The shopping experience on the Kindle left something to be desired. I usually did the shopping for new books on my laptop and sent the book to my Kindle. You could barley see the covers, no color to entice me, and constantly having to hit the back button to get back to the list of books. Shopping on the Nook Color is a joy:-) Colorful covers, ease of reading reviews and book details, and navigating the store is just a better experience. Recently my local library started loaning e-books and now I can check out books to download to my NC (something I am unable to do on the Kindle). PDF files, Microsoft Word files, and photos are all easily viewed on the NC and there's even an SD card slot to store more stuff. I like it that I can read the NC in the dark without having to attach an external night light. The brightness of the screen can be turned up or down.
Wait! There's more! Coming this April, NC will be receiving a software update that will turn the NC into a more tablet-like gadget:-) Barnes and Noble will be adding an app store and it's rumored they will have an Angry Birds app (for those who like that kind of thing). To me, the apps are like icing on the cake. I purchased the NC color because I'm an avid reader and I wanted a gadget that was tailored to the reading experience. If I had wanted a tablet I would have bought an iPad.
With all the above said...I think the Kindle is a good e-reader too. I recommend it to people who experience eyestrain from a backlit screen. The Kindle is much more portable as it is very light (especially the latest Kindle 3). The battery life is far better than the NC ...my number one complaint. Barnes and Noble claim 8 hours on the NC but I disagree.
I'm hoping with the NC software update some improvements will be made. I would very much like the ability to delete books and samples directly from the device. I would like the ability to password protect certain shelves in the library. I would also like to see "book picks" from someone new once in awhile instead of Sessalee month after month. Those of you who already own a NC know what I mean:-)
