Beyond ADers' personal opinions, you might find these links useful:
Kindle vs. Nook vs. iPad: Which e-book reader should you buy? | Crave - CNET
Barnes and Noble site to compare features between the Nook Color and the Simple Touch:
Which NOOK is right for you - Compare Features - Barnes*&*Noble
Kindle vs Nook: Choosing the Best Ebook Reader - Phone Beta
Read all the comments on this one; very illuminating.
The original article is wrong about battery life on the Nook being only 10 days. That is only true if you leave the Wi-Fi connection on. But there's no reason to do that if all you're doing is reading. You only need the connection activated when you are in the process of buying something and you are not connected to your home PC. Otherwise, turn it off. Then the battery will last you a good long time; some sources say it will last up to two months.
You should, in theory, be able to try both of them (and others, like Sony) at a Best Buy, although I found that only my local Barnes and Noble had both versions of the Nook available to try.