Is it easier to read outside with the Nook or the iPad?

You can read them as a full page or in article view, which re-flows an individual story into a more readable template. It isn't as flashy as some of the iPad magazines out there, but it is an enjoyable experience and dead simple for publishers to support. The Nook Color runs a version of Android 2.1, but does that mean it supports Android apps?

Yes and no. The Nook Color does not access the Android marketplace directly, but Barnes and Noble ports some Android apps to the platform. The company has a few games, Chess and Crosswords, as well as Pandora Internet radio pre-loaded in the Extras section.

That said, the company plans to keep these apps in the Extras section and keep the Nook Color focused on reading. The Nook Color's Web browser, on the other hand, is a little more than an "Extra." Although not quite a full version of Chrome, it will get you online fast and the browsing experience isn't bad.

There are some quirks—like tapping to zoom in on a page, instead of the more intuitive pinch-and-zoom functionality. Still, when you are using the browser, it's easy to think you are holding a tablet and not an ebook reader. Testing battery life for ebook readers is usually pretty difficult.

The Amazon Kindle will run for a week with its 3G radio on, and as long as a month with it disabled. That is certainly not the case with the Nook Color. The company says it will last up to 8 hours, and my testing confirmed that number.

After a day of heavy reading, about 3-4 hours, I went to bed to find the device dead in the morning. The next day, I got the Nook Color to survive the night by turning off Wi-Fi. If you read for more than a few hours a day, you should plan on charging daily.

This is much better than the color-screened Sharper Image Literati's ($159, 2.5 stars) measly 4-hours of battery life. Make sure you bring your charger wherever you go. Although the Nook Color looks like it has a standard micro USB port, it will only charge with the Nook AC adapter.

I tried both 5V and 10V adapters, with no luck. Nor can you charge the device by connecting it to a PC. Turns out the cable that comes with the Nook Color has a few extra pins in it, to enable faster charging.

The custom connector supports 2000mAh charging, whereas most mobile electronics use 500mAh chargers. This is limiting, since it significantly reduces your charging options, but it isn't much different than the proprietary charger that's required with the iPad.