There are different types of e readers which include kindle, Nook, Ipad, Sony Digital Reader, The e-readers market is currently dominated by Amazon (through their ‘Kindle’ e-reader) and Barnes and Noble (through their ‘Nook’ e-reader) because these 2 companies built their business on selling books. As a shopper looking to buy an e-reader, chances are that you will find yourself spoilt for choice between the two – for both are reasonably good devices. It is that mental drama on whether to go for Amazon’s Kindle or Barnes and Noble’s Nook that could see you enter an online search on ‘Kindle vs Nook’ as you try to figure out which of the two to purchase. We now venture to explore the unique strengths of both the Kindle and the Nook.
The Kindle 3
As alluded to earlier, the Kindle is a product of Amazon (Amazon also being one of the most popular e-book sellers online).
The latest version of the Kindle, as at the time of this writing, is that which has come to be referred to as the Kindle 3 (that is, the third generation kindle).
One of the strongest selling points for the Kindle is cross-platform compatibility, in a situation where Amazon has endeavored to create Kindle software for almost all the major platforms. We end up in a situation where there is Kindle software for Windows, Kindle software for the Mac Operating System, Kindle software for the Android as well as Kindle software for the Blackberry.
As a user, one thing you are very likely to love about the Kindle is its ‘e-ink electronic paper’ display, which makes the literature you read on your Kindle come across as if you are reading it on real paper.
With the Kindle too, you can be sure that the quoted (physical) weight is what you will be actually getting.
Yet another strength associated with the Kindle is in its support for .doc and HTML formats (though that is supposed to happen through a complex email based process).
In terms of pricing, the Kindle does also seem to (slightly) beat the Nook, with the latest version of the Kindle going at $139 whilst the latest version of the Nook goes for $149. The ten bucks could matter, in some circumstances.
Read more reviews about Kindle 3G
The Nook
As mentioned in our introduction, the Nook is Barnes and Noble’s reply to Amazon’s Kindle. Barnes and Noble also happens to be Amazon’s biggest competitor in the online e-books market.
The fact that the Nook has support for the ePub format (which many publishers are increasingly favoring) is one feature you will find attractive – especially keeping it in mind that support for the ePub format is something its rival doesn’t yet have, as at the time of this writing.
The Nook also does have an e-ink display mechanism, which makes for an attractive feature, especially when you compare the experience of reading on such an e-ink display with the experience of reading on an ‘ordinary’ screen.
The opportunity for automatic software updates associated with the Nook, which means that you won’t have to go manually looking for software updates is yet another strong selling point to the Nook.
The Nook’s connectivity speeds have been described as decent, so this is not something you should worry too much about. You will be able to connect your Nook through 3G networks, or through Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi).
Read more review about the Barnes & Noble NOOK
Conclusion
In the final analysis, you will find the only remarkable differences between the Kindle and Nook being in terms of pricing (where the difference is slight). You may also find the difference in terms of operating system platforms supported by the respective e-Readers being something of interest to you.