Amazon Kindle Reader vs Sony Reader vs Nook – battle of the ebook readers
Digital ebook readers have become a part of our lives in the last years, allowing us to keep in touch with our favorite books, magazines and newspapers in a new way, being easier and more comfortable to use. There are a couple of different devices in this class available on the market right now, but out of the mass, 3 brands manage to outperform all the others:
- Amazon’s Kindles – most popular digital readers in the entire world, the Kindle’s come with good features, excellent prices and access to a vast collection of content. They are available in a couple of different versions, with different screen sizes.
- Sony’s eBook readers – some of the pioneers in this domain and available in a couple of different forms, they do not offer the features or the build quality of the Kindle’s, but compensate with more affordable prices
- Barnes and Nobble’s Nook – a popular device in the US, is sold via the B&N libraries and also offers access to tons of content. Comes with a very good price and some extra features over the other readers, like a small touchscreen.
In the last years I’ve been able to come in contact with all these gadgets above, mostly because of my job as an editor for a big online IT magazine. Thus I was able to form a good idea on the pros and cons of each of the readers presented above. In the next rows I’m going to share my knowledge about them with you, so keep reading below (an update of this part will be available soon, so stay tuned).
The Amazon Kindle digital reader
Amazon is right now one the biggest network of online stores in the world and for sure one of the most trustworthy. They started out as an online bookstore, but now sell nearly everything. And their prices are most of the time unbeatable.
————-
Update: In the meantime, Amazon launched the Kindle 3, an improvement of the previous generation, with a new design, better display and reduced price. It now sells in the States for $139 for the version with Wi-Fi , or for $189 for the one with Wi-Fi + 3G. More details are available in here, including pictures and reviews from buyers.
This new version makes the Kindle an even stronger competitor for the Nook and Sony Reader. Expect an update of this post also soon, in the mean time check for more info on the Kindle 3 via this link.
————-
6 inch Amzon Kindle - most popular digital reader in the world
In order to meet the demanding need for books and cope with the facts that classic paper novels are a burden to carry around, Amazon invented the Kindle: a compact electronic gadget that can store hundreds of books, newspapers, magazines or images/songs and can provide the same reading experience as on a regular book.
As you know, regular displays may cause headaches and watery eyes when used for a longer period of time. Also, when used outside in strong light conditions, you’ll barely be able to distinguish anything on them. That’s why digital readers use a different technology: e-ink displays. Shortly, these screens simulate a regular page from a book. Reading from them is exactly as reading from a printed paper, but you get some bonuses: you can adjust the levels of darkness desired for the texts, you can re-size fonts, you can search inside books, can made annotations and others.
Kindle DX - the bigger, more versatile reader
The Kindle was not the first such device on the market but it was the one that revolutionized this field and made these gadgets so popular. So popular in fact that last year, for the first time ever, more digital books were sold during the Christmas period than classic printed ones. And that’s something.
At the moment the current Kindle generations are the most popular ebook readers in the world and for most, the best. I too consider them the best pick you could make right now, and here’s why:
- they are very solid and ergonomic built and in terms of design, are not that bad either
- they come with top features for such devices: adjusting perspective (portrait or landscape), high quality displays with many different shades of gray to pick from, QWERTY keyboards, free 3G, speakers, decent amount of memory, text to speech applications , etc
- provide access to Amazon’s collection of content, one of the biggest in the world. And also one of the cheaper, where popular books cost just around $9.99 (including bestsellers), where you can also find over 1.500.000 free titles and where you can get many US and International newspapers, magazines and podcasts for affordable monthly plans
- content can be bought very fast from the device via the Free 3G connection that works in 100+ countries in the world (for the International versions of the Kindles)
- you get PDF-reader and support for all kind of files, like TXT, DOC, MP3, JPG, etc (some through conversion)
- come with a basic browser that will work OK with static pages and applications for your favorite social services, like Facebook and Twitter
- you get battery life of 1 to 2 weeks
And many more. The cooler part is that the Kindles are now available internationally in more than 100 countries in the world (until last year, you could only order a Kindle if you were living in the US). Amazon ships them directly to your door, but be aware that shipping fees will apply.
