Tech Wham | Ereader Tablet and Ebook Reader Reviews, Videos, and Comparisons

Last year Amazon announced a deal on Black Friday that had people scrambling for their credit cards in a frenzy, and all signs point to a Kindle Black Friday Deal 2011 on the horizon. It makes sense with all the new models undoubtedly jamming Amazon’s warehouses.

DEAL ALERT- Amazon has announced a deal on the Kindle DX! Click to Visit.

On Black Friday 2010, Amazon announced an $89 price tag for the previous year’s version of the Kindle, dubbed the “Kindle 2″. Now that there is a whole new smorgasbord of Kindle models arriving in droves at the Amazon distribution centers for the 2011 Black Friday and Holiday Season, they’ll need to clear out some of the older models.

So it looks like the Kindle 3, or “Kindle With Keyboard” models will be the hot Black Friday Deal for post-Thanksgiving internet shoppers.

Another obvious candidate for a great deal this Black Friday or Cyber-Monday is going to be the Kindle DX. The DX seems to be the forgotten big brother with all these newest models being released.

What About A Kindle Fire Black Friday Deal? A Kindle Fire deal actually has a chance of happening, though it could be a short lived sale on November 25th. The first orderers of the Fire will had just begun receiving their devices after pre-ordering, so it would undoubtedly cause a stir to offer a discount only days later to people who didn’t stand in line, however it is completely possible.

It’s already reported that Amazon is losing money on the sale of the Kindle Fire. So what’s the big deal about putting the Fire on sale for a few hours on Black Friday and gaining some more Amazon customers, undoubtedly buying hundreds of dollars worth of content to fill the device in the long run?

And A Kindle Touch Black Friday Deal? The newest version of the e-ink Kindle family, the Kindle Touch, is already competitively priced and not yet in pre-orderer’s hands, but it could show up as a Black Friday Deal at Amazon as well.

The SECRET? Keep an Eye On The Gold Box Deals

If there is going to be a Kindle Fire or Kindle Touch deal this Black Friday, it will be at the Gold Box “Today’s Deal” Page. (You can click to visit)

These deals only last for a few minutes or hours, so you’ll definitely want to keep checking throughout the day.

So it looks like the Kindle Black Friday Deal 2011 will be the Kindle 3 for sure, or now known as Kindle With Special Offers. By checking the Gold Box Deals, one could perhaps get lucky with a newer device as well.  Make sure you’re quick on the draw this year, as the deal is most likely going to be extremely hot with shoppers.

Are you one of those many people that get giddy and excited when they talk about their Kindles? Do you preach about the greatness of it to your friends and family, and attempt to convert Nook users whenever you can?  Then get ready for 3 more reasons to love the Kindle. These 3 Kindle tricks will give you more enjoyment, put your ereader to better use, and give you some tricks to talk about to fellow Kindle users.

Trick #1- Book Swapping-  I’m not talking about the 2 week book swapping where you have to return the title before you finish the book. This is swapping books with your friends and family for good.

Follow these steps for book swapping:

1. Log into your Amazon account
2. De-Register Your Kindle
3. Have your friend or family member log into their account and add your Kindle to their account.
   -This means you’ll have to read them your serial number as they enter it into their account.
   -Click “add new Kindle” after serial number is entered.
4. Go to your Kindle home page and click on “Archived Items”
   -This will be a list of your friend or family member’s books.
5. Click on titles you want to have on your device.
   -These will automatically download to your device, keeping them safely on the original owner’s Kindle.
6. Have your friend or family member de-register your Kindle from their account.
7. Re-register your Kindle to your account.

Now you have all the titles you want from your friend or family member! This can be done up to 6 times per digital book.

Trick #2- Reading Library Books on The Kindle- It’s a well known fact that the Kindle isn’t compatible with EPUB files. It’s a simple process to convert these to a readable file using Calibre, but EPUB files that have a DRM attached to it cannot  be read by the Kindle at all, without stripping the DRM and breaking some laws in the process.

There is a way to read Mobi-Pocket files on the Kindle though. That means that if you belong to a library that allows checking out of Mobi-Pocket files, then you can read books from the library, and check them out for free just like users of other ebook readers.

Just click to get the free program and learn how to read library books on the Kindle.

Trick #3- Secret Games On the Kindle- That’s right, there are secret games on the Kindle right out of the box.

1. Hit “Shift+ALT+M” for access to Minesweeper.
2. While in Minesweeper, hit the letter “G” for access to GoMoku. GoMoku is a game closely related to tic tac toe. For access to Minesweeper again, click “M”.

