OMG... if I ever get a Kindle, I'm now going to have to write "Don't Panic" on the cover in large friendly letters.

I've come around to the concept and I think I'll put an eBook reader on my Christmas list this year.

The obvious choices are the Kindle from Amazon and the Nook from Barns & Noble.

Clearly the nook addresses some of my previously stated issues with it's color navigation screen, lending policy, native PDF support, SD slot etc...

On the other hand Kindle actually has the books I want to read in eBook format.

Humm.. Decisions, decisions....

OK, so it's really not that hard of a decision.

Be aware that the Nook lending feature is a publisher opt in feature so not every book may have it (and based on the number that disable the Kindle's "read to me" feature I'd say that's a safe bet). And you can only lend a book for 14 days, and to people who also have Nooks or accepted reading clients. And, unless the announcement coverage was wrong, you can only lend a title once.

If you're lending is most likely to be people in the same household (lending is something I would like to have but recognize I'd never actually use) then keep in mind that up to four Kindles can be put on the same account giving each machine rights to a book with just one purchase.

Merry Christmas everyone.

It was a Kindle Christmas for me. It might wind up being to most expensive present (for me) I've ever received. I've already started loading it up with Computer books, Light Reading, and a selection of free classics I never got around to reading.

That should keep me busy for some time....

That.

Yeah, I gave it to the dark side, but it's not quite as dark as once supposed....

A recommendation: The Kindle Download Guide has proven a wonderful tool for public domain ebooks.

It is a "book" you can download to your Kindle and is essentially just a set of links to public domain ebooks allowing direct download.

http://www.feedbooks.com/help/kindle#guide

Wife got a Sony Reader for Christmas and is happy with it. Problem is that you can only use books from the Sony EReader site. That sucks. Other than that she likes it.

Are you sure that's correct? One of the plusses I've seen touted for the Sony Readers is their support of DRM-ed ePub format allowing purchases from third-party sites. And non-DRM ePub support should mean that it is possible to read public domain books from all the sites that provide them (Gutenberg, etc.).

But since I'm happy with my Kindle I haven't paid a lot of attention to the Sony Reader line of products (no wireless book purchasing means they don't meet my minimal requirements, though I'm open to moving away from Kindle).

ETA: This message board thread has people talking about getting books onto their Reader from non-Sony stores.