As handheld electronic gadgets go, the iPad 2 and Kindle 3 are two of the most desirable products being sold today. However, comparing these two products is harder than you might first imagine. At first glance, they do seem to be very similar. They are both portable, lightweight, electronic devices that can be used to read ebooks. Although, this is really where the similarities end. We shall take a look at both of these products in more detail so that you can see for yourself where their strengths lie.

First of all, the Apple iPad 2 release date was on the 11^th of March 2011. This device is much more like a laptop than an electronic book reader such as the Kindle. In other words, it has an LCD screen which can certainly be used for reading but it also allows you to watch movies, surf the internet, make video phone calls, play games and much more. As far as looks go, this is the best looking and coolest portable gadget of the year. The question is, do you really need all this functionality? The iPad 2 is suitable for those of you who want to be able to watch movies on the go or make video phone calls from anywhere in the world (with 3G coverage).

The Kindle 3 reader on the other hand is much more limited in scope. It is easy to assume that this means that it is just a poor man’s iPad. However, this is not the case at all. It is easy to argue that the iPad does not have a specific function, it can do lots of things well, but what is its primary function? This is harder to say. Whereas with the Kindle, the whole idea is that it is to be used as a portable library. It can be loaded up with thousands of books at a time. Moreover, the battery can last up to one month before it needs to be recharged. On top of this, it has a different style of screen, electronic paper, which means that you do not get the same sort of eye strain as when you look at a computer monitor for a long time.

Whether iPad 2 or Kindle 3 is the device for you really depends upon the functionality you require from your portable electronic gadgets.