So there you have some great Kindle tricks you can definitely try at home. Next time you get caught in a Kindle vs Nook argument you can pull out these morsels of knowledge. If you have any other tips or tricks please share them with us in the comments.

Barnes and Noble has shocked the ebook reader world with releasing it’s new Nook Color, a color touch screen version of ebook reader. How does the Nook Color compare vs the Kindle 3?

Nook Color Vs Kindle Vs Nook Video Demonstration

You can click HERE to visit Barnes and Noble for the Nook Color and Nook

You can click HERE to visit Amazon for the Kindle 3

New Nook Color

The new Nook Color could not be more different than the original Nook, and it almost makes more sense to compare the IPad vs Nook Color rather than the Nook Color vs Kindle 3.

But if you are in the market for an ebook reader, then you must compare these two devices. They are by far the hottest ebook readers on the market, hands down.

The Nook color is made with an IPS color touch screen. This is the same technology that the IPad from Apple is made with. The viewing angle of the screen is 178 degrees, meaning there is very low glare.

The screen is back lit, a sharp contrast to the original Nook and Kindle 3 alike, both with “E-Ink” screens. It’s interesting, Barnes and Noble released the Nook with E-Ink screen and claimed it reduced eye-strain compared to back lit devices, and yet they went ahead and introduced the IPS screen device anyway. The pull to compete with the IPad was obviously too strong to resist for B and N.

Battery power for the Nook Color is abysmal at 8 hours, compared to the Nook which is at 10 days…which is weak compared to the Kindle 3 at 30 days! However, the memory capacity is massive at 8GB, and expandable with SD cards.

The All-In-One Device Allure- You can basically do the same things with Nook Color that you can with IPad, except for take advantage of thousands of apps.

Slow Device? The device has been reported as slightly sluggish compared to, say, an iPad.

Bottom Line- As an ebook reader, this device is not impressive at all compared to the Kindle 3 with it’s lack of battery power, no 3G access, and back lit eye-straining screen. As a e-magazine reader, this may make a little more sense to purchase. If one is looking to compare straight ebook readers, perhaps it makes more sense to compare the original Nook vs Kindle 3.

As a MAGAZINE reader, this product is a GREAT choice. If you are into daily, weekly, and monthly publications that are digitally delivered to you each day, then you’ll want the Nook Color, since it’s at the much cheaper price point than the iPad, and much easier navigation than the Nook or Kindle 3.

New Kindle 3

The new Kindle 3 was just released with a list of features that blew the Nook out of the water.

Memory capacity was increased to 3,500 books standard. The entire device was made lighter and sleeker. Contrast was improved, button noise improved, price decreased, page turn time was improved and it looked like the ultimate ebook reader.

Honestly, it still does look like the best ebook reader on the market, if you are into reading books and novels. However, you won’t find the Kindle 3 the best choice if you want to peruse digital magazines and subscriptions to newspapers with color photos.

The Battery Power for the Kindle 3 compared to the Nook Color is in a whole other dimension. Kindle 3 is at 30 days with wireless turned off, while the Nook Color is at 8 hours…with the wireless turned off! On a trip, how long is that not going to be annoying for to have a Nook Color? Not long.

Pricing- The Kindle 3 is just over $100 less than the Nook Color at this time.

Click for Kindle 3 Current Pricing at Amazon…

Click for Nook Color Current Pricing at Barnes and Noble…

TechWham’s Opinion

In our opinion, the Kindle 3 is by far the best ebook reader on the market today if you are the type of person who wants to read novels and books on your device, and be able to download them anywhere in the world.

The Nook Color is a great choice for someone who is willing to spend about $250 for a full-color almost all-in-one style device. This will be a great device for you to read your e-subscriptions on and check email, and surf the web, watch your movies on, and look at pictures with. Keep in mind the Nook Color is not quite as robust as the iPad or other Tablet PC’s. You may want to take a look at our iPad vs Nook Color video and page.

The Nook vs. Kindle battle is a hot topic this 2010 holiday season. Everyone is wondering which ebook reader is best for them, or for their loved ones as a gift. The choice gets a little tougher with the updated software to Version 1.5 for the Nook. How does it change the device and how does it compare to the new Kindle 3 released this fall?

New Nook Software Update Version 1.5 Released

Barnes and Noble released it’s software update Version 1.5 for the Nook this holiday season. It’s available for wireless download on the B and N website for Nook. Existing Nook users and new users will either have it automatically installed on new ordered devices, or have to visit the site to update it quickly.

What’s New?

1. Stay in Sync Accross Multiple Devices- You can read the Nook at home, get on your phone for the commute to work and read on your phone from the spot you left off, then change to another device and start from the synced page.

