SPlog

Today there are so many e-book services out there, it’s hard to choose which one to stick with. Do you go with Amazon Kindle books or stay within Barnes and Noble’s nook books? Oh wait there is also books from Google, Apple, and even Kobo. With all these services, all claiming to offer you what you need in books, which do you choose?

Amazon Books offer many books through their online amazon store. Many times their book prices are very competitive for Barnes and Noble, so most of the times it makes no difference between the two. You can read you whole Amazon library on your Amazon Kindle. They also offer free apps for the Blackberry, Windows Phone, Android, and iPhone allowing you to read your book wherever, across whatever device you own. I personally use the Kindle to purchase how to books for technology. They seem to have lower prices on books that teach you how to do things, like build a website, or mobile app.

The Barnes and Noble stores offer their nook books that can be read on your PC, iPhone, Android, Blackberry, or Windows phone. You can also purchase their nook reading device to have instant access to your library. They offer a great source for novels. I personally will tend to buy my novels from them, like Sons of Encouragement by Francine Rivers. Barnes and Noble also offer Nook Friends, where you can borrow books from friends. So this makes Nook my preferred source for personal reading.

Google Books has an e-reader device as well. They offer apps for Android, iPhone, and Blackberry. But the best part about Google Books, is that they require no program to read their books. They are all online, so all you need is an internet connection to be able to read your books. So any device that can access the internet can read the Google Books. This means you can access your book from anywhere in the world. If you own a device that has the Google Books app, you can also download the book for access during times that you have no wifi. Google Books tends to focus on material that is in the Public Domain, and books that are older. They have software to scan the pages of  a book and translate it into text. This makes them the number one source for older books.
I took a college class that was focused on the works of Thomas Hardy. I was able to get all of the required Thomas Hardy books for free via Google Books. It was great! Also I use Google Books to purchase any book that I will want instant access 24/7, like any study material, or Biblical helps.

Apple offers books as well, but I have not used them personally. They offer no app for Android devices, RIM devices, or Windows Phones. However if you have an iPhone or iPad, you can get books there for a decent price. Sometimes even better than Kindle or Nook devices. They also offer a great reading experience for iOS users.

The Kobo books are limited at this time but expanding. Although they might seem insignificant, they offer a great reading experience, and can also read your nook, kindle, and Google books all within the same app or device.

I personally stick with the following three: Google Books, for old books and things I need access to at all times; Kindle Books, for the technical books, and how to books; and the nook books for anything I want to personally read.

On a side note. There is big taboo about getting school books in e-book format. Personally, I don’t like that idea because I like to resell the book after I’m done with it. Unless there is some type of buyback option, or selling tool, it is not a viable feature for me.