Which e-reader should I get?

[flojin]

My nerds, I need your help. Boredoom, if you have any opinions, please share!

I think I want an ereader, but I'm not sure which to get.

I like the e-ink technology because it seems like the easiest on the eyes. I also have no interest in web surfing on the device or anything fancy.

So I'm thinking about the nook simple touch, or the kindle fire.

I favor the functionality of the simple touch, but I want html support for books, and the nook only has pdf and epub.

On the other hand, the kindle supports html but not epub! The kindle has 3g anywhere with no extra charge, which I like, but the interface is a less intuitive.

This is driving me mad. I wish they'd just make one e-reader which supports every format and allows me to buy from either store. Why do they make things so complicated? Tell me what to do.

Love,
flojin

[jenskot]

I've had friends tell me that the iPad was easier on their eyes but the Kindle was easier to hold in 1 hand for extended periods of time.

[cawshis]

I don't know that you can go wrong in picking 1 over the other since you're going to be getting access to libraries that are larger than anyone could ever possibly consume (regardless of format).

For my money? I'd go kindle. Though the interface is a bit confusing, once you get used it it, the kindle is just a superior e-reader to the ipad. Less eye-strain indoors and less glare outdoors. Amazon does it best and since they'll eventually monopolize the e-reader market anyways, you may as well get on their good side. I'd even say cheap out and get a used older model as the Fire seems to have more bells and whistles than you need. With my wife's kindle, I can start it up and get to a book in 2 seconds. It's great.

As an added benefit, if you do get an iphone or an ipad, the kindle ap works great. My wife picks up a book on her kindle and I can read it on my ipad just fine. I don't know that the nook or simple touch does this. If they do, then whatevs.

[Saif]

Kindle if you want a dedicated reading device.

iPad if you want the kindle + everything else that the iPad can do.

[TanRu]

What Saif said.

[IngredientX]

Keep in mind that if you want e-ink, you have to go basic Kindle or basic Nook. The Kindle Fire and Nook Color both have traditional backlit LCD displays. In the future, there will apparently be "hybrid" displays that will give you the best of both worlds. But they're still a few years away.

I work for an Amazon subsidiary, so I will have to recuse myself from recommending a specific reader. However, as I've said before, I really wish there was a single open ebook standard, instead of proprietary standards that lock a consumer into one platform or another.

(Obviously, this opinion is mine, not my employer's.)

[Mysterioso]

I quite like my Kindle. I have found the controls to be very straight forward. I find it easier on my eyes than computer screen; additionally I can adjust the print on the page to a size that I like. It is much easier to read long (and thus thick) books on the Kindle.

I do think Amazon owes it to its customers to start facilitating different reviews for print books and Kindle versions (and of those different Kindle versions). Some e-publishers put up versions of books that are loaded with errors due to bad scanning and not being proofread. Customers need to be able to see that in the reviews. If Amazon did that, it would force publishers to stop putting up slipshod e-books.

[boredoom]

I'm no sure I understand the bit about html books. Where do you get those from?

The iPad is the ultimate e-reader, with the greatest level of compatibility. It's the only one of the ones mentioned with good supports for PDFs, which you might want at some point. A color screen is also a must if you're into comics.

Unfortunately, the only quality tablets that are substantially cheaper are the Nook Tablet, Nook Color and Kindle Fire. They're all locked into their respective bookstores to some degree.

The best I can say is probably: get an iPad, and if the price hurts, remember that it has resale value.

[Frank]

Project Gutenberg offers HTML versions of some of the books.

[boredoom]

Project Gutenberg offers HTML versions of some of the books.

But Gutenberg books are available all over the place in different formats, right?