Every bibliophile on this planet will swear by the touch of the paper of a book, the smell of books that you get as soon as you walk into a book shop stacked with novels from floor to ceiling. It is an experience that every book lover enjoys and wants to live every second of his or her life. But with technological advancement and genuine concern for depleting resources, many reading enthusiasts are shifting to a new medium of reading books, the e-reader. In the past couple of years, there have been two products that have taken the e-reading world by storm. One of them is the Kindle from Amazon and the other product is the Nook from Barnes and Noble. For many technologically challenged literature lovers, it is difficult to decide which one is the best ebook reader and which one they should opt for. In this article, we help you decide which is better Kindle or Nook.
Kindle vs Nook
Amazon has till date launched three variants of the e-reader, Kindle, Kindle 2 and Kindle DX. Of these three devices, the Kindle 2 is probably the best to be compared with the Nook from the Barnes and Noble stable. The Kindle 2 was launched in Feb, 2009 in the United States and it was launched internationally in the month of October of the same year. Originally priced at USD 359, today the Kindle 2 costs only USD 189. The e-reader allows fast Internet access and has a storage capacity for almost 1500 ebooks. It is extremely easy to use and the design is functional but hardly appealing. One of the main problems with the Kindle's wireless international model is the non-replaceable batter pack, so if you have an issue with the battery, the entire reader needs to be sent to Amazon for repair or replacement. Another issue is that it charges international downloads and does not support many free books. It also does not allow for memory expansion. The question though still remains, which is better Kindle or Nook? In order to answer that query, you need to take a closer look at the Barnes & Noble Nook. One of the best features about Nook is that it has more titles and options to download books, because it has a huge in house bookstore support. It is dream come true for bookworms. Also unlike the Kindle, it has an expandable memory slot and an LCD color screen. With Nook, you can also avail of the free lending facility for 14 days that they have. The problem though, lies in its touchscreen being not as sensitive as we would like it to be and also the the color screen eats up battery life. Also Barnes and Noble has still not been able to completely debug the device with users complaining of software issues. Given below is a table that compares the different specification of the e-book readers and gives you the lowdown on Kindle vs Nook.
So, which is better Kindle or Nook? Well, the Kindle from Amazon does not have many software issues but that could probably be because it has had more time to take care of customer problems. The Nook on the other hand wins hands down with the huge in house support that it enjoys from an actual book store with Barnes and Noble being its parent company. The price and build of both the readers are more or less the same, but the expandable memory that Nook has and the ePub compatibility that it enjoys also gives it the upper hand in this battle. The Kindle on the other hand is a functional, utilitarian device that may appeal to a user who believes that the color touchscreen takes away from the functionality of the Nook. According to us, the better competitor in the battle of the e-readers is the Nook, but with a new Kindle version on the cards, it may be a bit too early to decide. Which is better Kindle or Nook is a question, the answer to which will depend completely on user preference. But the fact remains, reading as an experience is all set to enter a whole new dimension.
Kindle vs Nook
Amazon has till date launched three variants of the e-reader, Kindle, Kindle 2 and Kindle DX. Of these three devices, the Kindle 2 is probably the best to be compared with the Nook from the Barnes and Noble stable. The Kindle 2 was launched in Feb, 2009 in the United States and it was launched internationally in the month of October of the same year. Originally priced at USD 359, today the Kindle 2 costs only USD 189. The e-reader allows fast Internet access and has a storage capacity for almost 1500 ebooks. It is extremely easy to use and the design is functional but hardly appealing. One of the main problems with the Kindle's wireless international model is the non-replaceable batter pack, so if you have an issue with the battery, the entire reader needs to be sent to Amazon for repair or replacement. Another issue is that it charges international downloads and does not support many free books. It also does not allow for memory expansion. The question though still remains, which is better Kindle or Nook? In order to answer that query, you need to take a closer look at the Barnes & Noble Nook. One of the best features about Nook is that it has more titles and options to download books, because it has a huge in house bookstore support. It is dream come true for bookworms. Also unlike the Kindle, it has an expandable memory slot and an LCD color screen. With Nook, you can also avail of the free lending facility for 14 days that they have. The problem though, lies in its touchscreen being not as sensitive as we would like it to be and also the the color screen eats up battery life. Also Barnes and Noble has still not been able to completely debug the device with users complaining of software issues. Given below is a table that compares the different specification of the e-book readers and gives you the lowdown on Kindle vs Nook.
| Amazon Kindle vs Barnes & Noble Nook | ||
| Specifications | Kindle | Nook |
| Weight | 10.2 ounces | 12.1 ounces |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Storage | 2 GB internal storage | 2 GB internal storage with expandable microSD slot |
| Audio | 3.5 mm stereo audio jack, Stereo speakers that are rear-mounted | Capacity for 26 hours of audio, MP3 player, mono speaker; universal 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack |
| Battery Life | With wireless activated, reading possible for four days; with wireless switched off, charge lasts for two weeks | On full charge, reading possible fore ten days |
| Charging time | Full charge time is about 4 hours. Charging supported via USB 2.0 cable provided, by attaching with a computer | Full charge time is about 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 for the 3G version and USD 149 for the Wi-Fi only model |
So, which is better Kindle or Nook? Well, the Kindle from Amazon does not have many software issues but that could probably be because it has had more time to take care of customer problems. The Nook on the other hand wins hands down with the huge in house support that it enjoys from an actual book store with Barnes and Noble being its parent company. The price and build of both the readers are more or less the same, but the expandable memory that Nook has and the ePub compatibility that it enjoys also gives it the upper hand in this battle. The Kindle on the other hand is a functional, utilitarian device that may appeal to a user who believes that the color touchscreen takes away from the functionality of the Nook. According to us, the better competitor in the battle of the e-readers is the Nook, but with a new Kindle version on the cards, it may be a bit too early to decide. Which is better Kindle or Nook is a question, the answer to which will depend completely on user preference. But the fact remains, reading as an experience is all set to enter a whole new dimension.
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