Borders Kobo Ebook Reader

Borders has done some catching up to allow the Kobo to compete with the latest line of eReaders from Amazon, Sony, and more. Even the Barnes and Noble Nook has superior features. Still, given that the device is associated with one of the largest bookstore chains, it's an interesting offering.

The original Kobo (named for the online bookstore connected with Borders) lacked Wi-Fi or 3G connectivity. But then, so do the smaller Sony eReaders, the PRS-650 (Touch) and the PRS-350 (Pocket). That's been rectified in the new model. It also compensates somewhat by providing Bluetooth connectivity to wirelessly sync with some smartphones. That at least lets you update your book collection away from home.

Unfortunately, the Kobo's other specs are unimpressive. It offers only 1 GB of internal storage, half the Kindle's 2 GB. On the upside, it does have an SD card expansion slot to add up to 16 GB, unlike the Kindle.

The original plan was to offer an admittedly simple device at a much lower price point than the Kindle, et al. Unfortunately for Borders, the advantage of their low offer very quickly got erased when Amazon lowered the price of the Wi-Fi-only Kindle model. Borders responded by lowering the price with the latest Kobo model.

Worse still is the screen. It matches the Kindle's size at 6 inches, and does use the E Ink display technology, but the resolution is a paltry 800 x 600. It's certainly decent and viewable without eyestrain, but no one will get particularly excited about it. Still, the color section is handy, like that of the Sony Pocket.

When the Kobo lacked wireless connectivity (like the smaller Sony models), books were purchased by loading an application onto your PC or Mac and connecting the Kobo via the supplied USB cable. It was handy that the app was stored right on the device, so you didn't have to download anything, but that's a pretty minor bonus. Now, you can download them via Wi-Fi, a definite improvement.

One interesting feature is the ability to transfer files to the Kobo from a BlackBerry via its Bluetooth connectivity. Since there are a lot of BlackBerry smartphones around, that could come in handy for many. The BlackBerry has a Kobo app that makes this straightforward.

Borders made an intelligent decision to support the ePub format, which allows users to get eBooks from any source, not just the company's Kobo store. That includes public domain eBooks from library websites and other online sources. The unit also supports reading PDFs. However, the Kobo lacks any support for audio or MP3 and can't even view JPEG images.

On the whole, we'd be inclined to say "Skip the Kobo" because there are lots of other good eReaders on the market at this price now. Still, there are literally millions of Border customers and having a device from the company means it's definitely worth a look.

The Barnes And Noble Nook

Barnes and Noble NOOK eBook Reader (WiFi only)

The Barnes & Noble Nook may or may not be an Amazon Kindle killer. Part of the conclusion will ultimately come down to personal taste. But objective features and price will play a role, too, as will the amount of content offered by their stores.

Certainly, the Nook has some seriously competitive features. First and foremost is the dual screen. The Nook offers a similar 6 inch, black-and-white, E Ink display, but adds a very handy 3.5 inch color touchscreen LCD for feature navigation.

That touchscreen can be used for turning pages (apart from the Back and Forward buttons on the side) as well as for buying books and taking notes. In addition to other menu-navigation features, it lets you choose a book by its cover (a tiny color graphic). Users can also swap in and out a virtual keyboard, something the physical keyboard of the Kindle doesn't allow.

At an easy-to-hold 7.7 inches high x 4.9 inches wide x 0.5 inches thick, this device will fit comfortably in all but the smallest hands. Weighing only 12.1 ounces (343 grams), reading any of the up to 1,500 books it will hold will cause no fatigue. And, fortunately, though the 2 GB storage is half the latest Kindle model, it can be expanded by a microSD card, unlike its chief rival.

Like one Kindle version, it offers 3G connectivity in addition to Wi-Fi, and unlimited Wi-Fi access is available at all Barnes and Noble stores for free. Unlike the Amazon offering, that 3G connectivity is free from AT & T.

With 10 days of (average use) battery life, you won't have to care about anyone else's specs in this area. Except for the longest vacations, few will mind plugging it in once in a while. And, since the battery recharges in about 3.5 hours, it's portable again pretty quickly. Of course, for the truly needy, one could purchase an additional battery. Unlike the Kindle, the one in the Nook is user-replaceable.

Also unlike the Kindle, the Nook supports the "open source" format, ePub, along with its own PDB, Adobe's PDF, and more. There is support for a wide variety of graphic formats, including JPG, GIF, PNG, and BMP. With a screen this size, it won't replace your laptop, but it's useful for photo viewing and other purposes.

Also unlike the Kindle, you can read eBooks purchased from sites other than Barnes & Noble's own. Viewing content originally stored on your PC, Mac, iPhone, and BlackBerry is possible, too. Added to that differentiating feature is the ability to (temporarily) loan your eBook to others.

The content possibilities are immense, too. Amazon offers over 700,000 books in its Kindle store, an impressive number to be sure. But the Barnes & Noble store adds to that number bringing it to 1 million by adding a large number of public domain books. That won't be of any interest to most readers, but for those who love old, old books (out of copyright by virtue of age) it's a nice feature. Naturally, that number also includes almost all the latest bestsellers.

The Barnes and Noble Nook eReader doesn't offer a ton of dazzling features that put it well beyond the Amazon Kindle. But the Nook uses Google's Android operating system under the covers. So, it could add features later via Internet download/update. So, an already very good device could actually grow after your purchase into a great one. That sounds like a killer competitor to me.

