- Image by moparx via Flickr
The BeBook Neo eReader? What’s that? True, it doesn’t have the name recognition of the mighty Amazon Kindle or even the Barnes & Noble Nook. But, oftentimes, a lesser known device can offer a great many advantages at a lower price.
The display isn’t one of those. Or, more accurately, it’s a stellar screen for reading, thanks to the E-Ink technology incorporated, but it doesn’t go beyond the competition there. It offers a modest 600 x 800 pixel resolution on a 6-inch screen.
It does go slightly beyond by offering a touchscreen, but one that responds only to the included stylus, not finger taps. Still, with that ‘pen’ which tucks neatly into the case, you can annotate books, write notes, or just doodle if you like.
You don’t have to use it to access the menu items, though. For that, there are well-placed and easy-to-use controls on the lower portion of the case. The two rings let you turn pages, navigate through your stored content, change font sizes, and more.
The Neo does go well beyond the Kindle, though, when you examine the formats supported.
This eReader will download/display ePub and Mobi format books, as well as PDF documents and text files including RTF. It will also display HTML, making it usable for skimming websites. I say “skimming” because few surfers today will want to spend much time looking at a black and white browser. It also displays jpgs, pngs, gifs, and bmps. Reading Word docs is now supported, too, after the inclusion of a firmware update from the original.
You can access all those in hundreds of places now, thanks to the ready available free Wi-Fi hotspots. However, you have to be near one because 3G connectivity is not included. To save battery life – always a problem with mobile devices – you can shut the Wi-Fi off.
The highlighted MyBeBook.com links you to Foyles, Blackwell, and the WHSmith websites for easy purchase. Because of the ePub support, users also have access to free content on such sites as Project Gutenberg, ManyBooks, and Google Books. Many libraries also offer free ePub access these days.
However, the onboard storage space for those is modest compared to similar devices on the market today. The Neo offers only 512 Mb. That’s plenty for books, actually, which take up only a hundred Kb or so or, a few megabytes if they include images. But it’s still considerably less than, say, the 8 Gb of the B&N Color Nook. Compensating, there’s an SD slot that supports cards up to 16 Gb, so it’s not really a big limitation.
It’s not exactly a low weight device, at nearly 300g (about 2/3 of a lb). But that case does include a 3.5mm jack and a mini-USB slot. The rough metal back makes it easy to hold.
The BeBook Neo eReader lacks some of the bells and whistles of other models, but for a basic eReader it performs well. Reading in bright sunlight is effortless with the E-Ink display and the online capability, though modest, is fine for accessing basic material. It really shines when it comes to accessing a wide variety of formats.
- Image by Getty Images via @daylife
Is this an eReader or a tablet computer? As the technology converges many will be asking themselves that about several offerings, including the Entourage eDGe. Because of its unique combination of abilities, the eDGe might find favor with college students, professionals on the go, or anyone looking for a hybrid device like this one.
That hybrid includes an eReader, but one that isn’t as easy to use as the vaunted Amazon Kindle or even the Barnes & Noble Nook. The Entourage eBook store has about one-tenth the offerings and is not as easy to access. On the upside, it supports a number of formats like the open-format ePub as well as PDFs.
Reading them will be an interesting experience given the eDGe’s size and weight. At just over 3 lbs, it’s about double the heft of an iPad but certainly on the low end of a small laptop. It’s about the size of a netbook, measuring a diminutive 8.3″ long x 10.8″ wide x 1.0″ thick.
Yet, it offers something no netbook or laptop does: dual screens.
One of those screens is a 9.7 inch E-Ink design offering the clarity and size of the larger Kindle DX. Contrast is not quite the equal, though, offering only 8 shades of gray to the DX’s 16, about the same as the B&N Nook. It does provide good resolution at 825 x 1,200 pixels.
You can take notes, here using a stylus instead of your finger or a virtual keypad. In edit mode there are two strips of icons for easy access to the common functions, plus a toolbar along the bottom. By contrast, the DX is not touch sensitive; it offers a physical keyboard instead. A really nice added feature is the automatic creation of links in a table of contents created from your book annotations.
The eDGe then doubles the screen real estate by providing another display. The second is a 10.1 inch, 600 x 1,024 pixel resistive LCD touchscreen with a four-way manual orientation switch. Unlike, say, the iPad, the screen has no accelerometer and so does not rotate automatically when you flip the screen 90 degrees.
