E-Reader Review, The Nook, The Kindle 2, and The Sony Reader

There are three competing E-reader's, the Sony, the Kindle2, and the Nook. First, what is an E-reader. An E-reader is a small device that allows you to download and read ebooks either via WiFi, or sync directly from your computer. The screens are not in color, however the Nook does add a different feature. The screens work using e- ink, it looks just like books and newspapers, but displays the ink particles electronically. It provides a crisp black-and-white screen with the same appearance and readability of printed paper, and best of all, no glare! Because there are no pixels, there is no current running through the screen like a notebook computer. You don't have to worry about it getting warm and you can comfortably read as long as you like. The three E-readers I mention are all very popular, and each have their own positive and negative aspects.

The Kindle 2
The Amazon Kindle 2 is the next generation of the Kindle from the Amazon Kindle Family. Amazon decided that instead of books, the digital format was the way to go. The Kindle 2 is 1/3 of an inch thick and weighs only 10 ounces, its as thin and light. The Kindle is easy to hold and also very easy to read. The page-turning buttons are on both sides, allowing you to read and turn pages easily with one hand from any position. This is a fabulous improvement, as it provided the user a much more desireable reading experience. The Kindle 2 has Wifi and also International Free 3g service. Amazon uses Whispernet, this technology uses a high-speed data network to enable you to wirelessly search, discover, and download content on the go. Your books and periodicals are delivered via Whispernet. And you don't have to search for a Wi-Fi hotspot. Incredibly, the Kindle 2 works internationally! The best deal is that you don't have a wireless bill to pay for, because Amazon completely pays all wireless charges with cell providers such as Sprint. The Kindle also has a long battery life. You can read up to 4 days on on a single charge with wireless on, and up to 2 weeks with wireless off. One thing to note is it does not have an expansion slot for storage. That may limit you to the amount of books you can store.

The Nook
The Nook is an E-reader from Barnes and Noble. It is 7.7 inches long, 4.9 inches wide, and weighs about 11.2 ounces. It is the same price as the Kindle 2, but you get more bang for your buck. It has both 3-G and Wi-Fi, PDF support, a MicroSD slot, and the second screen at the bottom that is a color touch screen! With its color touch screen, the Nook offers a keyboard and browsing without the irritatingly slowness like the e-ink, and it gives you the option for multitasking. You'll be able to read a book and control your music at the same time. Another neat feature is that the Nook allows for lending and sharing of e-books. It developed a 2-week lending period to lend to friends and even read the same book a the same time. Plus, you can lend to other devices as well, such as a Mac, PC, iPhone, iPod Touch, PC, Mac, BlackBerry, or a Windows Mobile device. The battery life allows for about 10 days of reading with wireless off. Also, the Nook's battery is replaceable, allowing for a back up when your first runs out. The Operating system is Google's Android OS, the first e-reader to have that on it.
One bonus feature; the Nook also allows for in-store reading at no cost. Thats right, Free!! You'll be able to go to any of Barnes & Noble's stores and read one e-book, for free, each time—the same way you might browse at a book in the store. There are thousands of free e-books to choose from in store or out.

Sony Reader Digital Book
One good thing about the Sony E-reader, is that they have multiple models to choose from. There is the Daily Reader, which allows daily periodicals and books downloaded wirelessly. The Touch Edition, which you can ready your library of books. And the Pocket Edition, with hundreds of books at your finger tips where ever you go. All have various size screens and capabilities. The price of the sony is higher than both the Nook and the Kindle 2. They are all slim and lightweight, and the screen is similar to the Kindle and the Nook using E-ink, and is also touchscreen. It requires no backlight and is easy to read even in the sun. However, they do make a model now with a built in screen backlight for night reading. The Sony Reader has memory card slot, which uses either SD or Memory Stick Pro. Font size can be adjusted with a single button push, and reads most files including PDF and Word files, image files, and also plays MP3 and AAC audio as well. The battery life is about 2 weeks.

Which ever you choose, they are all a great alternative to lugging around a back pack full of heavy books. Save yourself the back pain and buy an e-reader.