Borders Kobo vs. Nook (by B&N)
 Barnes Noble Nook 1st Edition 2GB Wi Fi 6in White Used with Case 
US $54.99
1 Bid |
 Barnes Noble Nook Simple Touch 2GB Wi Fi 6in Black
US $70.15
35 Bids |
The Kobo can best be thought of as an entry-level version of the Barnes & Noble Nook, providing a largely indistinguishable reading experience but lacking some of the higher-end features of the Nook such as a web browser, music player, keyboard and 3G wireless. If all you're after is a device that will let you bring your digital reading library with you go and read comfortably, the Kobo may be the way to go. If you're looking for a higher-end device with the added frills, the Nook may be your best pick.
Key Differences
- Web browser: One of those advanced featured of the Nook is a web browser. Users of the Nook can use the device's basic but functional internet browser to check email, post tweets and even visit favorite website for free wherever they have WiFi or AT&T 3G service. The Kobo is not equipped with a web browser.
- Wireless: In addition to WiFi (with free WiFi access in any Barned & Noble store), the Nook has AT&T 3G and can download content wirelessly without monthly fees or usage charges while on the go and even when traveling abroad in certain countries. The Kobo does not offer 3G wireless, and is limited to syncing content using a USB cable. The Kobo can, however, use Bluetooth connectivity to wireless download content when connected to supported smartphones.
- Audio player: The Nook has the ability to play music -- either through an external speaker or by plugging in a pair of headphones. The Kobo does not have an on-bord music play.
- Keyboard: The Kindle2 has a full virtual (on-screen) QWERTY keyboard which comes in handy for taking notes and quickly finding content. The Kobo, on the other hand, does not have a keyboard and lacks the ability to be used for note taking.
Comparison Chart: Nook vs. Kobo
 |
 |
|
|
Barnes & Noble Nook
|
Borders Kobo
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Resources
|
||
|
Review
|
||
|
Device
|
||
|
Dimensions
|
7.7" x 4.9" x .5"
|
7.4" x 4.7" x .4"
|
|
Weight
|
11.2 oz.
|
8 oz.
|
|
Screen(s)
|
6" e-ink display; 16 shades of gray & 3.5" color touchscreen
|
6" e-ink display
|
|
Battery life
|
Up to 10 days (wireless off)
|
Up to two weeks (8000 page turns)
|
|
Input
|
Touchscreen, virtual keyboard, physical buttons
|
Physical buttons, 4-way soft-touch directional pad w/ select button
|
|
Memory
|
2 GB
|
1 GB
|
|
Expandable memory
|
Yes (microSD)
|
Yes (up to 4GB microSD card)
|
|
Books & Content
|
||
|
Available sources
|
Nook Shop (1 million titles available, 500,000 free titles, newspapers, magazines)
|
Borders eBook store; ePub & PDF format providers
|
|
Connectivity
|
||
|
3G
|
Yes (AT&T 3G); Free
|
No
|
|
WiFi
|
Yes; With free WiFi access in Barnes & Noble Stores
|
No
|
|
USB
|
Yes
|
Yes (plus Bluetooth connectivity)
|
|
Features
|
||
|
Built-in dictionary
|
Yes
|
No
|
|
Web browser
|
Yes
|
No
|
|
Audio player
|
Yes
|
No
|
|
Other highlights
|
Books can be loaned to other Nook users & friends w/ Nook software for PC, Mac, BlackBerry, iPhone
|
Connects to select smartphones via Bluetooth to download content wirelessly; comes pre-installed with 100 free books
|
|
Supported Formats
|
||
|
ePub open format
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Adobe PDF
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Microsoft DOC
|
No
|
No
|
|
Other
|
-
|
Adobe DRM
|
Related posts:
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
May 17th, 2010 at 5:58 pm
The nook basically has the same leg up as the kindle vs the kobo. The kobo is basically a chevy malibu (it’ll get you there) while the nook is the luxury car.
August 15th, 2010 at 9:07 am
Under Available Sources, for the Kobo, add Sony’s Reader Store at [https://ebookstore.sony.com]. Use the Sony app to purchase and download to your PC. Use Adobe Digital Editions to register your device. Sony, Kobo, Borders and many other content providers and devices support Adobe Digital Rights Management (DRM). I don’t know about the Nook.
August 15th, 2010 at 9:23 am
This review doesn’t compare navigation features which are extremely important for useability. I find that the Kobo has very limited navigation. You can page forward and backward one page at a time and you can jump to any page in the epub table of contents. You can’t set bookmarks. You can’t go back to previous page read. You can’t jump directly to a given page number. And I don’t think the Kobo supports hyperlinks as provided in the epub format. I know the Sony ereaders including the inexpensive Sony Pocket support all of these features. I don’t know what navigation features the Nook has and would be very interested to find out.
December 9th, 2010 at 7:55 am
Confused about the information provided. It says on this comparison that the Nook DOES have a web browser, but on the Nook product review page on this same site, it says that it does not.
December 21st, 2010 at 12:36 pm
This review does not compare the Kobo-WiFi with the Nook. The Kobo WiFi has been out for almost 6 months now and has plenty of options available that the generation one did nothave.
December 28th, 2010 at 1:28 pm
kobo sucks !!!
January 15th, 2011 at 5:20 pm
I just got a Kobo. I totally recommend it. The nook has too many things that could go wrong.
January 21st, 2011 at 6:08 am
Fwiw, the Kobo now has WiFi.
June 12th, 2011 at 9:10 am
Absolutely recommend the Kobo.