Ebook readers, or E-readers are wireless reading devices that enable
you to download, store, and read your favorite books, magazines, and
newspapers. This allows you to have all your favorite publications
immediately available without having to lug around the physical books.
This is great for traveling or commuting.
E-readers come in two versions, Wi-Fi and Wi-fi with 3G. If you already
have a high speed internet connection and a wireless router at home,
or you have access to a Wi-Fi hotspot, then Wi-Fi would be the way to go.
3G, however, enables you to download books anytime, anywhere, while on
the go, without having to find a Wi-Fi hotspot connection.
Since Amazon introduced the
Kindle Wireless Reading Device
, it's popularity soared and became Amazon's highest selling product. So much so that competitors have entered the market with their own brand of ebook reader in order to capture a piece of the electronic publishing pie. Barnes & Noble has introduced it's
NOOK Wi-Fi. Followed by Sony's Daily Edition, and a host of lesser known brands.
This has led to a "price war" between the major players. It started when
Barnes & Noble cut the price of it's Nook(Wi-Fi +3G) from $259 to $199,
and offered a Wi-Fi only model for $149. Amazon followed suit and slashed
the price of Kindle (Wi-Fi +3G) to $189, and It's Wi-Fi model to $139.
Later, Sony dropped the price of each of it's three E-readers by $60.
The Amazon Kindle and the Barnes & Noble Nook come with free Wi-Fi and
3G so there's no set up or extra plan to pay for.
You have the wildly popular
Apple I-Pad
to thank for the drop in E-reader
prices. The I-Pad also allows you download and store E-Books as well as
surf the internet, watch streaming videos and many other tasks. It has a
color LCD screen as opposed to the E-Ink screens of E-readers. It also
carries a $499 price tag for it's low end model. As opposed to the much
lower prices of a dedicated E-reader. Plus you have to pay extra for
Wi-Fi and 3G.
The I-Pad weighs 25 ounces which can seem heavy after reading for an
hour or two. Compare that to 11.6 ounces for the Kindle Wi-Fi, and 12.1
ounces for the Kindle Wi-Fi +3G model. The Nook Color weighs in at 15.8
ounces, the Nook Wi-Fi weighs 11.6 ounces, and the Nook Wi-Fi+3G weighs
12.1 ounces.
The Kindle's 4GB internal memory can store as many as 3500 books. This
is an increase over the previous model's 1500 book capacity. The Nook
has a 2GB internal memory which can accomodate up to 1500 books, but
it also has a built-in expandable microSD slot for up to 16GB of extra
storage. The Nook Color has 8GB of built in memory(up to 6000 eBooks).
That can be expanded to 32GB with a microSD™ memory card slot. The iPad, with up to 64GB of memory, can hold up to 48,000 books, provided
it's not loaded with music and photos.
Both devices can be viewed in bright sunlight,thus no glare on the screen,
and they each allow you to select font styles and sizes, thereby making
reading easier on the eyes.
The Kindle and Nook do not run hot which makes for more comfortable
reading. Both boast long battery life from a single charge. With the Wi-Fi
off the Nook lasts up to 3 weeks. The Kindle lasts up to a month. Expect
shorter run times with the Wi-Fi and, or 3G features on. Even then you can
have days of run time on a single charge.
The Barnes & Noble Nook can access over two million books, magazines,
and newspapers. The Amazon Kindle has access to over 650,000 books
and periodicals. Also, books that are out of copyright, those published prior to 1923, can be downloaded for free. This includes all the classics like Moby Dick, Pride and Predjudice,etc. Those are a lot of choices, so you will never run out of reading material no matter which E-reader you choose.
The Kindle and the Nook have a dictionary, web access, and password
protection so no one else can access your device. The Kindle has a
Text-to-Speech feature which reads text out loud and hands free.
You can choose between a male or female voice and speed up, or slow
down the voice. It also reads the content menus. This would be great for
the visually impaired.
Both have .PDF capability, but the Kindle requires you to email the
document to your device then open it to read. A college student may
benefit from an E-reader in that it eliminates having to carry around heavy text books. Then, of course, the text book would have to be available for download.
Both the Kindle and the Nook allow you to organize your collection of books
by author, genre, or any way you choose. The Nook, in addition to it's 6
inch viewing screen, has a 3 inch color navigation screen which shows the
covers of the books you have downloaded. It can also be used to select and
shop for books quickly and easily . Use your finger to swipe through titles and tap open your next read.
Although the Amazon Kindle is the top selling E-reader at the moment, the
Nook has many features that has put it a close second. This new
technology is steadily evolving, and by next year new features will be
available.
A dedicated E-reader serves a specific purpose - to have your favorite
reading materials at hand for immediate access without having to
carry heavy and cumbersome physical books. It's an idea whose time has
come, and with the competitive pricing as it is, now is the time to buy.
Lee Edwards,
The EcomInfoSource
Kindle Wireless Reading Device, Wi-Fi, Graphite, 6" Display with New E Ink Pearl Technology
Introducing NOOK Wi-Fi! The most full-featured, low-cost eBook Reader for just $149!
Apple iPad MB292LL/A Tablet (16GB, Wifi)