I asked Scott to bring home a Nook Simple Touch, because he works at Barnes & Nobles he can take advantage of “borrowing” things and bringing them back. This gives me a chance to really sit down and try to use some of the technology that Barnes & Nobles has brought to life.

I’m only half-heartedly looking for a eBook reader as my iPad does a very good job at displaying eBooks. I have a gaggle of eBooks already saved up, all in the ePub format and I’ve been off-and-on reading them both on my iPad and the Nook Simple Touch reader. I’m quite on the fence between the two devices. Here’s the layout before me:

Points for iPad:

– I won’t have to buy anything new. I already own my iPad. It does a great job at displaying books and is compatible with a gaggle of formats even some the Nook Simple Touch cannot handle, like graphic-intensive PDF files.

– The iPad is backlit, which makes it easy to read at night without turning on the lights and disturbing anyone else who is trying to sleep and is light-sensitive. This isn’t as big a reason as I originally thought because when it’s late and there isn’t any light outside I’m most likely going to pass out and reading is just going to push me that much faster towards unconsciousness.

Points for Nook:

– The iPad is heavy. Much heavier than the Nook Simple Touch. That might be a compelling reason to switch.

– The Nook can display many of the ePub files I already have quite well. The display is eInk and while it is not backlit, it is slightly easier to read.

– I prefer the fonts on the Nook Simple Touch to the font selections on iBooks on my iPad.

– The Nook has a 2-month (really?) battery life, while my iPad has at most a 1 to 2 day battery life.

– The Nook doesn’t have the iPad’s obnoxious annoying notification system always popping up bibble-babble while I’m trying to read.

So what to do? I can easily afford to buy a Nook Simple Touch, the price is certainly right, at $139 dollars. My only misgivings about the Nook is no built-in backlight and no available dictionary lookup feature that exists in the iBooks app on my iPad. Do I go ahead and buy the Nook Simple Touch and enjoy it or should I stay with my iPad? I use the iPad for lots of other things other than reading books, but there is something about having one device that does it all instead of having a gaggle of devices for specialized uses. The only thing that is outstanding is the weight and size. The Nook is easy to hold in my hands, while the iPad is heavy. Is it enough of a reason to plunk down the money and get a Nook?

Another idea I have is that it would help Scott’s store’s bottom line. I like B&N above every other bookselling company, especially over Amazon. Do I stimulate the economy by buying a Nook Simple Touch? I’m on the fence. Teeter-totter. Is there anyone out there with an iPad and a Nook? How did you resolve this conundrum and get off the fence?