Kobo, Nook Newcomers vs. Kindle: Chart

The e-subscriber bailiwick is getting many crowded.

Barnes & Noble and Kobo are getting into the game with a new multiply of touchscreen e-book readers, set for release in June. The devices foretell a sleeker undergo at affordable prices.

Amazon's Kindle is getting a run for its money. Can it living up?

Out this summer is the third generation Kindle from Virago, the new touch screen Nook from Barnes &ere; Noble and the new touch screen Kobo eReader.

Here's a primer on how the three heap up.

The Nook and the Kobo feature only Wi-Fi connectivity. The Kindle offers 3G connectivity. Amazon is marketing for $189 the 3G + Wi-Fi Provok, and in response to the new competitors, the caller likewise patterned the price of the 3G model to $164 — if you don't mind grayscale advertisements on your Kindle screensaver.

Taking 3G out of the equivalence, thither's a soaked price battle: the Kindle cost $139 ($114 for the ad-supported version), the touch screen Nook costs $139 and Kobo's new touchscreen e-reader comes in at $129. The pricing differences aren't significant, so take a closer smel at the devices to find your topper fit.

All three e-readers feature a 6-inch Pearl E Ink showing, but that's where the intense differences take ended. The Kindle uses near 40 buttons to navigate through the interface and menus, while the new Nook and Kobo utilization zForce Infrared Touch engineering science to make a touchscreen layer on top of the E Ink block out. This is meant to make navigation easier and the software keyboard pops on projection screen sole when you need it, preferably than having the buttons permanently under the display — and this is where the two new e-readers have the edge over the Kindle.

Because they don't have buttons, the touchscreen Nook and Kobo eReader are slightly shorter and lighter than the Kindle, simply the additional technology enabling the touchscreens makes them thicker than the Kindle. Storage-omniscient, the Kindle bundles the all but built-in storage for your clam at 3GB easy, with the Nook at 2GB and the Kobo at 1GB (which is quiet plenty of storage space for e-books). However, the Nook and Kobo feature microSD circuit board slots, which means you can expand the memory to up to 32GB.

With a silklike design and upstanding features, the Barnes & Kingly touchscreen Nook is the standout e-reader out of the clustering. My colleagues Robert S. Anthony and Melissa J. Perenson had a hands-on with the new Corner and also trust "the Nook now has an edge all over its arch-rival, the Amazon Kindle." They also like the Nook's snappy touch screen and simple interface.

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