2. New “My Shelves”- This is basically a new way to organize your books on the Nook.

3. Password Protected- Now the Nook can be password protected with the new software update.

How Does the Kindle 3 Compare To The New Nook Version 1.5?

Whispersync- Amazon has offered the same syncing across multiple devices with what they call “Whispersync”. You can start on your Kindle, move to your smartphone, continue on your PC, and go back to the Kindle and the pages will be synced.

Collections- The Kindle 3 offers a variety of ways to organize your books on the device as well.

Password Protection- The Kindle can be password protected as well.

Nook Vs. Kindle- Which Is the Better Ebook Reader?

So which is the better device when comparing the Kindle Vs Nook? Take an honest look, and you’ll notice the new updated software Version 1.5 for the Nook really just keeps the device up to speed with the Kindle 3rd generation.

One thing the Nook can do that the Kindle 3 can’t is lend books. This will, according to Amazon, be a feature that will be released “later this year”. Does that mean early next year? We’ll see.

The Nook and Kindle are similar in design, however the Nook has a color navigation screen, whereas the Kindle 3rd generation one-ups the Nook in all other categories. The Kindle 3 is lighter, smaller, sleeker, has triple the battery life, more standard memory, works internationally, and is cheaper than the Nook.

The hands-down winner is the Kindle 3 when looking at the Nook vs. Kindle. Of course, Barnes and Noble has thrown a completely different device into the fight with the Nook Color. If you are thinking you need some color in your device, then you’ll want to check out more on the Nook Color vs. Kindle 3.

Click for more information, customer reviews, pricing, and shipping information at Amazon.

Recently my father asked me, knowing full well that I ran this website about the Nook Vs. Kindle, which is best between the Nook vs. Kindle vs. Kobo vs. Sony Reader?  That’s a fair question. All 4 of these ebook readers are similarly priced and have similar features. So I set off to find the answer for him. It’s not good enough for my dad to present my mom with an ebook reader, he needs to give the reasons why he chose it, right? Here’s what I found, and which ebook reader I think is best and why.

How the Nook Differs From the Kindle, Kobo and Sony Touch

The Nook is a quality ebook reader with some unique features that make it appealing.

• Color touch navigation screen- Obviously a little color is interesting.
• Lending Feature- You can lend books to others for up to 2 weeks with the Nook. (note- lender cannot use the book at that time also)
• Free Games- It comes with Sudoku and Chess for free.
• In Store Reading- You can visit a local Barnes and Noble store with your Nook and browse any title in the store for up to one hour for free.
• Expandable Memory- Add an SD card in the slot for more memory. (Expandable memory on the Kobo also)

Nook Downers…

The color touch screen is great, in the way that it is color and touch, but quite frankly it is more awkward to use than the Kindle 3′s simple touch keyboard or the all touch navigation of the Sony Touch Pocket Edition. It’s a hybrid between the touch that is a little confusing and slow to use. Just give it a spin at a local Barnes and Noble store and you’ll understand immediately. It’s not a deal breaker by any means…I mean you could get used to the navigation pretty easily, but in my opinion the Kindle 3 navigation is better.

Another downer is the battery life is only 10 days with the wireless off. That’s actually an impressive number of days considering you could never do that with a phone! But compared to other ereaders, it’s a low battery life time.

How the Kindle Differs From the Nook, Kobo, and Sony Touch

The Kindle has a few features that are completely unique compared to the other ebook readers in question.

• More standard memory- The Nook and Kobo are expandable memories, but the Kindle 3 comes with the ability to add 3,500 books standard, which is more than double than any of the other devices.
• E-Ink contrast- The reading screen is hands-down the best quality for an E-Ink reading screen available. The contrast between the light background and darker text is noticeably sharper on the Kindle 3 compared to other devices.
• Battery Life Galore- With the wireless turned off, the Kindle 3 lasts for up to 30 days. This is double the Kobo and Sony Touch, and triple the Nook battery life.
• Text-To-Speech- This is a feature that converts a book or PDF into speech and reads it to you. You can choose between a male and female voice and it sounds surprisingly human…as human as an electronic voice coming out of an ebook reader can be.
• International Use- The 3G coverage is available all over the globe in over 100 different countries. This is unique to the Kindle only.

Kindle Downers…

Lending books isn’t available yet on the Kindle. However, according to Amazon…”Later this year, we will be introducing lending for Kindle, a new feature that lets you loan your Kindle books to other Kindle or Kindle app users. Each book can be lent once, for a period of 14 days. Not all books will be available to lend – the publisher or rights holder determines which titles are enabled for lending.” I assume they mean later in 2011.

