Which is the Better eReader?

Choosing between the all-new Nook vs Kindle is not as simple as one being better than other. With constant updates and improvements on the Nook and Kindle, it is important to look at each eReader’s key features when choosing your new eReader. The truth is that there is no easy winner in the dreaded eReader battle, because each device has their own unique set of  features that some people will find more attractive than others.

While your eReader decision should be based upon such things as how much reading you will be doing, where you will be doing most of your reading, whether or not you intend to travel with your ereader, what type of media you read most as well as your price range, there are a few other things you should keep in mind when shopping for your new eReader. When it comes to purchasing the Nook or Kindle, it still  remains a matter of personal taste, as well as the things are most important to you. Some people are 100% devoted to the Kindle and wouldn’t want anything else, and others love Barnes & Noble’s Nook Simple Touch that they couldn’t imagine curling up with a book any other way. On this page, I will go over notable differences and important features on the Kindle Touch and the Nook Simple Touch eReader.

Quick Side by Side Comparison of the Nook & Kindle

Features	Kindle Touch	Nook Simple Touch
Producer	Amazon	Barnes&Noble
Display Size	6″ Diagonal Screen	6″ Diagonal Screen
Weight	7.5 Ounces	7.48 Ounces
Battery Life	Up to 2 Months	Up to 2 Months
Storage Capacity	3,000 Books	1,000 Books (w/ expandable MicroSD card up to 32GB)
Display	E-Ink Pearl Touchscreen	E-Ink Pearl Touchscreen
Navigation	Touchscreen	Touchscreen
Connectivity	Wi-Fi & Wi-Fi+3G Available	Wi-Fi
Price	$99-$139	$99

 

The New Kindle Touch

Click Here to Buy the New Kindle Touch

The Kindle’s response to the NOOK Simple Touch is the beloved Kindle Touch. Attractive and easily affordable, the Kindle Touch eReader is backed by the world’s largest online retailer, Amazon.com. The latest Kindle, that I must admit I love, offers the user a sleek and modern design – something that the Kindle 3 lacked a little of with its clunky keyboard that I must admit was my least favorite thing about it. However, if you’re a fan of the physical keyboard, there is the Kindle Keyboard. Amazon has done away with the physical keyboard on their least expensive Kindle model, but you can read more about the “Kindle” here.

On the Kindle Touch, the overall appearance will not distract you from the overall reading experience with its unassuming silver-grey color that seems to disappear as you read.

And most should be pleased to hear that using the Kindle Touch is extremely easy with its multi-touch display that makes navigation ridiculously easy -even for the most technologically-challenged individuals. My mother is older, and even she has no problems using this one. It’s very easy to turn pages and to forget that you’re holding an eReader with its lighter weight design – I would give this one five stars…I have to say that I LOVE it! It’s everything I always thought the Kindle needed to improve on and was very excited when they finally did. I always slightly favored the Nook because I just love Barnes & Noble, but this Kindle challenges my prior feelings. While I still love the Nook, Amazon continues to improve their eReaders. With so many new Kindle offerings, it is hard not to love it. Plus, they offer free Wi-Fi on every model they have. I don’t see how they can outdo themselves now – especially with the Kindle Fire.

Whether you are looking for the latest generation of the Kindle, the Kindle Touch, Kindle Keyboard, something with a larger display like the Kindle DX, or something comparable to a tablet like Amazon’s Kindle Fire, you are looking at what makes the Kindle the best-selling product on Amazon.com. The following are just some of what the Kindle has to offer.

