The New Kobo eReader Touch Edition

Amazing New Touch Experience

Just like reading a book with Real Touch™!
Contemporary, lightweight, and travel friendly design.
Browse and buy on the go with Wi Fi.
Earn awards just for reading – with Reading Life!

New & Improved
Features

Super-fast page turns, enhanced power management and expandable storage for up to 30,000 books makes the Kobo eReader Touch a reading lover's dream!

Beautiful Design

Our signature soft-quilted back and travel friendly size offer the ultimate in a comfortable reading experience. Plus, finding your next read is quick and easy with our simple and intuitive touch navigation - we've taken the buttons out of the way, so you can focus on reading.

Earn Awards for Reading!

Discover your Reading Life and unlock awards just for spending time reading. Connect and share your Reading Life with friends on Facebook and Twitter.

Features

Beautiful New Design

Provides the ultimate in reading comfort, and fits in your pocket so you can take it anywhere. Now available in 5 stylish colors!

Earn Awards for Reading!

Discover your Reading Life and unlock awards just for spending time reading. Connect and share your Reading Life with friends on Facebook and Twitter.

Access Millions of Titles

Easily connect via Wi Fi or USB to access over 2.3 million books, newspapers and magazines from the Kobo Store. Also borrow and read books from your local library.

The First International eReader – Coming Soon

The Kobo eReader Touch will be the first eReader to be available in multiple languages and will offer a completely local experience, including content, recommendations and the Kobo store. Currently available in English;
with French, German, Spanish, and Italian coming soon.

Reads like Print
on Paper

The latest in eInk technology, the new 6" Pearl screen offers a superb reading experience, even in bright sunlight

A Whole Library
in Your Pocket

Holds up to 30,000 books with expandable microSD memory, and keeps your library always up to date.

Read On and On

Take your eReader with you everywhere you go, and enjoy reading up to 1 month on a single charge.

 EReaders have become popular. With two major players in the market in constant competition it is becoming difficult to choose the most suitable eReader for you. However, eReader Review can help you choose the right eReader by providing you with all the information you need to make an informed choice. 

There are many factors that you must consider when making your selection. Begin with the most obvious factors: the physical attributes of the eReader. Does the eReader have an attractive design? Does its design draw you to it? You will be staring at the eReader of your choice for long periods of time as you read your eBooks. You ought to get an eReader that will draw you to it. You can search online for images of the latest Amazon Kindle or read Nook reviews to hear what other people say about the designs. 

If you are making your purchase online, you probably won’t be able to observe the eReader physically and will therefore not be able to make a clear assessment of its physical attributes. EReader review offers you honest reviews on the Amazon Kindle and the Nook. Read what users are saying about the latest eReaders in the market and make an informed decision. 

The user interface on an eReader will determine the ease with which you will use it. It will also determine how enjoyable your experience with the eReader will be. EReader review offers you Nook reviews as well as reviews on the latest Amazon Kindle versions. Learn what other users are saying about the Kindle and Nook Interface. You can’t depend on what the advertisers say. Advertisements are designed to sell products. EReader review offers honest opinions of users based on their experiences with these eReaders. It is similar to getting a reference from a client. These reviewers have nothing to lose or gain by writing good or bad reviews. 

It is also important to consider the buying platform your eReader will allow you. Amazon has a wider collection of books. It is probable that you will find what you are looking for on Amazon than anywhere else. More people prefer the Amazon Kindle for this reason. EReader review however offers you comprehensive Nook reviews that will give you a clearer picture of the platform the Nook offers. 

EReader Review offers non biased reviews on the latest eReaders to help you make informed decisions. 

what is the most popular e reader, Give us your opinion ?

Barnes & Noble NOOK ebook reader (WiFi + 3G)[B&W]

Which is better, the Nook or the Kindle?

I spent much time researching the available e-readers because I knew that once I committed to one that I would be spending a lot of money over time to build a substantial library. Therefore I wanted to be certain that I was investing in the right platform so I wouldn't have to repurchase books for a new reader if I became unhappy with my current one. I am submitting this review because I want to help those who were in my position not too long ago.

I have owned both the Kindle 1 and Nook, and borrowed a Kindle 2 prior to purchasing my Nook. I started off with the Kindle 1 when it was new, then became a little disenchanted when the Kindle 2 came out. It was then that the Nook had been out for about 6 months, and I decided to purchase it for reasons I will list later in this review.

I have been a long-time Amazon customer, an affiliate, and even a publisher of my own work through CreateSpace. I also admire the CEO's ambition of converting every book ever printed into electronic format. Amazon is a great company with great vision, so it is disappointing (and a little ironic) for me to conclude that at this time, the Nook is far superior to the Kindle in almost every way except one (which I will also explain). I would have much preferred to stick with the Kindle since I had started building a library through Amazon, but my honest assessment is that the Nook is a better reader.