More On The Amazon Kindle

By now, everyone on the planet has heard of the Amazon Kindle eReader. But, because of the high price, fewer have actually dug into one, or explored the features of the latest version. That's all going to change thanks to Amazon's $139 price for the Wi-Fi only version ($189 for the Wi-Fi+3G). Add in a bevy of improved attributes and this is one smokin' eReader.

The previous generation was already light and portable. The latest version is even more so. Amazon has reduced the border width around the 6" screen and made the Kindle weigh in at a featherweight 8.7 ounces. Compare that to the Nook's 11.6 ounces or the iPad's 1.5 lbs.

That screen offers 50% better contrast from the prior model, already very good thanks to its new Pearl E-Ink technology. Reading in all light conditions is also no problem. True, most people won't have the happy opportunity to read a lot on the beach or a cruise ship. But add in outdoor parks and benches in the city during lunch, on campus, and elsewhere, and the occasions do add up.

One of the most attractive features for avid readers is, of course, the over 700,000 titles available from Amazon in Kindle format with new ones being added all the time. Naturally, that number is inflated by the large percentage that are of interest to only a few, but it does include almost all the best sellers. Over 550,000 of that huge array are under $10. One can also read many popular newspapers and magazines, like the New York Times and Time magazine.

The Whisper Sync application and the improved features make reading them all the more pleasurable. Whisper Sync keeps all your Kindle purchases available on every Kindle-app-capable device - your Mac or PC, an iPad, and the Kindle reader itself. And, every book you open is magically 'tracked' so that if you are in a certain location in Chapter 5 on one device and stop reading, you can start right there on the same device or another. That works even if you are actively reading several different books, too.

The Kindle sips power so intelligently you'll only rarely recharge, even if you use it every day. Once a month is good for most people, if they keep the Wi-Fi turned off. That's very handy for those who read a lot of books and often. And, with 4 GB of storage it will hold about 3,500 books simultaneously.

It may seem unfortunate that the storage can't be expanded, but even few avid readers have personal libraries as large as that. By the time most have filled it up, they'll be ready to trade up to a newer version, which undoubtedly will hold more.

The reading experience will be delightful, too, thanks to very well thought out Page Back and Forward Buttons (the latter, used more often, is larger, for example), as well as a well-placed Home, Power (a multiple function slider), and others. Turning those pages on the new version is often faster than your fingers can operate a physical paperback, too. Nice.

There is a primitive browser onboard, useful for quick look ups on the web. Not something that will give Apple any sleepless nights, especially with the strictly black and white screen, but usable. The text-to-speech feature will be useful for some and sounds reasonably natural. It also displays PDFs (adequately) and houses a pleasant, if not spectacular, MP3 player.

All in all, at this price point - and with much improved features (over ones that were already quite good) - the Amazon Kindle is going to sell well for some time to come, tablet computers or no tablets.

What’s So Great About The Amazon Kindle DX?

Kindle DX Wireless Reading Device, Free 3G, 9.7

The Amazon Kindle DX is more than just a larger version of the Amazon Kindle. True, the screen size is 9.7 inches, in contrast to its little brother's quite usable six. But there's more to this mighty eReader than a little extra real estate.

That 9.7 inch screen exactly matches that of the iPad, making these two units somewhat competitors. Only "somewhat" because the iPad is a multipurpose computing device though not up to the level of a laptop and not a dedicated eReader. Still, they're similar enough to warrant some additional comparisons and contrasts.

The Kindle DX weighs a relatively modest 18.9 ounces (16 oz = 1 lb), as opposed to the iPad's heftier 1.5 lbs (24 oz; 1.6 lbs for the 3G model). Neither is as heavy as any but the thinnest laptop but both are heavy enough to present some wrist strain if not handled a certain way.

Because of the size, that certain way can be a bit dicey to find. Still, both offer optional covers that can be used to create a nice prop. Both can be turned to landscape mode for easy reading of two pages at a glance, and both offer a locking mechanism to keep the orientation from shifting at unwanted times.

The battery life on the Kindle DX far exceeds the iPad, though. The DX can last a week under normal usage, four days with the Wi-Fi always on. The iPad lasts about 10 hours. Of course, the latter has a much wider range of applications, and a color screen.

Among the applications on the DX is a usable, though wimpy, browser and the screen is black and white. You won't to do much surfing with it, but it's certainly good enough to allow for quick look up of material. It's also handy for purchasing books, magazine subscriptions, and even goodies from Amazon and other sites.

Despite the black-and-white only display, one of the reasons the DX is so readable is the 1200 x 824 pixel resolution (at 150 ppi), E-Ink display. It really does offer super-crisp text, thanks in part to the 50% improvement in contrast over the previous model. You can tell the difference between it and paper, but you won't mind the difference in the least, no matter how much you read or where.

That "or where" is important because you can take your Kindle DX to the beach, on a cruise, across campus, to the park at lunch during your work day, or anywhere. There is some minor reflection in situations where the light source is very bright and very close, but it's usable almost anywhere, anytime.

Like its smaller brother, the Kindle DX offers Whisper Sync, which lets you synchronize your reading in very handy ways. Read a book, stop at a location (the Kindle doesn't use page numbers), and close it or shut off your Kindle. Pick up reading the same book, another one, or even that same one on another device, and you can still start at the same location on the first book.

For those who simply must have a multimedia experience, the DX does provide an MP3 player, though it won't likely replace your iPod anytime soon. Listening to music is certainly pleasant, though, especially when you use headphones rather than the built-in speakers.

All in all, for those looking for a dedicated eReader with superb features (great screen, annotation, bookmarks, footnotes, location searching, and more), the Amazon Kindle DX remains at the top of the heap.