Not too long ago Amazon released a series of Kindle apps. You can now read the over 500,000 books offered on any of seven devices: iPod, iPad, iPhone, Blackberry, PC, Mac and of course, the Kindle itself. You probably own more than one of these. Much like music before, books are increasingly becoming an electronic medium, for all the good and the bad that comes with the digital territory.

I am not convinced that the Kindle or the Nook will become the cultural icons or revolutionize a medium the way the iPod did. However, as ereaders make the move to big box stores and Amazon and Barnes & Noble fight it out for market share, it is clear that ereaders are gaining mass appeal. As with any new piece of hardware, you want to make sure that the couple of hundred dollars you’ll drop on an ereader is well spent.

If you want a comparison of the various features of the Kindle, Nook or iPad I am afraid I cannot help you. I am hardly an expert on the subject. In fact, I am something of a Luddite. I am notoriously resistant to new technology, paranoid in fact. I fear cancer from my cellphone and wireless internet baffles me. I am also a book lover. And I mean wood pulp and ink. Electronic books were a blasphemy that I had determined not to be part of. That said, a few weeks ago I set out to buy an ereader as a birthday gift for a friend.

I did my research and read reviews and comparisons. I studied charts and diagrams. In the end none of this really informed my decision. The Kindle, the Nook, and Sony’s entry all seemed on equal footing. So without bogging anyone down with technical comparisons I would like to offer a buyer’s guide from a distinctly non-technical perspective.

First of all, the presence of ereaders in big box stores is a welcome addition. Prior to my shopping excursion I only looked at ereaders with a sense of scorn; a bastardization of art. Then I stepped up to the Nook kiosk in my local Barnes & Noble. Nothing can sell an ereader better than actually using one. These are truly incredible little devices. They are sleek, thin, convenient, and most importantly, incredibly easy to use. I always considered e-ink to be a cheap catch phrase, nothing more than a lazy attempt at marketing. However, the screens on these things are technological marvels. After burning my eyes out squinting at electronic screens for years, those six inch high def screens are a miraculous improvement over the typical LCD. E-ink is limited in its use, but it surpasses all of my expectations at the purpose for which it was designed, that is reading.

I mentioned the Nook, but the Kindle is also making the move to traditional retail outlets with a partnership with Target. Currently it is only available in Minneapolis and Florida. This is somewhat frustrating for the shopper who wants to physically compare the two most popular ereaders. However, the Kindle does have a distinct advantage: notoriety. For the friend I was shopping for the Kindle is synonymous with ereader. The Nook, and the Sony Reader are unknown quantities, maybe even cheap imitations. My friend is wrong. The Nook and Sony Reader are both solid products, but this perception is a victory for Amazon’s marketing department. There has never been an aggressive ad campaign attached to the Kindle, yet it remains Amazon’s best-selling product.

Finally, we must take a look at what might be the most important contender: the iPad. The functionality of the iPad far surpasses any other current ereader. If we are to judge it solely as an ereader though, the screen becomes the iPad’s greatest strength and it’s most crippling fault. As the only “ereader” with a color screen, it is the only real choice for serious fans of comics. Unfortunately though, for someone like me, that is about all it is good for. I would not be able to read a novel off an LCD screen without serious eyestrain. I realize this might not be a problem for others.

In the end I bought a Kindle, but only because it was a gift. The Nook would have been my personal choice. After using the Kindle for a little while though, I have discovered the biggest flaw in every ereader: They are far too convenient. Purchasing ebooks is so easy it is actually a problem. Before she even realized it, my friend’s bank account was almost a hundred dollars lighter. Like digital music though, ebooks are subject to that force of “moral decay” that most of us participate in, piracy. Like I said before, electronic books are subject to all the good and bad of the digital age, and it’s not always clear where that line is drawn.