Kindle vs. Nook vs. Pad: Which e- book reader should you buy? Sarah Tew/CNET. Editors' note: This story was first published in July 2. December 1. 7, 2. Shopping for an e- book reader or a small tablet? At first glance, the task seems daunting - - there are more choices than ever before. The good news is that the list of worthwhile choices is actually fairly short. The even better news? Prices and features are better than ever. When we say "e- book readers," we're now really referring to four classes of products: black- and- white e- ink readers ($6. LCD media tablets ($1. LCD tablets ranging from 7. Pad (mostly $4. 00 and above). The market for those products has consolidated around a handful of major players: Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, and Google are the leaders, with companies like Kobo, Samsung, and Sony - - and a host of other Android tablet manufacturers - - bringing up the rear. Choosing among those those categories of tablets and readers is the dilemma facing any shopper today, with key variables such as size, weight, screen type, and app "ecosystem" leading the shopping considerations. But don't worry; CNET's here to help. Current recommendations As of December 2. CNET has several reader and tablet products we enthusiastically recommend. But these are very closely matched products that vary according to individual needs, so please read through the rest of the article to see which one is best for you. While the January 2.
The Nexus 7, iPad Mini, Nook HD, and Kindle Fire HD. Josh Miller/CNET Best midsize tablets: Want to go bigger, but still stay at $330 or under? The 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD ($299) and. Buy Barnes & Noble NOOK ebook reader (WiFi + 3G)[B&W]: eBook Readers - Amazon.com FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases. Nook GlowLight review: Barnes and Noble's second generation ebook reader is cheaper, lighter and goes head-to-head with the Kindle Paperwhite. International CES will no doubt bring a wave of new tablets, nearly all of the major manufacturers have updated their product lines for the Christmas season, so the buyer's remorse meter is quite low - - now is a good time to buy. Best overall e- ink readers: Kindle Paperwhite. In addition to its built- in light and touch- screen, the 2. Kindle Paperwhite )starts at $1. Amazon's best- in- class e- book store, helping it win the e- ink race by a nose. The best e- ink alternative is the Nook Simple Touch with Glow. Light, another excellent self- illuminated e- reader - - just note that Barnes & Noble's selection of e- books isn't quite as vast (nor often as cheap) - - as Amazon's. That said, the Nook is ad- free, a privilege that will cost you $2. Paperwhite. International readers should also consider the Kobo Glo, another worthwhile self- illuminated e- reader, though it's somewhat hampered by Kobo's content selection, which pales in comparison to Amazon and B& N. However, both the Nook and Kobo readers work with third- party EPUB e- book purchases, while the Kindle does not. Best bargain e- ink readers: While you lose the built- in light found on the models above, the Barnes & Noble Nook Simple Touch and Amazon Kindle are the two best e- readers you can get for under $8. The Nook has a touch- screen and is ad- free. The Kindle has Amazon's superior e- book selection, but lacks the touch screen found on the Nook (and step- up Kindle Paperwhite). Best sub- $2. 00 color tablet: Google Nexus 7. There are at least three great 7- inch, $2. Nexus 7, the Amazon Kindle Fire HD, and the Barnes & Noble Nook HD. All are worthy of consideration, but the Nexus 7 comes out ahead in overall bang for the buck. And it's the most versatile: unlike the "curated" app stores found on Kindle and Nook, the Nexus 7 offers the full Google Play app store, which is second only to Apple's. That said, we suggest installing the Kindle or Nook apps for reading, since both offer better selections than Google's in- house offering. The Nexus 7, i. Pad Mini, Nook HD, and Kindle Fire HD. Josh Miller/CNET. Best midsize tablets: Want to go bigger, but still stay at $3. The 8. 9- inch Kindle Fire HD ($2. Nook HD+ (just $2. Straddling the line is the 7. Pad Mini ($3. 29) - - the most expensive option, but also the most polished, and with the best app store. Best tablets for kids: The Amazon Kindle Fire HD, and the Barnes & Noble Nook HD have support for multiple users, including parental controls. Amazon has further upped the ante with the Freetime Unlimited service, which serves up kids books, games, apps, movies and TV shows to Prime members for an additional $2. In fact, you could also opt to give a kid the $1. HD Kindle Fire as well, since he or she probably won't miss the extra features. Kindle Voyage vs. Nook GlowLight vs. Kobo Aura H2O: Battle of the ebook readers. Edit Article How to Lend Nook Books. Three Parts: Lending NOOK Books Borrowing NOOK Books Adding NOOK Friends Community Q&A. If you use a NOOK device or application from Barnes and Noble, you can loan certain books to other. Best full- size reading tablet: Apple i. Pad (fourth- gen) (starts at $4. If you want a full- size, full- featured tablet that can double as an e- book reader, the i. Pad platform remains the best, no- compromise choice. It offers free Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and Google Play reading apps, with full access to the content in those e- book stores. Additionally, the i. Pad offers Apple's own i. Books application, though those e- books can't be accessed on any non- i. OS device.) And the i. Pad's Good Reader app remains the best way to read, edit, and annotate PDF files that we've seen to date. To be fair, Android tablets also double as good e- book readers, with those same three major e- book apps available - - and, as we mentioned above, the smaller Android tablets (including Amazon and B& N) are better deals at lower price points. But if you're spending $3. Pad. The $3. 