Kindle Touch Features

• High-contrast E-Ink Pearl high resolution technology display reveals darker, crisper fonts, which reads exactly like a printed book page – it’s just-like-reading-a-book amazing. Interestingly enough, the electronic ink on the Kindle works just like ink found in books and newspapers, but instead displays ink particles electronically. This is why you will notice a quick page flash when you turn the page.
• No-glare screen and 16-level gray-scale offers nearly flawless reading in bright lighting or sunshine.
• Text-to-speech feature reads English content aloud.
• Adjust font sizes, text typeface, line spacing, and screen rotation (portrait or landscape) all at the touch of a button.
• Worry-free archive backs up your books constantly, so you don’t have to worry about losing your data.
• Global wireless option has coverage in 100 countries and territories for all Kindles

Kindle Specifications

• Smaller, sleek, and extremely lightweight design has a 6″ diagonal reading screen, making it a great carry-along item.
• Measures 6.8″H x 4.7″W x 0.4″D; weighs 7.5 oz.(Wi-Fi); 7.8 oz. (Wi-Fi + 3G)
• Stores up to 3000 books with its 4GB hard drive, in addition to having free Cloud storage for all Amazon content, so this finally solves the additional storage crisis.
• Battery life with wireless on is 3 weeks. With wireless off is one month. Battery life will vary based on wireless usage. Fully charges in 3 hours

I had no problems using  the Kindle Touch the first time I turned the eReader on after reading the guide’s instructions and taking some quick notes – I always take notes though, so don’t let this freak you out. I was able to use my Kindle almost immediately out of the box.

The only downside I now see to the Kindle is that the Kindle does not have a removable battery, so if something goes wrong, you will need to send it to Amazon.com to have the battery replaced. It’s a minor issue, but I wouldn’t let this sway your decision in either way. I haven’t heard or read many complaints about faulty batteries.

Some warn that the Kindle’s finish becomes too hot to touch if left out in the sun. Well, I tested this, and it is simply not true unless you leave it out in the middle of Death Valley, it may get hot, but being outside in the sun on a black blanket on a 68° day for several hours left the Kindle not even lukewarm to the touch. Therefore, if you plan to use your Kindle 3 often in direct hot sunlight, go ahead – just use your instincts. If it gets too hot, just put it in the shade for a bit (and probably yourself as well).

While these are just some of the great features available on the Kindle Touch, you can also read the Kindle Touch Review now for a more in-depth product analysis.

Click Here to Buy the New Kindle Touch

Which eReader is Better in Sunlight, the Nook Simple Touch or the Kindle Touch?

After staring at these for hours outside and inside, I have come to a solid conclusion: neither eReader wins when it comes to reading in the sunlight. I do find the new NOOK easier to read than the NOOK 1st edition, but between the new NOOK Simple Touch and the Kindle Touch, there is absolutely no difference. Both of their displays uses the latest eInk Technology, but Barnes & Noble’s Nook Simple Touch uses their proprietary Best-Text ink, which makes for the best eReader reading experience.  I find the difference noticeable, but I am also very observant when it comes to appearance. There is a slightly better contrast on the NOOK. However, the glare is null on both eReader models when reading outdoors in the sun at high noon. As with even a white sheet of paper on a bright day, if the sun directly reflects on the screen, you will have trouble reading.

As far as the page background colors on both eReaders, it is similar to a newspaper page with a cooler gray background color that makes reading about as stressful on your eyes as reading your favorite newspaper.

There is absolutely no difference in glare on the NOOK’s or the Kindle’s displays – both the NOOK and the Kindle’s displays are glare-free and will not cause eyestrain no matter how long you read them. I am one who experiences eyestrain after staring at the computer screen all day, but never once experienced any issues when reading the Nook Simple Touch or Kindle Touch for lengthy periods of time.

The NOOK Simple Touch Reader

The Nook Simple Touch eReader is Barnes & Noble’s latest edition eReader with the NOOK 1st edition being retired. With clean, sleek lines and full touchscreen display, the NOOK Simple Touch is my winner when it comes to appearance only.  However, just like everything else in life, looks aren’t the most important thing to consider – especially when shopping for your new eReader.

With a world-renowned bookseller behind it, the NOOK has some really wonderful features to offer you like in-house support at the bookstore if  you have any questions or problems once your eReader arrives, more book titles to choose from than Amazon’s Kindle, ability to read books for free inside the store one hour each day, as well as much, much more.

