Kindle Fire, Barnes & Noble Touch or What?

[modhatter]

I have two laptops, a netbook, a 10" Asus Transformer (android), a 3rd generation Kindle with 3g., and an IPod Touch.
So what do I want now? You would think I'd be happy. Well it kind of feels like Goldie Locks and the Three bears. I haven't come up with the one that I feel is Just right. I find the touch is too small for a lot of what I'd like to do on it. I find the 10" of the Asus too big to carry around with me comfortably. I like the size of the kindle for viewing size and portability in my purse. But I sure would like color now, and and really good internet browsing (no hassles-slow browsing) and video playing (Netflix etc). The new Kindle Fire has storage issues even with their Cloud usage and not that great internet browsing I don't think. The Barnes and Nobel tablet, has at least a max 32 gig. card you can buy, but they only give you 1 gig (yes you heard that right) for non-Barnes & Nobel purchases on the remaining gigs. Internet browsing, though should be better on it (per specs) it is not according to what I read. I like the price point$200/$250 and size, but want it better.



I could do without 50,000 applications, if you could just give me a nice internet browser, book reader, video player for around $250. Am I alone here? Is it just a question we are not there yet?


Anybody buy a Kindle Fire, Noble Touch, or anything else in that matter in that size format that would like to share their experience with it?


Now don't go telling me to go buy an Ipad. I don't want to spend another $600 at this point. I know their great for those of you that have them. I want something a little smaller anyway. I know there's a new 7" something coming out this month (maybe Samsung) Don't remember, but no list price has been mentioned as of yet. Could be expensive. You know I think the sweet spot for selling the c..p out of these things is $250 and below. Are these units really being produced at a loss to sell the software?


Look what happened to Amazon Kindle sales when they started slashing the price. Everyone wanted one, just wasn't willing to pay $400 for one.

[Dimsumkid]

Quote:

Originally Posted by modhatter a 3rd generation Kindle with 3g., and an IPod Touch.

DW is looking for something more than my ipod touch, but we don't have anything other than wifi connectivity. We were looking at the Kindle wifi+3G models, which you have. DW is primarily looking for connectivity when shopping where there's no free wifi, so she thought the Kindle 3G would work. Would like to hear your pros and cons on this unit. She doesn't care for apps and won't play games or read many books.

[Brett_Cameron]

I got DW a Kindle Fire and she loves it. She uses it for email, web browsing and video streaming from both Amazon and Netflix. The size and weight are very comfortable and the browsing is very fast. Of course she uses it for reading as well. It is very easy to use and has some Android apps for it. We use it on wi-fi at home but could tether to our smart phones if we wanted to.

[Moemg]

I recently purchased the Kindle Fire . I wanted a book reader on steroids so when I travelled I only had to pack one gadget . My Kindle arrived a day before I left on a trip so I got to immediately try it out . It is just what I wanted . I like having the ereader , the fast Internet access ,size , email and of course "Angry Birds " . I had been seriously looking at an Ipad but for what I wanted this fits it to a tee . The only negative I can find is that I liked Barnes & Noble more for book suggestions . They would recommend books I had never heard of but ended up loving when I read them.

[donheff]

We have had quite a few threads touching on this topic lately. Both are nice and will do the job. Ars Technica gives the nod to the Nook in this showdown review.

[modhatter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dimsumkid DW is looking for something more than my ipod touch, but we don't have anything other than wifi connectivity. We were looking at the Kindle wifi+3G models, which you have. DW is primarily looking for connectivity when shopping where there's no free wifi, so she thought the Kindle 3G would work. Would like to hear your pros and cons on this unit. She doesn't care for apps and won't play games or read many books.

Well, How could I put it. It works just fine in you have something quick you want to do. Especially like downloading a book from Amazon. But it's nothing like browsing the internet at home. You go through menu's have to curser down over an area to click on it to activate it. It works, in a pinch if you need internet connection, but don't expect to enjoy it. I would consider it as OK for last resort. Others may feel differently. Having to go down, over, up to select your every command, get tiresome and patience is not my best virtue. If it had touch capability for instance, it would make it much more user friendly.

[Dimsumkid]

Quote:

Originally Posted by modhatter Well, How could I put it. It works just fine in you have something quick you want to do. Especially like downloading a book from Amazon. But it's nothing like browsing the internet at home. You go through menu's have to curser down over an area to click on it to activate it. It works, in a pinch if you need internet connection, but don't expect to enjoy it. I would consider it as OK for last resort. Others may feel differently. Having to go down, over, up to select your every command, get tiresome and patience is not my best virtue. If it had touch capability for instance, it would make it much more user friendly.

Thanks for the insight. Your feedback will help in narrowing down some choices.

[modhatter]

I guess I need to see both of them for myself. The Barnes & Nobel touch should be easier to see and operate. But one thing all the stores seem to tell you when you try to see how the internet browsing works. "It seems to be down at the moment" or "Our internet is very slow, so it is not representative of what you would get home"

Makes it kind of hard to really test unless you buy it take it home and try it for yourself. Easier to do with Barnes & Noble. Though I would never complain about Amazon's return policy. They are always great, and I keep coming back.

Just thought anyone who had purchased one might give their experience with the web browsing feature. Is is really easy, or more restrictive. I like my Kindle, it is very dependable and have no real complaints at all, and I have a sizable library now, so a Kindle is smarter in that regard, but all the reviews seem to favor the Nook a little more. I guess it is the internet speed and ease of use that would be the deciding factor for me.

[Moemg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by modhatter Just thought anyone who had purchased one might give their experience with the web browsing feature. Is is really easy, or more restrictive. I like my Kindle, it is very dependable and have no real complaints at all, and I have a sizable library now, so a Kindle is smarter in that regard, but all the reviews seem to favor the Nook a little more. I guess it is the internet speed and ease of use that would be the deciding factor for me.

