Barnes and Noble E-Reader

Has anyone seen the new Reader coming out from Barnes and Noble?

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nook/?cds2Pid=30919

It actually looks pretty cool, going to go check one out at a store. Not really planning on buying one but I think it is good for Amazon to get some competition.

You will also be able to loan books with the Nook, so that is pretty cool. Maybe Amazon will follow suit?

You can only loan a book once, for 14 days. That's not lending. That's a conjugal visit with the door open.

No it's not perfect but it is more lending options than amazon offers, frankly I would like to see one format for ebooks so the reader would be a matter of preference but not expecting to see that any time soon.

Yeah, I hear you.

Well, now you can "lend" books with Kindle, but only kinda....

Amazon now has Kindle for PC reader, so a few of your friends can install it to their PCs and you can share Kindle books with them without their having to buy a Kindle device. There's no time limit on the loan period, but you're only able to register a limited number (five? six? maybe fewer?) installations to your Kindle account.

CAUTION: Note that I said "register . . . to your Kindle account." I'm pretty sure that means that whoever has such a reader installed on her PC, registered to your Kindle account, is going to be able to make purchases on your credit card, so be sure you trust the person involved. And keep an eye on your Amazon billings, because you may need to take some action if you find your friend is abusing things, to de-register your friend's PC from your account.

Is it true you can have up to five actual Kindles with the same stock on them? I think that's how libraries that are playing with Kindles are doing it.

It used to be 6 kindles on the same account could read a single book simultaneously. Maybe it is now 5? k4k

## 6.7> I'm pretty sure it's six Kindles per account, but I'm not positive because I only have a single K1 and a single K2. And I'm not sure just how a Kindle for PC reader counts, although I suspect it goes toward your "six {or whatever} per account" quota.

I downloaded a Kindle for PC reader onto a netbook just to see what it was like, but I de-registered it within an hour. I'm a Kindler (and I carry my K2 with me in my pocketbook everywhere I go) so I really don't want to be bothered with a Kindle for PC reader since PCs just don't have the battery life of a Kindle and are a lot less comfortable to use anyway.

The only reason I mentioned the Kindle for PC reader is because it does offer some of the same book-sharing capability of B&N's "Nook" for those who might be interested in it.

ETA: Incidentally, my understanding is that publishers have the ability to limit the number of Kindles you can have any particular book on. From what I've read in other forums, it seems like Amazon Customer Service personnel aren't even sure how the limitation works, but there may be some cases in which a particular book won't be available on the maximum of six {or whatever} Kindles ordinarily allowed. It's not an issue for me since I only have two Kindles, but it could be for someone else.

Also, newspaper and periodical subscriptions are limited to a single Kindle, again, in a deal between Amazon and the publishers. That's a bit more of a nuisance for me, because I keep the two magazines (Analog and Asimov's Sci-Fi) that I subscribe to on my K1, but it's my K2 that I normally carry with me.

See http://www.librarything.com/topic/77463

The NYTimes reports that Barnes & Noble's Nook has sold out for the holidays. B & N says customers ordering a Nook will receive their devices the week of Jan. 4. An Amazon spokesman responded to a question about Kindle availability. Referring to the Nook, he wrote, "Kindle is 40 percent thinner, 10 percent lighter, with 2 times the battery life. It's the best-selling, the most wished-for, and the most gifted product on Amazon across all product categories, - not just electronics. Kindle manufacturing is humming, and Kindles are in stock and available for immediate shipment today."

I will say one thing for the nook—much better name. It suggests the right things not the exactly wrong things.

I am going to check out the Nook at the B&N when they come in at the end of the month. I will let you guys know what I think. I have to say from the website it looks like a nice reader. I have no intention of switching, but I am always glad to see competition.

Now someone who wants to sell a lot of hardware should make a reader that can buy books from ANY of the booksellers, Amazon, B&N, etc... I guess the licensing issues will probably keep that from happening but I can dream.