This weekend was all about e-readers for me. After quite struggling with reading long texts on my mobile phones, I’ve decided that just isn;t the way I want to enjoy books. So I went on a hunt to try out as many full-sized e-book readers as possible. I played with Barnes & Noble’s Nook, the Android-powered gadget with an e-ink screen for reading and a secondary, full-color display for navigation. And while this was the coolest of the bunch, which images of book covers, colorful back covers, and a variety of cool cases, the thing was pretty darn slow. Still, at $150 for the WiFi only version and $200 for WiFi and a lifetime of 3G connectivity, it’s near the top of my list.

Next I headed over to Borders to play with their $150 Kobe and Sony e-readers. I found the Kobe’s d-pad unpredictable, and the Sonys, while packing acceptable features – one having a touch screen – were just to heavy – feeling like a single carpet drop could be the end of them.

I tested out a few other knock-offs and came away feeling like the Nook was my best bet. That is, unless, I get a tablet. Now the Android tablet situation can be confusing, to say the least. There are so many on the horizon that it’s difficult to even remember them all. Suffice to say that if that’s the route I choose to go, I’ll have plenty of options. None of them sport an e-ink screen, which would be a soothing relief after a day of reading and writing on a laptop, but there are several e-reader apps available for use on an Android tablet (or phone, if you can stand reading that way. I can’t).

Of course, right now, the biggest names available in the Android Market are the Kindle and Borders eBooks apps. But Barnes & Noble is about to get in on the game, bringing their iPhone reader app over to the Droid. I’m wondering if we’ll have to settle for two apps – one for purchasing, one for reading – like iPhone users do, as seen below. Even if that is the case, I’m glad to see more options available in the Market. Regardless, I’m not sure any app will convince me to read books on a tablet when e-ink is available.

What about you? Will/do you read books on a tablet? On your phone? On a dedicated e-reader? Or do you prefer that old paper stuff? Let us know in the comments.

Via Android and Me

EDIT: An Android client will be released eventually, but not before the launch of Nook. I missed the blurb in one of the press documents.

This is exciting to me. I really don’t spend enough time reading for pleasure anymore, and an Android e-reader just might give me a valid excuse to spend work time buried in a true crime murder mystery the latest Android-related article from some tech magazine. Nook – an e-ink daisy from Barnes&Noble set to drop on November 30th – will let you download books, magazines, newspapers, and more over a no-charge 3G connection. So, if the $259 price tag has you waffling, just remember all that free data. (cont.)

Nook: bookish, but sexy. (No, it doesn’t have any friends you can hang with; I asked.)
You can pre-order this bad boy right now at the B&N website, or walk into a store and do it at the counter this Wednesday. A 360-degree spin at B&N’s Nook website will have you lusting after that full color secondary touch screen, which allows for shopping, content selection, bookmarking, notes, and highlights. 2 Gigs of space means you can hold about 1500 books in your pack, what have you, and with the wireless turned off you get 10 days of battery life. I know, it sounds and looks pretty great, right? A million titles, nifty cases, I’m sold.

O.K., wait… Check out this item from the Nook FAQ:

“Q. Can I read my nook’s eBooks on other devices like my mobile phone?
X Yes, you can read your eBooks across a wide range of devices in addition to your nook. All you need to do is download the free Barnes & Noble eReader app on your iPhone and iPod touch, BlackBerry® smartphone, or Windows® and Mac® laptops and desktop computers. And the eBooks purchased from BN.com will sync between your nook and other reading devices with the Barnes & Noble eReader app, so you always return to the last page you read.”

I don’t see anything explicitly stating this, but am I understanding correctly when I deduce that this Android-powered e-reader cannot sync with other Android gadgets? I mean, I realize that there is virtually no outward indication that this thing runs Android anyway, but as an enthusiast, I’ve gotta say, non sequitur.

Nevertheless, it’s still Android news, and the product looks cool. Check out a video here.