Now, there are two different versions of the Kindle reader available on the market:
- 6 inch Kindle 2 – compact and light, great for traveling and selling for only $189 right now. See here more details, reviews from previous buyers or get one.
- 9.7 inch Kindle DX – better for reading newspapers and magazines, the DX comes with a bigger screen, more memory and some extra features over the Kindle 2. It is available in white for $359 or in graphite for $379 (this version also packs an improved display, with up to 50% better contrast). Click the links for more details about them.
The two Kindles next to each other
All in all, the Kindles are for sure my pick right now for a digital reader. I actually prefer the DX because it is more versatile and allows more types of content comfortably displayed on its screen. Still, they are quite expensive and have some limitations (you can’t buy books from other online libraries except Amazon and only books from Amazon will work on this device, for instance), but I can one can live with these minor inconveniences.
Barnes & Noble Nook digital reader
Advertised as a Kindle Killer, the Nook is a digital ebook reader produced by Barnes & Noble. You’ll only going to get this one if you live in the US, and if you do, you probably already know that B&N is one of the biggest chains of libraries in the country. So the Nook has a strong backup.
B&N Nook - 6 inch reader with lots of strong points
The Nook entered the market years after the first Kindle and with some goodies Amazon’s device lack. Here they are:
- the Nook reader comes with a small LCD touchscreen on its upper face, just underneath the e-ink display (a 6 inch one like on the Kindle). This allows users to easily scroll through menus and books covers, making shopping for content a more pleasant experience
- also, it comes with Wi-Fi connectivity so you can get online easier and cheaper
- it uses a proprietary B&N file system for the books you’re getting from them, but unlike the Kindle, also works with other types of books, with support for public library eBooks and Google public domain ePUB books.
- allows to pick from 3 different font-styles, while the Kindle does not
- support PDF files but layout gets messed up quite often
- allows users to lend books to others for 14 days
Last but not least, there’s one big advantage the Nook has over all other competitors. With B&N having a vast network of shops around the country, you can easily go and see the device in action before buying it, which you can’t actually do with the Kindle or the Sony Reader.
Nook vs the Kindle 2 - nearly the same in terms of size and design
All in all, the Nook and the Kindle 2 are more or less similar. The Kindle is lighter and more compact, has better battery life, autonomy and comes with keyboard. The Nook on the other hand comes with a very useful touchscreen. In terms of content, both Amazon and B&N offer loads of titles and types of content. And although prices might be a tad smaller on Amazon’s network, B&N are conducting a fierce price battle on their end too. What’s perhaps the most important strong point Nook has over the Kindle readers is its compatibility with more types of content, mainly with ePUB books that you can download and get on your device via Wi-Fi or microSD card. That’s just somthing the current Kindles can’t compete with.
In terms of prices, there are two different Nooks available the basic version for $149, only with Wi-Fi connectivity but all the other things. And for $199 you can get the 3G version. More details about them can be found in here. Like i said though, the Nook is only available in the US and i doubt that’s going to change too soon.
The Sony Reader
Last but not least in our list is the Sony Reader, and there are in fact a couple of different devices under this brand. The most popular are the 6 inch Touch Edition and the 7.1 inch Daily Edition. Both come with touch-displays and are somewhat more compact, eliminating space needed for the keyboard on the Kindle or extra display on the Nook. They are however bulkier and thicker.
Having touch-eink screen is comfortable for surfing around and inking, but makes the quality of the display poorer. Thus, screens on the Sony Reader offer slightly lower contrast and are more prone to glare when used outside or in direct light.
Sony Readers - Touch and Daily Editions
Of course, Sony lacks the power of Amazon or B&N in the States, but their products are still very popular. Mainly because they chose to use an open format for the books supported. That means that devices will work with Sony bookstore books and other eBooks as long as they’re in standard Adobe ePUB or PDF format. They won’t work with proprietary B&N or Kindle books though. But you also get the option to lend your content to others or see TXT or Words documents (with conversion).
And you can add some other advantages too, like the fact that battery is disposable so you can easily replace it if needed or the ability to use these readers for inking and taking notes with a stylus. However, the Sony’s are quite expensive when compared to the other two. So while the 6 inch Sony Reader Touch Edition goes for $169, the 7.1 inch Sony Reader Daily Edition will cost $299 and that’s quite a lot. See links for more details about both of them.
