Is the Barnes & Noble Nook better than the Amazon Kindle? Yes, at least right now. I bought one recently and I love it.

Here is what is great about it:

• looks great, sexier than all current Kindles

• books are EPUB, an open book format also supported by most other readers

• good native support for PDF; adding files is as simple as drag-and-drop

• 3G + Wifi, with great shopping experience from the reader

• color LCD touch screen for navigation + soft keyboard

• great screen contrast, especially outdoors

• removable battery

• borrow digital books from the local library in EPUB or ADE-PDF – I already checked out several from the San Francisco Public Library while sitting at home, and read a couple

• lend books to friends for 14 days; all they need is to download the Nook software on their PC or phone

• read any full ebook when inside a B&N store for free, and it remembers where you were when you come back

• ebook prices usually same as Amazon, and no sales tax

• decent web browser

• plays music through speakers or headphones, so it supports audio books or you can listen to music while you read

• Android OS – some people have hacked it to load Pandora and Google Reader apps

• great accessories – I got a pretty cool cover which also keeps it upright for reading on a table

• in-store specials like free Godiva chocolates last weekend and free downloads

The Nook solves most of the issues I wrote about in my earlier post about the Kindle. In fact, I think the Kindle 3, which is coming out this week, is Amazon's response and catch up to the current Nook. Overall, the Nook feels like a cross breed between a Kindle and an iPhone (with its color LCD and soft keyboard).

Of course, not everything is perfect. The book selection is a bit smaller than that at Amazon; not a huge difference, but noticeable. Still, a much wider selection than Apple's iBooks. Also, battery life is much shorter than on Kindle. I am trying to gauge how long it lasts, but it looks like it may be half of what Kindle has. At least it has removable batteries so I can pop another one in when stranded in the jungle in the middle of a novel!

I am pretty happy with my Nook and I am going to keep it. I am sure that in the future most ebook reading will be happening on smart phones and tablets – users will just load the Kindle, Nook, or iBook apps on them. For hard core readers, however, a dedicated device is a must these days.

Those who say “I prefer the feel and smell of real paper” just haven't experienced how much better a digital reader really is!