eReaders
Nook Color vs. Amazon Kindle 3G vs. Kobo eReader Touch
Bookworms, rejoice. Your days of driving to the bookstore, competing for parking, and waiting in line just to get your hands on the next future best-seller are over. Now you can stay in your cozy chair, drink your chamomile tea and download that must-have literary masterpiece right to your e-reader. And when you want to spend your vacation plowing through your entire personal library, you can take all your books with you to the beach in one, sleek device. E-readers may be the greatest invention since the printing press, but which one is worthy of your favorite reads?
Nook Color
The Nook Color, from Barnes & Noble, is a versatile device with user-friendly, touch screen navigation that makes it easy to enjoy more than just novels. At $249, it’s pricier than some competitors, but offers a superior reading experience, especially for magazines, newspapers, and children’s books.
- 7 inch, VividView Color touch screen makes it easy to read and navigate all your favorite magazines and periodicals. Plus, you can keep your kids busy with illustrated children’s books, which look great in full color. A screen this nice does come with a downside, though. Battery life for the Nook is only 8 reading hours, significantly less than competitors.
- Includes 8GB built-in memory (up to 5000 ebooks), which is expandable to up to 32GB with a micro SD card.
- The Nook Color puts wi-fi to good to use, with full-featured email and a web browser that can handle video. While the Nook is first and foremost an e-reader, its web browser makes it a useful secondary device for email and other quick web-browsing needs.
- At 8.1” x 5” x .48”, and weighing 15.8 oz, Nook is the largest of the e-readers we compared. It’s certainly still small enough for your carry-on, but it will be a little more bulky than competitors. On the bright side, it does give you a larger screen, which is especially helpful for navigating newspapers and magazines.
The versatility of this feature-packed device is well worth the price tag, especially if you want to read more than just novels on your e-reader. If you want to read James Patterson, the New York Times, and Vogue on one device, you’ll love the Nook Color. Just remember to pack your charger when you go on vacation.
Best for
- Readers who enjoy a variety of books, magazines, and periodicals
- Readers who want to use their device on wi-fi networks for easy, quick access to email and web browsing
- Children who love reading and need an easy-to-use device that allows them to enjoy the book illustrations as much as the words
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Amazon Kindle 3G
Amazon’s Kindle 3G is a small, sleek, mid-priced option with some thoughtful technology for the avid reader. It’s small, light, and has the longest battery life of our top three picks. Best of all, you don’t have to search for a wi-fi connection to download your next book.
- With built-in 3G internet service, you can download ebooks and browse the web just about anywhere. No more searching for a wi-fi signal. Best of all, the 3G service is free – no monthly fees, no contracts, seriously.
- At 7.5” x 4.8” x .335” and only 8.5 oz, this e-reader can go with you just about anywhere. It fits easily into a carry-on bag, briefcase, or even a purse.
- The 6” screen uses E Ink technology, which is easier on the eyes than a backlit screen. The screen resembles an actual printed book page, so it’s easy to see, even in bright light. It also conserves battery because once a page is “drawn” on the screen, power is not needed to maintain the screen display. There are trade-offs with E Ink, however. It’s not good for illustrations and the few illustrations found in Kindle books tend to look unclear. And just like a regular book, it is difficult to read on a Kindle in very low light.
- Thanks to the E Ink and use of side navigation keys and keyboard instead of a touch screen, Kindle 3G has the longest battery life in our comparison – up to 2 months with wireless turned off, or 10 days with wireless turned on.
- The built-in memory can hold up to 3500 ebooks, which is certainly a respectable personal library. It does not have the option of expandable memory, but you can store your ebooks on your PC when you need to free up more space on the Kindle.
- WebKit-based browser allows for 3G web browsing, though Amazon labels this feature as “experimental”.
The Kindle 3G is great for novels, but isn’t ideal for anything heavily illustrated (i.e. magazines, children’s books). The battery life is great, so you don’t have to worry if you forget to pack your charger, and the E Ink technology really makes it a comfortable device for indulging in long, page-turners.
Best for
- Readers who prefer novels over magazines
- Users who want a small e-reader they can take anywhere
- Users who want occasional, quick web browsing on their e-reader
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Kobo eReader Touch
The Kobo eReader Touch is the most economical choice in our comparison, available for preorder at just $139. It has a combination of features from other popular brands and is smaller than most. It also comes in 5 color choices, so it looks a little more personalized than your basic gray/black devices.
- Kobo is small and light, measuring in at 4.5” x 6.5 x .4 and weighing only 7.05 oz.
- The 6” touch screen uses Pearl high contrast E Ink, so you won’t strain your eyes if you want to spend hours reading. And it will be easy to read even in bright lights. Still, you can expect difficulty reading in low light or when it’s rendering illustrations.
- Kobo has 2 GB of built-in memory, but is expandable up to 32 GB.
- Built-in wi-fi makes it easy to download new books anywhere a connection is available.
- With a month-long battery life, you’ll have the freedom to take Kobo anywhere without keeping up with a charger.
Kobo is a great option for someone who wants to save a little money and still enjoy the benefits of owning a basic e-reader.
Best for
- Price-conscious users who need a basic e-reader
- Readers who prefer novels over magazines and newspapers
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