I just received my Kindle 3 Wi-Fi this weekend and all I can say is Wow!
I have been an owner of a Kindle 2 and a Barnes and Noble Nook since their release and I can honestly say that there is no comparison with the screen quality of the Kindle 3. The screen contrast is excellent and blacks are really black. I even viewed some websites and pictures look remarkable well in their shades of gray.
I really like the color of the kindle too. Now it will be hard for me to decide if I will put a skin on it. The back of the kindle has a non-slip surface which is much better than the Kindle 2 and is similar to the Nook back.
The Kindle 3 is very light to hold. Even with a cover on it, extended use will not be hard to handle (no pun intended 
Another nice feature that was heavily requested is a way to organize books in the device. Amazon chose to group books together in "Collections" as a way to organize them.
You may have been wondering why I chose the Wi-Fi edition instead of the 3G version. Well, it wasn't because of cost. I live in central NJ where you can find free Wi-Fi hotspots everywhere which is why I chose this model. Even if you travel, most airports have wi-fi hotspots so I didn't see the need for 3G. Connecting the Kindle to my secured home wi-fi network was painless.
Another smart feature if the Kindle 3 is all of the controls and ports are now at the bottom of the device.
I do have a few complaints though...
I am still getting used to the 5 button controller. I think I liked the joystick from the Kindle 2 more. The arrow buttons are very slim and I find myself using my thumbnail to actually press them since I can't get a good feeling of them.
What happened to the number keys?? Physical buttons for the number keys no longer exist and to enter numbers using the keyboard you must press the SYM button to access the pop-menu. That seems a little shortsighted on Amazon's part since there is enough room to put real buttons for numbers.
Overall, I still think this is a great improvement over the Kindle 2. I still want to try out other features and will post more thoughts and issues as I come across them.
eReader Death Match (EDM)
Round 2: Extended Warranties
When considering making the investment of an eBook reader, it's always good to know what the standard manufacturer's warranty is and if they offer an extended warranty. Both the Amazon Kindle and the Barnes & Noble nook offer an extended warranty. Extended warranties are essentially an insurance policy for the device. Both companies offer the same third party coverage plan from Net Solutions, LLC and the terms of service are almost identical (practically word for word) as is the length of the policy, which is 2 years. This '2 year warranty' may confuse buyers since this actually only extends the standard 1 year warranty an extra year but does throw in accidental coverage (in case you drop it) which is not included in the standard 1 year manufacturer's warranty.
So what are the differences between Amazon and B&N eReader extended warranties?
- The Price: Amazon Kindle 2 Extended Warranty: $65.00 vs.
Barnes and Noble Nook Extended Warranty: $69.95
- Time of Purchase: The only way you can purchase the extended warranty for the nook is at the same time you purchase the device. Amazon gives you up to 30 days after buying your Kindle 2 to purchase the extended warranty.
Round Two Winner: Amazon Kindle
If you are looking for an inexpensive yet stylish leather cover for your Nook eReader, then I highly recommend you check out the Sinclair Leather Cover. The Sinclair cover comes in two colors, Night and Earth (although B&N was sold out of the Earth color when I ordered).
The Sinclair Night leather cover is well made and has a nice clean look to it. The inside features a soft faux-suede lining that is light tan in color. I especially like the way the cover securely holds the Nook. The bottom of the nook slides safely into the molded boot which has a hole in the bottom for easy access to the USB connector, speakers and headphone jack. The top of the nook is secured by two elastic bands at each corner.
I shook the cover with the nook inside to see if there was loose play. There was not. I believe that if you dropped the nook off a table that this cover would do a good job holding it in place and protecting it. Overall, this cover is hard to beat for the price of $29.95.
I know you Kindle owners don't get tired of reading but if you like puzzles then you might want to try some newly release Kindle puzzle books from a company called Puzux. This company makes fully interactive puzzles (Crosswords and Sudoku) that work inside your kindle browser.
I am a big fan of Sudoku puzzles so I purchased their assorted puzzle book. All the game books are available at the Kindle Store. The book itself gives you the instructions on how to setup your Kindle Browser and the links to access the Puzux website to play the games. You will need to create an account on their website but the benefit is you will be able to save your games so you can come back to a puzzle and pick up where you left off.
Overall, I am really impressed on how well they implemented the Sudoku gaming interface. The puzzles are challenging and you can leave yourself notes as you would with a paper version of the puzzle. You can also get hints and you can view the completed puzzle to see how well (or bad) you did. I highly recommend their products!
Available Puzzles
eReader Death Match (EDM)
Round 1: E ink Screen Dithering
On the surface, the Kindle 2 and Nook seem to sport the same e-Ink screen. Both eReaders use a E Ink® Vizplex™ electronic paper display. The Nook also has a color LCD navigational screen but for our comparison will only review the E Ink screen on each device.
Click Photo to Enlarge
I uploaded a grayscale photo (see above) on each device and viewed it at full screen. If you enlarge the photo you can clearly see that each eReader renders grayscale shades differently. The photo on the Nook is clearly more pleasing to the eye when it renders the different shades of gray. The Nook display also seems to have higher contrast which makes text look darker and easier to read.
Now look at the different shades of gray on the kindle display (look at the clouds in the sky). The kindle shows a distinct contrast (hard edges) between the grayscale shades. The Kindle also has an option to turn dithering on or off in a photo but I could not see any difference in quality.
I am not exactly sure why the Nook renders photos better, especially since they are using the same type of screen.
My first thought: I have an original Kindle 2 which may use an older production version of the E Ink screen which they might have improved in the newer Nook.
My second thought: the devices use different operating systems and the eReader software renders the photographs slightly different which is the result shown above.
Round One Winner: Barnes & Noble Nook
