The Nook, and why its awesome.

So right now everyone that is a really big reader is having the same discussion. Should I switch to digital books? My grandmother and I have been hashing this one out for months now and she seems to be coming over to my side of things slowly.

If this blog is any proof I love books. During my recent move i had to spend three weeks editing my book collection slowly and taking the unwanted ones to half price books. That's because i have no restraint when it comes to book stores. I have to go into on if i see it, and it doesn't matter if there is nothing out that i want to buy.

There are definite benefits to the digital book that need to be seen. Firstly the cost is greatly cut. With paper removed from the equation there are trees being saved as well as printing costs cut out. Not to mention the older books, like anything by Shakespeare and Jane Austin are free because they have long since passed copy right times. Digital books allow for an adjustment of font size at any time so people like my grandma doesn't have to wait for the larger font version to be released.

The major draw is the sheer storage. Any one that really loves to read will tell you that bringing six books on vacation can get heavy. But most of the digital readers can house over a thousand books in their little micro chips which cuts down on should pain for all of us.

But why is the Nook better than Kindle or Sony reader? There are a few key points. The Nook rather than having the very tiny key board at the bottom like its competitors has a touch screen. This screen allows for the reader to stay on the book page while searching and gives the e-reader a few features its competitors can support. This includes a beta version of web browser and a games feature.

The Nook is also specifically connected to Barnes and Noble, and they want you do have the experience. Take your Nook into Barnes and Noble once a week and get exclusive author interviews and free book downloads. There are also weekly coupons offered for coffee, snacks, discounts, and magazines. Kindle and Sony don't offer anything like this. Last time I went in I got a free box of chocolates, and the time before a small coffee drink. The free books are often from good authors and help get readers interested in books that a reader might not normally pick up.

The crowning jewel in the Nook's features is the Lend Me feature. The people at Barnes and Noble how we read. When you read a book you love you don't keep it to yourself, you lend it to a friend. But up until now buying the digital version meant that you were incapable of lending your books to your friends. Nook fixed that by offering Lend Me feature, which allows the original purchaser of the digital book to "lend" it to a friend for 14 days. They can download the Barnes and Noble application on multiple devices, and read the book you have lent.

The versatility of the Barnes and Noble reader is another important point. Any book purchased can be read on a Computer, Ipad, Blackberry, Iphone, Droid, or any cell phone that supports applications. The competitors simply don't offer the range of features that the Nook does.

Final thoughts: It doesn't really matter where you read, just that you do read. The Nook works best for me but others might prefer to stick with their paperbacks. But when ever considering buying a digital reader device be sure to do extensive research before hand to make sure you are getting the right one for you.