Cyber Monday Spotlight: Amazon Kindle vs. Barnes & Noble Nook

Posted on 11. Nov, 2010 by shopzilla in Cyber Monday

One of the hottest selling gadgets this Cyber Monday is bound to be electronic book readers. These were very popular last year during the holiday shopping season and they’re expected to exceed those numbers significantly this time around. The two most popular electronic book dealers are Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Amazon offers the Kindle while Barnes & Noble produces the Nook and the brand new Nook Color. So which one is right for you? Cyber Monday Specials is here to give you the necessary information so you can decide which one to get this holiday season.

*Barnes & Noble also has a Wi-Fi only version of the Nook for $149 as well.

Most electronic books on both dedicated content services are $9.99 (or less) per book. So if you’re concerned about comparative pricing of the e-books themselves, they are roughly the same on both networks. As you can see in that chart above, Barnes & Noble’s e-book network is more extensive than Amazon’s. However, Amazon offers a more extensive selection of electronic magazines, newspapers, and blogs. The big differences between the two companies’ products are the touch screen capabilities (advantage Barnes & Noble), the text to speech capabilities (advantage Amazon), the color screen (advantage Barnes & Noble Nook Color), and the 3G capabilities (advantage Barnes & Noble Nook). Furthermore, both retailers offer specially designed covers to protect your e-book reader (several different styles and colors for each), but the Kindle offers an extensive collection of device skins that the Nook (either version) does not match up to. My final note on the specifications of all three devices is that these are fairly expensive pieces of electronic equipment and neither should be used as a super ball or a flotation device. In other words, if any of these are dropped or if any of them get wet, serious damage can be done. Both Amazon and Barnes & Noble offer warranties and protection plans that should be read carefully before purchasing.

Note for Apple users: if you own an Apple iPad, you can download the Amazon Kindle application instead of buying an electronic book reader. With this application, you have access to most of Amazon’s e-book library at identical or near-identical prices as the Kindle. The application is designed specifically for the iPad and includes a touchscreen interface and allows you to read in either portrait or landscape mode. You can download this application from the iPad app store on your device.

All things considered, the Barnes & Noble Nook is probably the best e-book reader on the market at this time. It makes a fantastic gift to your bookworm friends and family, so check it out on the Barnes & Noble website to discover the Nook’s versatility.