New Kindles (3G with Special Offers) and Nooks

Amazon now has a new Kindle 3G. This one includes Special Offers & Sponsored Screensavers and it's only $164. The 3G is free and it works globally, so it's great for international travelers.

Barnes and Noble recently announced a touch-enabled Nook. The Nook has an all-new look too:

ALL-NEW NOOK

• The Simple Touch Reader™
• Easiest to use 6” touchscreen
• Most advanced E-Ink® display—crisp text, even in bright sun
• Longest battery life—read up to 2 months on just 1 charge
• Ultra-light and thin—under 8 ounces
• Largest bookstore with more than 2 million titles—get them in seconds
• Expert recommendations & fun social features

NOOKcolor: a color slate with Wi-Fi

At $249, the Amazon NOOKcolor is an affordable Android slate tablet for those of you who need something that has a larger screen. This Wi-Fi slate has a 7" color screen and you can have access to over 2 million books. Plus, you can read magazines in full color.

The NOOKcolor will run on a custom version of Google Android. At this point, I don't think many people know what that really means. Will the NOOKcolor run standard Android apps?

Here's one of the best features of the NOOKcolor:

NOOKcolor takes Barnes & Noble's exclusive LendMe™ technology one step further with the new LendMe™ App. With NOOKcolor, lend a book to a friend, plus now you can also ask to borrow one of their books. All LendMe™ books can be shared once with friends at no cost, for up to 14 days.

You can learn more about the NOOKcolor here.  I may need to buy one for the kids.

Samsung digital reader may be coming to Barnes and Noble

According to this story on Engadget, the Samsung E6 e-reader may be coming to Barnes and Noble. Given that it has a touch screen and a stylus pen for "inking," this could be the start of a new revolution of digital notepads that may gain tremendous popularity among those of us who wish to avoid paper at all costs.

The Nook is another e-reader that is built for Barnes and Noble, but the Nook has a small color touch screen section on the bottom (so you can't really take notes on the Nook), but it's another great option for people who don't want to write, but want to read.

Eventually, I think the majority of these e-readers (digital book readers) will come with color touch screens. The Apple iPad will be the first, but others will soon follow.

Plastic Logic Que

According to the editors at PC World, the Plastic Logic Que was one of the "Best of CES 2010." Here's how they describe it:

E-readers were one of the hottest categories of the show this year, and the most compelling new model we've seen is the Plastic Logic Que. This 10.7-inch reader sports a capacitive-touch display that lets you gesture through page turns; it also downloads books from Barnes & Noble's e-book store. It will be available in April in a 4GB Wi-Fi version for $649, and an 8GB version with Wi-Fi and 3G for $799.

I'm not particularly excited about e-readers because I'm already a tablet user. I can read books on my tablets. So, why invest in a dedicated e-reader when I already have a device that does that already?

Nook vs. Kindle

I don't plan to buy an e-reader for myself this holiday season, but I think it would make a great holiday gift for a gadget lover. I'm not trying to hint at anything. I have too many gadgets. However, maybe you'd like to get something for your loved one. If you're considering an e-reader, you may be thinking about the Barnes and Noble Nook vs. the Amazon Kindle. So which should you get?

I think the answer really depends on a single factor: Does the user spend time at Barnes and Noble? If so, then go with the Nook. Otherwise, you're fine with the Kindle or the Nook. If you want something really BIG, then get the Kindle DX. The best feature of the Nook is that you can take it into a Barnes and Noble and you can read books on the device while you're sitting in the lounge or coffee shop.

If I were buying an e-reader, I'd get the Nook. I like to browse book covers in color. Plus, the closest Barnes and Noble is only a few minutes away and I'm frequently there with my kids.

Now keep in mind that Apple may be coming out with some type of e-reader/tablet sometime in 2010. Of course, earlier rumors indicated that the Apple Tablet would be released in 2009 but we know that's not going to happen. We can't wait forever because technology changes so rapidly, doesn't it? The minute you buy a gadget, it's on its way to becoming obsolete.

Read unlimited free e-books on the Nook by going to B&N

The Nook is one of the latest digital readers and it uses a novel concept: you can take the Nook into a Barnes and Noble and connect to the Wi-Fi network in the store. Once you're connected, you can read e-books for free while you're in the store. Brilliant!

Many people go to the book store to read books. Now, if you have a Nook, you can still go to the book store to read your book. Just sit in the cafe, drink your cup of tea or coffee, eat a snack, and read on the Nook.

The Nook is coming

Barnes and Noble is coming out with an e-book reader called the Nook. The Amazon Kindle will be facing some serious competition out there! Now, we have Sony, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and several other companies releasing e-book readers. I'm thinking that Borders will be next.

The Nook looks quite similar to the Kindle. Let's see how they compare when they get released into the hands of consumers, students, and health care professionals. Can you imagine going through medical school with one of these?

The QUE is coming from Plastic Logic

Look out Amazon Kindle! The QUE is an exciting e-book reader that will get announced in January. I wish I could attend CES in 2010, but I won't be attending. Maybe I'll get a chance in 2011.

The QUE is made by Plastic Logic.

Barnes and Noble has an e-book reader coming. That one will be called the Nook.

Barnes and Noble eReader

There was a period in my life when I used to spend all my time at a Barnes and Noble bookstore. I used to read, study, browse the web, and even tutor students at the bookstore. Now, B&N is feeling the heat because the Amazon Kindle has taken off and the future is e-book or e-reader technology. B&N is planning on working with Plastic Logic to create an e-book, but in the meanwhile, they're working on getting a head start. They've announced free eReader software for the Apple iPhone/iPod touch, BlackBerry, the PC, and the Mac. Where's Windows Mobile in all this? What about webOS on the Palm Pre or Google Android?

Well, I suppose if they can get many subscribers to start using this eReader software, then it'll be much easier to switch to the e-book made by Plastic Logic.

PC Magazine has reviewed the Barnes and Noble eReader software.

Bottom line:

Barnes & Noble joins the e-book fray but, unlike Amazon, doesn't make you buy an expensive reader. The Windows software is serviceable and the iPhone version outstanding, but the Mac version could stand beefing up.

Pros:

• Huge library of titles.
  
• Cross-platform support.
  
• Excellent iPhone reader.

Cons:

• Books can't be purchased within app.
  
• Bare-bones Mac version.

Do you see yourself migrating to an eReader of some type? I already do all my reading on my Thinkpad X200 tablet. Since it's a convertible tablet, I can swivel the screen and hold the machine in my hand when I'm on the plane. It's a great way to read PDFs.