Amazon and Barnes and Noble are still at it with their heated ebook reader battle. Customers will have a whole new family of Kindles to choose from this 2011 holiday season as well as a new Nook touch screen Eink device. Let’s take a closer look and compare the new models of Kindle vs Nook to see who’s winning the battle now.
Kindle Touch vs Nook Simple Touch Video
You can click here for more info about the Kindle Touch at Amazon.com.
You can click here for more info about the Nook Simple Touch at BarnesandNoble.com.
New Kindle vs Nook E Ink Models Comparison Chart
|
New
Kindle |
Kindle
Touch |
Kindle
Touch 3G |
Kindle W/
Keyboard |
Nook 1st
Edition |
Nook Simple
Touch Reader |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Price |
$79.00 |
$99.00 |
$149.00 |
$99.00
or
$139 (3G) |
$89.00 |
$99.00 |
Battery
Life |
1 Month |
2 Months |
2 Months |
2 Months |
10 Days |
2 Months |
| Memory |
1,400 books |
3,000 books |
3,000 books |
3,500 books |
1,500 books |
1,000 books |
| Navigation |
5-Way
Controller |
Touch Screen |
Touch Screen |
5-Way
Controller |
Touch Screen
and Buttons |
Touch Screen
or Buttons |
3G, WiFi,
or Both |
WiFi |
WiFi |
Both |
Both |
WiFi |
WiFi |
Text To
Speech |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Screen
Size
(E-ink) |
6 inch |
6 inch |
6 inch |
6 inch |
6 inch |
6 inch |
| Dimensions |
6.5″ x 4.5″
x .34″ |
6.8″ x 4.7″
x .40″ |
6.8″ x 4.7″
x .40″ |
7.5″ x 4.8″
x .335″ |
7.7″ x 4.9″
x .50″ |
6.5″ x 5.0″
x .47″ |
Page
Numbers |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Library
Books |
Yes
(Kindle files) |
Yes
(Kindle files) |
Yes
(Kindle files) |
Yes
(Kindle files) |
Yes
(EPUB) |
Yes
(EPUB) |
Audio File
Compatible |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Purchase
Availability |
Click to Buy |
Click to Buy |
Click to Buy |
Click to Buy |
Click to Buy |
Click to Buy |
The Newest Kindle Touch Compared To Last Year’s Kindle With Keyboard
Last year's "Kindle With Keyboard" and brand new "Kindle Touch" models.
Firstly, let’s take a quick look at last year’s Kindle With Keyboard compared to the Kindle Touch version. There are a few big changes, the most obvious being the touch navigation E Ink screen. The newer Kindle Touch has some differences from the Kindle With Keyboard.
Difference #1) Kindle Touch doesn’t have buttons at all. It is a pure touch navigated reader.
Difference #2) The Kindle Touch allows for 3,000 books to be stored, whereas the Kindle w/Keyboard allows a little more at 3,500 books.
Difference #3) The Keyboard with 3G model is $10 cheaper than the Touch 3G.
Difference #4) The Touch model is slightly smaller and sleeker at 8% lighter and 11% smaller than the previous Keyboard version.
Difference #5) The Kindle Touch has sped up page turn times.
New Nook Simple Touch Model Compared To The Nook 1st Edition
The newer rubberized "matte" finish Nook Touch on the left and older version.
Let’s take a look at the newest Nook model compared to last year’s. There are some very big changes, again, the most obvious being the complete touch screen and lack of color navigation screen. Here are some differences between the Nook 1st Edition and the newest Nook Simple Touch.
Difference #1) The Nook Simple Touch has done away with any color whatsoever on the device.
Difference #2) No longer are there 2 screens to navigate content with, there is one screen on the NST.
Difference #3) The Simple Touch is much smaller and comes with a rubberized finish.
Difference #4) The Page turn buttons on the Nook Simple Touch are programmable to be “top is page up” or “top is page down”, a nice feature.
Difference #5) The NST Has faster page turn time.
Difference #6) The newer Touch model actually holds 500 less books in it’s out of the box memory.
Difference #7) The battery life is much longer at 2 months with the Nook Simple Touch compared to 10 days with the first edition.
The Kindle Touch vs Nook Simple Touch- How Do The Newest E-Ink Readers Compare?
Let’s compare the newest Kindle vs Nook models, the “Touch” and “Simple Touch”, to see who’s winning the best e-ink ebook reader battle for 2011 and 2012.
Battery Life- Both Kindle and Nook are tied at 2 months.
Storage Space- The Nook allows for storage of 1,000 books, whereas the Kindle allows 3,000
Pricing- UPDATED November 7th- Both the Kindle Touch and Nook Simple Touch are now $99.
Sharing Books- Both the Kindle and Nook allow for lending of eligible books for up to 14 days. Not all books are eligible, it is up to the publisher to decide.
