How to pick the right e-reader

Are you ready to take your book collection digital and buy your first e-book reader? We're here to help. We break down the best e-readers from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and others.

If you’re looking for a new e-reader, whether you’re upgrading or buying your first device, you’ll find there are a lot of options. There are four big names in the e-book reader market and they each offer a range of e-readers to suit different budgets and requirements. There’s a reason these companies are dominating the e-reader scene, so if you want quality, great features, and reasonable prices, there’s no need to look beyond them.

We are going to focus on dedicated E Ink devices for reading e-books here, so we won’t delve into full-fledged tablets. We’ll also ignore discontinued lines, although there are bargains to be had out there in the secondhand market. Let’s take a look at the options and then we’ll compare at the end.

Barnes & Noble Nook

The popular Nook from Barnes & Noble comes in two flavors. There’s the Barnes & Noble Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight, and the Barnes & Noble Nook Simple Touch Reader.

For the basic Reader you’ll need to shell out $100. It has an E Ink display, which is easy to read, even in direct sunlight. It also has a 6-inch touchscreen and can hold up to 1,000 books, magazines, or newspapers. A single charge will last you up to two months based on an average of 30 minutes reading per day.

The GlowLight version is $20 more at $120. It is essentially the same, but it has a backlit touchscreen so that you can read in the dark. The GlowLight reduces the battery life to a, still respectable, one month. That’s also based on an average of 30 minutes reading per day.

Both devices have a microSD card slot so you can expand memory by up to 32GB. That’s a lot of books.

For more details you can read our in-depth review.

Amazon Kindle

A perfect marriage of content and hardware has allowed the Kindle range to really drive the widespread adoption of e-readers. You have quite a few choices if you want to buy an e-reader from Amazon. There’s the basic Kindle, the Kindle Keyboard 3G, the Kindle DX, the Kindle Paperwhite, and the Kindle Paperwhite 3G.

At just $70, the basic Kindle is a steal. It has a 6-inch e-ink display that’s easy to read, even in direct sunlight; it can hold up to 1,000 books, magazines, or newspapers; and a single charge will last you up to one month based on an average of 30 minutes reading per day.

The Kindle Keyboard 3G costs $140 and it adds a physical keyboard into the mix and 3G connectivity. It also has double the storage of the basic Kindle and it boasts stereo speakers. A single charge will last you up to two months based on an average of 30 minutes reading per day. It is also larger and heavier.

For anyone seeking something even bigger, there’s the Kindle DX. It has a 9.7-inch screen, free 3G, stereo speakers, 4GB of storage, and a physical keyboard. However, it costs a whopping $380 and battery life is just three weeks.

The Paperwhite is Amazon’s answer to the GlowLight Nook. It also allows you to read in the dark, but the screen is not backlit, instead there’s a light at the top. The basic Kindle Paperwhite is $120. It boasts an extremely sharp 6-inch touchscreen, can store over 1,000 books, and can also last up to two months on a single charge, once again, based on a half hour of daily reading.

The top of the range choice is the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite 3G which costs $180. It simply adds free 3G to the basic Kindle Paperwhite.

You can pay an extra $20 for any of the entries in the Kindle range in order to avoid any advertising. The special offers take the form of adverts on your screensaver and at the bottom of your home screen. There is no intrusion on your actual reading.

Kobo

It doesn’t have as big a name, but Kobo does offer a good e-reader range. There’s the Kobo Mini, the Kobo Glo, and the Kobo Touch.

The Kobo Mini costs $80. It has a 5-inch e-ink touchscreen. It can store 1,000 books and the battery can also last up to one month, but no usage estimates in terms of daily reading are provided. The one month battery claim is also contradicted in the Kobo FAQ which says two weeks.

As you might expect, the Kobo Glo allows you to read in the dark and it costs $130. It has a 6-inch E Ink touchscreen, can also hold around 1,000 books, and the battery will give you 55 hours of continuous use with the light on.

The Kobo Touch also costs $130, although you’ll find it discounted in a lot of places. It has a 6-inch E Ink touchscreen. It has the standard 2GB storage which is room for up to 1,000 books. The battery life is up to one month.

The Kobo Glo and the Kobo Touch also have microSD card slots so you can expand the storage by up to 32GB.

Sony Reader

You current options are the Sony Reader PRST2HBC and the Sony Reader PRST2RC. As far as we can make out both devices are the same except for the color options. The Sony Reader PRST2HBC is standard grey/black while the PRST2RC comes in white or red.

The Sony Reader costs $130. It has a 6-inch E Ink touchscreen. There is just 1.3GB internal memory, but there is a microSD card slot so you can expand storage up to 32GB. It can also last up to two months on a single charge, once again, based on a half hour of daily reading.

What to buy?

