# Holiday & Black Friday E-Reader Buying Guide



## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

Hi guys &#8230; I don't normally post here about my blog posts, but I just spent an inordinate amount of time putting together a holiday e-reader buying guide covering all the major e-readers: Kindle, Nook (& Nook Color), Sony, Kobo, and the iPad. I covered who would enjoy receiving an e-reader, the difference between e-Ink and LCD screens, summarized each of the major e-readers with specs and pros & cons, detailed pricing and Black Friday deals, and gave my recommendations (from my experience owning a K2 and iPad, playing around with most of the others, and doing lots of research). I hope some people find it helpful, for anyone trying to figure out which e-reader to get this year or where to get the best deals.

http://www.davidderrico.com/holiday-black-friday-e-reader-buying-guide/

Oh, and Happy Turkey Day, everyone!!


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## Cardinal (Feb 24, 2010)

That is a good guide, I think people will find it helpful!


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## lynninva (Feb 7, 2009)

Thanks. I'm considering an e- reader as a Christmas gift for my dad. I love my Kindle, but the option to read library books is critical for him. I may check out the Sony Daily edition based on the features you've listed.


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

David, in your blog you say K3 wifi only comes in both graphite and white.  It comes in graphite only.  The K3 wifi/3G comes in both graphite and white.


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

It's a good guide. I posted it on the Amazon Kindle facebook page.


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

Thanks for the kind words, everyone. I spent a lot of time on it, and I'm really glad to hear that you guys find it useful. Even though I'm a big Kindle fan, I tried to be fair to each of the e-readers and list pros and cons.



lynninva said:


> Thanks. I'm considering an e- reader as a Christmas gift for my dad. I love my Kindle, but the option to read library books is critical for him. I may check out the Sony Daily edition based on the features you've listed.


I actually updated the post earlier today with the new price drops on the Sonys -- $30 on the 5" and 6" models, and $50 on the 7". Before the price drop, I saw them as too expensive. And I still think the two smaller ones are overpriced, since they're more than the K3 but don't have wireless. But the Daily Edition for $249 is intriguing if you're tempted by the 7" screen -- it's $60 more than the K3, but you get the larger screen, library e-book support, and the touchscreen (which doesn't hurt readability). It might be a good option for some people, especially since it's still pretty light (lighter than the K2 or Nook).



Sandpiper said:


> David, in your blog you say K3 wifi only comes in both graphite and white. It comes in graphite only. The K3 wifi/3G comes in both graphite and white.


Thanks for the catch! My bad &#8230; I went and updated that. Please let me know if anyone finds anything else -- I do want it to be as close to 100% accurate as possible.


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## carter102 (Nov 25, 2010)

Looks like Best Buy will be selling the Nook Classic WiFi online for $99.99 as well - 'coming soon'


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## Anne Victory (Jul 29, 2010)

Thanks, David - looks like good readin'


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

carter102 said:


> Looks like Best Buy will be selling the Nook Classic WiFi online for $99.99 as well - 'coming soon'


Thanks for the tip &#8230; I just checked BestBuy.com, and the Nook Wi-Fi does show up at $99.99, but it says, "SOLD OUT ONLINE" and "Store Pickup Not Available." I don't know if it was ever sold online and ran out, or if that price will only be available in-store tomorrow, or if they will make it available for that price online on or after Friday as well (it says "Price valid through 11/27").


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## Joe Chiappetta (May 20, 2010)

What a great idea. It is hard to keep track of all the competition and varying features.


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## Maria Romana (Jun 7, 2010)

Thanks, David--another great, well-researched article.  And it did seem like a fair analysis of the various brands.  People will see it as unbiased piece.

--Maria


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## William L.K. (Aug 5, 2010)

Nice work David! 
Fantastic guide!


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

Thanks again, guys. Maria, I'm glad to hear you found it unbiased.

I just updated it to include Apple's announcement of the details of their Black Friday deals ($41 off the iPad, $21 off the iPod Touch).


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## Cyanide5000 (Aug 30, 2010)

Nice writeup David, will deffo be helpful for newbies to ereaders


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## Selcien (Oct 31, 2008)

I really wish that people would stop repeating blatantly bad advice about backlit screens, by that I'm referring to the ridiculous notion that people should only consider backlit devices if they read one book or less a month. It is absolutely not about how much you read a month but about the kind of lighting conditions a person tends to read in, and whether they would rather use an external light, or one that is built in.