Replaceable Battery- The Nook has a replaceable battery that is accessed on the back of the device. Amazon allows for sending in the device to replace the battery.
Weight/Size- The newest Kindle Touch is 7.5 ounces, down 1 ounce from the Kindle 3. The Nook Simple Touch weighs in at 7.5 ounces, much less than the previous version at 11.6 oz.
The dimensions of the reading screen are the exact same for both Nook and Kindle.
The size of the Nook Simple Touch device is 6.5″ x 5.0″ x .47″ . The Kindle Touch is now 6.8″ x 4.7″ x .40″.
Touch Screen Only vs. Touch Screen AND Push Button- The newest Kindle is touch screen only. There are no buttons. One may swipe the screen or tap the screen for navigation.
The Nook ST comes with “programmable” side buttons for navigation, so the reader has a choice between swiping and tapping or pushing an actual button.
Wi-Fi, 3G, and International Usage- It’s a step backward for the Nook with these features on the newest touch model. Now there is NO 3G option for the Nook, only WiFi.
The Kindle Touch will come in a WiFi only and a WiFi + 3G version.
As always, only Amazon offers international usage in more than 100 countries for it’s devices.
Rubberized “Matte” Black Finish vs Dark Silver Matte Finish- This seems a trivial thing, but there used to be some complaints about the previous Nook version having plastic that was too reflective in bright sunlight.
The new Simple Touch version is completely different, with a rubberized black coating that is tacky to the touch. Page turn buttons are inset in the device, covered with this rubberized coating, so their aren’t actually creases around the buttons.
You can see the Nook Touch's rubberized matte finish on the with buttons on the side.
Changing Fonts- There are 8 different font sizes for the Kindle and 7 different sizes for the Nook. Each has 3 different font styles to choose from as well. Both devices allow for different margin sizes on the device as well.
Pinch and Zoom Font Change- The Kindle Touch has a “pinch and zoom” font change feature, whereas the Nook does not.
Page Numbers- Both devices offer real page numbers that coincide with the printed book.
Syncing Between Multiple Devices- Both the Nook and Kindle allow for syncing between multiple devices. This means you could be reading your ebook on the eReader in the morning, on the smartphone later, then on your PC, then pick up where you left off on the eReader later.
Using Different Files on the Nook Simple Touch and Kindle Touch- Both the Nook and Kindle make it possible to put your PDF’s and other types of files on the device for use. You can also listen to music on both devices while reading.
Library Ebooks- It’s possible to read library books on all Kindle versions as well as Nook versions. The difference is in the type of file, and the delivery method of the file.
Nook Library Books Delivery- One needs to find the book on the library website, download Adobe Digital Editions, download the book into ADE, plug in the Nook, and transfer the book over to the device within the software.
Kindle Library Books Delivery- One needs to find the book on the library website, click to redeem the loaned book (you’ll be sent to Amazon), and follow the prompt button to have delivered wirelessly.
“With Special Offers”- What It Means, and Pricing For Kindle Versions- It’s extremely important to note that the Kindle Touch pricing of $99 for
Example of a "Special Offer" on the home page of Kindle Touch.
the WiFi and $149 for WiFi + 3G are “With Special Offers” pricing! This means there will be ads on the reading screen while the device is in sleep mode, and also along the “home” page while perusing the contents of the Kindle.
Games- Games are available for both devices. The Nook comes with Chess and Sudoku, whereas you need to download games from the Amazon store to get games for the Kindle (some free titles, some ranging from $.99 to a few dollars). There are more games available for the Kindle because of the competitive nature of Amazon.com.
Accessories- Both devices have some great accessories, but (like in “games” above) the nature of Amazon.com allows for more competition between vendors, and therefore a larger selection of accessories for the Kindle available.
Kindle “X-Ray” Feature- An interesting new feature of the Kindle Touch is the X-Ray feature. It allows you to see the “bones” of the book at a glance. You can see things like all the characters in the book, phrases, and main concepts. Touch on these and you’ll see internet entries, instances of the book where they are mentioned, and a tappable timeline where each phrase is mentioned in the book.
If you are moving onto the next book in a series and want to refresh yourself quickly about the concepts and characters in the last book, it may be helpful. Or perhaps you need to do a report on a specific character or concept within the book for school. This is a quick way to see all concepts of a book at a glance.
E-Ink or LCD Back Lit Screen?
There are some serious differences in reading experiences when using a back lit color vs E Ink ebook reader.
A back lit device is more difficult to see in bright natural lighting situations, yet is easily seen without exterior lighting during night time reading. There are some serious benefits for the media junky of course. One is able to check email, surf the web, watch videos and tv, play games, etc. However, the user is going to be more tethered to the charger than a person who uses an e-ink reader. One needs to plan on charging the device once a day if using it a lot. Those wanting a color device are going to want to compare the Kindle Fire to Nook Color and Tablet.