NOOK Features

• Beautiful overall design with 6″ diagonal full touchscreen with the most advanced eInk Pearl technology display for 50% higher contrast reading.
• 16-level gray scale supplies superb contrast with a glare-free screen. Offers a printed book page reading experience.
• No more 3.5″ LCD color navigation touchscreen located under display screen to distract you while reading.
• Easily choose from different font sizes, text font, and line spacing for more customized reading.
• All downloaded media saves to your Barnes and Noble account as back-up.

NOOK Specifications

• Stores up to 1000 e-books with its 2GB internal hard drive, plus has a slot for 32GB of extra memory storage.
• Measures 6.5″H x 5″W x 0.47″D and weighs 7.48 oz. Makes the NOOK the ultra light and ultra portable option.
• Uses Android operating system.
• Battery life with wireless off is 2 months on one charge; fully charges in only 3 hours.

NOOK Exclusives

• Free and exclusive LendMe technology allows for sharing of eBooks with friends and family for up to 14 days.
• Equipped with Nook’s blog Unbound.
• Library eBook lending capability.
• Synchronize your NOOK across multiple devices.
• Keep media organized with “My Shelves”.
• Special offers available when you use your Nook at Barnes & Noble locations.
• Reading Now button easily bookmarks your page. With one simple touch, you can be back right where you last left off within seconds.
• Easy transference of Sony Reader library, eReader, and Fictionwise books.
• 800×600 resolution
• Supports ePub, PDF, JPG, GIF, BMP, and PNG formats.
• Password protect your Nook.
• Pre-order books on your Nook.
• Personlize your NOOK by customizing your wallpaper/screensavers, cover, etc.

While supporting a ton of programs, including ePub, the Nook definitely has its advantages like its size, light weight, replaceable battery, design that is extremely easy to navigate. For those less tech savvy, there is always the page turn buttons unassumingly located on the sides of the display. The new NOOK is the eReader I still found is the easiest to use straight out of the box. Besides needing to look at the guide book to figure out how to turn it on (which was ridiculously simple after I discovered what the “secret” was), it was smooth sailing.

I recommend you read the NOOK Review if you’d like to learn more about the award-winning, best-selling eReader. If you’re interested, you may also want to take a look at the other extremely popular member of the Nook family, the NOOK Color and the NOOK Tablet. The NOOKColor offers an unbelievable reading experience…in brilliant color. It also has some pretty cool features like Pandora radio. And the NOOK Tablet goes a step further, but you can read more about that one here.

If you would like a side by side comparison of the Nook vs Kindle, take a look at our Kindle and Nook comparison chart. Please leave any questions or comments you might have in the comments section.

Click Here to Buy the Nook Simple Touch Reader for just $139 – Buy at BarnesandNoble.com!

Nook vs Kindle Pricing

Continuous price wars between these eReader giants allow for constantly updated reader-friendly options with more affordable-than-ever pricing. The NOOK has only one Wi-Fi model, while the Kindle has its own basic model with 3G. The Nook’s current asking price is $99 for the new NOOK Simple Touch Reader.

The Kindle Touch with Wi-Fi and its Special Offers package costs the same as the Nook at $99. Without Amazon’s Special Offers that include advertisements for your screensavers and special offers, it will cost you $139 – significantly more than the NOOK Simple Touch.  The Kindle Touch 3G+Wi-Fi and Special Offers has an asking price of $149 – without the Special Offers, it costs $189.

There is a less expensive Kindle that costs $79, but again, you will have to deal with ads constantly popping up when you turn the device on. They call it the Kindle with Special Offers. Price should not be your only consideration when shopping for an eReader, because there are so many other things to consider – remember, that it is a small investment that you will enjoy for many years, so don’t be haste in your decision-making and definitely don’t less price determine your purchase.

Make sure you get the eReader you’ve always wanted. It is extremely easy to prevent annoying adds, by accepting the No Special Offers offer when you purchase your Kindle. Sure, it costs more, but it will be worth it in the end – especially if you like to choose your own screensavers.