Portable Ebook Reader

If you admit to being a lover of reading, then you probably spent many years hauling books around with you wherever you went. Sure, they were heavy and took up room but not having your current story with you was just not an option. You might have made room in your travel luggage just for books and left other things behind just so you could indulge in some quiet time by the pool with your favorite author. Today, with the advancement of technology, nobody needs to carry a book because we have so many e-readers to choose from. There are still those people out there who love holding the physical book and they might never make that switch to a e-reader, but there is still hope for them. With so many to choose from, it is up to each person to compare them all and their features so they purchase the one that suits them and their needs.

The Nook and Kindle have been around for a few years now and Sony joined in the game with its pocket edition. When you read how these three compare, you will find there are pros can cons to each so you continue your search to discover e-readers that offer more, which can take you to the Google Nexus 7. You will first notice it to be slim and so portable as it fits perfectly in your hand, so watching the 7″ display with over one-million pixels will have you enjoying stunning clarity of HD movies. With ten hours of web browsing, nine hours of HD video playback and up to three-hundred hours of e-reading stand by time, you can understand how the Nexus 7 can go the distance. If gameplay is your niche, then you will be interested to hear that gameplay is responsive and smooth and this is due to the NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor. ASUS knew what they were doing when the put this jewel together.

Here’s some of the primary features of the Nexus 7:

• 340 grams
• 8 or 16 GB internal storage
• 7″ HD display
• battery life: 9 hours of HD video playback, 10 hours of reading, and 300 hours of standby
• NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor
• 1 GB RAM
• Android 4.1
• Wifi 802.11 b/g/n
• Bluetooth
• Micro USB
• Microphone
• GPS
• 1.2 MB front-facing camera

It’s important to note that the Kindle Fire has similar features and is priced the same as the Google Nexus 7, so make sure to do your research and choose the device that is best for you.

It is easy to see how technology is growing by leaps and bounds and we hardly have time to become acquainted with our current piece of technology before something faster, better and with more features comes along to grab our attention. E-readers/tablets today are more than just a library at your fingertips, they offer GPS, WIFI, movies, games and so much more. If you are in the shrinking population of physical book lovers and have held out till now, but ready to enter the world of e-readers and tablets, do your homework, read reviews and do comparisons. This way your first e-reader/tablet experience will be an eye-opening discovery and then you will wish you had joined the rest of the e-reading world a lot earlier.

Whether you are thinking about purchasing just an e-reader, such as the Kindle or Nook or you want the added option of movies and internet connectivity, you won’t be lacking in devices to make your choice from. It makes you wonder what next invention will have us reading in a new and interesting way.

This article was contributed by Chloe Parker, an editor from MobilePhones.org.uk, where you can find more information on the Google Nexus 7.

Reading a favorite book in a comfortable bed before finally retiring into the night is one of the best stress relievers that I could ever think of. Reading a book or telling bedtime stories have been proven to be an effective and practical non-pharmaceutical tranquilizer for an exhausted brain because of the usual wearisome activities we have gone through the rest of the day. Some of us probably can recall those times when we use candles or an oil lamp while reading or maybe using a flashlight under the blankets as we flip through the pages of an engrossing book that we just can’t get enough of.

As time goes by, reading books has evolved into a more sophisticated manner. The E-reader was first introduced to the market in 1999 when Gemstar promoted the eBookman which was an e-reader that could record and play sounds. E-book readers were never very popular until 2007 when the Amazon Kindle was widely promoted. Many say this was the kick start of the public’s acceptance of this great, new technology, and paved the way for the newest E-readers available in the market today.

It was in October 2009 when Barnes & Noble released the first version of the Nook E-reader which originally came with Wi-Fi and AT&T 3G wireless connection capability. This amazing device was subsequently followed by its successors – the Nook Simple Touch, Nook Color and the Nook Tablet.

Then came the latest innovation in E-reader technology – the Barnes & Noble NOOK Simple Touch™ with GlowLight™ . This is the latest version of the Nook E-readers and it comes with revolutionary technology that creates a gentle glow that is optimized for the most convenient low light reading. It has the Easy-to-Adjust GlowLight that could be customized for preferred glow intensity.

The SimpleTouch is the lightest of all Nooks, and is 6.5 inches by 5.0 inches by 0.47 inches and also weighs the lightest at just 6.95 ounces. It also comes with an installed chargeable battery which could be attached to a computer via USB or from a wall outlet using an adapter. Its 6-inch touchscreen with 16-layer grayscale is very easy on the eyes with its 600×800 resolution that supports 6 adjustable font styles and 7 font sizes. It also supports wireless connectivity via Wi-Fi® (802.11b/g/n). It has the original data storage capacity of 2GB which could hold up to 1,000 books, which should be plenty for any avid reader.

Nook GlowLight also supports ePub and PDF file formats and JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP for graphics. This means you can buy ebooks from many different websites and easily upload it to your Nook. Other e-readers force you to only purchase e-books from their own store which really limits your choices as far as pricing and availability goes. You can also syncronize the last page you’ve read on your Nook, with your smartphone or computer using the FREE NOOK Reading App™.

As you can clearly see, with the latest innovation in Nook e-Reader technologies, bedtime reading has never be so comfortable and sophisticated. A lot of happy customers have expressed their satisfaction with the new Barnes & Noble NOOK Simple Touch™ with GlowLight™, so check it out for yourself. It makes a great gift for friends and family.

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.