E-Ink readers offer a much more pleasant reading experience in bright natural lighting situations. There aren’t contrast issues or fingerprint smudges to worry about seeing through. Of course, these devices are more limited. Consuming other types of media besides books and documents becomes a little challenging. For the reader of novels however, the Kindle or Nook is going to be a good idea. 2 months usage on one battery is a great benefit as well, having the e-ink user think about charging their device only 6 times a year.
Kindle Fire, Nook Tablet and Nook Color Comparison- Need Color?
It makes sense to compare the Kindle Fire vs Nook Tablet and Nook Color before making a final decision on just what ebook reader one wants to buy. Here’s a quick table to help compare these 3 devices.
|
Kindle Fire |
Nook Tablet |
Nook Color |
|
 |
 |
 |
| Price |
$199.00 |
$249.00 |
$199.00 |
| Memory |
8 GB
(Cloud
Expansion
Storage) |
16 GB
(SD Card
Expansion
Storage) |
8 GB
(SD Card
Expansion
Storage) |
| App Store |
Amazon |
Nook Apps |
Nook Apps |
# Of Apps
Available |
17k + |
1k + |
1k + |
Screen
Size |
7 inch |
7 inch |
7 inch |
Screen
Resolution |
1024 x 600 |
1024 x 600 |
1024 x 600 |
| RAM |
512 MB |
1 GB |
512 MB |
| Processor |
1GHz TI OMAP4
Dual Core |
1GHz TI OMAP4
Dual Core |
1GHz TI OMAP4
Dual Core |
| Battery Life |
8 Hours |
11.5 Hours |
8 Hours |
| Microphone |
No |
Yes |
No |
| Dimensions |
7.5″ x 4.7″ x .45″ |
8.1″ x 5″ x .48″ |
8.1″ x 5″ x .48″ |
| Weight |
14.6 ounces |
14.1 ounces |
15.8 ounces |
| Browser |
Amazon Silk |
Customized Android |
Customized Android |
At a quick glance it’s easy to see that the new Nook Tablet seems to be pulling out in front between these 3 devices with it’s 1 GB of RAM and longer battery life. However, it should be noted that just because there is more RAM available on a device, doesn’t mean it’s going to be faster than a tablet with less RAM. There are a lot of other factors that go into it, such as software for device speed and browser for web speed.
The big difference between the Nook Tablets and Kindle Fire is going to be the company behind the device. Amazon offers more apps, movies, tv shows, and content in general than Barnes and Noble. The Nooks and Kindles are portals that customers consume media through, and there is just more media available at Amazon.com.
Difference In Memory Capacity And Expanded Memory
Memory capacity is another obvious difference seen above. The Nook Tablets handle memory and content storage in a more on-device manner, whereas the Kindle is moving to keeping on-device at 8GB and offering free use of the Cloud Drive service for Kindle users.
That means Nook users can purchase an SD card to expand device on-board memory to up to 32 GB. Kindle Fire users will be able to store unlimited content on the Cloud Drive, swapping out content to and from the Cloud Drive as needed. So one could see a problem with both ways of handling expanded memory- One costs more money, the other is on the web and not on the device. Watch the video of the Kindle Fire vs Nook Tablet.
Other notable differences are the Nook Tablet’s inclusion of microphone, and longer battery life by 3.5 hours.
Of course, pricing is $50 more for the Nook Tablet, and the Kindle Fire and Nook Color are equally priced at $199.00.
Amazon is also offering Prime Membership for $79 per year which will give Kindle users options to watch free movies and tv, and borrow free books from Amazon.com, which is a big point of consideration.
Nook Vs. Kindle- Who’s The Winner?
It’s a tough decision between the Nook and Kindle. It’s ultimately up to the shopper, and to which company their loyalties lie.
The Nook falls a little short with memory and the no 3G option, but has just just been offered at a lower price of $99 to compete better with the Kindle Touch.
The library books will be more numerous with the Nook models though, since more books are available in EPUB format and the Kindle doesn’t allow EPUB usage. However, Amazon offers a large number of popular titles in libraries and is in the process of adding more. It’s just a fact that downloading a library book on the Kindle is quite a lot easier than the Nook.
Those who choose the Kindle Fire will get more content in the form of movies, tv, games, apps and other media just because of the larger selection at Amazon compared to Barnes and Noble. Nook Tablet and Color purchasers will get a choice of more on-board memory and more battery life with the Nook Tablet.
Amazon and Barnes and Noble have been at it for over 3 years now with their devices, and it’s still apparent that both the Kindle and Nook are very competent devices with huge fans. Comparing the Kindle vs Nook with all the newest versions shows there are choices abound for the shopper this holiday season and beyond. Opinions vary wildly on the two devices, and the winner will no doubt vary from household to household.
Related Posts:
Kindle Fire vs Nook Color Review
Nook Tablet vs Kindle Fire review.
October 19, 2011
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