But then Amazon introduced the Kindle. Honestly, I didn't give it much thought until Deb Porter talked about it at the FaithWriters conference this past August. When she listed all of the features the Kindle offers, I was intrigued. In fact, I found myself VERY intrigued. Definitely put the Kindle at the top of my wish list. The truth is, only the hefty price tag keeps me from ordering one right this very second. In case you haven't heard about the benefits of an e-reader, here are a few facts about the Kindle:
Holds up to 1,500 books!
About $250-$300 to buy
Long battery life
Visually appealing
Holds and reads like a real book
Amazon cataglogs titles for instant wireless delivery
Books are inexpensive (average $10)
Text to Speech translation (great for when you leave the house and don't want to put that book down!)
However, The Amazon Kindle, the original e-reader introduced two years ago, now has some serious competition.
Barnes and Noble has just come out with their version of an e-reader: The Nook. While there are many similarities, Barnes and Noble is boasting these differences:
More than one million titles available (compared to Kindle's "over 350,000")
Replaceable battery (Kindle is rechargeable only)
Using Micro SD expansion slot; a 16GB card holds up to 17,500 eBooks in the Nook.
Nook is the first 3G and Wi-Fi-enabled eReader
Color Touch Screen
A full comparison list between the Kindle and the Nook can be found on the Barnes and Noble website. Amazon just reduced the cost of the Kindle to compete with the just-released, lower-priced Nook. Both devices come with a retail price tag of $259.
Personally, I'm waiting for that price to drop a bit before I buy. If you are considering an e-reader, visit my Examiner.com page to view demonstration videos of both the Kindle and the Nook to see which one looks more appealing to you. And if you already own one, I'd love love love your thoughts.
3 comments:
I read your Examiner article and I can't wait for the prices to go down, too. Either one is on my wish list--and I'm REALLY hoping I can go to Barnes and Noble and get my hands one to play with--just a little, if my local B&N has one stocked. ( ; Thanks for this article!
I SOOO wanna get one of these for Marc for Christmas (with his vision issues - and the ability to increase the text size - it seems PERFECT). And, of course, I don't trust B&N's "comparison" - they're certainly not going to be unbiased! Need to watch those two videos - and I REALLY wanna read some opinions from folks who have both.
Neither are an option for me until I can get e-books from the library on them. I'm a seriously picky reader and that's why I love the library--I can take the book back if I don't finish it.
Not sure about the Nook, but I know with the Kindle the only option is to buy. So it's not a consideration for me :P
Now I believe the Sony eReader is in partnership with the company I used to work for in order to provide library books on them. Once that happens I'll be on board.
Oh and the price has to drop too :P
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