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

Many people are finding themselves asking the difference between E Ink vs Back Lit LCD ebook reader screens at this point in time. There are, after all, more color touch and E Ink options than ever before. Amazon just announced their color touch Kindle Fire, Barnes and Noble has their Nook Color, and now we have a hole new family of E Ink Kindles and new Nook Simple Touch.

Which one should you choose?

It comes down to the reading experience in natural lighting, reading experience in the dark, battery life, and how much you want to expect from your device.

E Ink vs LCD Video- Very Different Reading Experience In Different Lighting Conditions

The video above establishes a few points about the reading experience difference between E Ink and back lit LCD screens.

1) Back Lit screens are downright horrible to read in bright overhead natural lighting.

2) E Ink screens excel in visibility in bright overhead natural lighting.

3) LCD back lit screens collect fingerprint smudges and are difficult to see through reflections in bright lighting conditions.

4) Reading in the dark requires an exterior light for the E Ink screens.

5) Reading in the dark requires no light for the back lit screen, and there are “night time reading” settings available that make the screen black and text a soft white.

Battery Life Difference

Another major difference between say, a Nook Color or Kindle Fire and a Kindle Touch or Nook Simple Touch is the battery life on one single charge.

The reader is tethered to the charger with the color touch screen, whereas the thought of charging crosses the E Ink customer’s mind once every 2 months! Obviously this is a big difference that one needs to take into account. Of course, it all comes down to the last point.

Bells and Whistles or Simple Text?

Obvious question, I know. But very important nonetheless. Do you want to read novels? Do you want to read magazines? Are you interested in other media like movies, music, games and surfing the web?

If you want to read novels, you’ll want to compare some E Ink devices like the Kindle Touch vs Nook Simple Touch. You most likely don’t want to be tethered to the charger, you’ll want to be able to read without reflection and glare, and back lit LCD screens have been shown to hurt readers eyes after extended periods of reading. Sure you need a lighted cover, or light at night to be able to read, but the other benefits outweigh this one drawback.

Do you want more out of your device? If games, videos, music, internet surfing, email, and other options of an all in one device are your fancy, then you want more of a tablet PC style device that doubles as an ebook reader. You can check out our detailed Kindle Fire vs Nook Color review and the Nook Tablet vs Kindle Fire review to see how they stack up against eachother.

So there are some important considerations when comparing the benefits and drawbacks of an E Ink vs Back Lit LCD screen ebook reader. It all comes down to reading experience outdoors and indoors, major battery life differences, and knowing how much you want out of a device.

Last holiday season Barnes and Noble really shook things up with it’s new Nook Color, a color touch ebook reader. Now it’s Amazon’s turn to shock everyone with it’s new Kindle Fire. This 2011 holiday season and beyond is going to have a lot of people wondering, which is the better choice? Let’s compare the new Kindle Fire vs Nook Color side by side and see which comes out on top.

Kindle Fire vs Nook Color Video- Our Hands On Comparison

Click to visit Amazon.com For the Kindle Fire

Click to visit Barnes and Noble for the Nook Color

Kindle Fire Vs. Nook Color

After seeing the above video, it’s pretty apparent the Kindle Fire looks to react to the user’s touch much smoother and faster, and it looks to make nice intuitive sense.

Let’s compare the Kindle Fire vs. Nook Color features side by side now. Here’s a convenient chart to quickly see the differences between the two devices.

	Kindle Fire	Nook Color
Price	$199.00	$199.00
Memory	8 GB (Free Cloud Backup/Overflow)	8 GB
Expandable Memory?	No	Yes
# of Apps Available	16,640	729
App Store	Kindle Apps For Android	Nook Color Apps
Screen Size	7 Inches	7 Inches
Screen Resolution	1,024 x 600	1,024 x 600
3G?	No	No
Battery Life	8 Hours	8 Hours
Browser	Amazon Silk	Customized Android
Camera?	No	No
Device Dimensions	7.5″ x 4.7″ x .45″	8.1″ x 5″ x .48″
Content	Amazon	Barnes and Noble
Wireless Delivery Of Content Outside the U.S.?	Yes	No
Availability?	Available Now	Available Now

Kindle Fire Vs Nook Color- Features

One can see there are some obvious differences when looking at the above chart. Specifically, a Kindle Fire user will be able to enjoy many more apps on the device, free cloud storage, much more media availability, and faster web browsing if Silk is all it’s hyped up to be. However, will the “Cloud” be well received by customers? We’ll see.

