I'm Miche (pronounced Mike), new to the board and to ebook readers in general.
I've done a LOT of research on ebook readers and after some back and forth, I decided to buy the nook. I'm an Android fan and was looking ahead to the possible flexibility and features that it provides (my phone, a G1, is hacked and it's a thing of beauty to me.) I placed my order and was in the class of 2/1. When I'd made up my mind I joined 4 forums dedicated to it and learned a lot about it.
All that said, I had the opportunity over the weekend to purchase a brand new Kindle 2, case, and extended warranty locally for $225 - an offer I couldn't refuse. I mulled it over for an hour and took the plunge...
One of the things that really set the nook apart for me is its styling. It surprised me when I picked up the Kindle that the pictures do not do it justice; it's really a very well styled piece of electronica. It's beautiful, actually. It's way too bright for me, but largely because I think its whiteness makes the screen look a darker gray. I've potentially solved that issue by purchasing a dark skin for it:
Using the Kindle was very intuitive for me. I turned it on and registered it and loaded up books before cracking open the manual, signs of a well thought out design. (Within an hour I even hacked it to add my own screensavers, again very easy.)
As someone who has only held ereaders in the stores for short periods of time, I am impressed with the Kindle's weight and size. It's easy to hold in your hands for extended periods of time, with or without a case. The screen is the only area that leaves something to be desired to me. I know what eink is and does, but in this case, there doesn't seem to be enough contrast for me. (In this area, the nook and Sony PRS-300 were brighter and offered more contrast, in my opinion.) However, I've found that with sufficient light the contrast issue becomes moot (although I don't want to "need" a light everywhere I'm reading.) Also, as I stated earlier, I think a darker skin will help a lot, as the darker skin should help the screen appear lighter. I thought the lack of SD card or offline storage would be a concern for me but I have almost 50 books on there and the storage looks like it hasn't budged. I wouldn't carry my whole library in here, that's what servers are for if most of the rest of my books will be electronic. Again, one of the things that kept the Kindle off of my list turned out to be a non-issue.
I've only had it for 3 days and have read for about 7 hours total and used Whispernet for about 7 mins total, but the battery hasn't appeared to budge, which is amazing.
One thing I would love to see (besides a better contrast) is a real page number. I have to continue reading the manual though, in case this is a setting that I overlooked.
Overall, the Kindle came as a big surprise to me since it wasn't even on my list when I was shopping. It's easy to use, it's well built, it's very smartly styled, and it's a pleasure to read on it. In the hour I was debating on purchasing it, I thought that for that price the "compromise" I'd be making would be worth it. Honestly, I couldn't personally ask for more and I got a REAL bargain, as it turns out.
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