Nook Vs. Kindle: New Chapter In E-Reader Battle
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E-books: Depending on your point of view, they're either the savior or the destroyer of the publishing business.So far, Amazon has dominated the market. Its first Kindle electronic reading device debuted two years ago, and the company just announced that its third-quarter profits surged almost 70 percent, thanks largely to sales of new Kindle models.
Sony and a few other companies have also launched e-readers, but this week saw the debut of what could be the Kindle's first serious competitor: the Nook. It's made by the other giant of book-selling: Barnes & Noble.
Gizmodo's Matt Buchanan has been playing with both the Nook and the Kindle. He says what stands out about Barnes & Noble's new reader is the color LCD touch screen at the bottom of the device that allows users to browse book covers. It's similar, he says, to the "cover flow" feature familiar to Apple customers who flip through album covers on iTunes or with their iPhones.
And there's one big advantage that Barnes & Noble has over its competitor, Buchanan says. "Barnes & Noble has stores you can go to. Every Barnes & Noble will carry Nooks, whereas, you know, Amazon, you have to go online, order it and wait for it to come in. You can't play with [the Kindle] beforehand unless your friend has one."
In addition, he says, "One really cool thing with the Nook is ... every Barnes & Noble has free Wi-Fi, and if you go into a Barnes & Noble with a Nook and get on their network, you can browse any e-book there for free."
The Nook won't be available for sale until the end of November, but Buchanan says Barnes & Noble has the best chance of any competitor to Amazon so far.
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