These devices are getting hotter every month and it looks like they are about to become the new netbook, of sorts. They started out as something that is pretty niche and then Kindle came along. Now that the bubble wrap on the B&N Nook is still fresh, you can see that the industry is actually getting bigger and bigger players like Google are stepping in.

B&N Launches Nook, Apps On Their Way

So in the world of eBooks this week, B&N’s Nook is obviously the biggest news. The highly anticipated ebook reader is finally here and we are all pretty impressed by how different it is from the Kindle. The Android touchscreen, the lending feature and the RSS feed  – all refreshingly different from the Kindles.

We are also hearing that apps for Android, iPhone etc. are in the pipeline. So you will have a Nook in your pocket pretty if you own any device that fits the bill.

I just got through comparing the Nook with a design prototype from Spring Design. It’s another Android dual screen eBook reader called Alex. Read all about it right here.

Spring Design Springs Alex Video On Us

As mentioned above, Spring Design has this new eBook reader called the Alex but it is still in the pipelines. All that they can show you right now is a video with what appears to be a prototype (or may be pre-production unit). Enjoy the video for now or go read my comparison of the device with the Nook.

Entourage edge DualBook

This is another eBook reader I covered this week. Yes, me covering three eBook readers this week and this round up post – they are all related. :p

So this is another interesting device – it is an eBook reader and a netbook. Read about it right here.

The Best eBook Readers To Buy Right Now

If you are in the market for a new eBook reader, these are best ones to choose from. Between these three, you will find everything that the industry has to offer and the build quality that will last.

B&N Nook

This week’s eBook star and momentarily overshadowing the Kindle with its dual screen and Android driven touchscreen. It’s selling for $259 from the website (nook.com) but feature-wise, I would say that Kindle has a better deal for you.

Amazon Kindle 2 And DX

The Kindle going International with free 3G connection (to the whispernet only though) in almost anywhere in the world is plain fantastic. That means I can browse the store for a book from anywhere in the world and get it instantly. The Kindle 2 is $259 and the Kindle DX, the special Kindle with a bigger screen, is $482. But unless you really want to have the DX for its extra features, you are really just better off with the normal Kindle.

Amazon recently pulled this $20 refund stunt where it refunded $20 to all pre-order buyers because they reduced the price to $259 from $279 all of a sudden to match Nook’s price. But don’t wish for it to happen too often because the last time this happened, Amazon was removing a book from Kindles without the owners’ permission and refunding their purchase.

Sony Readers

Sony is the only company that I would recommend for eBook readers that does not have a huge publishing platform. Sure it has the Sony Connect store but compare to B&N or Amazon, it is nothing. Still, their Sony Reader Touch Edition (PRS-600) is a pretty good device, especially because it has a touchscreen.

Not having physical controls, the device is far more compact and hence I feel is easier to use in some ways. It sells for around $200-$250 depending on where you are buying it from. Also, I like Sony’s design aesthetics.

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Plastic Logic is another trustworthy company. They are the ones who made the Nook for B&N. But their own eBook Reader – the Cool-er is not very compelling when compared with the three above. So I did not mention it.

(Corrections: That was a terrible mixup I had made above and a media rep. from Cool-er’s actual company (Interead) kindly pointed this out. Please note that ‘Cool-Er’ is made by ‘Interead’ and ‘Plastic Logic’ is the eBook store partner of B&N and not the manufacturer of the Nook (which the rep. also pointed out). The two companies are not related and I apologize to them both.)

One more thing to note is that the Kindle is the only device that will give you 16 progressive shades of grey. The other two have 8. This means the Kindle’s screen has a better looking display.

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Got another reader you use and love? Tell us about it in the comments section.

Barnes and Noble has finally made its new eBook reader official. But we already knew pretty much everything about it way before it came out, with the final details falling leaking into place hours before the actual launch event took place.

But before B&N’s Nook (that’s what it’s called) had a chance to see daylight, another company knew that it had to do something or else it would be lost in the landslide of Nok coverage. This company is Spring Design and they have an eBook reader too. It is called Alex and it is very similar to the Nook.

The Nook and the Alex are both dual screen devices. They both have Android powered smaller LCD touchscreens at the bottom and the e-Ink screen on top. The LCD touchscreens on both turn off when you start reading on them. And they have similar design and dimensions.

They both have a speaker, support MP3 playback, support EPUB and PDF and a multitouch touchscreen that supports gestures.

Then there are the differences. First, the Nook is actually out and you can check it out at Nook.com, while Alex is still in the labs without any word when the thing will be released. Spring Design had some rendered shots and then followed up with a wobbly video of the thing in action.

Alex has a ‘read’ button between the two screens and it works to zap whatever’s on the touchscreen on to the reader screen and turns off the LCD screen. This is as true for books, as it is for web pages. So if you want to read this article on the Alex, you can browse to this page and hit the ‘read’ button to ‘print’ the article on to the reader screen. It will be rendered exactly but everything will be in 12-shades of grey.

You know… 12-shades of grey will actually make a pretty cool name for a book or an album. Never mind.

The Barnes&Noble Nook does not have this feature because the company’s president Willian Lynch himself tells you that a browser on an eBook reader is ‘clumsy’. Fair enough. So the Nook is limited in that sense. Alex’s video presenter clearly says that it has standard Android running and hence has all the different apps that you would expect it to have, including what looked like a fully functional mobile browser that can render full web pages.

Even though Alex’s ‘Reader’ app has a shopping option, we are quite sure it won’t be something that competes with Amazon or B&N. So the Nook has the upper hand with its exclusive content and integration with B&N’s eBook store. Although, may be being free to choose your own source all the time is not such a bad thing.

B&N charges for RSS feeds, while the Alex will probably get them to you for free because it has a more flexible Android. You can directly print the RSS articles on to the reader screen for reading. You won’t be able to click links but I don’t think you will be able to do that on the Nook’s EPUB’d RSS feeds either.

When comparing these two, you have to look past the striking resemblance to see how different they actually are. I started out thinking that the B&N has the clear upper hand here. But if the Alex is released in to the market before the Nook or the current Kindle is upgraded to be more flexible, we might have a compelling convergent device on our hands.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and tell us which one you like better.