The keyboard is virtual, like the iPad’s (if not quite as responsive) and driven under the covers by Android 1.6. That lets you take notes on one screen while reading from another, something you can do with a laptop but only by continual flipping back and forth or sacrificing reading area.
The pair of screens are housed in a clamshell-style case that houses speakers in the hinges. The clamshell can also be completely flipped around to expose only one screen, with the other lying face down. That case also sports a ton of ports, including an SD slot, a 3.5 mm, a microphone input, and a webcam that works with the built-in camcorder. Bluetooth support lets you use a pair of wireless stereo headphones.
Judged against the competitors’ eReaders or tablet computers alone, the Entourage eDGe won’t impress anyone. But with its combined ability, it does both functions reasonably well. That makes for a really interesting device for those who want both in a unit much smaller than the average laptop.
Posted in E-Reader Reviews, E-Readers | 
Tags: Comparison of e-book readers, entourage edge | 
No Comments »
- Image by orb9220 via Flickr
The Barnes & Noble Color Nook eReader fills a distinctive hole in the consumer electronics niche. It’s more than a reader but less than a full-blown tablet. And, unlike the better known Amazon Kindle, that color screen is more than just pretty; it’s functional.
Like any such device, the value of the Nook starts with the display, a 7-inch touchscreen. The LED-backlit display provides good – though not great – resolution at 1,024×600 pixels, 169 ppi. Specs state 16 million colors, but consumers have become used to that somewhat bogus number, the same touted on ordinary VGA computer monitors for years.
Still, it does provide more than ordinary viewing. Those colors are bright and the fonts are crisp. Glare is less than you might expect, thanks to a special laminate that keeps light at bay and improves off-axis viewing. It’s also very responsive (a tribute to the electronics behind the glass, too, of course), thanks in part to the Android 2.1 OS running things behind the scenes.
It downloads books wirelessly from Barnes & Noble with ease, not surprisingly. What is a little surprising is that it can only do so via Wi-Fi. There’s no 3G connectivity available. With the plentiful supply of free Wi-Fi outside the home that probably won’t be an issue for everyone. But, for those who like to travel far and wide and want instant access to an electronic book store, it is a small limitation. On the upside, those books download in seconds.
Fortunately, it’s not very limited on what it can download and display, starting with the 2 million titles B&N offers. Unlike the Kindle, the Nook supports the open-format ePub standard, so you can get books from a lot more sources than just B&N. It does a decent job with PDFs, Word, and Excel docs too, using the built-in QuickOffice software. Though, it doesn’t offer quite the flexibility users are used to on a laptop.
In addition to books and documents – including electronic versions of several popular magazines like National Geographic and The Wall Street Journal – the Nook will display images and some video. It also has the ability to play audio, including MP3 files. Users of that will want to get a pair of lightweight headphones since no one wants to hear music – or even an audiobook – from a tinny speaker.
It will hold quite a lot of all those, thanks to its 8 Gb of internal memory. Also, there’s a microSD slot that supports up to 32 Gb. So, the storage capacity is, for all practical purposes, unlimited for books and magazines. Naturally, image, audio and video could fill that up but this unit is chiefly intended as an document display device, after all.
It goes beyond that eReader ability, however, with the inclusion of a functional web browser. Nothing to get Opera or Firefox software engineers nervous about, but it does the job. Its major benefit is the ability to sift through websites for ePubs and PDFs, as well as do some online shopping.
You can do that for a good long time, but not forever. The battery lasts about 8 hours of active reading, quite a bit less than the Kindle which can last a month without a recharge. It’s also twice as heavy (just under 1 lb), so users may be surprised when they first pick one up.
All in all, at the same size as the Samsung Galaxy Tab, it would be difficult to classify the Barnes & Noble Color Nook. Is it an eReader or a tablet? It does both functions, which could be seen as a drawback by some or a great niche-filler by others. You decide.
- Image by Librarian by Day via Flickr
Even in the world of consumer electronics the Pandigital Novel has a somewhat odd name. This eReader isn’t itself a novel, of course, but lets you read them in portable style. While it lacks some of the pizazz of other models, for a relatively low-price unit it definitely does the job.
At below $150, this eReader is a direct competitor to the famed Amazon Kindle. It lacks the physical keyboard of that model, but it makes up for it by offering a full color touchscreen. Unfortunately, that touchscreen is resistive, not capacitive. For non-geeks, that means it doesn’t respond quite so well to finger presses. Pandigital includes a plastic stylus to make the job easier. It can also be used for making notes directly on the screen.
