First of all...you might want to consider getting a blog. This is really good stuff :)
Second, I haven't used a Nook, but I own a Kindle 2, and I freaking love it. I carry it everywhere and I often find myself wanting to stop whatever I'm working on and go sit in a coffeeshop and just read. The device isn't perfect, but I don't have any major complaints at all. Most importantly, when I'm using it, it disappears in my hands. I'm not reading a Kindle, I'm just reading.
Also, I had an MP3 player before the iPod and it was a painful experience. It was clear that there were large opportunities to improve the experience, but I would argue that the biggest one that the iPod solved was making it easy to get content on the device, which wasn't the iPod at all, it was iTunes. This is similar to how I see the Kindle. The device is good enough (just like the gen-1 iPod, which was fugly but functional) but the really killer feature is how incredibly easy it is to get books onto the device. I browse Amazon all the time on my laptop and when I see a book I'm interested in, 1 click and I have a free sample on the device waiting for me. If I want to buy after reading the sample, just 1 more click. Easy. I buy probably 3-5x as many books as I used to, and it takes me 10% of the hassle and I'm not paying much more in total even though I read way more. The device is only one piece of the puzzle here; the overall Kindle business model is what's really amazing, imo.
Yes, I am. The actual reading might be a touch faster, but I can't say for sure. I have replaced more TV / web surfing time with reading because I have more books available that I want to read. But more importantly, I now have something to read at hand far more often. I often read while walking down the street, or when sitting in the car waiting for my wife, or whatever. If I finish a book while out for the day, I don't have to wait until I get home or to the bookstore to start the next one.
I got my Kindle in August or early September and I've read dozens of books since then. I've torn through a SF trilogy in the last week and I read all five Temeraire books (highly recommended!) in about ten days last month. I'm also in the middle of 3-4 non-fiction books, which I read when the urge strikes. The Kindle is awesome.
> I've torn through a SF trilogy in the last week and I read all five Temeraire books (highly recommended!) in about ten days last month
Do you have a job?
Or to put my question differently: What does it mean for you to read a book? How fast do you read? How much attention do you pay to single words an author uses? What kind of books do you read? You mention SciFi novels and non-fiction books.
I personally really cannot understand what's so good about carrying a whole library with you. When I have a good book in my hands it keeps me occupied for several days/weeks/months. Bad books are a waste of time anyway.
I enjoy reading a good book but a large book (think Moby Dick) won't take me much more than a couple weeks at most reading regularly every day. I have no idea how to read a book for that long... that seems to indicate to me that perhaps you just read slower?
I got the Kindle about a month ago, and I agree. I think it's great because it does really disappear in your hands. You're reading and not "kindling".
I am reading faster and reading more, mainly because it's always with me. Waiting in line for something, I'm reading. Reading while walking. And yes, replacing TV/web surfing time with reading too.
Second, I haven't used a Nook, but I own a Kindle 2, and I freaking love it. I carry it everywhere and I often find myself wanting to stop whatever I'm working on and go sit in a coffeeshop and just read. The device isn't perfect, but I don't have any major complaints at all. Most importantly, when I'm using it, it disappears in my hands. I'm not reading a Kindle, I'm just reading.
Also, I had an MP3 player before the iPod and it was a painful experience. It was clear that there were large opportunities to improve the experience, but I would argue that the biggest one that the iPod solved was making it easy to get content on the device, which wasn't the iPod at all, it was iTunes. This is similar to how I see the Kindle. The device is good enough (just like the gen-1 iPod, which was fugly but functional) but the really killer feature is how incredibly easy it is to get books onto the device. I browse Amazon all the time on my laptop and when I see a book I'm interested in, 1 click and I have a free sample on the device waiting for me. If I want to buy after reading the sample, just 1 more click. Easy. I buy probably 3-5x as many books as I used to, and it takes me 10% of the hassle and I'm not paying much more in total even though I read way more. The device is only one piece of the puzzle here; the overall Kindle business model is what's really amazing, imo.