A lot of people are interested to see which would ebook reader would take top honors in a Nook vs Kindle matchup. While Amazon's Kindle is clearly the dominant ereader in the market today, some are saying that the Nook has the goods to give the Kindle some serious competition. But does it really? Let's put the two devices side by side.
Size, Weight and Design
BARNES AND NOBLE
Measuring 7.7 inches in length and 4.9 inches in width, the Nook is a bit smaller than the Kindle which is 8 inches long and 5.3 inches wide. But then again, at 0.3-inch thick, the Kindle is slimmer than the Nook which is 0.5-inch thick. The Barnes & Noble device also weighs a tad heavier at 11.2 ounces compared to the Kindle's 10.2-oz weight.
Unlike the Kindle, the Nook's back cover can be opened, providing easy access to its replaceable lithium ion battery. What puts the Nook on an entirely new level is its 3.5-inch color touch screen which replaces a keyboard for navigation. The contrast between the color LCD and the e-ink display provides an interesting dynamics to the device that few other ereaders can boast of.
Other Features
Both ebook readers are equipped with 2GB of internal memory but while that's about it for the Kindle, the Nook offers you the option of adding more storage space via its microSD memory expansion slot. The two devices are also connected through AT&T's 3G wireless network but only the Nook offers WiFi connectivity. Get inside a Barnes & Noble store and you'll have instant free access to WiFi.
The Haves and Have-Nots
Now comes the more exciting Nook vs Kindle details. What does the Nook have that Kindle can't match and vice versa? For one, the Barnes and Noble ereader offers two novel services - book lending (being able to lend your ebook to another Nook owner) and in-store browsing (being able to browse full ebooks for free at Barnes and Noble shops).
On the other hand, Kindle does have the text-to-speech feature which allows you to just relax and listen to the book being read to you. Also, the Kindle allows web browsing, while the Nook doesn't. Finally, the Nook's battery life of 7 to 10 days (more like 4-5 days according to users) is a far cry from the Kindle's up to 14 days battery power (more like 10 days in actual use). These are battery life estimates with the Wifi turned off.
The Verdict
Like I've mentioned earlier, finding a clear winner between the Nook vs Kindle is not that easy. But while both have great features, Amazon's gadget takes the upper hand in overall use as it has practically perfected the technology, having gone through several Kindle generations. The Nook's various issues, like slow page turns and sluggish startup may be addressed in future versions, and then it can truly be a possible Kindle killer.
Barnes & Noble Nook vs Amazon Kindle - A Comparison BARNES AND NOBLE
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