Conclusions
All in all, choosing one device over the other is not that simple. You can’t really say one is better than the rest, each has its strong and poor points.
If you already have such a device and already own a collection of content for it, it’s easier for you: stick with that brand, otherwise you will have compatibility problems when migrating to another platform.
If you’re a first time buyer on the other hand, your choices are tougher. Right now i would go for the Kindle because I believe digital readers are more a support for the content you can get, and Amazon has the biggest library with the best prices. Of course the Nook and Sony Readers do support ePUB books, but you won’t find modern titles easily on that format and if you do, they will not always work as they should (you’ll get formatting problems).
Still, a lot might change in the near future in this domain and new digital readers will enter the market. So keep a look on this post, as this list of Amazon Kindle vs Sony Reader vs Nook will for sure get new members in the near future.
Both of these units are rip offs. Let me tell you why!
You can buy a 7″ LCD picture frame that can display your digital pictures for $75. Then why should someone pay for the Sony or Amazon readers $300 or $400?
If some one could add to a picture frame the necessary hardware/software combination that could display ebooks in ANY format, and could market it for $99 there would be a sure winner. If they could also add a wireless radio in to it, with a built in web browser like the Kindle, it would replace the lap top for many travelers.
Irrespective of the format of the ebook, I should be able to read any book on any format, that I don’t have to convert to LIT or PDF! I will not pay money to read the books ONLY in the Sony format or Microsoft format.
Come on Chinese manufacturers, it is time to design and dump millions of these gadgets for under $99!
I have the Sony Reader and think it’s great. I was quite suprised SONY supported so many formats, not typical for SONY. However SONY does have some short comings. First the software that comes with the product is garbage.
I’ve read many reviews and I think many of the reviews miss 1 HUGE point. In the long run Amazon is MUCH cheaper than the sony device. Amazon might be $100 more but buy 10 books and soon you will break even. (Most of the books I’m interested in cost $20 or more on paperback). SONY tends to give a little discount for the eBooks but Amazon caps all books at $9.99. While both suffer from a lack of supply I tend to find SONY has much less support than Amazon. This has been a real fustration for me. Personally I would like to take full advantage of my reader and purchase or re-purchase books so that I may store them on my reader. But this is a vent on just ebooks alone.
Where SONY does shine is that there are a lot of good 3rd party tools (free) that allow one to convert HTML/Text/MS Word files to SONY’s format, which is optimized for their display.
I’m very happy with my SONY Reader and think it looks very slick, batter life is amazing. But if I could redo the purchase I think I would go with Amazon for the reasons mentioned above. Having the ability to immediately(EVDO) go online a buy a book very cheap ($10) is really the heart of what makes the eBooks reader so attractive.
I have a sony ebook and am not happy with it at all. I have had nothing but problems. I purchased the extended warranty and have nothing but problems getting them to honor it. It freezes and I have to push the reset button to recharge it. Then it won’t remember my bookmark. I would not recommend it to anyone until they get the issues addressed.
I own the Sony ebook reader and am real happy with it. Not only will it work with many formats, but 3rd party software exists that will allow you to make ebooks from even more, including Microsoft’s Ebook format (LIT) so you can buy almost any format (except kindle or Mobi) and read them on sony.
I have the Sony Reader and for the purpose of reading a book, it is great. (getting it form Sony and viewing it on the device).
I noticed it would freeze when I tried reading pdfs with links embedded into the file, but would get it to work by turning off the device. There was no need to re-size the file but when zooming into the file, there were some strange display issues but still legible.
It is great for taking to the gym or other places since the battery life lasts practically forever and it is sleek and small enough to fit in a small purse.
I have read that kindle offers a user the ability to buy books directly from amazon, but in reality, how many books can you really read at one time and is there an urgency to get a book then and there? Waiting to get to a PC isn’t that big of a deal. And if you are purchasing a reader, chances are you have PC connectivity, so it is not a big deal whether you have to connect to a PC…thinking about it, I have a iphone, where I could purchase widgets directly to it and sure it is nice to have, but I noticed it really isn’t’ necessary over time but just made it just too easy to spend my money. I figure it is the same idea for Sony reader verses the Kindle.
I haven’t tested the kindle, but if you are torn, I hope this helps.
