One Girl, Two Ereaders

I just bought a Kindle. Yes, even though I already have a Nook, and even though I work for B&N.

When I was first choosing an ereader, I only seriously considered three options: the Nook, the Kindle, and the iPad. First, I popped over to the Apple store, already half in love and practically throwing my credit card at them. But it was just. too. heavy. I’m kind of a little girl, already schlepping way too many things around the city, and I imagined adding all that weight to my work bag and holding it up in a packed subway car. Since I already have an iPhone and don’t play Angry Birds, I left the store sans iPad.

Next, I took a spin around my friend’s Kindle. It was light, easy to read, and had a friendly interface. I found the keyboard to be a bit unnecessary, but overall, I liked it and would have been happy to get to know it a bit better.

Finally, it was time for the Nook, which of course had a competitive advantage. (I don’t actually get a discount on the Nook or ebooks, but I do feel a certain amount of employee bias.)  It didn’t take too much convincing: I fell for the physical design, the LCD navigation screen, and the dream that someday I *might* get an employee discount on ebooks and accessories.

Ok, so why then did I just buy a Kindle? It’s ridiculous, really: because there isn’t a waterproof case for the Nook.

A few nights ago, I found myself reading my Nook in the bathtub again. (Yes, this is one of my favorite reading spots; so is the beach – where my parents live – and their boat. There is a lot of water in my life.) Anyway, as I soaked, I thought, “This isn’t going to end well for either me or this device.”

I figure it’s not a big deal for me to spend $150 on another device, since they have a limited life span, and this will spread out the strain on each. Considering my industry and academic expertise, I should know Kindle UX a bit better anyway. It’s a bit of an indulgence, but I’ll just keep my Kindle at home and my Nook in my work bag.

However, what this comes down to is that B&N just lost half of my ebook business – ~$1,000 a year – because they didn’t have a waterproof cover, and Amazon did.