I had the regular Nook which I liked for reading books but the Internet browsing was inept . I now have the Kindle Fire and the web browsing IMO is great . If you are going to upgrade I would definitely go for either the Kindle Fire or the Nook tablet .

[donheff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by modhatter Just thought anyone who had purchased one might give their experience with the web browsing feature. Is is really easy, or more restrictive. I like my Kindle, it is very dependable and have no real complaints at all, and I have a sizable library now, so a Kindle is smarter in that regard, but all the reviews seem to favor the Nook a little more. I guess it is the internet speed and ease of use that would be the deciding factor for me.

If you already own a lot of Kindle formatted books you should stick with a Kindle or get a tablet (iPad or Android) that can run the Kindle app. If you want to add email and web browsing get the Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet (if you don't mind leaving your old books behind). They are actual tablet computers and are decent for browsing and have an array of apps available. The regular, e-Ink low cost readers are not worth bothering with for anything other than reading.

[Moemg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donheff . If you want to add email and web browsing get the Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet (if you don't mind leaving your old books behind). .

Any ebooks you have bought from Amazon will be loaded onto your Kindle Fire when you register it . Amazon also gives you a free App every day .

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moemg Any ebooks you have bought from Amazon will be loaded onto your Kindle Fire when you register it . Amazon also gives you a free App every day .

+1

DW got a new Fire (she loves it) and gave me her old Kindle. When she registered her Fire all her books were waiting for her in the Amazon 'cloud'. I registered her old Kindle in my account and have been 'buying' free books like Amazon was giving them away!

[donheff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moemg Any ebooks you have bought from Amazon will be loaded onto your Kindle Fire when you register it . Amazon also gives you a free App every day .

Agreed. My parenthetical expression about leaving the books behind applied only to the Nook.

[donheff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by REWahoo +1 DW got a new Fire (she loves it) and gave me her old Kindle. When she registered her Fire all her books were waiting for her in the Amazon 'cloud'. I registered her old Kindle in my account and have been 'buying' free books like Amazon was giving them away!

Don't you share the account so you can read each other's books? I have my Nook account shared with DW, my son and my brother. DW, my brother, and I mostly download library books so we have my son's credit card on the account. Anything he buys we can read.

[Bestwifeever]

Quote:

Originally Posted by modhatter ....But it's nothing like browsing the internet at home. You go through menu's have to curser down over an area to click on it to activate it. It works, in a pinch if you need internet connection, but don't expect to enjoy it. I would consider it as OK for last resort. Others may feel differently. Having to go down, over, up to select your every command, get tiresome and patience is not my best virtue. If it had touch capability for instance, it would make it much more user friendly.

Is this true for the new Kindle Fire? The Amazon website looks like it's showing a touch screen for the Fire?

[Geoffrey]

I have a Sony PS-505 e-book reader, a Kindle DX, a Nook Touch and now a Nook Tablet (as well as an iPad and iPod Touch). All of them have their pluses and minuses. If I have plenty of light, I prefer the e-ink technology (Kindle DX or Nook Touch -- the Sony PS-505 was my first e-book reader and can't compete with the latest technology, but it still gets the job done and I still use it occasionally). If I'm in bed, at night, I like the Nook Tablet. The iPad is a great tablet, but its a tad large and heavy for extended reading -- however, if I could have only only device, it would be the iPad. As between the Nook Tablet and Kindle Fire, I looked at both of them carefully. I preferred the screen on the Nook and thought it was easier to navigate. Also, I liked the extra storage capacity (16gb with the Nook vs. 8gb with the Kindle -- the Nook also accomodates micro sd cards). Finally, I noted that the Nook had physical volume controls whereas volume on the Kindle Fire could only be adjusted with the software. However, if you are sold on the Amazon Store, the Kindle Fire would probably be an excellent choice. It's just a matter of personal preference. I highly recommend e-book readers for novels . . . sure cuts down on the bookshelf space I used to devote to hardcover and paperbacks. On the downside, I have spent a fair amount of money on hardware . . . but we all have to have our toys!

[Geoffrey]

About the 1 gb limitation on the Nook Tablet for non-Barnes & Noble material. It's true. Of the 16 gb, only 1 gb is allocated for sideloaded (non-B&N) material. However, 1 gb is a LOT of books. And, you can always use the micro-sd card to expand your storage if you need more space for non-B&N "stuff." Finally, the hackers are busy working on the Nook and Kindle Fire . . . I suspect they will soon have a "solution" to the 1 gb restriction. I was concerned at first about the restriction, but in the end I decided it wasn't a deal breaker. I simply don't load that much "stuff" on the tablet at any one time. And, there's always the micro SD card if I need more space.

[Geoffrey]

One final comment. I was actually torn between the Nook Tablet and Nook Color (older model). The Nook Tablet has better specs and is a little faster, but for reading books speed really isn't much of a factor. The screens are indistinguishable and you can get a Nook Color (refurbished) from Barnes and Noble for just $149 delivered. The Nook Color is probably the better deal, but I went with the Nook Tablet just because I had a few extra dollars at the moment I made the decision. However, if you want to stick to your budget, I'd recommend the Nook Color . . . it's still a very ample devise for reading e-books and viewing video content in a 7-inch form factor. A week ago B&N was selling a slug of them on E-bay for $119 (delivered). I missed out because I couldn't open up a PayPal account fast enough to take advantage of the deal.

[Moemg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bestwifeever Is this true for the new Kindle Fire? The Amazon website looks like it's showing a touch screen for the Fire?

It is a touch screen and has a fast responsive web browser .Nothing like the web browser's on the regular e readers .