Portable Ebook Reader

The expanding popularity of portable e-book readers has e-gadget manufacturers climbing the walls to improve, innovate and expand operations, portability and user convenience. Amazon’s Kindle broke open the e-book reader market, although it wasn’t the first e-book reader on the scene. Barnes & Noble’s Nook is a terrific product as well, and its now-generation reader offers some tough choices for e-book fans that has Amazon concerned. Then bring in Sony products to further complicate matters. These top three e-book reader options can make an e-book reader’s head spin, so let’s compare them on size, capability and adaptability.

The information below reflects the common models within the same price range; it wouldn’t be fair to compare a “deluxe” model with a “basic” model. The approximate price range is roughly $115 to $160 and notes the Barnes and Noble Nook Touch Reader, Amazon’s Kindle 3 and Sony’s Reader Pocket Edition.

Size and Weight Comparison

BN’s Nook Touch Reader, hereafter called NTR for typing convenience, sports a 6-inch display and a 5 x 6.5-inch profile. Weighing in at 7.48 ounces, you barely know you’re holding or carrying it.

The Kindle 3 also offers a 6-inch display and a 4.8 x 7.5-inch profile; it’s a little longer than the Nook but not prohibitively so. The negligible weight difference with Nook, 8+ ounces versus 7.48 ounces, is noticed, but after the conscious notation, you barely notice it.

Sony’s Reader Pocket Edition boasts the smallest and lightest numbers of the three at 4.11 x 5.71 inches and 5.47 ounces. It also has the smallest display screen at 5 inches.

Capacity and Accessibility

The NTR can hold up to . Its battery can last up to two months on charge under minimum use capacity. In other words, you can’t get two months of use under full WiFi use or downloads—just reading. (Those general conditions restrict all battery use comparisons, however.)

The Kindle 3 can hold up to 3,500 e-books in its 4GB memory. The built-in, permanent battery can last up to a month on a single charge if WiFi is turned off. However, its WiFi capability draws a definite plus to this device.

Sony’s device can hold up to 1,200 e-books with a 2GB memory. It can also support word documents, Adobe PDFs, EPUB/ACS4 formats. The Pocket Edition is compatible with both Macs and PCs. Coming in a distant third in battery capacity, it provides only two weeks maximum average use prior to recharging. Sony’s product has no direct Internet access capability, so you must download from a PC or Mac into the device.

Distinct Advantages and Disadvantages

Sony’s device is great for short-term use and storage swaps, but its lack of direct connectivity is a drawback for many. It’s slimmer, lighter, more compact design is a plus over the others, however.

Nook’s longer battery life and expandable memory slot allows slight advantages over both the Kindle 3 and the Pocket Edition. Its multiple platform readability matches Kindle 3′s, and both Nook and Kindle stand above the Pocket Edition in direct Internet access.

Kindle 3′s biggest advantage is that the $114 price tag for the Kindle-With Special Offers edition. Completely identical to Kindle 3 in other ways, the Special Offers version provides a $25 discount for non-intrusive ads in the screen saver mode and on the main menu. Because there are no ads while reading, the ad-supported version is highly recommended.

However, the touch screen and button resign puts Barnes & Nobles’ Nook a half a notch above Kindle 3. Its longer battery life secures it in the number 1 slot—for now.

The author of this post is Holly Miller, who writes for Coupon Croc. In the market for the hottest gadgets? Save big when you shop online and use an Argos discount voucher.

Avid readers prefer to stay at ease while reading a book. Sitting comfortably in a small space shielded from any distraction, a reader can focus on the words on the page of the book on hand. That small space is a nook of comfort. Can Barnes and Noble’s eReader – the nook – provide the same sense of comfort to readers? Let me take you to THE nook to find out.

Barnes and Noble’s nook is a bit heavier – by 54 grams - than Amazon’s Kindle 2. At half an inch thick, this eReader is handy to hold, not flimsy or bulky; just approximately the same size as a pocket book. You can personalize your nook with covers and frames to suit your taste and style - a personal statement of your preferences.

The clarity of letters and the appearance of words on a page are elements all of take for granted when reading. Our eyes can immediately tell us if words on a page are worth reading or not. Like all the other eBooks available today, the nook is designed to make eReading easy on the eyes. With a capacity to store 1,500 books, newspapers and magazines in its memory, nook can show the colored cover what you may want to read; a feature not available in other eReaders. If you want more space to handle your ebook collection, you can add a memory card. You can literally take your library with you anywhere you go.

Owning a nook gives a reader access to 500,000 ebooks for free – courtesy of Barnes and Noble. As well known book publishers, B&N has a wide array of free eBooks to choose from. Aside from the free eBooks, there are more than a million titles available a nook owner can download wirelessly. You can sample an eBook for free anywhere you are, and browse eBooks, magazines and newspapers on AT&T’s 3G Wireless Network or on Wi-Fi. Every Barnes & Noble bookstore has free Wi-Fi, so you can download what you want to read fast at their stores. Most best sellers and new releases are available for $9.99, which you can buy and down load in seconds.

Merriam-Websters Collegiate Dictionary is the pre-installed dictionary of choice with the nook. This eReader also allows you to lend books to others for up to 14 days at a time. In lending a book to someone else, your copy is removed from your collection. With nook, the book sharing tradition of continues.

With the nook, you can read for 10 days without recharging with wireless access off, which is more frequent compared to other eReaders. All other nook features are similar to what other eReaders have.

The nook may have some software issues, but these can be easily addressed by the Barnes & Noble team behind this product. There will always be room for improvement on any electronic device.

But what really separates the nook from the rest of the eReaders available now is – Barnes and Nobles support and reputation. The availability of 500,000 free eBooks and millions of book titles makes the nook THE eReader any avid book lover should have. Having a large book collection available makes a nook owner instantly contented. This alone can bring reading to a new level of comfort to eReading.

The nook is available for pre-order at BarnesAndNoble.com for the affordable pricetag of $259 USD. It is expected to ship on Feb 12, 2024.