eReader Leader

The Bottom Line
Both the Barnes and Noble Nook and the Apple iPad are fantastic devices for reading eBooks. While the Nook does offer a couple higher end features, including a built-in music music player and the ability to digitally lend books, it is intended to be used primarily as an eReader. And, as an eBook reader, the Nook is among the bes and most popular devices on the market. The Apple iPad, however, is more closely relatable to a computer than an eBook reader. Because it is more a computer than eReader, the iPad offers advanced functions more typical of what your laptop can do. Of course, this advanced feature set comes at an...advanced price. When examined through the lens of a site aimed at eReaders, however, the Apple iPad falls short of some dedicated eBook readers in important areas -- and these areas must be closely weighed against the iPad's advanced functionalities.

FEATURED DEALS

Apple iPad 2 16GB Wi Fi 97in Black USED MINT CONDITION US $400.00 7 Bids

Barnes Noble Nook 1st Edition 2GB Wi Fi 6in White Used with Case US $54.99 1 Bid

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Apple iPad Wi Fi 3G 32GB US $360.00 1 Bid

Barnes Noble Nook Simple Touch 2GB Wi Fi 6in Black US $70.15 35 Bids

Key Differences

• Price: The Apple iPad is a computer more than it is an eReader. As you can imagine, the iPad in turn also has a price tag well above its eReader competition because it is closer on the gadget scale to a tablet computer.
• Battery life: The Apple iPad will get up to 10 hours of battery life. For a tablet device, 10 hours is a hefty bi of use. When compared to dedicated eReaders like the Nook, the iPad gets only a fraction of the usage time (time actually reading) as the Nook.  With its wireless radio switched off (3G and WiFi off), the Nook can get up to two weeks of reading time -- and up to 4 days with wireless on.
• Display: The iPad has a huge and vibrant 9.7-inch touchscreen display. The iPad's display is great for watching movies, browsing the web, viewing pictures -- and any other activity that would be an enjoyable experience on a laptop. Because of the nature of the display, though, extended periods of viewing can cause eye strain. The Nook uses e-ink display technology, and text on the screen looks just like it would on paper. Readers will be able to read much longer using the Kindle's display, and will be able to view the screen just as easily in direct sunlight (like a paper book) while the iPad's display will become washed out in the sun.
• Wireless: The Nook provides free 3G wireless either using  AT&T's 3G network. This means Kindle users can download reading material from anywhere with wireless coverage. Every iPad model has WiFi, meaning that anywhere within the range of a wireless network users can browse the web, download content, and more. iPads equipped with a 3G radio cost an additional $130, and require a monthly fee if users opt to use AT&T's 3G network. There's no monthly fee associated with the Nook.
• Web browser: As of the latest firmware update, the Barnes and Noble Nook now has a built-in web browser.  The browser will provide basic functionality using the Nook's color touchscreen display to navigate a web page.  Of course, the iPad offers a far more advanced web browser and browsing experience.
• Advanced features: The many advanced features the iPad is equipped with go well beyond the scope of this eReader-focused comparison. Suffice to say that while the Nook offers a couple of enhancements for an eBook reader including an audio player and the ability to lend eBooks to friends, the iPad boasts all the functionality of an iPhone or iPod Touch, and more.  The iPad cannot lend books.
• Storage space: Depending on the iPad model, users have either 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB of storage space. This is plenty for millennia of reading material, and days of music listening, movie watching, photo viewing and beyond. In comparison, the Nook has only 2GB of storage space. Again, this is enough to keep you reading for a very, very long time, but a limited space for music (of course, the Nook does not play video). The iPad does not support expandable memory of any kind, while the Nook does support microSD cards for added storage space.

Comparison Chart: Apple iPad vs. Barnes & Noble Nook

	B&N Nook	Apple iPad
Resources
Review		Review, Video, Images
Device
Dimensions	7.7" x 4.9" x .5"	9.56" x 7.47" x .5"
Weight	11.2"	24 oz. (1.5lbs); w/ 3G: 25.6 oz. (1.6lbs)
Screen(s)	6" e-ink display; 16 shades of gray & 3.5" color touchscreen	9.7" LED-backlit color display; 1024 x 768 pixels
Battery life	Up to 10 days (wireless off)	Up to 10 hours
Input	Touchscreen, virtual keyboard, physical buttons	Touchscreen, virtual QWERTY, physical buttons
Memory	2GB	16GB, 32GB, or 64GB (depending on model)
Expandable memory	Yes (microSD)	No
Books & Content
Available sources	Nook Shop (1 million titles available, 500,000 free titles, newspapers, magazines)	Apple iTunes iBook Store
Connectivity
3G	Yes (AT&T 3G); Free	AT&T 3G Available (depending on model); Monthly fee required
WiFi	Yes; Free WiFi access in Barnes & Noble Stores	Yes
USB	Yes	Yes
Features
Built-in dictionary	Yes	Yes
Web browser	Yes	Yes
Audio player	Yes	Yes
Other highlights	Books can be loaned to other Nook users & friends w/ Nook software for PC, Mac, BlackBerry, iPhone	Wealth of advanced functionalities including support for 140,000 apps
Supported Formats
ePub open format	Yes	Yes
Adobe PDF	Yes	Yes
Microsoft DOC	No	Yes
Other	-	jpg, .tiff, .gif, .html, .key (Keynote), .numbers (Numbers), .pages (Pages), .pptx (Microsoft PowerPoint), .txt (text), .rtf (rich text format), .vcf (contact information), .xlsx (Microsoft Excel)

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1. Amazon Kindle 2 vs. Apple iPad
2. Apple iPad vs. Sony Reader Daily

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