Differences Between Kindle 3 and Nook - Which Is Better?

Amazon's new Kindle 3 is the new product on the ebook reader market, so how does it compare to the popular Nook from Barnes and Noble? What are the differences between the two and which is better? Let's take a close look.

barnes and noble nook ereader

Memory Capacity- The Nook allows for 1,500 books to be stored on the device for it's out-of-the-box standard memory, but it also allows for expanded memory by adding a larger SD card. The Kindle comes standard with a little over double the memory and allows for 3,500 books.

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Push Button Vs. Color Touch Screen- The Kindle has always been push button technology, and it's 3rd generation isn't any different. The Nook has a 1" high color touch screen that doubles as a touch keyboard for navigation.

Battery Life- The last feature relates directly to this one. With a color touch screen, the Nook has a considerably shorter one-charge usage time of 10 days with the wireless off, versus the Kindle's 30 day one-charge usage time.

E-Ink Display Screens- Both the Nook and Kindle use "E-Ink" screens that allow for reading in high lighting situations and at extreme angles. Amazon has improved the contrast on this version of the Kindle by 50%.

Size and Weight- The Kindle 3 is just over 3 ounces less than the Nook at 8.5 and 8.7 ounces for the WiFi only and WiFi + 3G models.

WiFi and WiFi + 3G Models- Both companies have released two versions of the 6" reading display ebook readers. The WiFi only models will work in any wireless hotspot, whereas the 3G models work through AT&T 3G wireless service. It should be noted that contracts aren't needed.

Price Drops- Perhaps it is because ebook readers need to differentiate themselves from the iPad, or just a good old-fashioned price war, but both the Nook and Kindle have dramatically dropped their prices for both models compared to this time last year.

Book Availability- Amazon and Barnes and Noble both have a high percentage (over 95%) of the bestsellers available in their ebook stores, as well as 1,000's of free titles that are older public domain books, such as Count of Monte Cristo, or Pride and Prejudice.

Lending Ability- Only the Nook allows for lending of books for up to two weeks to others with the Nook or Nook apps. The lender cannot use the lent material at that time.

The above points show numerous examples of the differences between the new Kindle 3 and Nook.

Differences Between Kindle 3 and Nook - Which Is Better?

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