I have the Sony reader. There are many books posted on the internet in the newsgroups and using available programs to convert them to the LRF format of the reader is straightforward.
There is also websites that show hacks to change the function of the various buttons on the reader to make it function better.
For instance the numbered buttons on the reader step you thru a percentage of the book. A hack changes them to go to a particular page number. The readers will only improve but right now I prefer the Sony reader.
While the Kindle may not natively support PDFs, DOCs, etc you can easily either use 3rd party tools to convert them or just email them to Amazon and have them convert them for you. For 10 cents they’ll covert it and wirelessly transmit it to your device or for free they’ll email it back to you. It’s actually pretty slick. I’ve tried both and I have to say despite its odd shape the Kindle came out well ahead after a while just in terms of how well it worked and some of the features.
Hi, I’ve just bought the PR-505 as a present for my partner and am thinking about keeping it myself. The battery life is impressive and given we will be reading mainly books freely available on Gutenberg and free books I don’t have any issues with whose software is best or whose books are the cheapest. As for the first posters comment about lcd screens, just try reading for a couple of hours on an lcd screen and you’ll see why the e-ink screens are special. very special. I also link the leather case although have concerns about how well this willl protect the screen in the long run.
I have been using a Sony Reader PR500 for quite some time now & I love it. Previously I used a LCD PPC & I can say there is no comparison – the epaper beats the LCD hands down. The display is MUCH clearer & a battery charge on the Sony lasts 3 weeks instead of the 3 hours (or less) on the LCD. It was suggested a much cheaper reader could be sold based on a LCD digital picture frame type device. While this is quite possible it would not be portable since it would require full time use of an AC adapter & still wouldn’t have as clear a screen. I agree the price for epaper readers is too high, they will come down as the technology gets better. The newer Sony is already $100 cheaper.
Actually, Amazon.com has released the international version of the Kindle for all to enjoy…
Yes, there is an option to download through the internet. Just access ‘Manage your Kindle’ from the ‘your account’ menu on the amazon.com website and there you can download the content into the computer and transfer it onto the device (Documents folder)
I live in China and I was wondering does anyone know if the Kindle will still work such as the internet…and will I be able to charge it without having to but a transformer?
I’m not sure if it supports Chinese characters. But if you want to use it for English books, it should work just fine. As for the charger, you’re probably going to need and adapter, but that shouldn’t cost more than 5 bucks.
I just received the Sony touch edition PRS-600. The design of the reader is very nice and I like the feel, but that’s as far as I can go with this paper weight. The software doesn’t work on a MAC system like they say it does. The software for this paper weight is the worst software I have ever seen. It dose not respond to any input, it is a big waste of time and resources on the computer.
I don’t want to have to reload a book to meet another different format. The amount that this reader costs, you shouldn’t have to do anything but download a book and read it. Sounds simple, but these readers are a long way from being a simple easy alternative to a book.
I have other Sony electronics that seems to work the same way as the software for the reader, very very slow.
I HAVE RETURNED MY SONY TOUCH EDITION READER, going to stay with paper for a long time.
Don , a lot has changed from 2007 till now. I will make an updated version of this post, based on the new Kindle and the Sony Reader. For now, i do have to say that o totally recommend the Kindle, as you can see in my recent post where i compare some of the best available readers: http://www.mikesquarter.com/best-ebook-readers-offers-reviews-and-comparisons-587/
When it comes to which ebook reader is best I have to say hands down its Amazon’s Kindles.
The new versions of the Kindle read many different formats and the Newest Kindle DX is a native PDF reader.
Add that to the fact Kindles are wireless, to me its a no brainer!
Free wireless for life with the Kindle made it an easy choice for me.
I teach a small class and often scan portions of books to prepare discussion guides. Would Kindel be able to send “stuff” to my computer?
OK Im sorry but I have to say that Sony is the winner… and here is why:
- Sony is compatible with multiple eBook stores and with the kindle you can only purchase books from Amazon
-With Sony you can access to 1 million free public domain titles from Google books
-with sony you can borrow ebooks from the libraries
-Sony is compatible with Mac and PC
-Sony is touch screen
-has expandable memory
-you are able to bookmark,highlight and zoom and take notes freehand with the stylus that comes with it.
