[MBHockey]

I'm going to purchase an e-book reader for my brother for Christmas (it's ok if it comes later) but I'm trying to decide between the Kindle and the Nook for him.

It would be for pleasure reading and some magazines. What I haven't been able to find is a list of magazines that are available for the nook (haven't looked at the kindle only because he is really liking the nook so far...i'm not sure he's looked into the kindle at all though. Does Amazon spell out exactly what is Kindle-ready content?)

Are there any clear advantages to either the Nook or Kindle? Which has the better media store? I know the kindle has better battery life, but that shouldn't be an issue for him.

[cosus]

Here's my utterly unhelpful comment.

I really really like the new Sony eReader Daily Edition. It seems far more purpose driven in the arena of periodicals which seems to be your concern. It's also Wireless (at&t) where it has its own book store, albeit diminutive. However, it is accentuated by the google books venture, the one that has to do with no longer published books. Then there is the program for libraries. Don't need to buy every book you read, and keeps libraries around. With 21 days rentals, you have plenty of time to read a ton of books, though, the public library thing is a case by case basis... need library of congress involved.

I don't know, I just like the sony product with its touch screen and open PDF... something at least the Kindle felt was unreasonable. As for color scrolling for book cover and whatnot, I guess in a low resolution environment it might help if you are a slow reader.

[MBHockey]

The main concern is for the media library. Any e-reader is going to be limited by the content available for it. It seems that not much official info is out regarding magazines and newspapers for the Nook. But the Kindle only has about 42 magazine subscriptions available. Not exactly inspiring.

Are all these products flawed because of the small library sizes? It is reminiscent of the iTunes store in its infancy.

[Robo]

If it's for Christmas, it's too late to get the Nook, and the Kindle is more "proven" anyway. I'd go with the Kindle.

The Reader Daily Edition is $399, and it has Sony's sucky resistive touch layer. No go.

[Capella]

I'd go with the Kindle. The Nook isn't in the wild yet to have reviews from either reviewers or real people, so we don't know what the experience is like or if there are any crippling flaws. The Kindle is out already and a proven experience, plus you get two size choices.

(BTW, saw a DX in the wild today. My god, it's huge compared to the Kindle. My Kindle is just the right size to fit in my purse- a little bit longer and it wouldn't! The DX wouldn't fit comfortably in a jacket or a coat or a general ladies' purse; you'd need to slip it in a briefcase or laptop case, and while I can understand people doing that, I much prefer the size of my regular Kindle, even if it has the tradeoff of no native PDF size.)

[torifile]

I think it'd be impossible for someone to recommend the Nook at this point. No one really knows a thing about it other than it looks cool.

[turtle]

Originally Posted by torifile ... other than it looks cool.

Isn't that reason enough?

[MBHockey]

The only reason I was thinking of going with the unproven Nook for him is because I thought it had a stronger media library than Amazon's. I'm not sure where I read this, or even if it's true.

[torifile]

Reviews are beginning to trickle out. As Gruber says, "Meh." Give it a revision and it'll be more interesting.

[Robo]

Originally Posted by torifile Reviews are beginning to trickle out. As Gruber says, "Meh." Give it a revision and it'll be more interesting.

Engadget's review is not-very-positive. I like the Nook, but it needs at the very least a firmware update to be a contender.

[Maciej]

Yeah. I'm glad I waited, I'll be skipping the ereaders for this holiday season.

[curiousuburb]

David Pogue at NYT gives the Nook a thumbs down too.

[torifile]

I hope that B&N didn't kill the nook by shipping it prematurely. It looks like they might have.

[Robo]

Originally Posted by torifile I hope that B&N didn't kill the nook by shipping it prematurely. It looks like they might have.

Apparently, they've already sent out a firmware update that speeds things up a bit. Not a whole lot, but some.

I think they needed to ship the nook when they did. Hell, even with them having got it out before Christmas (barely), Amazon still seems to basically own the market.