e-reader question

resinguy

resinguy

Joined
Feb 19, 2006
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My 12 year old daughter has saved up the money to buy herself the nook. Besides the obvious question of whether a 12 y.o. really needs an e-reader, I am inclined to think that by waiting a little bit she may be able to save some money. Either by dint of competition continuing to drive down prices, or simply post-Christmas sales, I would expect lower prices in the foreseeable future.

Agree or disagree?
 
i agree.

not only that, there will be upgraded models, new to the market models, etcetera, probably fairly soon.

of course, you could wait forever while newer and newer models keep being released, and never get anything.

and since she's 12, i dont know that saving a few dollars matters to her. like most 12 year olds, i suspect she would rather have it now/soon than wait a few weeks to save $20.
 
Does she read a lot? Remember that an e-reader is just a collection of books. If you don't read all the time you won't really get much good out of one except for having another gadget laying around the house.

I would suggest the Kindle above the Nook as well. :) But for a 12 year old I'm sure she would be perfectly happy with either one. They both work just like they are suppose to.
 
MORIMOTOM said:
i agree.

not only that, there will be upgraded models, new to the market models, etcetera, probably fairly soon.

of course, you could wait forever while newer and newer models keep being released, and never get anything.

and since she's 12, i dont know that saving a few dollars matters to her. like most 12 year olds, i suspect she would rather have it now/soon than wait a few weeks to save $20.
Click to expand...


See, you're practical like me. And, yes, that money is just burning a hole in her pocket.


texas gun person said:
Does she read a lot? Remember that an e-reader is just a collection of books. If you don't read all the time you won't really get much good out of one except for having another gadget laying around the house.

I would suggest the Kindle above the Nook as well. :) But for a 12 year old I'm sure she would be perfectly happy with either one. They both work just like they are suppose to.
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I wouldn't call her a rabid reader, but she probably reads more than the average. I told her that we don't buy books, as the library is only a short walk away, but her best GF has a nook, and can share books with her.
 
part of the reason she wants it is because her friend has one, so its a girl bonding thing.

let her get it, im sure they'll get enough use out of them.

and if it is collecting dust in a couple weeks, i'll buy it from you on the exchange for half price.

but tell her to buy the kindle. i think i would rather have the kindle.
 
While I prefer the Kindle, the Nook too is nice. And it is always best to get what her friends have.

As for cost. I love my Kindle. I have already read hundreds of books on it. It is definitely a tool for people that read a great deal. Not so much for the more casual reader.
 
It is sad old world when a 12 y.o. can't buy something she wants with her own money, especially something that can be as intellectually challenging as an e-book reader. The gift of knowledge and the habit of reading is beyond price.

If she was one of mine, I would be driving her to the store ASP and even hitting my own back pocket if there is a shortfall in her piggy bank.
 
I just read a CNet review of the current devices, and the Kindle came out on top
However, your daughter may likely be reading a lot of
Magazines, so the color feature of the Nook might be nice.
 
If your daughter is a member at the library, she should look online or enquire at the library as many libraries now also allow you to download e-books for free. They expire after about 2 weeks but there is an unlimited supply. Reading is a good for a child, encourage her.
 
MORIMOTOM said:
and if it is collecting dust in a couple weeks, i'll buy it from you on the exchange for half price.

but tell her to buy the kindle. i think i would rather have the kindle.
Click to expand...

Hey, thanks. Your such a giver. ;)

BlueyM said:
It is sad old world when a 12 y.o. can't buy something she wants with her own money, especially something that can be as intellectually challenging as an e-book reader. The gift of knowledge and the habit of reading is beyond price.

If she was one of mine, I would be driving her to the store ASP and even hitting my own back pocket if there is a shortfall in her piggy bank.
Click to expand...


