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

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.

Barnes and Noble has stunned the ebook reader market by releasing the new Nook Color, so we’d better take a look and give it a thorough review. Is it time for the Amazon’s Kindle 3 to finally move over and make some room at the top? Or do the features of the Nook Color fall short?

New Nook Color

The Nook Color is a completely different product than the Nook, and the Kindle 3 for that matter, in a multitude of ways.

Color Touch Screen- The original Nook boasted an E-Ink gray-scale reading screen that was easy on eye strain when read for hours on end. Well, they’ve abandoned that idea altogether with the IPS color touch screen on the new device. This is the same exact technology found on the iPad.

So What’s the Difference Between the Nook Color and the iPad?

That’s a very good question. The Nook Color is much smaller at a 7 inch reading screen vs the iPad’s 9.7 inch. The Nook Color is much cheaper however, at under $250, vs the much more expensive iPad. The NC will act a little slower than Apples device as well, and not have any of the applications that are currently available for the iPad.

Remember…This is an Ebook Reader!

The Nook Color was released as a full color ebook reader, and that means it works well for situations in which you want full color, and a touch screen at the same time. For instance, if you are a magazine reader, then the NC would be a great choice for you. Publications are wirelessly delivered each day to the device, and you can peruse them with the touch of a finger.

Sales have been strong for the initial launch of the Nook Color, with pre-ordering starting now.

Nook Color Compared to the Kindle 3

I would argue that for a long novel, the Nook Color loses out to the cheaper Kindle 3, but if you are the type of person who wants to read a full color newspaper in the morning, a magazine on the way to work on the subway, and a novel at night all from the same device, then the Nook Color is a great option.

The Kindle 3‘s battery life is at 30 days now on a single charge, whereas the Nook Color is at only 8 hours…with the wireless turned off!  Plus the Kindle 3 is over $100 cheaper, offers 3G, is smaller, and can be used internationally. So there a few definite disadvantages to opting for the full color touch experience of the Nook Color.

An All In One Device As Well?

The Nook Color has a robust memory of 8GB that comes standard, with the ability to easily expand it with an SD card. Try THAT with an iPad. You’ll be able to store tons of music on it, watch videos, read books, surf the web, check your email, and a whole lot more on the device. The only thing that is lacking is the availability of apps for the device. Of course, developers are already taking notice of the new device and seeing the Nook Color apps as a viable market.

Children’s Books on the Nook Color

A big feature of the new Nook Color is the integration of children’s books. Barnes and Noble has put a lot of effort into making a whole section that offers children’s books that are touch integrated. Will this revolutionize the entire Children’s Book industry? We’ll have to wait and see. At the very least, this concept is very interesting.

How popular will the Nook Color become this holiday season and into the next year? We will see, but pre-ordering numbers are strong and it shows that good initial Nook Color reviews are translating into a lot of hungry customers. If you are a “purist” reader who only cares about reading novels, then perhaps you’ll want to look at the Nook vs. Kindle instead.