Comparing e-readers, what are the pros and cons?

[chikeymonky]

I am thinking of purchasing an e-reader. I have looked into the Kindle, Nookcolor and Cruz. At the minimum, I would like one that does not cause too much eyestrain. Capabilities to surf the web, listen to music, etc would be an added plus, but not a requirement. Does anyone have any suggestions on the pros and cons for these three and other e-readers? In your opinion, which would be the best?

[Meh Mi]

It depends.

Choose the Kindle if: you love to read and/or do a lot of reading. The Kindle uses e-ink technology which means it reads like traditional paper, which in turn means less strain on the eye. e-ink also uses less power so you use the Kindle for a month on one battery charge (that is with the wireless 3G turned off) E-ink also allows you to read the Kindle at the beach or in brightly lit rooms without having to worry about glare on the screen. The newer Kindle allows you to lend books to friends and others ( I have the second generation Kindle, and when I am able to I will be updating to the newer one). Amazon have even gone further by allowing you to purchase e-books as a gift for someone. Purchasing and downloading a book is easy and amazing and if you accidentally purchase a book you didn't want Amazon refunds the charge immediately. You can change the font size on the Kindle and you can sample books before you purchase them. 7 of the top ten New York Times bestseller books are available in e-book format and ready to be purchased and read on the Kindle.


Choose Nook Color: if you like to read (don't love reading but you do like it) it plays video and allows you to surf the web. To me if you are someone that love to Twitter and Facebook and stuff like that, then the Nook is for you. One cool feature of the Nook Color which as a Kindle owner I am jealous about is the ability to include videos into a book. One company that is doing that well is Vook ( http://vook.com/what-is-a-vook.html ) but their software is marketed towards iPad owners though and it is possible that it will be moving towards Nook. One downside is that the Nook uses limited quantities of e-ink which means you will experience eye strain after prolonged periods of reading.

Don't know about the other one you named.

Quick side note color e-ink is still in the early stages of development, most companies that advertise color e-ink are using a mixture of e-ink and LCD lighting. True color e-ink is expensive to produce, as technology increases the cost of mass producing color e-ink will fall and then will become widely used like other technologies. E-ink may very well become the standard on all computers one day.

Anyway it all depends on you and what you like to do, like I said if you love to read or you use to and you want to again definitely go for the Kindle. If you like to read and don't mind wondering off into Twitter or Facebook land then go for the Nook.

Ciao and Good Reading

[John Doe]

Nook wins.
- Nook allows to lend books for 2 weeks to friends or to your other devices that run B&N app. Barnes & Noble allows (when you walk in with the Nook to B&N store) to read any available eBook for free while in the store via free provided in the store Wi-Fi. With Nook, while in BN store you get exclusive articles from top authors, and great offers including cafe treats and unique deals.
- Nook Color is better as a color e-Reader than Kindle simply because it has color and Kindle is black and white. Content that greatly benefits from color - such as kids books and magazines - looks much better and sharper on Nook Color's screen. Nook Color is better as an e-Reader in general than iPad. It has a new generation screen which is anti-glare coated and is better performing in sunlight than iPad's. Also, as it's smaller in size than iPad, the text appears sharper on Nook's screen. Also it has 12,000 (more soon) kids books that are built as a game with feedback.
Overall, Nook Color is more than e-Reader as you can also watch video and use Android applications on it. It's a hybrid device, much more than just an e-Reader but not a full tablet as it doesn't have a camera. If all you want is to read novels, Kindle (or the original e-Ink Nook) might be better for you. If you want something more from your device at half of the price of iPad or Galaxy tab, then Nook Color is your best bet.
- Nook (unlike Kindle) can be used for library ebooks.
- Nook (unlike Kindle) can be used for renting text-ebooks.