Browser Winner: Amazon’s Silk Browser

Amazon’s browser will certainly be faster than Barnes and Noble’s customized Android browser. Amazon has promised ultra fast web browsing, taking advantage of their EC2 Cloud service to help load essential pieces of a page faster. If you want a technical explanation, you can visit Amazon.com to see their Silk Browser Video. However, just taking a look at the video above shows the difference in browsers.

The Silk Browser for Fire is more intuitive, faster, and streams videos with flawlessness. The Nook Color browser is clunky and slow. Streaming videos play great audio, but the video is choppy every time we try it here at Tech WHAM.

Memory Winner: Kindle Fire

People are going to dislike the “Cloud” notion, and will fight having all of their content only accessible when connected to the internet, but that’s not a perfect explanation of the situation when you see how the Kindle Fire actually works.

One can toggle in between “Cloud” and “Device” functions to swap content on or off the device. That means if there is ever a point in time when the user is running out of space for a movie, book, or other piece of digital content, they just need to put something on the cloud to make room. Next time the user is within wi-fi range, they can swap the content out for new on the cloud.

Some, like me, will embrace this new technology. “The Cloud” seems a good idea, especially for Kindle Fire users, because you never have to worry about memory, for no extra cost. Cloud backup comes free. For non-Amazon content, users will get 5 GB free usage on the Cloud Drive, then will have to pay a subscription after that. One example of this is a 20GB subscription for $20 per year.

Price Winner? Both are now $199.00. 

So Which Is Best? Kindle Fire or Nook Color?

It’s apparent that when you compare the Kindle Fire vs Nook Color, Amazon’s device offers more for the same price. Our assessment is the user interface, reaction time of the device, web browser, and overall user experience is just better on the Amazon Kindle Fire. Of course, you may want to check out our Nook Tablet vs Kindle Fire page to see how the Tablet fairs differently. In the end, both are going to be very popular devices this holiday season. Both the Kindle and Nook devices have loyal fan bases.

Related posts…

Kindle vs. Nook
Kindle vs. Nook Color
Nook Tablet vs Kindle Fire

Many people looking for an ebook reader find themselves comparing and weighing the IPad vs Nook Color vs Nook vs Kindle. This is obviously a slight case of comparing apples to oranges…to grapes (?), but nonetheless, it’s important to at least compare the back lit screens with the E-Ink screens before choosing the right device for you.

This page will attempt to compare these 4 devices in meaningful and useful ways to help you choose what is best for your situation.

Video: IPad vs Nook Color vs Kindle vs Nook- How Well Do They Perform In Different Lighting Conditions?

You can click to visit Amazon.com for the Kindle or IPad…

You can click to visit Barnes and Noble.com for the Nook Color or Nook…

All In One Devices Or Ebook Readers?

IPad- The Ipad is obviously an all in one device that can be used as an ebook reader. It’s probably a safe bet that those who are purchasing the IPad (or IPad 2 at this point) are doing so for the all-in-one aspects of the device. The experience of reading on the device is taken into account along with watching movies, playing games, working on the device and listening to music.

Kindle and Nook- Those who are buying these ebook readers are looking to read ebooks. If one is buying an EInk ebook reader like the Nook or Kindle to surf the web, then they are in for a terrible experience!

The Nook Color- The waters are a little murkier as to what this device is. It doesn’t have the battery life of an ebook reader, or the capabilities of a tablet pc, yet still has a good many features of a color touch ereader device.

The POINT? These are obviously all different devices and have their strengths and weaknesses between them. Hopefully the video above helps you see the reading experience for all 4 side by side. Now the question is what you are willing to sacrifice in some areas in order to gain benefits in the other.

