Thinking about buying a nook for yourself or someone else? Wondering which model is the best purchase – nook or nook Wifi “Lite”? Good question, and as a veteran nook user and troubleshooter I think I can help!   There are only three differences between these two models.  

1) The nook Wifi is $50 cheaper.

2) The nook Lite does not have free AT&T Cell Service for buying books anywhere (you have to connect to a computer or wif-fi network)

3) The nook Lite has a white back instead of a gray back panel.  

That's it! Obviously cheaper is better so let's look at the other two differences.  

Do you need the 3G feature? The regular nook has a built in cellular network connection that's free for life to buy books anywhere you can get an AT&T data signal. However, the 3G service for the nook, based on my recent experiences, still doesn't work great in non-3G areas (even though it has the right radio equipment). If you aren't in an area with the AT&T 3G service most of the time or don't mind using wifi or connecting your computer to buy books get a nook Wifi.  

Do you hate white? Seriously, some people will like the back of the regular nook because of the contrast of the dark back panel. For $20 you can change it out the nook white back or buy a decal for your nook and you're still $30 ahead! If you don't mind the white back panel or would just change it out anyway buy a nook Wifi.

I bought a nook for $259 when they were first available. If I had to do it again, I'd buy a nook Wifi in a heartbeat. It's a great deal and the options for the nook are much better than the similarly priced Kobo and Amazon readers. Keep the $50 and buy some books!

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0 #12 Jeff Wright 2010-09-02 20:37

Don't waste your money on 3G. You will not, I repeat NOT, want to use your nook to do any browsing with. It is not designed for anything but reading. You only need connectivity for downloading books. 3G would definitely be faster for this, but it's not worth $50. Like someone else said, use the fifty to pay for the service plan, that is something you will definitely want. These things aren't bullet proof

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0 #11 Man of la Book 2010-08-11 12:01

I got the WiFi, I spent the $50 I saved on the protection plan. My reasoning was simple: I use the nook to read books, not to surf. How often would I really use the nook as a computer?
Answer: not nearly enough to justify $50.

Book Reviews: http://www.ManOfLaBook.com

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-3 #10 Codo 2010-07-30 14:02

Another thing I found.... The service contract for a Nook Wifi is cheaper than for the Nook 3G.

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0 #9 ruggy 2010-07-19 16:26

I bought the kiindle and took it back as I learned more about the nook. The kindle is great except for that small keyboard. I do like the nook but I wasnt happy when i found out that the 3g is only available to download and buy books and you could not surf the web unless you are using wifi. Now with the kindle you can have 3g all the time not just to buy and download books.

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0 #8 Pete 2010-07-14 16:36

Sean - WiFi works the same as 3G. It only connects when needed. I'm not sure what the time-out on it is but so far I haven't noticed much difference in battery life with it on or off.

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0 #7 CDulany 2010-07-12 20:43

I chose the Nook WiFi or the Kindle 2 for a couple reasons:

1) I have WiFi around me almost all the time, either at home, the office or several other locations. Plus I figure I can download what I need before I need to connect again.

2) The ability to add a microSD card trumpt the 3G. I have many PDFs that I wanted to read and this was more important. Between the microSD, the official BNN screen protectors and a good case (still looking for that elusive item) I figure I will still be spending the $50 I saved just on accessories.

3) Even though 3G service is available locally, it can get spotty at times, according to my friends who own iPhones.

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0 #6 Sean ODonnell 2010-07-03 06:24

wirless drains the battery much quicker then 3g, reason being is the only time 3g is on is when your using it. If using wireless you have to be aware of it, because you could turn it on to download a book, but if you don't go through the process of turning it off, it will remain on and kill your battery. It's all a matter of opinion, Me personally would hate not having 3g because when i'm not reading i find myself browsing thourgh the millions of books in the store, which is quite addicting, i download many samples and read them to see if any books that look interesting stick. If i could only do that when around a wireless connection, it would totally cut down on my browsing through the store time, which has become just as much fun as reading a good book, lol. spend the extra $50, go top shelf

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0 #5 jroyle68 2010-06-28 20:56

I agree. Save your $50. The 3G drains the battery faster than wifi and you can't leave it on either. I can count the number of times I've needed or used 3G on one hand.

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0 #4 Sean ODonnell 2010-06-28 17:15

IMO spend the extra $50 and get the 3g version. (Thats if your in an area with 3g coverage) using the wireless is kind of a pain and you always have to be concious to turn it on and off, because if you leave it destroys your battery ( drains it very fast ). Whit back isn't a good choice either unless your getting a case, we all know how dirty a white back will get (Those backs must cost less then $1 to manufacture and they sell them for $20, so if you really think about it, they make more of a profit from a back then they do when you buy a nook) So in the end just spend the extra $50 and get the best possible version, trust me you won't be disappointed.

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0 #3 Susan Dodge-Doak 2010-06-28 11:12

I have the 3g, though I would have taken the wi-fi also.... and I bought a "grapefruit" back panel. However I prefer the white, had I been given the chance. Charcoal? ugh!

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