eLearning Service

A number of ebook readers are being introduced this year in an apparent bid to compete with Amazon’s Kindle, thought to be very successful although the company has not revealed sales information.

One of the “cool” features of the Kindle, as yet unmatched by any other reader (stay tuned for developments later this fall), is the free wireless access to the Kindle Store anywhere the cell network is available.  Barnes & Noble’s new ereader that they have named Nook provides users wireless access only when they are in a physical B&N store.

B&N is doing it right, however, in several other ways.  Notably, the ebook reader supports a number of different formats, including the open ePub standard.  Amazon’s decision to use a proprietary format for its ebooks is looking less and less competitive today as open standards allow for more flexibility in reading choices.

I took a careful look at Nook’s information about supported formats, but it left me wondering if the support for PDF and ePub included “protected” files in these formats that you check out of a library.  The ability to check out and read library books on an ereader (like my Sony Reader Touch Edition) is one of the most important features for me.

The Nook also allows owners to “lend” a book for a maximum of two weeks to a friend who has downloaded B&N’s eReader software.  The friend doesn’t need to also own a Nook, the book can be read on a PC, Mac, BlackBerry or iPhone.  Since the Nook is running Android, I wonder if Android phones will be next.

CrunchGear states that the Nook “has upped the ante with a small, 3.5-inch LCD screen in the lower quadrant adding touch capabilities that the Kindle definitely does not have.”  B&N says, “Control your nook with an easy-to-use full-color touchscreen, created to work seamlessly with the crisp, clean E Ink ® display.  Just use your finger to swipe through titles and tap open your next read.”

The Nook has 2 GB of storage (about 1,500 eBooks) and an SD slot for expanded storage.  Battery life beats the Kindle with wireless turned off.  Like other recently introduced ereaders, Nook uses the easy-to-read E Ink® display and “retains important reading rituals like bookmarking, making notes, and highlighting passages,”