By Kate Morgan
If you have been considering an e-book reader for yourself or as a gift, the choice between the Amazon Kindle 3G with Wi-Fi and the Barnes & Noble Nook will be a tough one. The reviews show that both products are terrific e-Readers but it is the differences and your personal preferences that will make your decision. Priced at $189 for the Kindle 3G and $199 for the Nook your decision will be based on your choice of features.
Both units have 6 inch diagonal E-Ink electronic displays, with 600 x 800 pixel resolution. The weights are comparable, the Kindle at 10.2 ounces and the Nook at 12.1 ounce. And the actual unit sizes are 8″ x 5.3 for the Kindle and 7.7″ x 4.9 for the Nook. Both have an internal memory of 2GB but the Nook has an expandable micro SD slot which would only be necessary if you think you need to store more than the 1,500 books that the 2GB will hold.
Battery life is also similar, 10 days or 7,500 page turns, with the wireless off. And both completely recharge between 3.5 and 4 hours. Both units can be used as an MP3 player, the Kindle with built in stereo speakers and the Nook with built-in mono speakers. Both also have headphone jacks.
Here is where your preferences will make the difference. The Amazon Kindle has a keyboard at the bottom, it does not display in color but has a 16-level gray-scale that does a great job with images. The Barnes & Noble Nook has a color touch screen at the bottom. So do you prefer typing on a keyboard or touch screen?
And here is the big one - the Kindle 3G with Wi-Fi uses Amazon's Whispernet through Sprint's 3G high-speed data network for U.S. wireless coverage. No charge involved. And there is expanded coverage available if you are traveling internationally. The Nook has free wireless via AT&T, and free Wi-Fi in all Barnes & Noble stores. If you intend on down loading books while traveling service from these providers would have to be available.
The Kindle has an additional feature, Text-to-Speech. You can switch from reading a book to listening to it with the audio book reader. You can enlarge the print with both units. The Kindle's screen is less reflective than the other e-book readers which eliminates the problems that reading off a screen in the sunshine can create. The Nook's screen is ranked better than most of the competitors but not better than the Kindle. Where will you be reading?
So here we are. What are your preferences? What type of keyboard, and whose wireless carrier do you prefer. Both the Kindle 3G and the Nook e-Book readers have great reviews and thousands of books available. Good luck with your choices and happy shopping.
To see more of my reviews and suggestions for holiday gifts please visit: http://buyakindlestore.blogspot.com
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