AAAAHHHHHH!
Just when I think I have decided on the right eBook reader for me, another one comes out with bigger and better features that made me revisit my earlier research.
First, I looked through several readers, but it really came down to Sony's and Amazon's readers. These fell into my <$300 requirement and size, screen clarity, etc. You know, all the things that make reading enjoyable. In the end, I decided that I would lay down for the Kindle from Amazon. Having Amazon lower the price on the non-DX model didn't hurt either.
Now comes the dilemma. Barnes and Noble looks to be readying a release of their reader that they have unfortunately named 'Nook'. A name is a name, so no big deal. This appears to boast a color touchscreen, LendMe technology, a million books in the catalog, a replaceable battery, and it runs on Android. These are a few of the features, but you can read more about the Nook at the Barnes & Noble site.
So, with me getting ready to purchase a reader, I needed to review what was important and how each product met the requirements.....again. So, here goes.....
For me the color touchscreen is cool, but not a functional deal-maker. There was not enough information that I could find on how it handles fingerprints and everyday use. The LendMe technology is pretty cool in being able to let a friend borrow one of your ebooks for 2 weeks I believe. I also think this carried over to the other readers from Barnes & Noble (iPhone/iPod, Blackberry, Mac, PC). The replaceable battery is a nice option, but with a life expectancy of 2-3 years, I will probably upgrade to something else by then. And, Android, is well, it's Android. I could care less about the underlying OS, as long as it does what I need it to.
This brings me to the one million books catalog. The book count includes the myriad of books available through Google Books. Not very beneficial to me. Also, the Barnes & Noble ebook catalog has absolutely zero computer books. For me, being an IT guy with tons of books on varying IT subjects, I was hoping to have at least of glimpse that there was a future in having them become available at some point.
Comparing this to the Amazon Kindle.....Amazon has a very large library of books available in the Kindle format. These include a large selection of computer related books. Many other categories and selections of books are available through Amazon for the Kindle. This large library selection alone is really enough for me to settle on the Kindle, but I will point out a few other items.
First, like the Kindle, the Nook gets access to a wireless network for delivery of books. The problem here is that the Nook uses the crappy AT&T cellular (3G, if you're lucky) network. No guarantees that the book will be delivered because someone forgot to feed the mouse that runs their cell network. Look at the challenges AT&T has with iPhones and pretty much any other phone on the network. The Kindle uses the Sprint network for its' connectivity. Sprint is not perfect either, but at least they know where the problems are at. For me, it is about knowing the limitations versus assuming everything is 100%.
The Kindle is a tested product with a lot of users. Many reviewers state that they wish it could do this or do that, but none are looking to exchange it for something else because it complements their reading style so well, which is the reason I am sticking with my decision to purchase the Amazon Kindle.
0 comments:
Post a Comment