The Best Ebook Readers Around

You could be forgiven to think the only eBook readers in the world were made by Amazon. The publicity surrounding the launch of the Kindle 2 and Kindle DX has overshadowed most of the other offerings out there and you would be forgiven for not noticing them in the marketplace.

The eBook reader is a contentious gadget at the moment. Many people simply cannot decide if they are a viable replacement for the traditional paperback or not.

While the prices remain high, they aren’t going to receive universal approval for some time yet. DRM and compatibility also rears its ugly head here too. It seems we simply can’t escape companies trying to lock each other out of their devices.

While the different brands of reader are still fighting about compatibility, the consumer cannot make their mind up about which way to jump. We saw this recently with HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray. People simply didn’t know which one to choose so waited until the manufacturers sorted it out themselves. I think the same will happen with eBook readers. Once all the DRM nonsense is sorted, I believe uptake will pick up.

Out of the current models available, apart from the obvious, there are the Sony Reader Touch, Interead Cool-ER and the Nook from Barnes and Noble. Research into all available has shown these three to be the best Kindle alternatives.

Everybody knows about the Kindle, and Amazon have set themselves up to be the one to beat, or at least be compared against. So let’s oblige them and explore the others a bit more using the Kindle 2 as the yardstick.

The Nook is an excellent piece of kit from Barnes and Noble, and a viable, and cheaper alternative to the Kindle 2. It has a touch screen, MicroSD slot, WiFi and a removable battery, all of which the Kindle lacks. It also has a multi-touch 3.5 inch color display which can be read quite clearly from a short distance. The color makes a surprising difference, especially when viewing images or book covers. It is certainly more attractive than the grayscale of some of the other readers around.

The main advantage of the Nook is it’s more open access policy. It can read PDF documents, books from Barnes and Noble stores and nearly half a million public domain books care of Google – none of which the Kindle does. The other advantage is that you can actually see it and try it in-store. That makes a surprising difference when choosing something like this.

Using the Nook is easy, the intuitive menu system is clear and simple to use. Another bonus, is the “Loan” feature, where you can lend a book to another Nook user or someone with a PC, Mac or iPhone.

Barnes and Noble have really thought about their device. They have them in all their stores for buyers to touch and feel. This is more likely to convert than any special offers. If you’re an existing Nook owner, it will automatically connect to the B&N network as you enter the store and display specials, coupons and any other message they want you to see.

If any of these devices are going to give the Kindle a run for its money, it’s the Nook. It’s cooler, more colorful and more open than the Kindle which counts for a lot.