Note: I am an Amazon Affiliate Member.
The two most popular e-book readers are Amazon’s Kindle and the new Barnes and Noble Nook.
I own a first generation Kindle and still love it. I use it not only when I travel, but also when I know I will be sitting and waiting around for a bit, like in a waiting room at the doctor’s office.
I am considering upgrading to the newest generation Kindle or possibly the new Nook. The newer models are sleeker, the button placements are more convenient and the overall feel and design are much nicer than my bulky first generation Kindle.
If you are considering buying an e-book reader, either Amazon’s Kindle, Barnes and Nobles’ Nook or another model here is a list of pros and cons to help you decide.
Pros:
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Convenience:
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It’s easy to download book samples and purchase books with a Kindle or Nook model that works off a 3G/cell phone network. You can shop from wherever you are. Now, both Amazon and Barnes & Noble offer a WiFi only version, meaning you need to be in a WiFi zone to download and purchase books. Either way, buying e-books is pretty easy.
Travel:
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When I travel I used to carry four to six books with me knowing that I would finish at least half of them and knowing that depending on my state of mind, I would need some variety. Traveling with this many books, even if they are softcovers, can be a bit of a hassle. They take up a lot of room in my carry-on and can be heavy. When traveling with a Kindle or Nook you can take an entire library with you for less than a pound and it only takes up the space of a small notebook.
Anonymity:
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I wrote about the benefit of anonymity when I reviewed the Amazon Kindle, but it deserves repeating. Sometimes we just don’t want to whole world to know what we are reading, whether it be the latest research on the medicinal use of marijuana, a romance novel, how to make money online, how to cope with addiction, or any number of topics. Privacy is important. What you read is your business (and whomever you just bought your book from.) (You can read my review: HERE.)
Space:
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Let’s face it, if you are an avid reader you have bookshelves that are overflowing with books and probably have books piled around the house. An e-book reader can hold several dozen and up to several hundred books and it only takes up the space of one book on your bookshelf.
Easy reading:
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The text is very easy to read and is adjustable. If your eyes are tired or the font is too small, just make it bigger.
Cons:
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Book Prices:
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The price of e-books has gone up quite a bit this past year. In the past most Kindle e-books were $9.99 or less. Now in some cases they are only a few dollars less than buying the actual book from Amazon, or shopping at B&N with my membership card and a discount coupon.
Convenience:
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The ability to purchase and download books from anywhere is a huge convenience, but it can also get you in trouble. It is fairly easy to purchase a handful of books in a matter of minutes. You will need to guard against impulse buying.
Look and feel:
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If you love to read, more than likely you love the feel of a book in your hands, the way it feels, the weight of it, the text, the smell. You love everything about holding a book in your hands. This is lost with an e-book e-reader.
Graphics:
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Graphics such as drawings, charts, graphs and photos do not translate well from a tangible book to an e-book. They are designed mainly for text, for reading.
Note taking:
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You can highlight and make notes, but it is not the same as flipping through a real book where you have highlighted sections and written notes in the margins. Depending on the text size, the page numbers change and there is no left page and right page. You can’t just open it up and skim through it to find what you want. When I read a book and want to find a specific passage at a later date, even without any highlighting I can usually remember approximately where on the page and where in the book I will find what I am looking for. This is impossible with an e-reader.
These are some of the pros and cons I have discovered while owning my Amazon Kindle since 2008.
How about you? Do you own a Kindle, Nook or other e-book reader? What do you love most about it? Dislike the most?
Are you considering buying a Kindle or a Nook? Why or why not?
i am having troubles an i am trying to find out pros an cons on a kindle an a nook to see which one is better to have.
Sandy, I have a first generation Kindle that was given to me as a gift.
I’ve had it for over a year and have downloaded only two books–neither of which I’ve finished reading. I’m having a tough time switching to the e-reader–primarily due to the points you made about note-taking.
I’m at a loss when I can’t skim, flip back and forth to sections I’ve already read. You can underline on Kindle, but it’s clumsy. Verrrry clumsy.
I virtually live with and in my books–I don’t think I’ll be an e-reader convert, although I may try Lonnie’s idea and see how I like reading just fiction on my Kindle. It’s worth a try!
Thanks, Lonnie. The Nook is relatively new and I haven’t met many people who own one yet.
Good points! I’ve owned a Nook since Father’s Day and really love it. I like that I don’t have to limit myself to just the titles being sold from Barnes and Noble. I can load any ePub format eBooks from my computer to my Nook, and even borrow eBooks from the library.
I agree that eBook readers aren’t well suited for graphics heavy books or for note taking, but I use my Nook for reading fiction 95% of the time, so it’s not a major issue for me.
And while I have many favorite physical books, I don’t miss the “tactile” book experience for most of what I read. Mainly it’s the story and not the medium that leaves the more permanent impression with me.