Which reader app is better: GBooks or Kindle?

[STC09]

It's more trouble downloading Kindle purchases on the N7 but titles (music too) seem more expensive from Google. The kindle reader app doesn't seem to be as functional/good as it does on the KF - has the amount of text displayed or the way photos are treated changed?

Which reader do you prefer on the N7 and why?

 

[Phenom]

Don't forget about Nook. I specifically bought the N7 for the ability to purchase from any of those three content providers. Have only downloaded a title from the Nook app so far. Will probably buy from Kindle & Play Books over the weekend and see which is most user-friendly. If all is even, best price wins.

 

[ep1963]

My initial impression is that Nook and Kindle are easier to use (i.e. read and navigate in the books) than the google reader.

 

[ManBearPig618]

I've owned Kindles for year, so since I'm already invested into their book system, I've never bothered to explore other options. I'm sure GBooks is competitively priced.

 

[cDrow]

I typically keep all three apps on my device (GBooks, Nook, Kindle) because at one point in time I've bought a book from each of them. From my experience, the Nook app is the easiest for importing your own ebooks in to.

Just drop the epub file in to the Nook\MyDocuments folder and the app will automatically pick it up. This works great for loading free ebooks from Project Gutenberg or other free ebook sites.

 

[Ravynmagi]

All my ebooks are from Amazon. But I sure don't like the Kindle app on Android, particularly on tablets. There doesn't seem to be a real full screen mode and the margins are really large (even at the smallest setting. So much wasted screen space. Oddly Amazon makes a far better Kindle app for the iPad though.

I almost wonder if Amazon is intentionally sabotaging their Kindle app on Android (assuming they have a special version for Kindle Fire). Haha.

 

[STC09]

It's a sample size of only one but I'm amazed how much better Amazon's Kindle on Android (KOA) was than GBooks for a favorite title. Google's version was "scanned only" meaning that I could zoom in but the text did not wrap. On the KOA I can read while on the treadmill; I can't on Google Books. Sucks for people with poor vision too.

Price was another surprise: Google wanted an extra 25% for an inferior product.

 

[Flur]

I use Google books, kindle, nook, and kobo on my Rezound. I prefer the nook app over the others with the kobo app coming in second. Because of this I buy all my agency-priced books through B&N and Kobo but I go with the lowest price for any non-agency titles.

 

[Flur]

It's a sample size of only one but I'm amazed how much better Amazon's Kindle on Android (KOA) was than GBooks for a favorite title. Google's version was "scanned only" meaning that I could zoom in but the text did not wrap. On the KOA I can read while on the treadmill; I can't on Google Books. Sucks for people with poor vision too.

Price was another surprise: Google wanted an extra 25% for an inferior product.

Did you get a PDF version of the book? That could be the problem.

 

[STC09]

This particular book was available "scan only" as a sample. Presumably the full version is the same.

I failed to emphasize earlier to check whether a book is available with word wrap before buying. Some, like mine, aren't.

 

[steve dave]

As for the apps themselves, I can tell you that the kindle app blows. I don't think it is optimized for a tablet so the text is too large and the margins are too waaayyyy too big. You just can't that many words on a single page. It is frustrating that I can get a better presentation from my kindle with a 6" screen.


Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

 

[U2Bono269]

make it easier on yourselves and your eyes and just get a nook simple touch.

 

[ShaggyKids]

I searched for two very important to me books in the GBooks and they weren't there. These books *should* have been there. I'm sticking to Kindle books.

Sent from my AWESOME Nexus 7 via Tapatalk 2

 

[Torisen1]

Lot's of opinions, and here is mine. I'd go with the nook app. Barnes and Noble are not as evil as Amazon and have pretty much the same content bookwise. I also feel that the text on the nook is better than the kindle, but that is just my opinion.

 

[E_man]

Experience wise, I prefer GBooks. They seem to have the best app (imho) and all the selection I could want. I'm not really bought into any system though. If you are, you might as well stick with it.

 

[ShaggyKids]

Lot's of opinions, and here is mine. I'd go with the nook app. Barnes and Noble are not as evil as Amazon

Evil??? How so?


Sent from my AWESOME Nexus 7 via Tapatalk 2

 

[MikeLip]

The Kindle app on the Android is better than on iPad in one way - it's linked to the Kindle store. But it's not as pretty in terms of animations as the iPad. It's perfectly serviceable though.

Know what? No one makes readers as good as those that were available for the Palm. No one makes calculators that good either.

 

[MikeLip]

Evil??? How so?


Sent from my AWESOME Nexus 7 via Tapatalk 2

They are ALL evil. Remember the big promise that the cost of books would come down when the paper went away? Notice something? It DIDN'T. The profit margin sure went up though. I pay the same for a paperback from B&N as I do an ebook. That's ridiculous. And yeah I do it because it's convenient, but it's still robbery.

 

[jeres88]

As far as the apps go, GBooks and Nook apps win hands down. However, GBooks has varying degrees of quality and the Nook store is almost always the most expensive of the three. So in price/quality, kindle seems to win, but they have the worst app of the three. If you don't mind paying a bit more, I recommend the nook app. Otherwise, go for GBooks, just be wary of the quality of certain titles...

 

[markyoung04]

Been using Kindle app for years and since I have over 300 books in archive I do tend to use it as it syncs with my phone and laptop. I honestly do not know if you can sync GBooks. I have bought a couple and it does have a nicer interface, more words per page and a more "natural" book feel to it in terms of margin. Kindle does need to work on that a bit more.

There is an email I get every morning that lists free books on amazon for the day sometimes only for a few hours - I have pulled down a massive amount of free books that are later listed for pay (once bought free u always have it).

If I can find that option with GBooks I will likely lean towards it but I have compared about 10 books I liked in both stores and Amazon usually beats them on price even if it is only 40 or 50 cents - when you read a book or two a week that adds up pretty fast.