The Nook Color Vs IPad- How Do The Two Devices Differ?

The video below is a basic look at the Nook Color and IPad side by side. You’ll notice some of the limitations of the Nook Color compared to the IPad for certain things. Of course, for double the price, the IPad should be a little more robust!

You can click HERE to visit the Nook Color at Barnes and Noble.com…

You can click HERE for the IPad at Amazon.com…

The Big Question: What Do You Want In A Reading Screen? LCD vs E-Ink

It’s all going to come down to preference and your intended use choosing between the Nook, Nook Color, Ipad, or Kindle 3. If you can’t live without color and touch, then you must be willing to live with short battery life. There is going to be the challenge of seeing through glare and fingerprint smudges. You can always try a screen protector to minimize both of these. It is also well known that back lit LCD screens strain eyes more than Eink screens, so one must be aware of this.

If you are looking for battery longevity, little to no glare when reading outside, and don’t mind reading in black and white, then you may want to just compare the Kindle vs Nook and forget about LCD touch screens. E-Ink screens have also been found to be less strain on the eyes for longer reading sessions.

Other Considerations…

If you want to be reading ePub files, then you’ll have to choose between the Nook, Nook Color or iPad. The Kindle does not allow for use of the ePub. Reading a PDF file is doable on all 4 devices, but if you are in the habit of needing to read complicated, color-filled and well laid out presentations in PDF form, then the iPad will obviously be a good choice.

If you want a very large E-Ink reading screen, then the Kindle DX may be a good fit for you.

Nook vs Kindle vs IPad (and IPad 2) vs Nook Color Pricing

iPad- Can be found at Amazon for anywhere between $419.99 (16 gigabytes) and up for other models.
iPad 2- Can be found at Apple.com and Amazon.com.

Nook Color- Can be purchased at Barnes and Noble.com for $199.

Nook- Can be purchased at Barnes and Noble.com for $149 and $199 (WiFi only and WiFi+3G).

Kindle 3- Can be purchased at Amazon for $139 and $189 (WiFi only and WiFi+3G).

Hopefully this page has helped you choose between the iPad vs Nook Color vs Nook vs Kindle. They are all different devices, well suited for different needs. It will come down to preference of type of reading screen and ultimately the price you are willing to pay.

By far the biggest reason people will choose the Nook over the Kindle is simply because they can download a variety of free ebooks from local libraries for up to 3 weeks.

However, you CAN actually read Library books on the Kindle.

It needs to be clear that this method shows you how to download and read “MobiPocket” files from your local library. It does not convert a DRM-protected ePub book. You don’t need to download the MobiPocket software. You only need the PID generated by the program below.

Not every title is going to be available in MobiPocket, but it’s sure better than nothing for Kindle users.

Steps To Download MobiPocket Books From Your Local Library and Read On Your Kindle-
You can just simply go to the link provided in step 2. I recommend reading through my steps first, then going to his site. The combination of reading my directions, then going over to his site will make things a touch clearer in my opinion.

STEP 1) Go to http://j2jensen.blogspot.com/2010/05/mobipocket-to-kindle-format-converter.html . Download the .NET Framework from the link if needed, and download his program.

NOTE: There is an element of trust here downloading this person’s software. Read through his explanation of things. We downloaded and use it, and it works well. However, use at your own risk.

STEP 2) Follow his steps to create a new PID using the program.

STEP 3) Register your new PID in your Library’s eAccount (or whatever they call it for you). Look for “My MobiPocket PIDs” and register your new PID.

STEP 4) Follow the rest of his directions.

Conclusion- This is a way to read MobiPocket books on your Kindle, checked out from your local library. They expire in 3 weeks. This isn’t a software that “strips” the DRM protection from files and allows you to read any book from the library on a Kindle. It only allows use of MobiPocket files. Since each title at the Library isn’t available in a MobiPocket file, choices will be limited comparatively.

If your local library doesn’t have digital downloads, then go to the nearest city that does and try to get a card. That is what we had to do, and it wasn’t a problem.

So there is, albeit slightly limited, a way to read library ebooks on the Kindle after all!

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.

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.