A lot of reviews have already addressed the advantages and disadvantages of both readers, so I will try to only contribute new information here, or reiterate what I think is most important in anyone's consideration when comparing the two.

I defected from the Kindle for several reasons:

1. I did not like the awkward user interface and hardware. Though the Kindle 2 was an improvement in several ways, it still didn't feel as comfortable as the Nook. On both the 1 and 2 I had to be careful not to accidentally press the page turn buttons. On the Nook, because of the "hard set" buttons, I have never had this problem. It is much easier and comfortable to hold the Nook. On a less important note, the Nook's minimalist design simply looks better.

2. I was growing tired of being tied to the Amazon proprietary platform. I believe the Nook, especially over time, will provide more opportunities for book buying and developing open platform applications.

3. The Nook has a changeable battery and SD slot for additional memory. The Kindle 2 dropped both features. These two factors alone were enough to drive me away from the Kindle 2. Who wants to ship off their reader to have a battery changed? This is a hassle and also considerably more expensive. As for the memory slot, I prefer to be able to organize my content without having to go online. Unit Director for the Kindle, Charlie Tritschler, was quoted in COMPUTERWORLD as stating: "That's room for 1,500 books," Tritschler said, noting that any book a Kindle user buys is backed up on Amazon's servers -- and is available to the reader at any time. "There's no need for additional storage."

What? No need for additional storage? That is an opinion and not a fact. I found this comment to be quite condescending and narrow-minded. Mr. Tritschler made the common mistake of considering only his viewpoint and totally ignored the desire of many consumers, including myself. For example, [...] (which is owned by Amazon) sells audio books online. Should a person have a penchant for buying audio books, that built-in 2GB is going to fill up quickly. As someone who travels frequently, I don't always have the time or resources to go back online and redesign my library. Also, as many travelers know, you do not always know what you will be in the mood for, so it would be nice if you could simply take your memory cards with you. And yes, Mr. Tritschler, even without audio books, there will be those of us who will actually own more than 1500 books eventually.

When I purchased the Nook, it had been out for about 6 months already, so I started with firmware version 1.3 and did not have to suffer all of the issues the early purchasers experienced. One thing I do not understand is that you can walk into a physical B&N store and purchase the Nook for [...], so why is it being sold on Amazon by a third party for [...]? Caveat Emptor.

My experience with the Nook has been far superior to that of the Kindle. I have not had any of the problems expressed by others in their reviews, mainly due to the updated firmware, no doubt. The Nook is comfortable to hold, easy to navigate, turns pages quickly and easily, has a clear display, and the battery life has not been an issue (about 5-7 days without recharging but also without going online, which I only do with my computer).

I agree with the reviewer who complained there was no way to really organize the content, but that will probably be addressed in time. I think it is important to keep in mind that Nook has only been out for a few months, so patience will be a virtue. However, one feature on the Nook that I did not notice on the Kindle was the ability to "archive" books. So if you have a few dozen or hundreds of books, you could actually archive all of them except the one or more you are reading so that your library screen is not cluttered with books. This alone is a big advantage over the Kindle.

The one advantage that the Kindle has at this time (and this will likely change over time) is its selection of books, especially through Mobile Reference (which I believe is owned by Amazon in addition to [...]. All ebook manufacturers are throwing around some big numbers when it comes to book availability. What exactly does it mean to have over a million books available? I find these numbers misleading because most of these books are not, in my opinion, feasible to download. For example, when I tried to download a free "classic" from Google books, it had a very poor presentation, as the books was simply scanned with defects and all (including the book owner's scribbled margin notes!) The links of course were not functional (and probably were not meant to be), and several pages were corrupted so that there were many strange and illegible characters in the text. You get what you pay for. Personally, I would rather spend 99 cents or two dollars for a version of a classic that has been formatted for the Nook, or epub format, that has working links and clean text, especially considering that theoretically, thanks to the digital age, I will only have to purchase these books once in my lifetime.

What I miss on the Nook are the complete collections of classic authors (and again, this may change over time). For example, I would love to have the complete works of Jack London, Henry James, etc which are easily purchased on Amazon but not on the Nook (yet). This was the only issue causing me concern about switching to the Nook. I strongly believe that if the Kindle was just like the Nook in design and firmware, Amazon would be unbeatable. The Nook's aesthetic and practical structure combined with Amazon's vision and content would make it a no-brainer for me personally. Unfortunately, I believe Amazon underestimated the important of memory cards and changeable batteries, in addition to having probably the worst physical design on the market. And its closed format does not help either.

Overall, I would have to recommend the Nook far and above the Kindle. Up until now I have been a die-hard Amazon acolyte, but the Nook was good enough to convert me.

