The 3 Best Color E-Readers
Read books, play games, check e-mail, and watch movies and TV—without busting your budget.
Light my fire
KINDLE FIRE ($200)
Amazon’s first tablet was a hit right out of the gate when it debuted in November, and for good reason. Attractively priced at $200, the Kindle Fire delivers the core features you’d expect from a tablet, as well as one-tap access to Amazon’s well-stocked online store.
SEE ALSO: Giant Screens, Smaller Prices
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
With its vibrant color display, the Fire makes a respectable video player for online streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu Plus. Its 7-inch screen is smaller than the standard set by the 9.7-inch display of the iPad tablet computer—but then again, it costs $300 less. The reduced size isn’t a drawback when you’re reading a book, but the screen can feel a bit cramped when you’re watching a movie or playing a game.
But smaller can be better, too. The paperback-like Fire weighs nearly 7 ounces less than the iPad and is easier to hold with one hand. The weight difference may not seem like a lot, but it matters when you’re watching a two-hour flick or spending the afternoon reading a novel.
Early reviews criticized a few Kindle Fire glitches, including poor parental controls and a sluggish touch screen that didn’t immediately respond to finger taps. Amazon’s recent software upgrades have corrected many of these shortcomings. Given the Fire’s software and content, it gets our nod as the best of the current crop of color e-readers.
Bookseller’s duo
NOOK COLOR ($200) AND NOOK TABLET ($250)
Barnes & Noble has a pair of impressive color e-readers: the Nook Color ($200) and Nook Tablet ($250). Viewed side by side, it’s hard to distinguish between them. Each has a sturdy feel and a quirky, carabiner-like loop in the lower left corner, which doesn’t appear to serve any practical purpose. Of the two, the Nook Tablet has the better display; in fact, its crisp, vibrant 7-inch screen is the best in this roundup. Text looks sharper on the Tablet, skin tones are more realistic, and there’s less glare. If you’re willing to shell out an extra $50, the Tablet is the better Nook to buy.
Both models provide tablet essentials, including applications, games, e-mail and video, but the Nook Tablet has a peppier processor and more storage: 16 gigabytes versus 8GB, although most of that space is reserved for books, apps and other content purchased from Barnes & Noble. Need more room? You can add a microSD card (up to 32GB) for about $30.
Barnes & Noble’s online store can’t match Amazon’s retail powerhouse, but its color e-readers have the apps that most people want. The Nook Tablet, for instance, comes preloaded with Netflix and Hulu Plus, and both the Tablet and the Nook Color have Pandora Internet radio.
If display quality is your number-one criterion, get the Tablet.
The contender
KOBO VOX ($200)
The Kobo Vox, a $200 color tablet, hasn’t gotten as much attention as its rivals. True, it falls a bit short of the Kindle Fire and Nook: The Vox is a little chunkier than its competitors. But a color band around its edges, in your choice of blue, green, pink or black, does add a touch of flair.
Like its competitors, the Vox runs Google’s Android software, but its version isn’t as sophisticated as the others. For example, the Vox isn’t as easy to navigate. We found its touch screen to be a bit balky, too; it sometimes took us two or three taps before the Vox recognized our inputs.
Still,the Vox has its pluses. Most notable is Kobo’s “social reading” experience, which makes going on Facebook and other social Web sites to discuss the books you’re reading easy. The Vox also tracks your reading history, including the books and pages you’ve read and the minutes per reading session. Think of it as a health-tracker app for bibliophiles.
To continue reading this article
please register for free
This is different from signing in to your print subscription
Why am I seeing this? Find out more here
-
Stock Market Today: Nasdaq Soars Ahead of Tesla Earnings
The EV stock rose nearly 2% ahead of its highly anticipated Q1 earnings report, due after tonight's close.
By Karee Venema Published
-
GM Stock Accelerates After Earnings Beat
General Motors beat expectations for the first quarter and raised its outlook for the year. Here's what you need to know.
By Joey Solitro Published
-
403(b) Contribution Limits for 2024
retirement plans Teachers and nonprofit workers can contribute more to a 403(b) retirement plan in 2024 than they could in 2023.
By Jackie Stewart Published
-
Roth IRA Contribution Limits for 2024
Roth IRAs Roth IRA contribution limits have gone up for 2024. Here's what you need to know.
By Jackie Stewart Published
-
Four Tips for Renting Out Your Home on Airbnb
real estate Here's what you should know before listing your home on Airbnb.
By Miriam Cross Published
-
Five Ways to a Cheap Last-Minute Vacation
Travel It is possible to pull off a cheap last-minute vacation. Here are some tips to make it happen.
By Vaishali Varu Last updated
-
How Much Life Insurance Do You Need?
insurance Instead of relying on rules of thumb, you’re better off taking a systematic approach to figuring your life-insurance needs.
By Kimberly Lankford Published
-
When Is Amazon Prime Day?
Amazon Prime In 2023 Amazon had two Prime Day events — one in July and another, called Big Deal Days, in October. We expect 2024 to follow the same schedule.
By Bob Niedt Last updated
-
How to Shop for Life Insurance in 3 Easy Steps
insurance Shopping for life insurance? You may be able to estimate how much you need online, but that's just the start of your search.
By Kaitlin Pitsker Published
-
5 Ways to Shop for a Low Mortgage Rate
Becoming a Homeowner Rates are high this year, but you can still find an affordable loan.
By Daniel Bortz Published