Recently, and by recently I mean two or more weeks ago, I received a comment regarding the different E-readers out there and was asked what made them different. I've planned to write this article for some time now but last week's activities threw my schedule into a tailspin.

A few years ago if someone mentioned the word E-reader you would get one of two responses. Those being "a what?" or "are you talking about the Kindle?" It is true that the Kindle drew the most attention when it first came out but I'm not sure it was the first E-reader. As time has passed more E-readers have come onto the scene and more have joined the conversation. Now we have the Kindle, Nook and Sony brands to name a few in regular conversations. Of all the E-readers I believe many would agree that the Kindle and Nook are the odds on favorite and leaders of the pack. What about the iPad? The iPad is technically not an E-reader; sure you can get magazines on it and books but in order to few those magazines or books you must first download an App. Ironically there is a Kindle App for the iPad, I find that interesting. The other issue I have with the iPad is that there is absolutely no cost comparison between the iPad and the E-readers. With that said, I believe we should focus on the Kindle and the Nook. As I said before, these are the two top sellers so it makes sense that we start with them.

To start things off, the Nook has two models and the Kindle has three models; before we go head to head let's take a look at the different models first.

The basic Nook is available with two options - WiFi (for $149) or 3G plus WiFi (for $199). In my opinion I'm not convinced that having 3G is worth the $50 increase. What is the main difference between Wifi and 3G? It comes down to one thing - speed. 3G is supposed to be faster; however, if you do not have a strong signal where you are at than it will not matter which you have. You can tell how strong your signal is by looking at your cell phone. I am also of the opinion that WiFi may be better because it is more reliable and has a much broader range. Can you think of an area where you can't get WiFi? It's practically in every hotel.

What I do like about the Nook is the battery life. With a full charge you can go a month before needing a recharge. Keep in mind - if you keep the WiFi setting on it will drain your battery faster so it is wise to turn it off when not needed. The Nook has the capacity to hold 1500 books at a time (that is a lot of reading). The design is sleek and it weighs next to nothing so holding it all day is easy to do. I have talked to friends who have voiced that the download time and selection of titles is cumbersome at times and it took a little time to get adjust to the touch screen. With the Nook you turn the page with a swipe of the finger, there are buttons on the side for you to use also but many of the options are available by touch screen technology.

The Nook Color is making waves with its impressive display of full color graphics. Interestingly enough it only comes with the WiFi option and retails for $249. I'm not sure why it doesn't come with the 3G option; they may be having problems with the download of full color documents. I'm sure it will be available in the near future.

The Nook color gives you the option to customize your display screen and gives you extra options to download like games and customized book selections just for the reader. It is sized the same as the regular Nook and has the capabilities of the regular Nook plus the added extras and the bonus of color. The Nook also offers the ability to read magazines and newspapers as well as have it read aloud children's book to your kids. That is pretty cool.

Here is the major drawback to the Nook color - the battery life is approximately half that of the regular Nook. It has an 8 hour read time rating per the specs as compared to 10 days for the regular Nook.

Both Nook models have 6 inch reading screens (approximately), play music, present books with E ink technology and have expandable memory options.

Now that we have checked out the Nook let's move on to the next contestant - the Kindle.

Kindle Wifi - This is the basic model and retails for $139. This is the cheapest of all the models (including the Nook models). This is also the Kindle I have so I know a little more about it. First, it is very sleek and light weight and extremely easy to start and get set up. Ironically I get a stronger Wifi signal on the Kindle then I get signal on my cell phone which really makes little sense to me. It has a very large storage capacity - holding 3,500 books at a time (not much need for expandable memory here). I truly enjoy the option of posting portions of the book or a note about the book on Twitter and/or Facebook straight from the Kindle.

The coolest thing above all though is the rotating screensaver. Each time you switch off the Kindle a new image comes up which is great. Combine that with the enhanced E-Ink technology for low light reading and what you have is a very fun experience. The most impressive aspect about the Kindle is the battery life. Again it is wise to switch off the WiFi when not using it. I fully charged mine on January 28th and now, on February 20th it still has half its charge remaining.

Kindle WiFi/3G - This model retails for $189. It might surprise you that it is the same as the basic model; however, it  gives you the power of the 3G network. My opinions are the same about the 3G here as they were above for the Nook. I have not seen anything regarding 3G that requires an additional $50. I could be wrong and hopefully your comments will shed some light on the 3G topic.

Kindle DX - This is the big brother of Kindles and retails for $349. It has a larger screen (9.7" compared to 6"). It comes with 3G but also has global 3G for the world travelers out there. It is a little heavier weighing in at 18.9 ounces as compared to 8.5 ounces for the regular Kindle. It also incorporates all the features of the regular Kindle. The big draw back, aside from price, is battery life which compares closely with the Nook Color at only ten days.

Which one would I recommend? If you look at cost, functionality, total use of all options provided and comfort then it is hard to beat the basic Kindle model. Others may argue but it really does everything you would want an E-reader to do and adds a lot of fun to the experience. If you would like a side by side comparison of the Kindle models you can check out this link HERE (scroll to the bottom for comparison). If you would like to compare the Nook models you can HERE.

Which one do you have or plan to get? Why?