6/25/2010 UPDATE
It has been about 4 weeks since I initially posted this review. I hope that it has been helpful to those trying to make a decision. Since the initial posting, firmware version 1.4 was released, which added another font size, faster page turns, and the conspicuously absent GO TO PAGE option. Also, I have noticed that more and more books are being converted to the nook, especially from Mobile Reference where I have historically purchased my classic collections. My one prior concern about the nook over the Kindle has now been removed. I have been able to purchase the complete works of such authors as Jack London, James Joyce, O. Henry, Sinclair Lewis, and E.R. Burroughs. Still waiting on Dickens and a few others, but I am sure it is just a matter of time as I see the trend of an increasing selection for the nook.

With the recent firmware update and the dramatic price drop (probably in anticipation of the nook 2 supposedly to be released this year), the nook is even more preferable now than before. I understand that reviews are by nature subjective, but I am perplexed by the recent negative reviews. I can certainly understand the complaints of the owners who purchased the nook with the initial bugs and issues before the firmware updates, but the nook is certainly not worthless or junk at this point. I have been through many e-readers over the past twenty years and the nook is the best I have seen. Some of the reviews are critical of the nook's operating system, for example, claiming it to be clunky or inefficient, yet offering no alternatives or detailing how it could be improved.

In further response to these "negative" reviews, I would also like to point out that at this time, based on my admittedly limited technical understanding, that e-ink technology cannot be integrated with back-lighting, which is why it is not offered on e-readers with e-ink technology. I believe it has to do with the opacity of the screen itself, which does not allow light to penetrate. I wouldn't be surprised to see this change in the future, but I don't think it should be considered a valid criticism at this time due to the limits of currently available technology.
 

Kindle 3G Wireless Reading Device, Free 3G + Wi-Fi, 6" Display, 3G Works Globally - Latest Generation (Electronics)

If you're trying to choose between a Nook and a Kindle, perhaps I can help. My wife and I have owned a Nook (the original one, not the new Nook Color), a Kindle 2, and a Kindle DX. When Amazon announced the Kindle 3 this summer, we pre-ordered two Kindle 3's: the wi-fi only model in graphite, and the wi-fi + 3G model in white. They arrived in late August and we have used them very regularly since then. For us, Kindle is better than Nook, but Nook is a good device with its own advantages that I will discuss below. I'll end this review with a few words about the Nook Color.

First, reasons why we prefer the Kindle:

* Speed

In our experience, the Kindle is very zippy compared to the Nook. Page refresh speed (the time it takes a new page to appear after you push the page-turn button) was WAY quicker on Kindle 2 than on Nook, and it's quicker yet on Kindle 3. Yet, I read a whole book on the Nook and didn't find the slower page refresh to be annoying - you get used to it, and it's not a problem.

For me, the more important speed difference concerns navigation - moving the cursor around the screen, for example to pick a book from your library, or to jump to a chapter by selecting it in the table of contents. On Kindle, you do this by pushing a 5-way rocker button, and the cursor moves very quickly. On Nook, you do this by activating the color LCD touchscreen (which normally shuts off when not in use, to conserve battery). A "virtual rocker button" appears on the screen, and you touch it to move the cursor. Unfortunately, the Nook cursor moves very sluggishly. This might not be a big deal to you, but it really got annoying to me, especially since my wife's Kindle was so quick and responsive.

In November 2010, Nook got a software upgrade that increases page refresh speed and makes navigation more responsive. I returned my Nook months ago, so I cannot tell you if the Nook's performance is now equal to the Kindle's, but Nook owners in the comments section have convinced me that the software update improves the experience of using the Nook. If performance is a big factor in your decision, visit a Best Buy and compare Kindle and Nook side by side.

* Screen contrast

You've seen Amazon's claims that the Kindle 3 e-ink has 50% better contrast than Kindle 2 or other e-ink devices. I have no way of precisely measuring the improvement in contrast, but I can tell you that the Kindle 3 display definitely has more contrast than Kindle 2 or Nook. The difference is noticeable, and important: more screen contrast means less eyestrain when reading in poorly lit rooms.

In well-lit rooms, the Nook and Kindle 2 have enough contrast to allow for comfortable reading. But I often read in low-light conditions, like in bed at night, or in a poorly lit room. In these situations, reading on Nook or Kindle 2 was a bit uncomfortable and often gave me a mild headache. When I got the Kindle 3, the extra contrast was immediately noticeable, and made it more comfortable to read under less-than-ideal lighting conditions. (If you go with a Nook, just make sure you have a good reading lamp nearby.)

* Battery life

The Nook's color LCD touch screen drains its battery quickly - I could never get more than 5 days out of a charge. The Kindle 2 had longer battery life than the Nook, and Kindle 3 has even longer life: in the 3 months since we received our Kindle 3's, we typically get 3 weeks of battery life between charges. (We keep wireless off about half the time to save battery power.)