99 i. Pad 2 remains a great tablet that beats much of the Android competition, and it's a few ounces lighter than the third- gen i. Pad. But for $1. 00 more, the 2. Pad offers that gorgeous Retina Display that will especially appeal to readers. If you do prefer Android in a large screen size, the Asus Transformer Pad Infinity, Google Nexus 1. Samsung Galaxy Note 1. Android tablets. So, that's the cheat sheet. But if you're ready to do a deep dive, it's time to compare color versus black- and- white screen, backlight versus readability in the sun, touch screen versus not, cheap versus expensive, 4. G versus Wi- Fi, lightweight versus heavy, reading- only versus full- featured tablet. For the purposes of this article, we're steering clear of PC- style tablets running Windows 8 and Windows RT. For those, check of CNET's laptop buying guide and tablet buying guide. Likewise, we're also not focusing on smartphones, though some of the big- screen (5 inches and up) "phablet" models such as the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 are certainly worthy of considering for those seeking a tablet alternative. Read on to consult this quick guide, which boils the purchase decision down to six questions: 1. Apps vs. hardware: Which reading and app ecosystem offers the most flexibility? One of the advantages of having your reading collection "in the cloud" is that you can access your books on multiple devices, though some e- book vendors offer better cross- platform support than others. This is where terminology can get a bit confusing: the e- book stores can be available on different devices, including (in the case of Apple) those of rival e- book publishers - - the e- book equivalent of buying a can of Pepsi from a Coke vending machine. The i. Pad offers access to all major e- book stores via their respective apps. Screenshot by John P. Falcone/CNET. This multidevice support is accomplished through apps. On tablets (i. Pad, Android, and others), smartphones (i. Phone, Android, Black. Berry, and others), and PCs (Mac and Windows), users can download free apps that let them read e- books from a variety of vendors. So, you can read a Kindle book on your i. Pad, a Nook book on your Android phone, or a Kobo book on your Black. Berry - - and that's just for starters. As of December 2. Kindle: Besides Kindle hardware readers, Kindle books can be accessed on i. Pads, i. Phones, i. Pod Touch handhelds, Android phones (version 2. Android tablets, many Black. Berry phones, Windows PCs, Macs, Windows Phone 7 phones, and via Web browsers (the Kindle Cloud Reader). Full details here. Nook: Besides Nook hardware readers, Nook books can be accessed on i. Pads, i. Phones, i. Pod Touch handhelds, Android phones (version 2. Android tablets, Windows PCs, Macs, and via Web browsers (the Nook for Web). Full details here. Kobo: Besides Kobo hardware readers, Kobo books can be accessed on i. Pads, i. Phones, i. Pod Touch handhelds, Android phones (version 2. Android tablets, many Black. Berry phones, Windows PCs, Macs, and via Web browsers. Full details here. Books: Apple's e- book store is currently only available on Apple i. OS devices - - i. Pad, i. Phone, and i. Pod Touch. Sony Reader: Besides Sony Reader hardware, Sony books can be accessed on Android phones, Android tablets, Windows PCs, Macs, and - - after a long delay - - i. OS devices (i. Phone, i. Pod Touch, i. Pad). Full details here. Nearly all of these apps allow you to sync your position in a book across devices, so if you read up to, say, page 2. All of the apps are free, and - - since each bookstore offers a wide selection of free books - - you can freely experiment with any and all of the apps that work with your respective hardware. Best cross- platform providers (where to buy your e- books): Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook. Most versatile hardware readers: Apple i. OS devices (i. Pads, i. Phones, i. Pod Touch); Android phones with full Google Play support; Android tablets with full Google Play support. Reader vs. tablet: Do you want to do more than just read? Sarah Tew/CNET. Start by asking yourself what you're really looking for. Do you just want to read books? How about magazines and newspapers? What about browsing the Web? Want to add multimedia to the mix - - music, audiobooks, or video? Are you a Netflix junkie? Do you need Flash support? E- mail and messaging? Gaming? If you want to stick with "just reading" - - books, and maybe some newspapers and magazines (in black and white) - - an e- ink reader ($6. They come closest to duplicating the experience of reading a book, and, while they have some online features, you won't be distracted while reading by a stream of incoming e- mails, tweets, or Facebook messages. But if you're willing to pay as little as $2. The Nook Color blazed the trail in 2. Google Nexus 7, B& N Nook HD, and Kindle Fire HD. Stepping up in size and price, you'll find the 7.
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