A Personal Review on the Kindle eReader

I made my decision to buy an electronic book, or eReader. Some of the thoughts that went through my head is found on my 'Which eReader' blog post while making this decision.

As part of my research, I went to a Barnes and Noble to look at the Nook, and I went to a Mac Superstore to look at an iPad.

Unfortunately, I could only go by the video shown on Amazon for the Kindle, since it is not available at retail stores. Strangely, that is the eReader I choose. Here are the reasons why.

After looking at the iPad, I realized, while it is a pretty cool gadget, it is not something I need.  It is too big for an eReader and not practical as a laptop. 

In addition, with the computer screen, it is not really a true eReader.  One of the positive features of the Nook and Kindle are the opaque eInk screens that do not strain the eyes, nor make you feel like you are reading from a computer screen. 

Lastly, the cost factor was a pretty huge deal breaker.  Even the WiFi-only version at this writing STARTS at $499.  Pretty steep for something I do not really NEED. If you already have a smart phone and you are paying for the 3G network, why pay an additional FEE for ANOTHER 3G device? Seems silly!  I already have an internet bill for my home use.

So, the iPad was almost instantly out of the running.  

Next I considered the Nook versus the Kindle.

When I was playing with the Nook at B&N, someone walked by and whispered, “for a couple hundred more, you can buy an iPad.”

Since B&N was my SECOND stop for research, AFTER the Mac store, I already had my arguments against the iPad in place. I think his response, “I just get tired of carrying my laptop around,” is humorous. We are in a day where carrying around a suppose-to-be-portable device, such as a laptop, has become a burden. We are now in an age, where anything more than 5 pounds is a “burden.”

The Nook had a lot of the things I was looking for. It was a very close tie with the Nook and the Kindle. Below is the comparison of the Nook and the Kindle that made the Kindle the best choice for ME.

• Nook - The small color screen at the bottom with a virtual keyboard was not easy to use.
• Kindle – Even though the keyboard is small, it is still a physical keyboard. It also has a mini-joystick for scrolling.

• Nook - The interface was not as user-friendly as Kindle.
• Kindle – Interface was very intuitive and easy to utilize.

• Nook - The selection of books and prices were not as good as Amazon.
• Kindle – It is very easy to purchase books on Amazon and there are a lot of free books.

• Nook – Weighs in at 12.5 ounces.
• Kindle – Weighs in at 10 ounces.

The price for both are the same, so that was not a factor.

For those that like to read "real" books, the eReaders are pretty close because there is no glare on the screen. Not having to worry about getting the pages torn or lugging around large books, this is a great product if you are a big book reader, especially for travel.

These are pretty minor differences and ultimately it is a personal preference.  There are still a lot of iMustHaveLatestAppleGadget consumers out there.  My only advice is to ask yourself, what do you want a gadget ultimately for?  An iPad may turn out to be an option that makes more sense for some.

If your use it to mainly read books, I would go with a traditional eReader.