At 7 inches, the display is the same size as the Galaxy Tab and slightly bigger than the Kindle. The Novel is a tad heavier, though, at nearly 3/4 of a pound (12 oz). Older Kindles were 10 oz; the newer ones are only 8.5 oz. Still, that’s quite a bit less than, say, the iPad’s 1.5 lbs. The overall case measures 7.5″ x 5.5″ and, at half an inch thick, it won’t get any prizes for slimness, but lovers of paperback books will have no reason to complain.
With a modest 600 x 800 resolution, they might have a slight complaint over the clarity of the screen. It also does not incorporate the E-Ink technology of the Kindle and other models. But it’s certainly no visual effort to read a book on the display.
It is an effort to turn pages sometimes, however, a serious problem for a dedicated eReader. The resistive touchscreen can require multiple, firm finger swipes to turn a single page. Using the stylus to overcome that problem can result in accidentally bringing up the menu to highlight text. A little practice will take care of that issue, though.
On the upside, and it’s a big upside in this market still oddly enough, getting material to read is a breeze. Downloading any of 1 million books from the Barnes & Noble eBook store is straightforward, including up to half a million free ones. Using the built-in web browser to search for additional ones elsewhere is too. The Novel supports ePub and PDFs. The B&N LendMe program – which lets you share your books with someone else for up to two weeks – is another great feature.
Good Wi-Fi connectivity makes all that effortless, though 3G connectivity would have been nice but admittedly would’ve raised the price a chunk. The device and connectivity allow access to more than just books, though. There’s a built-in email client, calendar, and alarm. Not deal makers, maybe, but nice-to-have add-ons.
There’s a generous amount of storage available for that material including any jpgs, MP3, or MPEG4 material you want to download or transfer. The unit offers 2 GB of internal capacity and houses an SD slot for up to an additional 32 GB.
The Pandigital Novel is far from the sexiest eReader on the market. The screen is older technology and the software is uninspiring. But for a low-cost model it does a good job providing access to practically unlimited reading material.
Save 10%! Buy the Pandigital Novel at Amazon!
- Image by goXunuReviews via Flickr
Over the past year we’ve seen the release of several incredible electronic devices, ranging from electronic reading devices to the newest in cell phones and video game systems. If you’re looking for a hot big-ticket item to put under the tree this year, consider one of these.
Kindle 3G Wireless Reading Device
The Kindle 3G Wireless Reading Device includes free 3G + Wi-Fi capabilities. With a 6 inch display screen, this particular version of the Kindle offers a smaller body size without reducing the size of the screen. It can hold up to 3,500 books and also offers better contrast, making the viewing area easier to read.
Kindle Wireless Reading Device
The regular Kindle can still hold up to 3,500 books and has the same 6 inch display screen and still offers Wi-Fi capability. Priced about $50 less than the 3G version, this Kindle is certainly still worth the investment.
Kindle DX Wireless Reading Device
The Kindle DX is the newest version of the Kindle and features a spectacular 9.7 inche display screen. It’s great for reading newspapers, magazines, books and even blog posts. The new display screen makes it possible to comfortably read in the sunlight with no glare and you can download new books at any time thanks to the free 3G wireless connection included with your purchase.
The Apple iPad MP292LL/A is perfect for the tech-saavy individual on the go. The device allows for email sending, web browsing, music downloading and much more on a spectacular 9.7 inch display screen. It’s Wi-Fi capable and includes a 16GB memory flash drive.
The MC4977LL/A version of the iPad is just even more spectacular, with a thinner, lightweight design and a 64GB capacity. This tablet will certainly take your mobile computing skills to the next level.
Somewhere in between the MP29LL/A and the MC497LL/A you’ll find the Apple iPad Tablet. The tablet can be used with either portrait or landscape orientation and features technology similar to the iPhone. The traditional tablet features a 32GB flash drive and the rechargeable battery allows for up to 10 hours of web surfing, video watching, or musical enjoyment.
The MB294LL/A Tablet is amongst the most impressive. With a thin, lightweight design, this 64 GB version of the iPad is only a half inch thick and weighs around 1.4 pounds. The 9.7 inch screen is incredibly precise and works well with the built in multi-touch features.
There are obviously quite a few different Kindles and iPad tables to choose from. You should have no trouble finding one to fit your Christmas budget this year!
Image by inky via Flickr
Sony has taken a lot of criticism on their earlier models for problems with screen glare, low contrast, lack of responsiveness, and the like. With the release of the latest three models in the line, including the Sony Touch Edition (PRS-650), those days are over.
