Kindle vs Nook - Ebook reader comparison

In a Nook vs Kindle comparison, only one electronic ebook reader could come out on top. The big question is -- which one? While Amazon's Kindle is clearly the dominant ereader out there today, there are consumers and tech reviewers saying that the Nook has the goods to give the Kindle a run for its money. But does it really? It's time to put both ereaders side by side.Comparing the Basic Features and DesignMeasuring 7.7 inches long and 4.9 inches wide, Barnes and Noble's Nook is somewhat smaller than the Kindle which is 8 inches long and 5.3 inches wide. But then again, at 0.3-inch in depth, the Kindle is thinner than the Nook which is 0.5-inch thick. The Barnes & Noble device is also a bit heavier at 11.2 ounces matched against the Kindle's 10.2-oz mass.Unlike the Amazon Kindle, the Nook's back cover can be opened, allowing quick access to its replaceable lithium ion battery pack. But what actually puts the Nook on a wholly different level is its 3.5-inch LCD color touchscreen which takes the place of a typical keyboard for navigation. The contrast between the color LCD and the grayscale e-ink display offers an interesting dynamics to the device that few other ereaders can take pride in.Other Features The two ebook readers are equipped with 2GB of internal memory, but while that's about it for the Kindle, the Nook gives the user the choice of adding more storage space via its microSD memory expansion slot. And while the two ereaders both offer 3G wireless connection via the AT&T network, only B&N Nook is WiFi capable. Visit a Barnes & Noble shop and you get direct free access to WiFi.Unique Features of EachNow comes the more interesting kindle vs nook details. What does the Nook have that Kindle can't match and vice versa? For one, the Barnes and Noble ereader has two novel services -- book lending (having the ability to lend your ebook to another Nook owner) and in-store browsing (being able to browse full ebooks at no cost inside Barnes and Noble outlets).For its part, Kindle does come with text-to-speech feature which lets the reader become just a hearer and listen to the book read to him. Also, the Kindle allows web browsing, while the Barnes & Noble Nook doesn't. Finally, the Nook's battery life of 7 to 10 days (actual users claim it's 4-5 days) is a far cry from the Kindle's about 14 days battery power (more like 10 days in actual use). These are battery life estimates with the Wifi deactivated.The DecisionLike I've mentioned earlier, choosing a clear winner between the Nook vs Kindle is not that simple. But while both have exciting features, Amazon's gadget gets the edge in overall use as it has practically perfected the technology, having gone through several Kindle versions. On the other hand, the Nook's various issues, like slow page turns and sluggish startup may be addressed in future versions, after which it can truly be a possible Kindle killer. [l]