I would like to say that DRM-free formats, will win, if they hadn't already.

All the ebooks I have purchased are in DRM-free formats and I won't buy books in DRM-encumbered formats. All the magazines I subscribe to are either delivered in PDF or as dead trees. If I ever buy a DRM-ed title, I'll crack it and transport them to whatever device I have that I want to use. I currently favor the Nook and intend to buy one as soon as it becomes available here (or I pass through some place where it's available), mostly because it's easy to hack and runs Android. I currently read with Stanza and GoodReader on my iPod, but will move over to the Nook as soon as possible.

I really enjoy my Nook over a Kindle.

@showerst I have an iPad but just can't read books on it as long as I cam with e-ink (but with the addition of anti-glare/matte screen protector it is a bit better than before)

FWIW I finally bought a Kindle this week and the software and device portability really didn't factor into my decision. I still fail to understand how people are able to read books on their phones. My eyes start hurting after a couple of minutes. Am I in the minority on this?

Has anyone seen any numbers on the difference between people using iBooks vs the kindle app on the iPad or iPhone? Anecdotally, I've heard lots of people say they wanted to get an iPad so they could use the kindle app, but the plural of anecdote is not data.

I think that the war is just beginning. Currently eReaders are still niche products and I never see them on the street. However, they're just getting into stores now, where people will finally be able to interact with them before buying. Now that they're in stores I think competition will really start to heat up. Many folks will be seeing eReaders for the first time. Kobo has a presence at Borders in the USA and Indigo/Chapters in Canada. Kindle I understand is in Target and I'm not sure about anything in Canada.

On the other hand one certainly wonders if the fight is irrelevant when considering the mighty iPad.

I think its a close battle between Nook & Kindle currently, both are good ebook readers, hence the quick price drop by Amazon in response to B&N. I think the next versions of both devices might decide the winners

I find these "X won" "Y won" blog posts to be getting tiresome. This industry is one of the most fluid, most innovative, and most dynamic in history. The products, services, and companies at the top of the heap today will not be the same at the top of the heap in a year, let alone 5 years or 10. Things change. Every company has to keep up with the competition or they will fall behind. There is no Ragnarok-esque finish line, it just keeps going.

If Apple had stopped at the iPhone v.1 it would have been an interesting footnote in history.

As far as eBooks, we're in early days yet. I doubt we've seen anything even close to the "winner" for eBooks yet.

iPad, anyone? I know they're not quite for the same purpose, particularly considering the advantages of eInk for a reading-only medium, but not to even mention it seems bizarre.

Won? How can you win an ongoing battle?

B&N nook - Crunchies 2010 Best New Gadget winner: http://techcrunch.com/2010/01/08/crunchies-winner/

Whatever, TechCrunch!