Ebook Reader Reviews UPDATE 2012 :For the latest ebook reader reviews visit Nook vs Kindle vs Kobo comparison here

 

Before 2010, this wasn’t even an issue. There was no doubt in people’s minds that the Amazon Kindle in fact was the best ebook reader. Most online ebook reader reviews had no trouble making that bold call. Even though the Sony ebook reader was there to compete with the first generation Kindle and the Kindle-2, there was a unanimous decision in most ereder reviewers’ minds. During this early era (2007-2009), the many people didn’t think that the way people read was about to change big time. But it did!

The Amazon Kindle eBook Reader almost had a monopoly

ebook reader reviewsDuring this period, it was the Amazon Kindle, that had the market all to itself – but soon other players joined the competition. That’s when people started to search for information on what the best ebook reader was and looking for online ebook reader reviews. With so many models coming from companies with huge reputations (e.g. Barnes & Noble and Borders), all claiming that their eReader was the best, it was not surprising that people started questioning about which e-Book reader really was the best.

Best eBook Reader of 2011 – Most Important thing to Consider

While there are a lot of things to consider, it ultimately comes down to the user’s preference. This is because each person has his/her own reason for buying an ereader. What may be the best ebook reader for one person may not necessarily be the right one to another person. There are two important things that should be taken into consideration in terms of how you intend to use your ereader, before looking at the more complex features of ebook reader reviews.

Devoted / dedicated eBook reader or not?

tablet computers as ebook readersThere are two kinds of ebook readers. Those that are only good for reading eBooks and those that will double as tablet computers. The first kind is known as dedicated ebook readers. Examples for this category of ebook readers are the Amazon Kindle, the Barnes & Noble Nook Touch eReader, the Borders’ Kobo E-book reader and the Sony ebook reader. Examples for the latter category are tablet computers like the Apple iPad, HP TouchPad, Samsung Galaxy etc.

What do you intend to use your ebook reader for? Just for reading or do you expect to do some tablet computer like functions too? like checking email and social networking? If you already have a tablet computer, you should look for a dedicated ebook reader. In that case you have to make the choice between the Kindle, the Nook and the Kobo.

What about the Nook color?

The Nook color is something that falls between a tablet computer and a devoted ebook reader. It’s small enough to qualify as an eReader and sophisticated enough to double as a tablet computer. The price also falls right in the center and the color screen makes it a very attractive option. In fact, many online ereader reviews will tell you that the Nook color is the best ebook reader for children together with many ‘children friendly’ functions Barnes & Noble has incorporated into it.

This is the very first decision you need to make when deciding on which eBook Reader suits you best. Once you have made that first decision, the next step is to decide which specific model suits your requirements best. That is certainly not an easy decision to make given the subtle differences among different eReaders.

Kindle 3 ebook reader reviews

Decided to go for a Dediated eBook Reader?

Your choices are mainly the Amazon Kindle, the Nook Touch and the Kobo Touch eReader. All of them have their own benefits over the other models. But our top recommendation for 2011 (at the time of writing this) is the Amazon Kindle 3G ad supported version. Amazon recently brought down the price of this version down to $139. That’s really big considering that the 3G version was originally $189.

Main benefits of this Kindle 3 3G + Wi-Fi version over the Nook and the Kobo are as follows

  1. The price is $139 – you’re getting the 3G version for $139. With others, the Wi-Fi model is priced at the same price.
  2. Free 3G – available in over 100 countries and in many places where there is no Wi-Fi
  3. Audio – Doubles as an MP3 player; listen to audiobooks and make use of the auto-narration feature where you can ‘listen’ to your ebook
  4. Have both landscape and portrait modes
  5. Has a basic web-browser – the Kobo too has a web browser but the Nook doesn’t

The main ‘shortcoming’ of the Kindle 3 in comparison to the latest versions of Nook and Kobo is its lack of a touch screen. Depending on how you feel about the touch-screen versus the other features mentioned above, you should make up your mind about whether you are going with a Kindle, Nook or Kobo!

Here we have only provided a very brief review of the main differences among ebook readers. For comprehensive ebook reader reviews, please visit our homepage at http://eBook-ReaderReviews.org/

Introduction of the Amazon Kindle Fire has revolutionized the ebook reader market altogether. We think it is totally worth it to upgrade to a Kindle Fire instead of going with a dedicated ebook reader like the Kindle Touch or Nook Touch given that it can do a whole lot of things compared to a black and white ereader. Check it out below!

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Nook eBook Reader ReviewsWelcome to our eBook Reader Reviews on the Nook, Kindle and Kobo eReaders. Barnes & Noble announced the launch of their new eBook reader, “nook”, in October 2009 and released it in the USA on November 22nd with a price tag of $259. The Amazon Kindle 2 was also priced at $259 at this time point. The nook, had both Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity enabling free access to the Barnes and Noble online store. The specialty of the nook, compared to other eBook readers was that it was based on an android platform while all other electronic book readers available at the time were based on a Linux operating system.

The 1st Edition Nook e-Book Reader Review

The very first Nook that was launched in November 2009 was capable of both Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity. In June 2010, Barnes & Noble released a Wi-Fi only Nook priced at $149. Both these models of the nook (3G + Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi only versions) are considered as the 1st Edition Nook. They have undergone several price cuts during 2010 and 2011 and the current prices for the 1st edition Nook are as follows.

  • Wi-Fi only 1st Edition Nook – $119
  • Wi-Fi + 3G 1st Edition Nook – $169

Technical specifications of the 1st Edition Nook

  • Weight – the Wi-Fi only model weighs 11.6 oz while the Wi-Fi + 3G model weighs 12.1 oz
  • Dimensions – H x W x D = 7.7″ x 4.9″ x 0.5″
  • Operates on a Android OS
  • Screen size – 6-inch reading screen (600×800 pixels and 16 level gray-scale)
  • Electronic paper display with E-ink writing
  • Color touch-screen – at the bottom of the reading screen is a color capacitive touch-screen (144×480 pixels) for navigation (e.g. can be swiped to browse through the library of electronic books on the Barnes & N0ble eBook store)
  • Virtual keyboard on touchscreen
  • Memory – 2GB internal memory + expandable memory up to 16GB with microSD card
  • Connection ports – micro USB, 3.5mm stereo headphone jack
  • Built in MP3  player – holds up to 26 hours of audio
  • Battery life – up to 10 days with the wireless feature switched off
  • The battery is removable and user-replaceable (compared to some other e-Book reader devices in which the battery is replaceable only at a factory)
  • Supported file types – PDF, PDB, EPUB, HPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP and MP3
  • Interchangeable back panels

At the time of writing this, the production of the 1st Edition Nook has been ceased and remaining stock sold off at closeout prices of $119 on the Barnes & Noble official website and elsewhere. If the purpose of you reading these Nook eBook Reader reviews was to purchase one, we highly recommend that you read the latest ebook reader reviews on the Nook Touch and the Nook Color. We have also written a review of the original version of the Amazon Kindle, but then again for informational purposes only. If you are interested in buying an eReader device, please look at our review on the Amazon Kindle 3.

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