Kindle vs. Nook: A Battle of the E-Readers

It seems like almost everyone around us has some sort of smart phone that keeps them connected to their contacts, email, and the web. The question that arises is how will people choose to take their news and books with them. While Amazon was by no means the first to launch an e-reader, the Kindle, released in November of 2007, was one of the first devices that really gave credibility to the idea that digital e-readers might be the future of portable news and book content. The Kindle offers impressive features like battery life measured in days, the ability to store thousands of books, and lifetime 3G wireless connectivity for downloading new content.On Tuesday, October 20, Barnes and Noble announced their new e-reader, the Nook. The Nook shares similar features with Amazon's Kindle like 3G, WiFi, and an electronic ink screen. However, the Nook has some pretty interesting features that may have some people reconsidering their Kindle purchase. The Nook offers an Android based operating system which opens the door to a multitude of applications on Google's rapidly expanding mobile operating system. The Nook gives its users the option to increase the storage capacity of the drive through the addition of a micro SD card. The two most interesting features, in my opinion, are the Nook's ability to share books, and browse complete books while in a Barnes and Noble store. Nook users can share e-books they have purchased with anyone running Barnes and Noble's e-reader on devices like Blackberrys and iPhones for up to 14 days. Amazon is only selling the Kindle online, and Barnes and Noble plans to offer the device for sale at their brick-and-mortar locations. It will be interesting to see if the Kindle can gain the upper hand with its longer presence in the e-book market or if the Nook will take the stage with features like its Android based operating system and ability to share content.