Which is the better e-reader, Nook or Kindle? If you listen to Consumer Reports, the answer is the Nook—by a nose. Book eReader reports that CR’s latest review, comparing the Kindle to the Nook Simple Touch, calls the Nook better…by 1 point.

The Nook tied the Kindle on most things, such as battery life and wifi access. Where the Nook shone, apparently, was its simplicity—it focuses on “reading with minimal fuss and extra features.” It eschews bells and whistles in favor of offering a simplified reading experience.

Of course, a difference of one point is scarcely even a difference, so you could say that Consumer Reports sees the Kindle and Nook as being just as good as each other. Which means that the companies have to compete on other aspects of their business. So far, I think Amazon is firmly in the lead in that regard.

3 COMMENTS

  1. I always get superlative support from Amazon; they seem to bend over backwards to be helpful. The few times I’ve used B&N customer support have convinced me to have as little to do with that company as possible. I agree that the Nook probably has better hardware, but when I buy an ereader, I don’t just buy the hardware, I buy … I hate the word ecosystem, but well, yeah.

  2. Wrong wrong wrong. I have both devices, and have used them extensively. The Kindle has a much better interface. Here’s why:
    1.) When using the dictionary both will bring up a meaning. But say the word is “narfing.” Both may define it as “to narf.” But with kindle you can highlight the meaning to see what it really means, not so with nook which forces you to stop. This is a real minus for real literature.
    2.) When a book has footnotes in the back, both devices will jump to the note from a link. But if the note spans more than one page, hitting forward will lose your original spot on nook. kindle will let you go back no matter how far you stray.
    3.) Moving books to shelves. To add or remove a book on nook you must scroll through every book you have to check the one you want to change. kindle takes the opposite tact where you highlight the book and scroll to the shelf. Much better!
    3.) If you do not buy the book from B&N, you must use a cable or memory card to transfer the book to the device. If you remove the card at the wrong time it will clear all the books. With Kindle you simply email the book to your free kindle email.

    I like both, but nook is really only good for lightweight reading. Nook is a paperback, kindle is a hardcover.

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