BN Nook > Amazon Kindle
Why Amazon released the second generation Kindle without a touchscreen or color is beyond me.
Because 1-it KILLS battery life; 2-offers no real benefit; and 3- it was released WELL before the Nook so the display(s) at the time likely were not cost effective. The better question is WHY Amazon screwed other things up on the Kindle2 (like no expandable memory). Yeah I like the little screen but all it does is display the cover of the book.... it doesn't
really add anything to the overall experience (other than a bit of flash/style). You really notice a difference in the battery life if you use it much. And to be honest if given the option I would probably prefer they just made the actual display screen bigger or done something else entirely.