December 2009 Archives

A version of this article appeared in print on December 6, 2009, on page MM18 of the New York edition.

Whoa. It's December 3, but the NYTimes shows us the future 3 days from now.

Barnes & Noble claims on its Web site that the Nook has several advantages over the Kindle -- for one thing, a Nook book can be lent to friends. You can forward the text to another user.
The current thing being talked about is extremely limited. You can lend to one friend. One time. You can't pick two friends, not even serially, so once you've loaned one book to one friend, that's it.

What do you say to Kindle users who like to read in the bathtub?
I'll tell you what I do. I take a one-gallon Ziploc bag, and I put my Kindle in my one-gallon Ziploc bag, and it works beautifully. It's much better than a physical book, because obviously if you put your physical book in a Ziploc bag you can't turn the pages. But with Kindle, you can just push the buttons.

What if you dropped your Kindle in the bathtub?
If it's sealed in a one-gallon Ziploc bag? Why don't you try that experiment and let me know.

Jeff's right on the Nook. I was excited about the ability to "share" books. Since it's only a one-time deal (and only for 14 days), it quickly loses its appeal.

I'm tempted to try the Kindle in the bath experiment. If it's sealed in a Ziploc bag and then gets wet, I wonder if Amazon will replace the device.