How the Kobo Differs From the Kindle, Nook, and Sony Touch Pocket Edition

The Kobo is Borders device competing for a smaller portion of the market, for no reason other than it was late to the party and a little lacking in some respects. Nevertheless, there are some unique aspects of the device.

• 4-way directional button for navigation. Instead of page turn buttons on each side of the device, the Kobo has a 4-directional button on the lower right hand front of the device.
• Comes with a “quilted” backing. The device is available in 3 different color schemes, white with silver back, white with lavender back, and black with black back.

Kobo Downers…

And it’s a big one…There is no AC adapter included with the device. So you can count on your computer being your charger, as it comes with USB connection cable.

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Sony Reader Pocket Edition Unique Features

The Sony Reader Pocket Edition is comparable in price to the rest of these devices, but otherwise it is completely different in many ways.

Sony Reader Pocket Touch Edition

• Pocket Size- There’s a reason it’s called the Pocket Edition! This is a smaller device than the other ereaders mentioned here. The reading screen is 5″ diagonally vs 6″ with the Nook, Kindle and Kobo.
• Touch E-Ink Screen- The Pocket Edition has a touch activated E-Ink screen. You can change pages by swiping the finger or touching on the side. Navigation is by touching the screen as well as a few strategically placed push buttons.
• Comes in two colors, pink and silver.
• 1 GB of memory allows up to 1,200 titles of storage.
• Battery life is 2 weeks

Sony Reader Pocket Edition Downers…

A big first downer for me on this device is the no WiFi. What? Okay, how about add on the no AC Adaptor! Now add on the fact that it is more expensive than the Kindle, Nook, or Kobo, and the reading screen is perhaps too small, and I cannot see how Sony expects this device to compete in the ereader market. I guess if you like a small screen that is touch, then this is the product for you. As you can guess, I didn’t recommend this to my dad.

Which eReader Did I Recommend?

It comes down to the Nook vs. Kindle 3 in my opinion. And furthermore, I think that the new Kindle 3 is a better deal, despite the recent release of the Nook 1.5 software, which doesn’t really do much except allow for a different way to categorize the books on the Nook device.

The newest Kindle 3rd edition (or Kindle 3) has a smaller and lighter body than the Nook, yet the same reading screen size. It has a much longer battery life than any other device on the market, allows for international usage, has the best E-Ink display available, most standard memory, and to top it off the price is the cheapest on the market.

Accessories Advantage- A thing I like about the Kindle 3 also is the fact that it is sold on Amazon, which makes for a much larger variety of accessories. Think about it, if you buy any of these other devices, there is going to be a small variety of accessories that you can buy, because Sony and Barnes and Noble and Borders aren’t going to spend more money than necessary providing accessories that may or may not sell!

Amazon, however, is an environment where the best product wins. So you have a lot of competition for really cool looking accessories for the Kindle.

The Kindle 3 is tough to beat. Period. And that’s why the Kindle is the most popular ebook reader on the market.

Barnes and Noble has released it’s new Nook Color, and Amazon rocked the ebook reader market with the new Kindle 3. Now the choice is a tough one for the consumer. Which is the best ebook reader on the market? Let’s take a detailed look at the two device.

The New Nook Color Features-

The Nook Color is equipped with a color touch screen much like the iPad’s. It uses the same IPS color touch technology. That means you can see the screen from a 178 degree angle range. It is super low glare, and very sharp.

The color screen is perfect for those publications that are full of color, such as new digital periodicals and magazines. Readers of this type of material are Barnes and Noble’s target market. Because if you are a reader of novels, and only novels, then this device is not for you. It’s back lit and bright, which causes eye-strain after numerous hours of reading, and since it’s back lit the battery won’t last very long, only up to 8 hours on one charge.

Kid’s books come to life with this device, magazines are presented in their full color, newspapers have a little more pop, and you can watch movies, listen to music, surf the web, check your email, and the list goes on…

Visit Barnes and Noble to see the Nook Color

The New Kindle 3 Features

Amazon just released it’s 3rd generation of Kindle (the Kindle 3) and it’s the new definition of an ebook reader. The device has an E-Ink screen to reduce eye strain, ultra quiet page turn buttons, 3,500 books of memory, 30 days of battery life on one charge, wireless and 3G technology that works in over 100 countries, is lighter, sleeker, and a little over $100 cheaper than the Nook Color.

So it comes down to what you want in your ebook reader when looking at the new Kindle vs Nook. Do you want the color and pizazz of the Nook Color? Or do you want the author to give you all the color and pizazz that you’ll need and stick with the Kindle 3?