The newest version of the Sony Touch truly lives up to its name. The touchscreen, while it won’t give Apple iPhone designers any sleepless nights, is reasonably snappy. The added stylus helps, for those who prefer to touch with a tiny ‘pen’ rather than their fingers. It also slides snugly into a hole in the base for easy storage. Neat.
Unlike their previous attempts, combining the Pearl E Ink display with a responsive screen really works this time around. Formerly, engineers hadn’t figured a way to have simultaneously a crisp, easy-to-read, high contrast display and a touchscreen that does what you ask when you ask. This one does both, and does them well.
On the PRS-650 model that screen is a very comfortable 6 inches, the same size as the standard Amazon Kindle or the Barnes & Noble Nook. While the display is actually smaller than the standard physical paperback text area, actual users don’t seem to notice.
Reading it under bright light conditions is no longer a problem, either. Glare is no more a factor here than it is on any competitor’s model, which is to say rarely, if ever. Sony removed a reflective film from the front. The read-it-anywhere screen offering 16 levels of grayscale helps, too. It’s also nice that users can adjust the font to anything from tiny to “whoa!”
The refresh rate on page turns has also been improved. Those familiar with E Ink screens know that there is a noticeable time during which, after a page turn, the display pixels ‘reassemble’ themselves to form the new text. That delay is now so low that it won’t bother any reasonable reader. As a result, page turns appear fast and look natural.
Navigation speeds have gained in the same way. Moving through the options and features, either via touch or using the stylus, is smooth and zippy. The Home page uses book cover images, so the device more closely resembles the look of thumbnails, rather than just a list of books. Very nice, not only for those who like to judge a book by its cover, but it also aids in selecting a title.
There are several onboard dictionaries that are very handy, as well. The renowned Oxford English Dictionary is one of them. Just doubletap a word and it gives you the meaning, then switch back to your reading material with ease.
Also, since Sony takes advantage of the “open source” format, ePub, the PRS-650 can download and display eBooks from any source, not just the Sony Store, which offers a million titles alone. And that content can be transferred to other devices, through your computer, if you later decide to get a different ePub-based eReader.
The biggest downside is the lack of a Wi-Fi (or 3G) connection on Sony’s smaller units. That includes the Sony PRS 350. The Sony PRS 950 has both. That keeps the unit tethered to a computer whenever you need to download material. Still, for the price break, most real users consider this a small inconvenience.
With the Sony Touch (PRS-650), the company has finally entered competitive territory in the eReader space.
Image by Getty Images via @daylife
Those familiar with Sony’s previous eReader models are in for a very pleasant surprise. Gone are many of the problems that directed consumers to other manufacturers’ products. The latest Sony Pocket Edition (PRS-350) is a true competitor in the small eReader arena.
The complaints about glare from the screen will now be a thing of the past. Thanks to a re-engineered display incorporating the latest Pearl E Ink technology, the view is high contrast and super crisp, even in this smaller unit.
That form factor is one of the major selling points of this particular model. For those looking for the smallest and lightest possible device – something approaching or equaling smartphone range – the PRS-350 is your eReader.
Measuring a diminutive 5.71 inches tall x 4.11 inches wide x 0.33 inch thick, this unit will be comfortable to hold for even the smallest hands. And, at a featherweight 5.64 ounces, you could read an entire book and experience no more finger fatigue than you would with a physical paperback.
Fortunately, you still get most of the electronic enhancements that have made eReaders a real threat to traditional brick and mortar bookstores. The touchscreen lets you choose titles, change font size, make notes, and more. And, even this tiny model stores around 1,200 books, much more than the personal library size of all but the most avid book collectors.
The one big downside is that the PRS-350 lacks Wi-Fi or 3G connectivity. Unlike its larger brother, the PRS-950 (which has both), purchasing a new book requires the use of a PC or Mac and transferring manually to the Sony Pocket. Luckily, the software you do that with is ultra-easy to use.
One other downside, a minor one (at least to most eReader customers), is the Pocket’s lack of audio playback capability. The larger PRS-950 supports MP3, but those who opt for the PRS-350 will have to forego listening to music while reading. It also lacks the storage expansion capability (via microSD or Memory Stick) of Sony’s two larger models, the Touch (PRS-650) and the Daily Edition (PRS-950).
