Kindle Vs Nook Review
If you have been shaken up by the effects of deforestation and the catastrophe that global warming threatens to bring along with it, then you are probably a proponent of recycling and the green revolution. If you are a bibliophile as a well, then buying paperbacks and hardcover novels may invoke a sense of guilt in you. Avoiding this can be easy if you decide to shift to reading ebooks. The best way to do so would be to invest in a good ebook reader. But which is the best ebook reader? This can be a conundrum. Most experts will suggest that you go in for either the Kindle from Amazon or the Nook from Barnes & Noble. If you have looked up a Kindle vs Nook review, but are still confused about which one to buy, then this article which compares the two ebook readers should be of help to you.
Kindle vs Nook - The Comparison
As of now, Amazon has launched eight different variants of Kindle including the Kindle 2, 3, and DX versions. For the basis of our comparison, we compare the Barnes & Noble Nook to the Kindle 2 which was released in the month of February in 2009. The Kindle 2 allows for internet connectivity and comes equipped with an internal storage. The Nook too has internal storage and it also provides for an expandable microSD slot. These are just one of the few things that any Kindle vs Nook review will point out. Given below in the table is a Kindle 2 vs Nook comparison chart for different specifications.
| Kindle vs Nook Review | ||
| Specifications | Kindle | Nook |
| Display Specs | Diagonal E Ink electronic paper 6'' display, 600 x 800 pixels resolution, 16 shade gray scale | 3.5 inch color touchscreen LCD, one touch control and navigation, E ink Vizplex electronic paper |
| Weight | 0.63 pounds | 0.75 pounds |
| Storage | 2 GB internal storage | 2 GB internal storage with expandable microSD slot |
| Connectivity | EVDO modem with fallback to 1xRTT, Amazon Whispernet provides wireless coverage through 3G high-speed provided by Sprint | Free wireless from Barnes & Noble from AT&T |
| Battery Life | Four days with wireless activated and fifteen days with wireless switched off. | Ten days when charged completely |
| Charging time | 4 hours. Charging supported via USB 2.0 cable | 3 and a half hours. Charging supported via USB to computer system or power adapter. |
| Supports | AZW, TXT, MP3, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively, PDF, HTML, DOC, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP through conversion | EPUB, PDB, PDF, EPUB, PDB, PDF |
| Price | USD 189 | USD 199 (3G version) and USD 149 (Wi-Fi only) |
So these are the main technical specifications that you will need to keep in mind while deciding on which ebook reader comes up tops in a Kindle vs Nook review. There are other important things that you should keep in mind as well.
One of the best features of the Nook ebook reader is that it comes with a LendMe application that allows you to borrow certain books for fourteen days. Also the new browser that Nook is enabled with is great for surfing and is much faster than the Kindle's 3G connectivity mostly because it works on Wi-Fi. The Nook is 3G enabled for the ebook store. Another great thing about the Nook is that is comes with replaceable batteries. With the Kindle, in case of a battery failure you need to ship out the reader to Amazon who will replace it for you for USD 80. Another thing that many reviews have pointed out are that with the Nook there is a larger range of fonts available while with the Kindle you have only one option. Thanks to the fact that the Nook is backed by the Barnes & Noble group, the sheer collection of books in the store is very big. Also in the stores users can read ebooks for free. There is a time limit but it is a great facility. The Nook also supports books from the Sony store. This does not translate to mean that the Nook beats the Kindle in a Kindle vs Nook showdown. There are many areas where the Kindle comes out tops.
The Amazon Kindle too has many applications that allows the user great ease. One of the best features of the Kindle 3, that it shares with other variants as well, is that it is extremely simple to use. The Kindle also comes with a Read to Me feature which allows for books to be read out. While using the Kindle you will also realize that refreshing pages of an ebook is much faster on Kindle than on Nook. Since it comes with a physical keyboard, small things like making notes is much easier with the Kindle. While the free Internet connection is great it is slow compared to the Wi-Fi connectivity of the Nook. It is usable in more than a hundred countries and comes with free access to Wikipedia all over the world. The Amazon Kindle also allows for screen rotation. The Kindle comes with stereo speakers that makes listening to audio books a better experience when compared to the Nook which has a mono speaker. A look at the costs of both the readers will tell you that the difference is not large.
It is impossible to come up with a definite answer to the question which is better, Kindle or Nook as is evident from this Kindle vs Nook review. If you want a tablet with an ebook reading facility like an iPad, then we suggest you look up a review that compares all the models available before making a final decision. The Kindle vs Nook 2010 war has only made the users wait more expectantly for what can be expected from future variants and models.
