With all the buzz about the new generation of e-readers and with so many companies looking to jump on the bandwagon, you might think that we need another one like a cat needs dog supplies, but The Nook, Barnes & Noble’s answer to the much-hyped Kindle 2.0 is something to get excited about. Not only does it offer many of the same features as the Kindle, The Nook is offering some features that the Kindle does not. For example, the Lend Me feature allows ebooks to be lent-out for 14 days at a time. The Nook also offers more free ebooks than the Kindle and more ebooks overall. Another feature is its Android-based operating system with a crisp, full-color touchscreen display. I still think ebooks are priced too high, but this reader, selling for $259, is something to watch out for in the new year.
Patricia | 28-Oct-09 at 1:11 pm | Permalink
I am following the ongoing battle of the eReaders. I intend to get one when the price becomes more reasonable. I’m curious. Can books formatted for one eReader (say Kindle) be downloaded to another type?
John Erianne | 29-Oct-09 at 2:27 am | Permalink
That’s a good question, Patricia. Although all ebooks start-out as HTML source files, they are usually compiled and formated into different file types. There are a number of different formats — it does variy according to the device. The Kindle uses its own bastardized form of Mobipocket. The Nook will use EReader format, I’m told. My old PDA used Microsoft Lit format. Some use Adobe PDF. I have the same problem. Can’t afford one. Although, this Nook looks like it might be better than Kindle . . . and a tiny bit cheaper. Will have to see if all this competition starts up a price war.