Still, you can download PDFs, Word docs, text files, and more. This is truly a universal reader. And because the Pocket supports the ePub format, you can get eBooks from any source, not just the Sony Store. That includes any participating library that has an eBook downloading feature on their website, as more and more do all the time. Avid readers can get free, public domain eBooks from epubbooks.com, too.
Users used to seeing pictures on a cell phone will have no trouble with images, either. The screen is very small compared to, say, the Kindle DX’s (or the Apple iPad’s) 9.7 inches (diagonal). It’s even small compared to the ‘standard’ 6 inches offered by most, like the Nook or the smaller Kindle. But, the Sony Pocket supports JPEG, PNG, GIF, and BMP image formats for viewing photos and more that have fine resolution.
If you’re looking for a truly portable, yet full-function eReader, the Sony Pocket Edition (PRS-350) should be at the top of your “must review” list.
Image by juhansonin via Flickr
The Sony Reader may not be the first option on everyone’s list, but everyone should give it a good, long look before making a final decision. That’s even more true with the latest version, the Daily Edition (otherwise known as the PRS-950).
The form factor is in the same neighborhood as the better known Amazon Kindle and the Barnes & Noble Nook. Sony’s model measures 5 inches wide x 8.1 inches tall x 0.7 inches thick and weighs 12.7 oz.
That puts it on the slightly larger side of the scale, but still well within coat pocket range. No one will suffer from hand or arm fatigue with this baby. By the way, a leather-like cover ships with the device, unlike with the Kindle, which offers one only as a hefty-price add-on.
The screen, not surprisingly given the company’s long history in the TV and PC space, does them proud here. The 7.1 inch E Ink screen is a bit larger than the Kindle’s (and Nook’s) 6 inch displays.
The difference can be noticeable, given that the larger size is much closer to the standard paperback text area. It achieves the size by foregoing the physical keyboard found on the Kindle, substituting a touchscreen instead.
The page display is reasonably zippy, as most E Ink screens are, albeit a little slower than an LCD. No one will have any reason to squint, either, thanks to a dedicated Size button that allows you to choose any of six typeface sizes from Small to Extra-Extra Large.
There’s no onboard accelerometer to automatically flip the text when you change from portrait to landscape, but you can do it manually with ease. Swiping the touchscreen (to move from one page to the next) is another nice feature for those still fond of physical books, as most avid readers are. Holding the pressure at the end of a swipe allows flipping through multiple pages at high speed, too.
The newer Sony model is especially welcome for adding wireless 3G, which enables reasonably fast downloads virtually anywhere. Wi-Fi hotspots are proliferating but you still need to be near one to use that service. The 3G network is almost everywhere. And now you can download books, periodicals, and documents without being tethered to the PC or Mac, unlike previous models.
When you’ve connected to that network you’ll be glad that the Sony Daily Edition offers an optional memory card in the form of either a microSD or Memory Stick Pro. Download as many books (in ePub or other formats), PDFs, Word docs, and more as you want and never worry about having to delete anything to make room for more. And, unlike the Amazon Kindle or Barnes and Noble Nook, the Sony can get content from any eBook source around including the Sony store, which offers a million titles.
That storage space will come in even handier if you like to load up with a lot of MP3s to listen to while reading. And, given the support for AAC audio you’ll have an even wider range of listening content from which to choose. The Reader also provides a place to put images, which the Daily Edition supports in the form of JPGs, GIFs, PNGs, and BMPs.
Yes, the Sony Reader Daily Edition (PRS-950) has definitely earned a place on every eReader buyer’s “must see” list.
Image by Cloned Milkmen via Flickr
Borders has done some catching up to allow the Kobo to compete with the latest line of eReaders from Amazon, Sony, and more. Even the Barnes and Noble Nook has superior features. Still, given that the device is associated with one of the largest bookstore chains, it’s an interesting offering.
The original Kobo (named for the online bookstore connected with Borders) lacked Wi-Fi or 3G connectivity. But then, so do the smaller Sony eReaders, the PRS-650 (Touch) and the PRS-350 (Pocket). That’s been rectified in the new model. It also compensates somewhat by providing Bluetooth connectivity to wirelessly sync with some smartphones. That at least lets you update your book collection away from home.
Unfortunately, the Kobo’s other specs are unimpressive. It offers only 1 GB of internal storage, half the Kindle’s 2 GB. On the upside, it does have an SD card expansion slot to add up to 16 GB, unlike the Kindle.
