Kindle is the undisputed king of e-readers. Why you should buy a Kindle, even if you love real books. Why you should buy a Kindle, even if you like real books. future of reading The Kindle offers everything you love about books, but with a few extra goodies that are worth all the expense. Read More But does that mean the Kindle is hands down better? Certainly not! Both devices have a lot going for them, and their subtle differences might make one or the other a better option for your needs.
Let's take a look at where the two devices differ and where they are similar. Please note that we are focusing on e-readers here and not tablets. What is the difference between electronic readers and tablets? What is the difference between E-Readers and tablets? E-readers and tablets are not the same thing. Here's what you need to know about their differences. Read more.
This is going to be an important factor for many people. The current Nook lineup features a single model for $100, which is great for reducing analysis paralysis and decision fatigue. The GlowLight Plus is the latest and most advanced Nook, offering loads of features for $129.99.
There's a whole stable of Kindles, ranging from $80 to nearly $300, each with their own set of features. Here are the starting prices for each:
The basic Kindle is the most affordable option and saves you $50 compared to the Nook GlowLight Plus. But the $80 model includes ads on the lock screen, doesn't come with a backlight, and has a lower screen resolution than the Nook.
Of course, if you're willing to pay for the higher-end Kindle models, you'll get more features. The Nook sits squarely in the middle of the Kindle lineup, both in terms of features and price.
Both devices support a wide range of eBook formats, but the Kindle supports a slightly larger variety.
If you only plan to buy books through the associated ebook store, this is not going to matter much. However, if you want to download documents simultaneously, you may want to consider what you are trying to read. Using the Kindle conversion service is very easy, and it opens some very useful formats like DOCX.
On the other hand, if you are using Caliber to manage your eBooks How to Manage Your Amazon Kindle eBook Collection with Caliber How to Manage Your Amazon Kindle eBook Collection with Caliber The biggest problem with an e-reader like the Amazon Kindle is that it requires unreasonable effort to move books between different devices. Before Kindle, I fell in love with Calibre. A bit on the heavy... Read More
If you feel strongly about DRM and proprietary formats, the Kindle's proprietary AZW format may bother you, while the Nook's use of the more accepted EPUB format may interest you. It probably won't be a big deal, but keep that in mind.
Most e-readers have phenomenal battery life, and the Nook and Kindle are no exception. The Nook advertises six weeks of battery life, assuming 30 minutes of reading per day, one page refresh per minute, the brightness light at 30% brightness, and wireless shutdown.
The base Kindle model sports four weeks of life, assuming 30 minutes of reading per day and wireless shutdown. The Kindle Paperwhite, which may be more comparable to the GlowLight Plus due to its built-in reading light, claims six weeks of 30 minutes of reading per day with the light at 10, about 40 percent of maximum.
The Kindle Oasis, on the other hand, lets you read for up to eight weeks with 30 minutes of reading per day and the brightness at 10. The included charging cover helps keep the battery topped up, so you can store more power from each charge. . It also charges faster than other models.
All Kindle and Nook models are Wi-Fi compatible, so you can access the store and download books whenever and wherever you have a connection. However, the Kindle Paperwhite, Voyage and Oasis also allow a 3G connection. If you pay $70 up front, you can stay connected no matter where you are. Is it worth the added cost? That depends on how often you download books and how often you find yourself unable to connect to Wi-Fi. I have never needed the 3G connection, but some people may find it very useful.
Obviously, the Nook connects to the Barnes &Noble e-book store, while the Kindle connects to the Amazon Kindle store. What's wrong with the Kindle store? All. What's wrong with the Kindle Store? All. The Kindle Store is the world's largest e-book retailer, with more than 4.6 million titles. Cracks are showing up, though, and it's not clear that Amazon can paper them over. Read more . Both stores carry all the big name books from popular authors, as well as an impressive selection of catalog items. If you're interested in reading self-published books and articles from very small publishers, Amazon likely has you covered. But for most people, this is unlikely to be a problem.
The Nook GlowLight Plus has a 300 dpi e-ink screen. What is e-ink? How does it work and why does every ebook fan need it? What is E-Ink? How It Works And Why Every E-Book Fan Needs It If you read eBooks and haven't switched to E-Ink yet, then you're missing out. Here's everything you need to know about why E-Ink is great for eBook lovers. Read more . That's a solid resolution, and it displays text very clearly. You may notice a bit of grain in images, but e-readers will never be as good as tablets when displaying images.
The basic Kindle model has a resolution of 167 dpi, but all other Kindles pack 300 dpi. Is that going to make a big difference? Probably not. When it comes to text, slightly sharper edges aren't likely to bother you. However, the images will definitely be better.
One of the biggest advantages the Nook has over the base Kindle model is that it has a built-in reading light. It's not a backlight, so you won't have to deal with glare, but it does make reading in low light (or total darkness) possible. As for the features of the e-reader, it is one of the most useful. And you won't get it on an Amazon device until it's ported to the Kindle Paperwhite.
Going up the ranks, the Paperwhite is illuminated by four LEDs, the Voyage is illuminated by six and includes an ambient light sensor, and the Oasis has a full 10 LEDs.
Looking at the various e-readers offered by Barnes &Noble and Amazon, you'll find some very cool features. The Nook GlowLight Plus is waterproof, for example, up to one meter for thirty seconds. To not be afraid to read on the beach or in the bathroom. It also includes the Barnes &Noble reading feature, which helps you discover excerpts, articles, and more from great books.
The Kindle Voyage and Oasis have PagePress, which places a pressure-sensitive pad directly on the reader's bezel, so you don't have to move your thumb off the bezel to hit the touch screen and turn the page. This sounds like it's not a bother, but you'd be surprised how tired your hand and forearm muscles can get from that motion over several hours of reading.
The Oasis is uniquely shaped to be ideal for one-handed reading, and the included cover helps keep the battery charged. All Kindles have the X-Ray feature, which allows you to quickly flip through the book for mentions of a specific character or topic. And because Amazon owns Goodreads, you can access it right from your Kindle to update your “Currently Reading” shelf, rate books, and check out your reading list How to Organize Your Out-of-Control Reading List Right Now How to Organize Your Out-of-Control Reading List Now same to inspiration. But it can also get out of hand. Using these tips to manage your reading hobby can do wonders for your life. Read more.
As with anything else, the "best" e-reader will largely be determined by your particular needs and habits. Prefer the widest selection of books available on the Amazon Kindle? Or do you prefer to be able to read in the bathroom without having to worry about water damage? Do you want the capabilities of PagePress, or would you rather get lifetime support from Barnes &Noble? Do you want to take robust notes using your e-reader?
All of these factors will likely figure into your decision on which e-reader to buy. We hope that our overview of the available options and their various features and capabilities will help you make an informed decision. We are not here to make the decision for you, but simply to point you in the right direction.
Which e-reader are you likely to buy? What features or other factors helped you make your decision? Do you think all e-readers are enough of something right now? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!
