Amazon Kindle Paperwhite

Performance

Nearly flawless. Critics love the Kindle Paperwhite's performance scheme. The display packs more pixels than even the base Kindle's superb screen, pages refresh speedily, and the text contrast is second to none. The Kindle bookstore is easy to access and browse. The Paperwhite's light distribution is more even than on the Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight (*Est. $120), although variations can appear at the bottom of the screen under certain conditions.

Features

All that and more. In addition to the lighting feature, the Kindle Paperwhite offers the abundance of extras found in the base Amazon Kindle (*Est. $70 and up). These include a web browser, dictionary, a massive catalog of books to download, free borrowing via Kindle-to-Kindle lending and the Kindle Owner's Lending Library, and WhisperSync technology that saves your page across multiple Kindle devices and apps. A Paperwhite-exclusive "Time to Read" feature estimates how long it will take to finish your chapter based on your previous reading speed.

Amazon keeps costs down by including Special Offer advertisements on the lockscreen; an ad-free Kindle Paperwhite costs $20 more. Similarly, the Kindle Paperwhite is Wi-Fi only, but a 3G version (*Est. $180 and up) is available. Reviewers worry about the Kindle's lack of expandable memory, missing ePub format support and proprietary e-book format, but not enough to ding the device. The Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight includes expandable memory and vast format support, but few of the Paperwhite's additional features.

Ease of use

Mostly excellent. Navigating books with the Paperwhite's touchscreen controls works flawlessly. Some reviewers prefer the physical page turn buttons like those on the touchscreen Nooks, but most say it's all a breeze whether you're flipping pages or browsing the Kindle bookstore. Experts report, however, that the Kindle Paperwhite feels a bit bulky compared to the base Kindle or Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight.

Value

All about the light -- and the ads. If you want a lit e-book reader, the Amazon Paperwhite with Special Offers is a decent deal. If you don't mind using an outside light source, however, the base Kindle and Nook Simple Touch (*Est. $100) offer great e-reading experiences at a much lower cost. The Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight ditches the Paperwhite's ads -- and most of its special features -- for the same price.

If you're looking for a top-notch e-book reader with a lit screen, reviewers say the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite's incredibly detailed E Ink display, fast and responsive controls, abundant extras and massive book library make it a great choice. However, it's not without some minor issues.