Not sure what you meant be send stuff. Do you meant send documents wirelessly somehow? if that’s the case, then no, you can’t, as this device doesn’t come with wi-fi (capable od doing that) or Bluetooth.
I received the kindle for Xmas and like it very much, however, I am told that with the Sony, you can download from the library for free. Is this true? My friend is contemplating buying a Sony for this reason.
Well, since you live outside the US why don’t you take a look at the BeBook that is coming out at the end of this month. I have some info about it on my blog and it seems to be a good competitor. It’s made by a Dutch company. Both the Kindle and Sonys are great choices. I personally would say go with the Kindle, but they’re pretty close.
I have a sony touchscreen and absolutely love it. Even the inconvenience of having to link to my computer is worth it to have the various types of docs. able to be loaded and read later. What I am having problems with it that some of my books, and I have well over 300 on my computer right now, load onto my reader beautifully, but the title won’t show in the library. Rather it shows a document with the file number. I have called Sony, and that didn’t give me any real help. How can I change the titles on the reader to show what the book is rather than having a series of letters and numbers? Anyone have any ideas?
I really don’t see the point of an ebook reader at all.
They cost as much as 60 paperbacks to begin with, you have a limited choice of books, and worse yet, ebooks cost as much or more than the real thing.
If ebooks were half price I’d understand the attraction.
I can pick up a paperback and resell it on amazon after and recover around 70% of my costs, or even pick up a second hand paperback up for $1.
Lester, how about when traveling. I do like the feel of regular books, but when traveling for 2-3 weeks with the airplane, i can barely take 2 titles with me. With the Kindle I can have how many i want, plus i can buy more from anywhere in just a couple of minutes. So…
I will be the first person to comment on Nook. I received my device for Christmas as a gift. I did have some issues on the beginning resulting from bugged firmware. But I continued to use it on everyday basis. Then, the updates started. And I have to say that all my problems went away, plus some unexpected improvement came in. I highly recommend this device for books and documents written in English. micro-SD slot makes it possible to hold hundreds of books at the same time. The battery is very good, especially with networking disabled, but does not hold for as much as kindle. I charge my Nook once a week, and use it everyday for 2 – 5 hrs. On the good side, the battery is replaceable. However, the service is the field where Nook beats everything else, hands down. When you break your device, B&N will send you a new one before you even return yours. The phone help is knowledgeable, and a real person i B&N store is a lifesaver. The only downside is character display. Nook will not display ISO-8859-2 correctly in epub. Fortunately, you can see them correctly in PDF.
As a side note I will mention that Nook runs on Android OS, and is rooted up to the newest firmware version. It is possible to install more software on it, and more software for Nook is on the way.
I highly recommend Nook for English text. I do also recommend Kindle, which I bought for my fiance (due to ISO issues, and simplicity of “analog” keyboard), and Sony, which is a great reader.
I am a teacher interested in using them for my whole class in 6th grade. Has anyone done this yet and which model would be most user friendly? Also, I want a model that can download library books – is that only on the Sony? Last question, can we share the books will all the models, purchasing one and sharing them? Thanks for any advice.
I purchased a Sony PRS-500 several years ago. I took out the extended warranty at the time, as well. I have been extremely pleased both with the reader’s performance, the availability of reasonably priced books and the service offered by Sony. I dropped and destroyed my reader the first month I had it and the warranty covered the total cost for replacement. I am an avid reader–I always have a book with me anywhere I go, either in my hand or in my purse–so I purchase a fairly large number of books. I have located several vendors who offer compatible formats at much lower costs than the Sony store as well as software to allow for format conversion, although purchasing books from the Sony store does have advantages such as unlimited downloads of purchased books whereas some vendors offer a limited window of time and/or number of downloads allowed. If there was anything I would like to have to improve my reader, it would be a backlight (??) which would allow for reading in the dark, but I can certainly live without it. I’m thinking about replacing my current reader with a newer one (I don’t really need a new one, though) and passing this one on to one of my children. If I do so, I will certainly choose a Sony again. Having had such a great experience with the reader I currently have, I wouldn’t consider any other brand.
Joleen, all devices should now get books in PDF format. Still, i doubt any of them actually allow sharing books. You’ll have to buy them for each device