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The eBook Reader War Has Just Gotten Interesting

By Tim Martin

With the recent release of the Kobo eReader from Borders at the low price of $149.99, both Barnes & Noble and Amazon have reacted.

On Monday, Barnes & Noble released a new version of the Nook which is WIFI only for $149.99, the same price as the new Kobo eReader from Borders. They also lowered the price of the original Nook that has 3G access to $199.99, which until today would cost you $259.99.

Hours later Amazon lowered the price of the Kindle from $259.99 to $189.99, $10 cheaper than the 3G version of the Nook.

Borders also has released a Kobo app for the iPhone and iPad to access your purchased books on these devices as well. Amazon already has an iPhone and iPad app. Barnes & Noble has yet to release an app but one is supposed to be in the works.

Which eBook reader is right for you? Well some of it will depend on if you need 3G access to wirelessly download your books or if you have access to WIFI. Also if you have some book titles in mind that you plan to purchase, I would recommend searching on each eReader websites for the titles to check availability and pricing. With the release of iBooks for the iPhone in iOS4, I checked the online store for a few books and they did not have them. I still think $149.99 - $199.99 is still a bit pricey, but it's a start. I think the first company to lower the price of their eReader to $99 will win the general consumer over.

Tim Martin is a Technology Specialist, Follow him on Facebook at facebook.com/tsmartin75 or on Twitter @tsmartin. For more of Tim's news articles and tech radio show, visit tech-rewind.com Do you have a story that needs told? Let Tim know!