Visit Amazon for more info on the Kindle 3

Nook Color Vs Kindle 3

If you are a person who likes to read books for the sake of reading books, then the Kindle 3 will most definitely be the choice for you. The device tries to be nothing but the absolute best ebook reader on the market. Reading text only on the Kindle 3 is more enjoyable and less strenuous on the eyes than with the back-lit Nook Color.

If you want to have the all-in-one type of device, where you can read a magazine, a newspaper, a book, check your email, surf the web, then maybe watch a movie, then the Nook Color is for you. However this comes at a price with a very short battery life, no 3G access and a price tag around $250. But it’s still a very good device and will prove to compete well with the iPad which starts at $499 for the smallest memory version.

So the choice is up to you which device is the best ebook reader between the Nook Color vs Kindle 3. It will be a tough decision for many this holiday season and beyond, so you aren’t alone! I personally am a traditional reader, who likes to read books, so the cheaper Kindle 3 is my choice. My laptop will allow me to do everything else if I want.

Here’s a good article from Ezine Articles on the Kindle 3 Vs Nook…

Kindle 3 Vs Nook – Which Is Better?

Kindle 3 Vs Nook – Which Is Better?

By John D. Emerson

Comparing the Kindle 3 vs Nook is something that many consumers find themselves doing. It’s understandable, because despite the release of the Apple iPad, the ebook reader is still a device that people are lining up to buy, and the Nook and Kindle 3 are two of the most popular ebook readers on the market today. But which is better? Let’s take a look at the stand-out features of the two and compare them in-depth.

New Kindle 3- What Changes Were Made?

Some of the most important changes made to the Kindle in this latest release are as follows…

Smaller- The new model is smaller, thinner, and lighter than the earlier Kindle 2nd generation.

Improved Contrast- The writing is darker while the lighter part of the screen is lighter.

Quieter- Page turn buttons were made quieter from the previous model.

Increased Memory- Now the Kindle allows 3,500 books to be downloaded onto the device.

Other changes…

Kindle 3 and Nook and the Wi-Fi only option

Both Barnes and Noble and Amazon have introduced a cheaper pricing structure for their ebook readers. But on top of that, each has released a “Wi-Fi Only” model, which are even cheaper.

This model allows you to download books wirelessly, but only in freely accessible wireless hotspots. For Nook users, any Barnes and Noble store will be a WiFi hotspot.

3G Wireless access is not available for these models. That means you won’t be able to download your books “on the go” unless you are connected to a network. Is this a bad thing? A little planning ahead with downloading your reading material will make sure you don’t run out of things to read while away from your computer.

Wi-Fi + 3G Models will allow you to download books in any area covered by the AT&T network. That doesn’t mean you have to buy a wireless plan, it comes with the devices and “just works”.

Some Big Differences Between the Kindle 3 and Nook

International Coverage- Only the Kindle allows for usage in over 100 countries via GSM network. The Nook only works within coverage areas in the United States. You can still download books on the internet and transfer to your device via computer USB cable for both brands.

Weight/Size- When looked at next to each other, the Kindle 3 is noticeably smaller. The weight of the WiFi only Kindle is 3.1 ounces less than the WiFi Nook. The Kindle WiFi + 3G is 3.4 ounces less than the Nook’s same model.

Sharing Capabilities- Only the Nook allows for sharing of titles between your device and a friend’s (device or smart-device with the Nook application). You can share up to 2 weeks, and within that time the lender of the content cannot access it.

Touch Screen Vs. Push Button Navigation- The Nook has a 1″ high color touch-screen for navigation of titles that doubles as a touch keyboard. The Kindle is push button only.

Battery Life- The Kindle 3 has a battery life of 30 days with the wireless off, the Nook is 10 days with wireless off.

It’s a tough decision in the end. Some will like the color touch navigation and simply must have the Nook, where others will opt for a little smaller, lighter, device and simplistic push-button design. The Kindle 3 Vs Nook comparison shows that both are arguably a great choice.

Who Wins?

I personally believe the Kindle 3 to be a better choice in the end. Both the Kindle 3 and Nook have comparable book libraries with loads of free titles, but the Kindle is lighter, smaller, and slightly cheaper for both models (WiFi and WiFi +3G).

The improvements of the Kindle 3 have systematically one-upped the Nook except for the color screen and sharing capabilities, which are questionable benefits to begin with for an ebook reader.

Click to visit http://www.gadget-freak.info for even more detailed comparison information including a video with each device working side by side.

You can Click Here for more information on the Kindle 3.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_D._Emerson
http://EzineArticles.com/?Kindle-3-Vs-Nook—Which-Is-Better?&id=5090784