* Weight

Nook weighs about 3 ounces more than the new Kindle, and you can really feel the difference. Without a case, Nook is still light enough to hold in one hand for long reading sessions without fatigue. But in a case, Nook is a heavy sucker. The new Kindle 3 is so light, even in a case, we find it comfortable holding in one hand for long reading sessions.

Reasons some people might prefer the Nook:

* In-store experience

If you need help with your nook, you can take it to any barnes and noble and get a real human to help. You can take your nook into the coffee shop section of your local B&N store and read any book for free for up to one hour per day. When you take your nook to B&N, some in-store special deals and the occasional free book pop up on your screen.

* User-replaceable battery

Rechargeable batteries eventually lose their ability to hold a charge. Nook's battery is user-replaceable and relatively inexpensive. To replace Kindle's battery, Amazon wants you to ship your Kindle to Amazon, and they will ship you back a DIFFERENT Kindle than the one you sent (it's the same model, for example if you send a white Kindle 3, you get a white Kindle 3 back, but you get a "refurbished" one, NOT the exact one you sent them). I don't like this at all.

However, several people have posted comments here that have eased my concerns. Someone looked up statistics on the Kindle's battery and did some simple calculations to show that it should last for 3 or more years. Before that happens, I will surely have upgraded to a newer Kindle model by then. Also, someone found some companies that sell Kindle batteries at reasonable cost and have how-to videos that demonstrate how we can replace the battery ourselves. Doing this would void the Kindle's warranty, but the battery will probably not fail until long after the warranty expires.

* ePub

Nook uses the ePub format, a widely used open format. Amazon uses a proprietary ebook format. Many libraries will "lend" ebooks in the ePub format, which works with nook but not kindle. However, a free and reputable program called Calibre allows you to translate ebooks from one format to another - it supports many formats, including ePub and Kindle. The only catch is that it doesn't work with copy-protected ebooks, so you can't, for example, buy a Kindle book (which is copy protected) and translate it to ePub so you can read it on a Nook.

* Nook's color LCD touchscreen

The original Nook has a small color LCD screen on the bottom for navigation. This could be a pro or con, depending on your preferences. It makes the Nook hipper and less drab than Kindle. Some people enjoy using the color LCD to view their library or navigate. I did, at first. But after two weeks of use, and comparisons with my wife's Kindle, I found the dedicated buttons of the Kindle easier and far quicker to use than the Nook's color touchscreen. I also found the bright light from the color screen distracting when I was trying to read a book or newspaper (though when not in use, it shuts off after a minute or so to conserve battery).

* expandable capacity

Nook comes with 2GB of internal memory. If you need more capacity, you can insert a microSD card to add up to 16GB more memory. Kindle comes with 4GB of internal memory - twice as much as Nook - but there's no way to expand that. Kindle doesn't accept memory cards of any type. If you mainly use your device to read ebooks and newspapers, this shouldn't be an issue. I have over 100 books on my Kindle, and I've used only a tiny fraction of the memory. Once Kindle's memory fills up, just delete books you don't need immediate access to; you can always restore them later, in seconds, for free.

A few other notes:

Kindle and Nook have other features, such as an MP3 player and a web browser, but I caution you to have low expectations for these features. The MP3 player on the Kindle is like the first-generation iPod shuffle - you can't see what song is playing, and you can't navigate to other songs on your device. I don't like the browser on either device; e-ink is just not a good technology for surfing the web; it's slower and clunkier than LCD screen technology, so even the browser on an Android phone or iPod touch is more enjoyable to use. However, some commenters have more favorable views of either device's browser, and you might, too.

* ebook lending

If you have a Nook or a Kindle, you can "lend" an ebook you purchased to someone else with the same device for up to two weeks. The Nook has always had this feature. The Kindle just got this feature as of December 2010. Most but not all purchased ebooks are lendable, due to publisher restrictions.

* PDF support

Kindle and Nook both handle PDF files, but in different ways. When you put a PDF file on your nook, nook converts it into an ebook-like file, then you can adjust the font size, and the text and pagination will adjust just like with any ebook. But you cannot see the original PDF file in the native format in which it was created. Kindle 3 and Kindle DX have native support for PDF files. You can see PDF files just as they would appear on your computer. You can also convert PDF files to an ebook-like format, and then Kindle handles them just the way the Nook handles them - text and pagination adjust when you change the font size. Unfortunately, some symbols, equations, and graphics get lost or mangled in the translation - even when viewing PDF files in their native format on the Kindle. Moreover, the small screen size of the Kindle 3 and the Nook is not great for PDF files, most of which are designed for a larger page size. You can zoom and pan, but this is cumbersome and tiresome. Thanks to commenters who suggested viewing PDF files in landscape mode on the Kindle (I don't know if you can do this on Nook); this way, you can see the entire top half of the page without panning, and then scroll down to the bottom half. This works a little better.