The original plan was to offer an admittedly simple device at a much lower price point than the Kindle, et al. Unfortunately for Borders, the advantage of their low offer very quickly got erased when Amazon lowered the price of the Wi-Fi-only Kindle model. Borders responded by lowering the price with the latest Kobo model.
Worse still is the screen. It matches the Kindle’s size at 6 inches, and does use the E Ink display technology, but the resolution is a paltry 800 x 600. It’s certainly decent and viewable without eyestrain, but no one will get particularly excited about it. Still, the color section is handy, like that of the Sony Pocket.
When the Kobo lacked wireless connectivity (like the smaller Sony models), books were purchased by loading an application onto your PC or Mac and connecting the Kobo via the supplied USB cable. It was handy that the app was stored right on the device, so you didn’t have to download anything, but that’s a pretty minor bonus. Now, you can download them via Wi-Fi, a definite improvement.
One interesting feature is the ability to transfer files to the Kobo from a BlackBerry via its Bluetooth connectivity. Since there are a lot of BlackBerry smartphones around, that could come in handy for many. The BlackBerry has a Kobo app that makes this straightforward.
Borders made an intelligent decision to support the ePub format, which allows users to get eBooks from any source, not just the company’s Kobo store. That includes public domain eBooks from library websites and other online sources. The unit also supports reading PDFs. However, the Kobo lacks any support for audio or MP3 and can’t even view JPEG images.
On the whole, we’d be inclined to say “Skip the Kobo” because there are lots of other good eReaders on the market at this price now. Still, there are literally millions of Border customers and having a device from the company means it’s definitely worth a look at the Borders Kobo.
Image by erskinelibrary via Flickr
The Barnes & Noble Nook may or may not be an Amazon Kindle killer. Part of the conclusion will ultimately come down to personal taste. But objective features and price will play a role, too, as will the amount of content offered by their stores.
Certainly, the Nook has some seriously competitive features. First and foremost is the dual screen. The Nook offers a similar 6 inch, black-and-white, E Ink display, but adds a very handy 3.5 inch color touchscreen LCD for feature navigation.
That touchscreen can be used for turning pages (apart from the Back and Forward buttons on the side) as well as for buying books and taking notes. In addition to other menu-navigation features, it lets you choose a book by its cover (a tiny color graphic). Users can also swap in and out a virtual keyboard, something the physical keyboard of the Kindle doesn’t allow.
At an easy-to-hold 7.7 inches high x 4.9 inches wide x 0.5 inches thick, this device will fit comfortably in all but the smallest hands. Weighing only 12.1 ounces (343 grams), reading any of the up to 1,500 books it will hold will cause no fatigue. And, fortunately, though the 2 GB storage is half the latest Kindle model, it can be expanded by a microSD card, unlike its chief rival.
Like one Kindle version, it offers 3G connectivity in addition to Wi-Fi, and unlimited Wi-Fi access is available at all Barnes and Noble stores for free. Unlike the Amazon offering, that 3G connectivity is free from AT & T.
With 10 days of (average use) battery life, you won’t have to care about anyone else’s specs in this area. Except for the longest vacations, few will mind plugging it in once in a while. And, since the battery recharges in about 3.5 hours, it’s portable again pretty quickly. Of course, for the truly needy, one could purchase an additional battery. Unlike the Kindle, the one in the Nook is user-replaceable.
Also unlike the Kindle, the Nook supports the “open source” format, ePub, along with its own PDB, Adobe’s PDF, and more. There is support for a wide variety of graphic formats, including JPG, GIF, PNG, and BMP. With a screen this size, it won’t replace your laptop, but it’s useful for photo viewing and other purposes.
Also unlike the Kindle, you can read eBooks purchased from sites other than Barnes & Noble’s own. Viewing content originally stored on your PC, Mac, iPhone, and BlackBerry is possible, too. Added to that differentiating feature is the ability to (temporarily) loan your eBook to others.
The content possibilities are immense, too. Amazon offers over 700,000 books in its Kindle store, an impressive number to be sure. But the Barnes & Noble store adds to that number bringing it to 1 million by adding a large number of public domain books. That won’t be of any interest to most readers, but for those who love old, old books (out of copyright by virtue of age) it’s a nice feature. Naturally, that number also includes almost all the latest bestsellers.
The Barnes and Noble Nook eReader doesn’t offer a ton of dazzling features that put it well beyond the Amazon Kindle. But the Nook uses Google’s Android operating system under the covers. So, it could add features later via Internet download/update. So, an already very good device could actually grow after your purchase into a great one. That sounds like a killer competitor to me.