She is really smart and we are very proud of her. She does read a fair amount already, I'm just not convinced that she will necessarily read more after the newness wears off. She has a history of getting something she wants, and then it becomes clutter on the floor. Some of that is our fault, as an only child she has been spoiled to a degree.

mwerner said:
I just read a CNet review of the current devices, and the Kindle came out on top
However, your daughter may likely be reading a lot of
Magazines, so the color feature of the Nook might be nice.
Click to expand...

Actually, she has seen the color version, but tells me that the screen glares and she has heard of eyestrain from reviews.

jabberwockg said:
If your daughter is a member at the library, she should look online or enquire at the library as many libraries now also allow you to download e-books for free. They expire after about 2 weeks but there is an unlimited supply. Reading is a good for a child, encourage her.
Click to expand...

:thumbup:
 
I have the Kindle but the Nook is fine also, and looking at her friend's, she will have just that much more of a positive attitude towards it. These devices are ideal book club readers, where everyone reads the same book and discusses it. That's what it looks like with her getting the same device as her friend, and possibly others will join that "club".

Twelve is old enough that she may be on the verge of reading serious books, maybe even texts for classes, cheaper on e-readers than paper copies. She will have easy access to reference materials, which is also good for students, and of course, all of it travels together, all of it is available in a compact and portable format.

Spoiling kids is OK as long as they are still willing to do for themselves. Buying this with her own money will make it less like spoiling her :)
 
BlueyM said:
It is sad old world when a 12 y.o. can't buy something she wants with her own money, especially something that can be as intellectually challenging as an e-book reader. The gift of knowledge and the habit of reading is beyond price.

If she was one of mine, I would be driving her to the store ASP and even hitting my own back pocket if there is a shortfall in her piggy bank.
Click to expand...


actually, i would say the world is sadder when someone will tell a complete stranger how to raise his daughter, on the internet no less, and think that opinion has credibility.

guy never said she couldn't buy one, he was just asking whether waiting may be a more prudent approach.

i only know him via the forums, and by proxy his daughter. i would bet he is parenting just fine without our interference.
 
I am sure this is too late, but waiting until after Christmas is always best. I had my eye on a Literati Reader and I picked it up for $50 at Best Buy instead of $130.
 
I've been using a Sony e-reader for the past year and a half. There are so many sites that provide free books, that along with libraries to supply me with current titles of my favorite authors, I haven't had to actually 'buy' a book yet!

For some reason, my reading actually increased when I got the e-reader. I can't seem to stop reading! For a 12 year old to express desire to read... That is fantastic, and should be encouraged and supported.

Do a web search for 'free e-books' and you'll discover more books than you can read in a lifetime. "Project Gutenberg" has 500,000 books available, Google has too. There is also a Project Gutenberg Canada and Project Gutenberg Australia with more. The e-reader site http://www.mobileread.com has a searchable library for free downloads. And these days all major city libraries have e-books available.


Stitchawl
 
Our daughter had agreed to my suggestion of a two week waiting period, to see if her fervor would fade and, possibly, a price drop would come.

Time was up, so we went the B&N tonight. She bought the Nook, and I paid for the extended protection plan. They gave her a sheet on how to borrow e-books from the library (which she had already researched) and anotehr sheet of sites with free content.

Thanks for the tips. :thumbup:
 
the KOBO is dirt cheap, extremely well made, and easy to use. My GF uses hers daily, loves it. Also can support PDF files.
 
Great purchase with the nook - I work in IT for a living and went through tons of research to see which I would buy for myself - and then bought it for my wife.

The nook was it because it supported pdf, the B&N format as well as the open source formats as well...my wife loves it.

Picked up almost $100 in gift cards for it and she's reading for at least 2-3 months.
 
B&N does a different free book every week, they also have a fairly large "library" of free or nearly dirt cheap classics.
add to that the ability to loan or borrow an ebook for 2 weeks and the support from the libraries, it's a pretty good deal.
also glad to hear she was smart enough to stay away from the color Nook -- in addition to eyestrain/fatigue issues, it's nowhere near as efficient electrically.

congrats on having a smart - and fairly mature sounding (for her age) daughter!
 
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