The publishing world was abuzz yesterday with news of B&N’s new ebook reader, the Nook (seriously, where do they get these names?). And from everything I’ve seen and read, it looks pretty darn cool.
The B&N site does a nice comparison of Nook vs. Kindle, but I’ve recently been looking at upgrading my Palm to an iPod Touch. So I did my own comparison:
iPod Nook
- Ebooks yes yes
- epub no yes
- eReader yes yes
- Kindle yes no
- Music yes yes
- Movies yes no
- Word doc yes* no
- pdf yes* yes
- wireless download yes yes
- Wi-fi capable yes yes
- operating sys Mac Android (Google)
- eInk (good for sun) no yes
- backlit (good for dark) yes no
- screen size 3.5″ diag 6″ diag.
- loan books no yes
- price $199 8G/$299 32G $259
- expansion slot no yes
- replaceable bat. no yes
- Web browsing yes ?
* requires app at additional charge
The biggest questions for me come down to screen size and backlit vs. eInk. I’m having a real hard time deciding because on one hand, I love to read on our sunny terrace (which gives backlit devices a terrible glare), but I also like reading in bed and not having the light on to bother the DH (eInk requires a separate light source).
Also, how functional is the Nook at web browsing in a wireless hotspot?
The Nook is available for preorder now and will start shipping Nov. 30. At that time, it will also be in stores for customers to demo.
October 21, 2009 at 1:45 pm
Wow Leah,
Thanks for the comparison. I pick the Nook because I hate not being able to read a screen in the sun.
I like the name – there’s a warm, cozy feel to it. Then again, I have a quirky personality – it may just be me.
October 21, 2009 at 3:26 pm
Very timely topic. I just posted a blog about e-piracy over at my blog. E-book sharing makes sense, (I loan out my favorite paperbacks to friends) but do they limit the number of times an ebook can be passed on? When does it become a problem for publishers and authors?
October 21, 2009 at 7:08 pm
It’s a great comparison. I looked at the technical specs to make sure the Nook can read ePub, because that’s the format I buy. I can read ePub on my iPod touch with Stanza even some DRM ePub.
Thanks for the comprehensive look.
October 22, 2009 at 1:09 am
For me, iPhone (it’s what I have) is a nice device because carry it everywhere (it’s my phone, after all), so I can read at any moment. And Nook like e-reader, well, I think it’s too much big, I dislike the bottom screen.
October 22, 2009 at 10:12 am
The main negative I see with the Nook is that the wi-fi only works in a B&N store. If I have to physically go into the B&N store to download books, why bother. I can pull out my iPhone and download anytime I have access.
October 22, 2009 at 12:23 pm
I think some of the info for the iPod touch is incorrect. (the additional charge for pdf and word doc) That might be true if you only used the Kindle app, but Stanza is free and will read pdf and word docs at NO charge.
I have an iPhone and haven’t had a problem reading on it in the sun, so I kind of question the eInk feature — that’s comparing apples to oranges.
I think the real issue is screen size and versatility. An iPod touch is going to be able to do WAY more (outside of reading) than the Nook. I don’t have an issue reading on the screen size of the iPhone (which is an iTouch with the phone) and I thought I would.
The Nook looks so pretty, and you might be more comfortable with the additional size. I’d say go to B&N and take a look, then off to the Apple store to look at the touch.
Good luck with the choice!
October 23, 2009 at 7:27 pm
Thanks for the reminder about Stanza reading Word & pdf. I was thinking of DataViz or AirShare, which are office-suite applications.
Good advice all!
November 4, 2009 at 3:52 pm
Wow – that was a really great comparison.
I’m still wondering how PDF’s are going to show up on the Nook? How is the cover going to display and how can we search for a book when we have thousands in the system. I hope there is a search feature and not just the small screen below that I would have to swipe a few hundred times and hope I didn’t miss the book.
I have the original Sony – great when you have a few books – when you have hundreds it’s a problem. You have to keep going from page to page to find the right title.
November 5, 2009 at 12:55 pm
I can’t wait to get my hands on a Nook. I never considered a kindle because I can’t play with one in a store before I buy. I do have an iPhone and am loving reading ebooks on that, but I’m thinking that my DH and I would put a Nook to good use too. I like the way they’re allowing owners to share a book with friends.
November 29, 2009 at 12:47 pm
I have the iPod touch and the kindle app was/is free. I love it. I was shopping the Kindle, Nook and the new Sony reader. They all had ‘buttons” my husband and I were laughing so much b/c they all seemed so labor intensive. Yes, my screen is small but I have everything that I meet with my iPod itouch. I am actually going to upgrade to an iPhone so that I have it all. Another bonus is that I have 32G, I was so underwhelmed that the others had 350mb, 2G and 3G. Go with the iPod itouch. All th way.