subject: The differences between an Amazon Kindle and a Nook [print this page] Author: Christina Pomoni Author: Christina Pomoni
The latest chapter of the e-book battle is written on the fight between the Amazon Kindle and the Barnes & Nobles Nook. Originally introduced in November 2007, the Amazon Kindle has immediately dominated the market making Amazon by 70% more profitable thanks largely to high sales of new Kindle models. However, in November 2009, Barnes & Noble launched the Nook that appears to be the Kindles first major competitor. a) Technology Both the Kindle and the Nook have a built-in 3G wireless connection provided by AT&T and E-Link display technology that is based on similar microprocessors. However, the Nook has more internal memory (2GB) than the Kindle (180MB) and supports also an additional micro SD card up to 16GB, while the Kindle has an internal flash memory of 2 GB. Besides, the Nook comes with a packed Wi-Fi connectivity and incorporates a second display at the bottom that serves as the keyboard. This allows users to flip through the e-books and find what they are looking for. In effect, the Nook is the first e-reader with two screens. The Kindle supports AZW, AA & AAX, MP3, MOBI, PRC, PDF, HTML, DOC, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP files (through conversion). The Nook supports EPUB, PDF, PDB, MP3, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP files. b) Features The Nook is the first e-book reader to launch Google Android-powered features with a 6" E-ink color touch screen that allows users to navigate content, but also use it as a virtual keyboard for searches. Barnes & Noble has chosen Android to power the Nook to take advantage of the fact that it is an open platform with a broad developer community that will allow the organization to add in the future separate Android apps to run on the device. One of the Nooks key features is that, unlike the Kindle, users have the ability to lend out books to their friends for up to 2 weeks for free. For instance, they can buy a book from Barnes & Noble's e-book store and send it to a friend's Nook, iPhone or iPod Touch. Moreover, they can send it to BlackBerry and Motorola phones as well as to Windows and Mac PC users who have installed Barnes & Noble's e-Reader software. Perhaps the major advantage of the Kindle over the Nook is the fact that it offers free Internet. The Kindle features a free EVDO cellular 3G connection to the Internet over Sprint allowing users to transfer content through it and browsing on the web without JavaScript and a PC connection. The Kindle users can access Wikipedia anytime, wherever because of Kindles built-in browser. Besides the Kindle can be purchased worldwide, while, for the time being, the Nook does not sell e-books outside of the United States. Finally, the Kindle features a text-to-speech feature, while the Nook comes with a built-in speaker. c) Ergonomics In terms of ergonomics, both the Kindle and the Nook share similar dimensions (Kindle: 8.0 5.3 0.8inches, Nook: 7.7 x 4.9 x 0.5 inches), but the Kindle is 1 ounce lighter than the Nook (Kindle: 10.4 ounces, Nook: 11.2 ounces). Besides, the Kindle features a simple user interface. On the other hand, the Kindle keyboard is an issue as it has limited web-browsing capabilities and rather large page-turning buttons on its right and left edges. d) Battery Life The Kindle has longer battery life than the Nook (Kindle: 14 days, Nook: 10 days) because it has only one screen to power. For the Nook, the most rational battery life is 5 days, but this is subject to the use of the color touch screen. However, another consideration is the battery replacement options. The Kindle has a built0in battery, which means that it is not removable. The Nook features a user serviceable battery that can be replaced. Conclusion To decide which e-book reader is the best between the Kindle and the Nook is not easy because it has mostly to do with the user. In short, the Kindle is faster and lighter than the Nook, has longer battery life and is longer tested in the market. However, it features a really awkward and chunky keyboard and lacks lending rights. The Nook features a color screen, allows borrowing e-books between friends, and free browsing at Barnes & Noble store. On the other hand, it boot slowly, and has short battery life because of its color screen and Wi-Fi. For price-sensitive users, the Nook is probably the best option as it comes at $259 retail price, while the Kindle is at $399; so, it really depends on who is using it and how.About the Author:
Christina Pomoni has acquired her MBA Finance from the American College of Greece. Her advanced familiarity with financial statement analysis, capital budgeting and market research has been acquired through her professional career at high-esteemed organizations. As part of her long journey, Christina has served as an Equity Research Associate at Telesis Securities (EFG Eurobank) and a Financial & Investment Advisor at ING Group. Besides, having lived at Chicago, IL, Boca Raton, FL and Paris, France has helped her, not only to be a successful professional, but mostly to see life under a more creative and innovative perspective.
Since 2005, Christina provides high quality writing services to numerous websites and research companies contributing her knowledge and expertise. Her areas of specialization are Business, Finance & Investment, Society, Politics & Culture. She also has a very good knowledge of Entertainment, Health & Fitness and Computers & Technology.
Christina currently designs the website of her own writing company. Believing that knowledge is the road to opportunity and development, her mission is to promote her already established knowledge to a growing number of visitors and to provide high quality writing services to meet the most demanding customer requirements.