E-ink is great assuming that you have excellent lighting conditions, which makes it perfectly suitable for outdoor use. Backlit screens are great assuming that you have less than desirable lighting conditions, which makes it perfectly suitable for indoor use.

I understand that the people that love e-ink are going to feel inclined to blindly promote it, you just need to realize that it's not going to meet everyone's needs, and acting as if e-ink is somehow superior will only serve to scare people away from trying a backlit device even when they should.

I love my nook color but it's only after having purchased four e-ink e-readers that I realized that I needed to try an e-reader that uses a backlit screen. It is absolutely my fault but I still think that it's a good indicator of just how overwhelming the pro e-ink sentiment is.

If you want to help people then explain the good and the bad about both screen technologies rather than push your opinion that backlit screens are not for reading.

I do apologize for coming across a bit strong here, just consider it a measure of how disgusted I am with myself for being afraid to try a backlit e-reader sooner, and I certainly don't mean to undermine the work you put into the article, but if you are going for bias free then you need to put a bit more work into it.


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## Selcien (Oct 31, 2008)

I've taken another look at your blog and clicked on a link I had previously ignored, this ultimately led to a "comparison" between e-ink and LCD. At first I thought "here was something that I had complained that you didn't do", and I was going "Oops, my bad.", and then I read it. I've already vented so I'll keep this simple. Don't you find it unusual that you compared the two only under circumstances that would favor e-ink while glossing over the circumstances that would favor LCDs? 

When it comes to the e-ink devices themselves, against each other, I would agree with your assessment, and would trust what you had to say on the matter. When it comes to LCDs I find you far too biased to be trusted.

Edit:

You know how people like to say that they can read faster on the Kindle and similar e-readers because of how easy it is to read on them? That wasn't the case for me until the nook color. I was able to totally kick back and read, no worries about having enough light on the screen, no messing around with awkward book lights, and it was grand.


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

Selcien, I'm sorry you're so upset by my thoughts on e-Ink. But I'm not "blindly" in love with e-Ink, I've used both a Kindle and an iPad and I don't like reading on the iPad for any length of time. Neither does my wife. Neither do most other people I know and have heard of. A relatively small percentage of people seem to enjoy reading on LCD screens just as much as e-Ink, but that percentage is definitely in the minority. That's why you keep seeing so many people talk about how they prefer e-Ink screens for reading. And I stand by that recommendation, and I think the vast majority of people will enjoy reading on e-Ink screens more than on LCD.

You're one of the people who likes reading on LCD screens and they don't seem to cause eyestrain for you -- and I'm glad you found a device that's right for you. All I can tell you is that most people _do_ notice eyestrain from reading on LCD screens for any length of time.

As for my e-Ink vs. LCD comparison, I did mention that, since the LCD is backlit, it can be read in low lighting conditions, while e-Ink can not. (Just like I mentioned that e-Ink can be read in bright sunlight, and LCD can not.) I did list pros and cons of each screen technology (I even did a chart). I didn't compare the two only in favorable conditions for e-Ink, in fact I mostly read inside. Unless you mean that I was mainly focusing on using them for _reading_ (not video or Internet, where LCD clearly wins), but that is the purpose of my blog.

But, you're right, in the end, I believe that e-Ink is better for reading _for most people_. It definitely is for me. And, from everyone I've talked to and everything I've read, it is for most other people as well. So that's why I recommend it.


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## Selcien (Oct 31, 2008)

I think I figured out what the problem is. Most (almost all?) of the people who will be inclined to purchase an e-ink reader will be readers and therefor will already have an understanding of just how important lighting is. I bought my first eReader because I wasn't reading as I hoped it would help get me to read again, it never crossed my mind that e-ink may not be suitable to my needs.

What you wrote is geared towards whether people read, or do not read, *paper books*, in which case you would be totally accurate. If I had read an article like yours prior to buying my first e-reader I may not have had to go through all of the bother that I did to figure out that e-ink was not a suitable screen tech for me.

Sorry about any bother that I might have caused but if it's any consolation it did help me figure things out, and it does turn out that your blogs are perfectly fine just the way that they are (I can be incredibly dense but I'm sure you already figured that out. )


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

I do definitely lean my explanations toward people who are used to printed books and unfamiliar with e-Ink -- I find that misconceptions about e-Ink are very common, and I try to explain it for people who have never seen the technology before. (I do try to include enough info and specs to be useful to people with a little more e-Ink / e-reader knowledge too.) I also pretty much assume that everyone is familiar with LCD screens (from computers, TVs, phones, etc.).

