Kindle vs Deseret Book Bookshelf

I downloaded the Deseret Book Bookshelf e-reader app on my iPod yesterday. The reason I did this was because... um... I don't remember. I think I had a specific reason, but now I can't think what it was.  :/

So here's what I've discovered in using the Deseret Book app:

Some books are actually less expensive on the DB app. Not by much... usually only about fifty cents. However, there was one book that was a whole $4 cheaper on DB!!! Seriously? I left a message on Amazon about the price difference. (They have a link specifically for that purpose!) I'm going to leave messages on all the books I find that are cheaper. Maybe Amazon will lower their prices to match Deseret Books e-book prices.

On the other hand, sometimes Amazon is less expensive. It probably all comes out in the wash.

To be honest, that's the only thing positive I can say about the DB app/ebook system. Here's where Kindle wins:

1) Amazon has amazing customer service. If you download a book and you change your mind, decide it's not what you wanted, find issues with the content, etc., Kindle will refund your money if you contact them within a certain amount of time. In other words, you can "return" the e-book. Deseret Book does not offer this service.

2) You have to be able to hook to WiFi or 3g to use the DB app. I was in a long, long line today at a store, and I thought, "Hey, no problem! I'll just read that book I bought last night!" Nope. Couldn't get into my account without signing in. Can't sign in without a connection.

On Kindle, once you download the book, you can read it whether or not you have a connection. You can't move books from your "cloud" to your device without a connection, but once it's on your device, you can read it anytime.

3) On Kindle, you turn the page. Well, you turn it by touch or you push a button and it turns. On the DB app, at least on the couple of books I glanced through and on the one book I'm actually reading, you scroll downward through the chapter. It's just not as comfortable. It's harder to get absorbed, because it feels like you're reading an article on the news instead of a book. And with a screen as small as an iPod screen, you have to scroll a lot. It's hard to keep your eye on the sentence you're reading. Bah!

4) If you buy an e-book from Amazon, you can read it on your Kindle or on another device, such as your iPod, iPad, Android, etc. with the Kindle app. It's nice to have options. If you buy an e-book from DB, it can't go on your Kindle. And again, if you don't have a connection for your device, you can't read your book on the DB app.

So... even if the Kindle price is slightly higher than the DB e-book price, in my opinion, it's worth what you get in return. I luckily have only purchased one book from DB (I did get some free books just for downloading the app), and I won't purchase any others. I would just rather have them on my Kindle and Kindle app.