Kindle vs. the New Barnes & Noble Nook: The Battle of eReaders Continues

Barnes & Noble has released the new Nook, which will be available in stores beginning June 10. This device is set to compete with the Amazon Kindle and would most likely replace the 1st Generation Nook, which was $149 and had a color touchscreen strip at the bottom.

The new Nook has a black and white, 6-inch e-Ink touchscreen. The touchscreen automatically sets it apart from the Kindle, making navigation easier. B&N has also greatly improved the battery life. The original Nook had a battery life of ten days while the new Nook lasts up to two months on one charge, also beating out the Kindle, which lasts one month. The weight is greatly reduced, coming in at under 8 ounces, slightly lighter than the latest generation Kindle, and much lighter than the original Nook at 12 ounces. The new Wi-Fi version will sell for $139, matching the Ad-free Wi-Fi version of the Kindle.

So, the obvious question is, how much competition will this give Amazon, who is most likely hard at work on their new tablet? The specs on the new Nook come in just a little bit better than on the Kindle. As usual, whoever comes out with the “latest and greatest” may appear to have an edge on the competition simply by virtue of the fact that they have access to the latest technology. The Pearl e-Ink display may be slightly better (getting rid of the screen flash that occurs when pages turn?), the device is slightly lighter, the battery life is better, and the touchscreen technology definitely makes the Nook more appealing for those who prefer touchscreen navigation to buttons.

Just tap to shop for the best books, magazines and newspapers right on your NOOK. Turn pages, look up words, highlight passages, adjust the font size and style—all with just a touch of your finger. -via NOOK – Award Winning, Bestselling eReader – Barnes & Noble.

In terms of appearance, the new Nook looks to have a bit more of a border on their screen than the Kindle, which has a slender edge. This could be slightly distracting, but most likely not overly so. The dimensions are 6.5 x 5, which make it a little shorter and wider than the Kindle at 7.5 x 4.8, but the Kindle device includes a full Qwerty keyboard and buttons to contend with, while the Nook uses the touchscreen as its primary means of navigation–leaving the screen to fill most of the device space.

The device does not support color or apps. For that, you would want the Nook Color, which B&N has recently upgraded to run apps and work as a “tablet.” They are calling the Nook Color the “best-selling Android Tablet”; however, they do not offer access to the Android Marketplace, and we find this statement to be a little hard to believe as a result. They are certainly the “Reader’s Tablet,” but use of the Color Nook as a full-fledged tablet still feels a little awkward and unappealing.

As for the new Touch Reader Nook, this looks to be a solid device, and it’s a good move by B&N. Will they cut into the sales of Amazon? It seems unlikely. While B&N states that they are the “largest bookstore,” with more than 2 million titles, Amazon may still see the greatest number of ebook sales.

In the News…
Share

Related Posts

2 CommentsLeave a comment

  1. Matt

    Sat 04th Jun 2011 at 8:53 pm

    There battery claims are equal to Kindles both are playing with the numbers. They both now claim two months and yes you can get two months out of a kindle I’ve seen people in my family do it, on their kindle. I don’t get that at all on my kindle but I read 20 plus hours a week. If you are someone that reads 3 hours a week and you e reader sits the rest of the time you can get six to eight weeks out of it. What runs the battery down is wifi and page turns. (and font size, more page turns.). So Amazon is now claiming you can get two months also. Using the same fuzzy math that B&N is using on their nook, Also why does any one want a touch screen on something they read. People eat, drink coffee and god forbid smoke while reading who know what is on their finger to smudge up screen(I chew tobacco and I don’t want to touch my screen after I put some in). Also I don’t want it to turn the page I know the new nook also has buttons to do this(this is great I would consider one because of this but I love my kindle.) The Nook is a great e reader I will tell people to buy it if they don’t like the kindle but it is the second best but they just got a little closer.

    • eBookdesigns

      Sun 05th Jun 2011 at 11:23 am

      You make a really good point on the issue of the touch screen. One of the things I like so much about the Kindle is how sturdy it feels, and how I’m not always worried about messing it up or getting fingerprints (or whatever else) on it while I’m reading! I’m constantly cleaning the screen on the Color Nook, which shows every single print. Of course, these companies just make more money on accessories, such as screen protectors! I also agree that the latest simple Nook appears to be a good device, but what will really be interesting is to see whether a tablet produced by Amazon will impact Kindle, Color Nook, or iPad sales.

Comments are closed