If low price is your prime concern then you can’t beat the basic Kindle at $70. We’d give second place to the Barnes & Noble Nook Simple Touch Reader at $100. You could also consider the Kobo Mini at $80 but it has a smaller screen and poorer battery life.

If you want to be able to read in the dark then it’s a straight head-to-head between the Barnes & Noble Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight at $140 and the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite at $120. The Nook has expandable memory, but the Kindle has a sharper screen, and coupled with the lower price, it edges this one. The Kobo Glo could be worth a look at $130, but it falls down on battery life again.

The presence of 3G, which will allow you to connect to a mobile network and download books even when you are out and about, is only available on selected Kindles now. Is it worth the premium? We think probably not. Most people will be happy to load up books using Wi-Fi and won’t feel the need to connect all the time.

As with any expensive purchase, we would strongly recommend that you try these out before you buy. The feel of an e-reader is very important. If you want something light then the Kobo Mini and the Sony Reader are actually the lightest, closely followed by the basic Kindle. The sharpest screen on the market is the Kindle Paperwhite at 212 ppi.

Ultimately, the Barnes & Noble Nook and the Amazon Kindle range get our strongest recommendation. You are unlikely to be disappointed with either.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Barnes & Noble, Microsoft to Bring Enhanced Reading Experiences To Windows 8

Image credit: Jim Sulley/Newscast

Today, Barnes & Noble announced two new, affordable tablets — the Nook HD and HD+. The tablets are based on Google’s Android operating system, but the company is also planning to be front and center on a whole other group of tablets hitting next month — ones that run Microsoft’s Windows 8.

In April, Barnes & Noble and Microsoft announced a new partnership, with Microsoft taking a $300 million investment for a 17.6 percent equity stake in the company. The fruits of that will start to be visible with a new reading app designed specifically for Windows 8, which will launch in two weeks, Barnes & Noble CEO William Lynch told ABC News.

“The most visible and first thing they [consumers] are going to see is a best in class reading application on Windows 8. Some of the things we are doing with our reading technology — the rendering of books, catalogs, magazines — we are going to bring that to Windows 8 form factors and the operating systems,” Lynch said.

While the app will launch in the next couple of weeks, Windows 8 tablets and computers won’t actually be available for purchase until Oct. 26th to the general public.

Lynch implied, however, that the partnership will go further than the app. “We are talking to them about a lot things. I talk to Steve [Ballmer] from time to time about things we might want to do together. We are the leaders in reading technology and rendering. We obviously have this huge corpus of content. So we are talking about how we can take the great Windows 8 experience and add value to it.”

When asked if Barnes & Noble would consider making a Windows 8 tablet, Lynch said, “We have nothing to announce today.” He added, “Increasingly our company is being viewed for doing some innovative things in hardware and it hasn’t gone unrecognized.”

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

Barnes & Noble reveals Nook Tablet HD, HD+ with new video service

Barnes and Noble announces two lightweight, high resolution tablets. They'll roll out just in time for users to watch HD content from the new Nook Video store.

Just in time for the holiday season–and conveniently in time to compete with new offerings from competition–Barnes & Noble has announced two new tablets for your viewing and reading pleasure. The Nook HD and Nook HD+ are ready for pre-order starting September 26. They will hit store shelves in late October.

>>Read our full hands-on impressions of the new Nook HD and Nook HD+

The Nook HD is being dubbed the “lightest and highest resolution 7-inch HD” tablet in the world. While that is a bold — if not extremely specific — claim, Barnes & Noble aims to back it up with the Nook HD’s specs. The 7-inch tablet weighs in at only 11.1 ounces while packing in 243 pixels per inch. For comparison’s purposes, that’s just short of the third generation iPad’s 264 ppi and about half of the Apple tablet’s weight. With a 1.3GHz dual-core processor, 8GB or 16GB of built in memory — expandable to 64GB with a microSD card — and 1GB of RAM, there should be no issues with powering the pixel-heavy screen. The battery promises 10.5 hours of continuous reading or 9 hours of video, making it almost directly comparable to the new iPad’s battery. The Nook HD starts at $200.

While the Nook HD should please fans of smaller tablets, the HD+ is looking to prove size matters with two extra inches. The 9-inch tablet features a full HD display with a 1920 x 1280 pixel resolution and 256 pixels per inch, making it a great home for 1080p content. The “+” in the devices title also denotes an upgraded dual-core processor, clocking in at 1.5GHz. The HD+ will come in 16GB and 32GB models and feature two color options: Smoke and Snow (gray and white, if you’re not into fancy titles). Owners of these models will also get a little more weight in their hands as the Nook HD+ weighs in at 18.2 ounces — still slightly lighter than the latest generation iPad. The starting cost for the Nook HD+ is $270.

