudoku. I have almost never hit the wrong button playing Minesweeper or Every Word (yes there are games on Nook and Kindle!) and that was because I forgot, not because I missed.
- I like the Kindle's author portraits and other pictures (screensavers) much better than the Nook's author portraits. YMMV, of course, but I'm not a fan of BN's author portrait style.
- I find the page forward/back buttons easier to press on the Kindle.
Why the Nook is better
- It came bundled with games; on the Kindle I had to download them.
- The Kindle's on switch thingy takes some getting used to; the Nook just has a button to press.
Weird things
- There is no Kindle skin that says "DON'T PANIC" in large friendly letters. This seems like a glaring omission to me.
- Formatting seems to be inconsistent on the Kindle; I think this is the device itself, not the books, because all three things I've read (one free book, one paid book, and the user's guide) have had issues with paragraph indenting and pagination.
- I got an Amazon gift certificate and couldn't add it through my Kindle. I had to go to the website to do it.
And now I want help coming up with a name for my Kindle! Here are some names I have in mind:
- Spencer (after Dr. Spencer Reid from Criminal Minds)
- Digory (after Professor Digory Kirke from the Chronicles of Narnia)
- Teacher (after Teacher from An Intimate History of the Greater Kingdom