I just wanted to add on to what others have said so far. I have a Nook, and I love it. No, it won't be that easy to use for functions other than reading books, but it does have both wifi and 3G, and one of the recent software updates added a web browser, so if you have e-mail that can be gotten through a web browser, you may be able to do it. I tried to check AOL mail on it, and it was just too hard to use, so I gave up. I would imagine that the Kindle will be a similar experience in terms of the browser.
Why I chose the Nook over the Kindle:
- More choice of file formats, including EPUB, which is becoming the industry standard
- Can borrow e-books from my local library. At least at the time, only Sony and Nook were supported...not sure if Kindle support has been added or not
- Can buy books from way more e-book stores than you can for the Kindle - not tied down to B&N the way Kindles are kind of tied to Amazon at this point. Buying from anywhere but B&N requires downloading to your computer and sideloading to the Nook with the USB cord it comes with, but this doesn't bother me.
- I like using the finger swipe on the touch screen to turn pages rather than pressing a button
- Ability to add a memory card expansion (not that I need it yet) and change my own battery when the time comes
The biggest downside I've heard about for the Nook is that its battery life between charges is shorter than the Kindle's. If you are an avid reader, reading more than an hour a day, you will definitely not get the advertised number of days between charges. This doesn't really bother me too much since I just remember to plug it in every few days.
As others have said, there is no backlighting on either the Nook or Kindle. If you want to read in the dark, you need an external book light, just as you'd need for a paper book. Reading outside in the day time works pretty well though - much better than reading on something with a shiny screen like the iPad. So - reading in the dark, iPad is probably easier because it is backlit (but that's also what makes it less than ideal for many people who do a lot of reading...the backlight is what causes some eyestrain and/or headaches). Reading outside during the day, Nook or Kindle definitely a better choice.
From what I've heard from people who are casual readers, they like the iPad for reading just fine. From people I know who are hardcore, avid readers, they like the iPad as a gadget for surfing the web, etc., but do not like it for reading books and prefer e-readers that are designed specifically for reading books (Sony/Kobo/Nook/Kindle).
