Ever since Amazon released their Kindle eReader device in 2007, many other organizations have released related devices. The two most notable of these are Barnes and Noble and Sony, although Apple's iPad may also be an interesting competitor. Given Barnes and Noble's respectability in the book market, their device is definitely one which many individuals have been hotly anticipating. But how does it compare to the others? If you are thinking about purchasing a Nook or any other eReader in the near future, here is various information about the Nook that you will need to keep in mind.

1. Dual Screen

The first thing you will likely notice about the Nook is that it actually has two separate screens. This makes it quite unique compared to every other device in the marketplace. The bottom portion of the screen is a full color screen with multi-touch display, while the upper screen is a monochrome e-ink display, similar to the Kindle's. You are able to browse through your books on the color screen with a flip of your finger in a display which is highly reminiscent of Apple's Cover Flow display. Turning pages is optimized for both nearly everywhere handed folks, and the upper screen is highly responsive to page turns. The color screen uses a lot more battery juice than the upper screen. Luckily, they aren't both required to remain turned on all the time. The lower screen will generally turn off automatically after 30 seconds, while the upper screen will fall asleep after about 20 minutes.

2. Connectivity

The Nook can connect and download books either via an AT&T powered 3G wireless connection or through WiFi. Books download just as quickly as on the Kindle. Every day, Barnes and Noble also sends you two free pieces of content written by professional journalists. One is a humor piece and the other is a "this day in history" type piece. If you bring your Nook directly into a Barnes and Noble store, it is possible to connect via WiFi to access a slew of extras. Read selected short stories and essays for free, and you can also find coupons for free coffee or cookies from the in-store coffee shop. This is definitely something Amazon and Sony can't provide. Unfortunately, the Nook doesn't come equipped with a web browser like the Kindle does.

3. Book Store

The book store that you could access with your Nook is very intuitive and simple to use. Because it isn't a touch screen device, the store is mostly text-based. You are able to browse through bestsellers, newspapers, magazines, and by genre. You may also perform a search for your favorite author or title. Once you make a purchase, the book is downloaded to your device in just seconds.

4. Technical Specs

Overall, the device looks much like the Kindle. However, it's a bit thicker, at half an inch, compared to the Kindle's 3 inches. There's a power button which you can tap once to put the device to sleep. You can also hold it down for about 5 seconds to turn the device off completely. Oddly, the Nook won't charge when it's completely turned off. There's a standard micro USB port on the bottom of the unit, and a slot to insert an SD card. The internal hard drive holds 2GB, so the SD card isn't strictly needed. However, it can be useful for loading PDFs and ePub files straight into the Nook.