This past summer being a college graduate, I definitely had more time to actually read books I want to read. No more textbooks for me, and I was loving it! I became immersed in the world of literature once again, and what also peaked my interest were the new innovations out in the market called e-readers.
The first one I knew about was the Amazon Kindle. Then I heard about the Nook, from Barnes and Noble. As holiday season is approaching, I'm trying to figure out which e-reader is right for me. I see e-readers as so innovative because I don't always have to buy a new book at a bookstore or online. Here is a device that can easily be carried around, be read in any environment, and has access to many books/newspapers/magazines all in one. There's even wi-fi and internet access in both products. This device can have me reading books at any time of day, at any location. So which one to choose?
Nook 1.3: “'Read in Store'” any book from the B&N ebook catalog daily for up to an hour for free (slower readers can return the next day); dual internet connectivity (3G and WiFi); lend a friend an ebook for up to two weeks; dip into OverDrive-powered local libraries; open ecosystem that supports Adobe DRM and non-DRM books; browse books by cover; customizable screen saver and color touchscreen with improved contrast; more font choices; and a user-accessible battery."
Kindle Version 2.5: "new features include: Folders for organizing books and documents; PDF that supports panning and zooming; password protection against unauthorized book purchases; sharper and larger font choices; highlight and share book passages on Facebook and Twitter direct from your device; identify most highlighted book passages by all readers of a book; half a-million ebook titles available; best book prices and largest choice of magazines and newspapers; a Read-to-Me feature and support for MP3 and Audible books; battery life of 14 days with wireless off; works in the US and in International locations."
"Kindle 2 Vs Nook Comparison
The first thing that we need to know is the differences in the screen of the 2 devices. This will make a world of difference because this is the part of the machine that matters the most, as far as such devices are concerned. They both use the same e-ink electronic displays which makes the text resemble real life text as closely as possible. This makes sunlight visibility extremely good in both machines. The size of both the screens is 6 inches, so there is not much to distinguish between them here either.
The smaller touchscreen on the Nook works slightly slower though, due to hardware limitations and this can be a major deterrent. The screen allows you to browse through book covers though, but if this should come at a cost of slower reactions is debatable. Hopefully, a firmware upgrade can solve this problem in the near future. The Kindle 2 has a keyboard as an input device, and we leave it to you to decide which is better because this is a matter of personal preference. For many people this fact can influence their decision, when they are caught between Kindle 2 vs Nook. The Kindle software can be used for various platforms too, as these articles on Kindle for PC, Kindle for Mac and Kindle for Android will show you.
An obvious advantage of the Kindle 2 is the text to speech feature which the Nook lacks. It's a wonder that the Nook left out this feature, and it does make a pretty big difference. Due to the presence of the touchscreen on the Nook, navigation is quite difficult. The Kindle 2 has a 5 way controller and this makes all your tasks very use to perform. Be it browsing through the Kindle book store, or highlighting parts of the text you're reading. The Nook's navigation is far inferior in comparison.
Another advantage of the Kindle 2 is the Global Wireless feature, which means that you can download books from the Kindle store no matter where you are in the world. It goes without saying that the web browsing capabilities of the device will be disabled outside the United States. The Nook does have wi-fi connectivity though, but this will rarely be used. The Nook comes with an AT&T carrier and their coverage is pretty sturdy, so the need for a wi-fi hot spot is really quite rare. With all the factors seen so far, the Kindle 2 is faring better in this Kindle 2 vs Nook comparison. But there are certain areas where the Nook is superior to the Kindle 2 as well. You can also read this Kindle DX Review, which tells you about the Kindle DX which was released in May, 2009.
The only downside of the Kindle 2 is the memory space. It comes with a 2 GB memory and this cannot be extended. The previous version of the Kindle had a microSD card slot, and why Amazon got rid of it is a mystery. This means that you can store a maximum of 1500 ebooks on the Kindle 2. The Nook also comes with 2 GB memory, but this can be expanded to 18 GB by making use of the microSD card slot which can accommodate a 16 GB card. This means you have access to about 15000 ebooks.
Another advantage of the Nook is the Book Lending feature. Through this feature, you can 'lend' an ebook that you have purchased to a friend for a maximum of 14 days. If your friend uses a Nook, an Apple iPhone, an Apple iPod Touch, a BlackBerry smartphone, an Apple Macbook or a Windows PC, then he can view this lent book for 14 days before it is deleted. This means that you have access to far more book titles through the Nook. All this knowledge will help you make a decision about the best ebook reader."
Both products has it's share of advantages and disadvantages, which makes it so much harder to make a decision! All in all you have to remember which e-reader is right for YOU, not others.
You Just Do You, Imma Do Me
Camille
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