No doubt you will encounter an electronic book on your next flight or at the airport. These devices have joined the ranks of portable, personal entertainment equipment and you will probably have to make the decision to get one for yourself or receive one as present in the future. Some of the links we provide at the end of this Hot Topic will get you more information than you want; however, take it from IFExpress, check them out carefully before you jump in and compare features for therein lies the difference between them. Priced approximately the same, our team has tried offerings from Amazon (Kindle), Sony (Reader), and Barnes & Noble (Nook) and it happens, this is the order of our preference.

Pretty much, the Kindle and Reader were straightforward if one remembers that it has to be in range of an AT&T cell signal or connected to the Internet via a USB connection. The Nook can connect to the AT&T cell network or Wi-Fi and here is where our Nook choked. You must register the device first to do anything, but if one is not in range of AT&T cell service or your Wi-Fi hotspot is encrypted, you are not going to be able to register and not going to get past the registration screen. There is no way to get into the settings to add the network encryption. We were not going to remove our network encryption to register the Nook. Period. So, we had to drive to a friend’s house that had cell coverage to register. Troubles went on with slow operation (Almost 1 minute to boot one time!), a complicated GUI, and a Wi-Fi radio that would connect to one WEP encrypted hotspot and not another…both keys properly entered. We could go on but some of the features that you might not encounter were our goal here. Specs don’t tell the whole story.

Here is a scorecard after our setup and usage of all three on order of preference:

1. Ease of Un-boxing: 1.Amazon Kindle 2.Sony Reader 3.B&N Nook. What you say, “Any idiot can un-box the product…what kind of measurement is that?” The Kindle and e-Reader were no more complicated than opening the box, but the Nook, well; it was encased in a plastic-Chinese-puzzle-box that caused us to worry if the unit would be damaged if it were to be extricated incorrectly. Why didn’t they put the money into software?
2. Available Online Books: Pretty much a draw here, each has plus and minuses but B&N claims the most, and, we liked the B&N online capability to purchase a book on any computer (via password) for later download (it worked well).
3. Ease of Setup: 1.Amazon Kindle (It just worked…within range of cell signals for downloads) 2. Sony Reader downloaded from the Internet (It worked with one Customer Support setup call) 3. B&N (Our Wi-Fi never completely worked after 3 CS calls; however, once in range, the cell radio succeeded on downloading).
4. Ease of Use: 1.Amazon Kindle 2.Sony Reader 3. B&N Nook. Readers should note that not only are these features a function of human interface with book reading, but they are also complicated by additional features like audio capability, image storage and memory storage type…not to mention the number of ways to get online.
5. Cool Factor: The Nook easily scores a win here with the control color touch screen…but what good is “cool” if it takes a nuclear physicist to figure it out or operation is inconsistent, slow, or erratic?
6. Screen Readability: The black & white reading screen rating of all was judged B+.
7. International Travel Download Capability: 1. The Nook comes in first here, as both cell and Wi-Fi are connectivity options. Sony and the Kindle came in second. The Sony device works anywhere there is a computer on the Internet and the Amazon Kindle works within AT&T network coverage in the US, and uses cell coverage in 100+ other countries. (Editor’s Note: The latest Sony Readers have cell phone connectivity, but this unit was not available when we ran our test.)
8. Ergonomics: All were judged roughly equal holding and page turning via buttons on the face. The narrower units were easier to hold but the wider ones afforded easier two-handed operation. The technology that controls the e-ink page changing can be a bit bothersome on the Sony as it is slower on the generation of machine we tested (PRS-505) but reports of the next gen devices indicate this is not a problem. The Nook page delay however, was variable and noticeable. At times, we forgot our previous page last word and had to go back to reread it. No doubt, this product was released before some folks were ready to do so. We think the Christmas shopping window made this technical decision.
9. Customer Service: To their credit, Barnes & Noble (and Sony) had excellent Customer Service, but the best measure is NOT to have to use them and we would note that the B&N PR folks never returned our email. Fed-up with the Nook’s idiosyncrasies we returned the unit. Frankly, they should have called it the “Crook” because we were charged a $25 fee to return the unit…even with its flaws and slow operation.

If the intended user is not “tekky”, we suggest potential purchasers wait till the next software load because it is the gift that will keep on giving (headaches), at least until they speed up the unit, fix the user interface, and get beyond software version 1.0. There are a lot of additional specifications that you need to take into consideration like battery life (dependant on battery size, radios, etc), storage (internal and/or external), touch screen capability, supported book formats, audio (MP3) capability, and books-on-tape compatibility. Tread cautiously here reader and please, before you decide, take a test drive in the store. Here are links to some specs to get you started:

Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0015T963C/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=4421533945&ref=pd_sl_19calxq4k4_e

Sony Reader: http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665921188

Barnes & Noble Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nook/