No need to apologize -- everyone has an opinion on what's the best e-reader or screen technology for them and that's OK. In fact, I invite you to share your experience and preferences in the comments of one of my blog posts if you'd like to. The more opinions and viewpoints we hear from, the better.


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## Selcien (Oct 31, 2008)

I'm definitely going to avoid posting a response to the eReader Buying Guide as I feel that I'm getting pretty close to going off on an anti-DRM rant. I just wish that I could recommend devices without having to worry about where people are going to feel comfortable buying their eBooks from.

I will post a response to the LCD comparison blog but I want to spend more time using it first, just to be absolutely sure (for some unknown reason I feel uncomfortable posting responses to articles and blogs.)

I do have a question that I hope you can help out with.

I gave my mom my 350, lighting is still very much an issue, perhaps even more so. The overhead lights are great, if you are directly under them, what I need is a light that can be used from a recliner (could double as a Christmas present). Could you recommend something as I have no idea of where to even start?


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## Selcien (Oct 31, 2008)

You know what's really messed up with the nook color? It's the fact that I'm sitting within reach of my desktop and I'm still posting on the NC instead, and I'm making more posts than I normally do as well.


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

Selcien said:


> I'm definitely going to avoid posting a response to the eReader Buying Guide as I feel that I'm getting pretty close to going off on an anti-DRM rant. I just wish that I could recommend devices without having to worry about where people are going to feel comfortable buying their eBooks from.
> 
> I will post a response to the LCD comparison blog but I want to spend more time using it first, just to be absolutely sure (for some unknown reason I feel uncomfortable posting responses to articles and blogs.)
> 
> ...


Yeah, I hear ya on the DRM, I have a couple of posts on that too.

If you're asking about e-reader lights, I can't really recommend any since I don't use one, sorry. I just turn on a lamp or other light in the room if I need it.


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## Selcien (Oct 31, 2008)

David Derrico said:


> If you're asking about e-reader lights, I can't really recommend any since I don't use one, sorry. I just turn on a lamp or other light in the room if I need it.


What I was asking about were regular lamps, stand lamps actually. I do have one but it was bought from Walmart, and, unsurprisingly, it's a pos (it's supposed to be able to put out three different levels of light, and it did for a bit, but now it just turns on and off, and does not come even close to providing adequate light.)

Basically, a good, but inexpensive stand light. I've done internet searches before but I never got anywhere.

**********

After using the nook color more and looking around your site some more, I've come to the conclusion that there is no need to post a response to your blog as I'm finding that I'm agreeing with you a lot. My usage of the nook color would definitely fit the kind of usage that you'd recommend using it for.

Where I disagree with you is that what you said in regards to whether casuals should go with an e-ink device or not should be applied to the average readers instead. Casual readers should definitely go with a multimedia device that they can also read books on. It's the average reader who has to be extremely careful of what they buy as they are on the divide. eInk could make them read more, or it could mean that they end up with devices that they aren't happy with.

I bought my first eReader, a K1 in October 2008 (I took a peek at Amazon to find that out), a little over two years and four eInk eReaders later I've finally found the right device for me. I'm very very happy with the nook color. *does snoopy dance* 

The amount of paper books I read prior to buying the K1 would fit your definition of a casual reader, but the amount that I read after getting it comes far closer to your definition of an average reader, hence my feelings that that is where the dividing line is.


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## lynninva (Feb 7, 2009)

Selcien said:


> What I was asking about were regular lamps, stand lamps actually. I do have one but it was bought from Walmart, and, unsurprisingly, it's a pos (it's supposed to be able to put out three different levels of light, and it did for a bit, but now it just turns on and off, and does not come even close to providing adequate light.)
> 
> Basically, a good, but inexpensive stand light. I've done internet searches before but I never got anywhere.


If you have a Big Lots near you, we recently bought a cheap full-spectrum floor lamp for DH to use for reading in his recliner. I think it is 29.99 now: http://www.biglots.com/Furniture/item.aspx?cid=14&scid=44&iid=146


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## Selcien (Oct 31, 2008)

I bought a stand lamp yesterday as I figured that something, even if it wasn't that good, was better than nothing.

It has three directional lamps and I bought 13 watt CFL bulbs for it, it puts out more than enough light.

I do appreciate the response though.


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