5 Great eReaders for Students Going Back to School in 2011

EBook readers and tablets are the latest must have gadgets that are perfect for students and can be necessary at times. As schools make the tech shift towards eReaders, students might want to nab one of these 5 great eReaders for 2011's school year.

Nook Color - $249

The Nook Color is arguably the best eBook Reader on the market. With a vibrant 7 inch LCD capacitive touchscreen display, Android OS support, and with access to over 2 million books and countless apps via the Android Market, the Nook Color is a great eReaders for students. Unlike most eReaders on the market, the Nook Color is in full color, supports apps and can even play games. If you're looking for a multipurpose eBook reader that does more than just eBooks, the Nook Color is an excellent choice.

Amazon Kindle with Special Offers - $114

As far as budget eBook Readers go, the Amazon Kindle with Special Offers is the best deal on the market. At just $114, the Amazon Kindle with Special Offers is a great deal for students and features a high-contrast E Ink screen, promises no glare, sports a lighter design than previous models, supports Wi-Fi, and has a powerful battery that'll last up to two months. While the Amazon Kindle with Special Offers has a great sales price, it does come with a catch; this eBook reader shows ads every now and then and also issues surveys from time to time.

Nook Simple Touch - $139

If the Nook Color is a bit out of your price range, then you might want to opt for the Nook Simple Touch. Unlike the Nook Color, the Simple Touch is built using E Ink screen technology (black and white, not full color), but what it lacks in color it makes up in clear and crisp reading, two months of battery life, a 6 inch touchscreen display, easy reading, lots of books to choose from, and a neat $139 price tag.

iRiver Story HD - $139

iRiver is an up and coming tech company that's shocking the world with their iRiver eBook readers. The Story HD features a high resolution SVGA E Ink 6 inch display, has a fast 800MHz Cortex processor (less lag and faster page turns), displays fonts better than most eReaders, boasts crisp image quality with 16 shades of grayscale, and last 6 weeks on one battery charge. At $139, the iRiver Story HD is one of the best budget eReaders that would be perfect for students going back to school in 2011.

iPad 1^st Generation - Varies

Let's face it; the iPad is arguably the best eBook reader on the market for students. With a large 9.7 inch display, lots of great apps for students, fast processing speed, and a vibrant touchscreen, the iPad is perfect for students, but the price of the iPad 2 is just a tad bit too expensive. If you're looking to nab a great eBook reader, but aren't willing to pay the $499 price tag of the entry level iPad 2, try to nab a 1^st generation iPad. Lots of original iPad owners are willing to offload their tablet for very low prices and they can usually be bought around the $200-$300 price range used.