The HD focus on the latest line of Nook tablet offerings places emphasis on another new product from Barnes & Noble. The book and media company is expanding their empire to the video world with Nook Video. The newest service will be added to the Nook Store premiere this fall and will feature content from major media partners like HBO, Sony, Starz, Disney, Viacom, and Warner Bros. TV shows and films will be available for streaming or for download once the shop opens its doors to the public. An especially enticing selling point of the service is the ability to integrate physical copies of DVDs and Blu-Rays you already own into your virtual library through UltraViolet. Of course, what better device to watch Nook Video content on than a brand new Nook HD or HD+? 

One of the big points that Barnes & Noble seems to be hammering home with these HD offerings is the fact that there are no ads, calling advertisements “distracting” and “annoying” — a clear jab at Amazon, which puts ads on its Kindles. The company doesn’t appear to be pulling any punches when it comes to marketing their products. Will it put up as much of a fight in sales figures when put up against the revamped Amazon Kindle Fire’s and theoretical new iPads of the world? Check out our hands on for some first impressions of the products.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

[Exclusive] Barnes and Noble to unveil new Nook in late September

Our sources have confirmed: Barnes & Noble will unveil a new Nook tablet in late September, and it could be running on Windows 8.

Weeks ago, Barnes & Noble slashed the prices of its Nook tablets in response to the 7-inch tablet competition post-Galaxy Nexus 7′s arrival. But this strategy was not only rooted in fears over Amazon’s to-be-announced Fire tablets and Galaxy Nexus 7 — Digital Trends has learned that Barnes & Noble will be announcing a new Nook tablet in a press conference that will take place in late September.

The price cut is a first indication that the company was preparing for a new product launch; three weeks ago, Barnes & Noble dropped the Nook by $20 for its 8GB tablet and $50 for 16GB tablets.

Our sources at Barnes & Noble, who wished to remain anonymous, confirmed to Digital Trends that a new Nook will be announced in late September and had the utmost confidence that a press conference will be held in the Union Square flagship location in New York City — the same space previous press events have previously been held. The specific details surrounding the tablet’s specs and a solid date for the announcement is still shrouded in secrecy.

The Nook Color was Barnes & Noble’s answer to the 7-inch tablet, but the device never quite left its roots as an e-reader. According to our source, who had discussed the to-be-announced Nook with a Microsoft employee close to the matter, that may change. The existing Nook tablet’s selling point has been the ease of its use as an e-reader, but the new Nook may have a renewed focus on tablet features. If that’s the case, Barnes & Noble clearly has its sights set on competing more aggressively with the Amazon Fire, Google’s Galaxy Nexus 7 and the to-be-released iPad mini.

Based on the history of previous Barnes & Noble tablet releases, we would make an educated guess that the new Nook will be available sometime during the two months before holiday season kicks off. If the device were to hit store shelves in October, the date could coincide with the impending iPad mini announcement — also purported to take place in October. Of course, this means the hype behind the Nook would get drowned out.

With Microsoft’s $605 million investment in Barnes & Noble in exchange for a 17.6 percent stake in a subsidiary, the question that looms is whether the new tablet would scrap the Android OS and run Windows 8. From what we’ve heard, we’re more inclined to believe that the unannounced Nook will run on Windows 8, as many have already speculated. Nothing is for certain until we get that press release, so stay tuned and we’ll keep you posted on the development.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Barnes & Noble’s Nook e-readers to make UK debut

Barnes & Noble will release its popular e-readers and the Nook Store in the UK in October.

Amazon has had a pretty free run at the UK e-reader market with the Kindle establishing a strong lead. Now Barnes & Noble has decided to enter the fray across the pond with the Nook Simple Touch and Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight. According to a B&N press release, the two popular e-readers will go on sale in October, along with the Nook Store, which has more than 2.5 million digital titles.

This marks Barnes & Noble’s first foray into a foreign market and the company has lined up a variety of popular UK books, magazines, newspapers, and comics to help it establish a foothold. Many UK consumers are likely to be attracted by the GlowLight version as it allows for easy reading in the dark. However, with pricing yet to be revealed, it is tough to predict how popular the Nook e-readers will be or how it will stack up with the Kindle..

This follows rumors and claims from PC Advisor that the Kindle Fire will also make an imminent UK appearance and demand is expected to be high. If Barnes & Noble rolled out the Nook Color or Nook Tablet in the United Kingdom, it would create a real buzz and possibly steal a march on its closest competitor, but for the moment it looks like the company is just testing the water with its e-readers.

Barnes & Noble will also make its Nook apps available in the UK so customers can access purchased content in the Nook Cloud and sync and read it on their mobile devices, computers, and laptops. Full details, including the all-important pricing, will be announced in the coming weeks.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com