Nook Review

Overview

I know it’s been a year since this product came out, but it’s one I have been using for a while.  The Nook is Barnes & Nobel’s entry into the ereader arena, and they came out with guns blazing.  They have improved and upgraded the device over the past year, and even come out with a sequal: the Nook Color.  The electronic reader market has become a little crowded during this past year; is the Nook, one of the first big name ereaders, still a contender, or has it fallen by the wayside?  Read on to find out.

Pros

connection to the online store

 

Much like it’s main competitor, the Amazon Kindle, the Nook has a ebook store built into the device.  I have always loved the Barnes & Nobel brick-and-mortar stores, and for no other reason than brand loyalty, I chose to buy the Nook over the Kindle a year ago.  I have not been disappointed in the slightest.

One of my favorite features is every Friday, B&N offers a free ebook for download on the Nook.  I have downloaded several good books through their offer, and some of those have become among my favorite reading so far.  Included in that list is His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik and Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas by Ace Collins (the current free ebook).

• The Nook store has several other notable features, such as:
• Coupons displayed while in a Barnes & Nobel store
• Suggest reading based on what books you currently have
• A Read-in-store feature, where you can read a book in its entirety while in a Barnes & Nobel store
• And many others you can check out here.

e-ink screen

 

This was at one point the defining feature of ebook readers, but several companies have begun making LCD readers, including Barnes & Nobel itself.  An e-ink display has many advantages.  First, it lowers eyestrain; I have never gotten sore eyes while reading my Nook, unlike when I’m using my computer for more than a few hours at a time.  Secondly, e-ink kills LCD technology when it comes to battery life.  When in Airplane mode, I can leave and have left my Nook unplugged for more than a week and not needed to charge it.  That’s with fairly constant use.

second screen

 

One of the main features the Nook offers that most other ereaders do not have is a second, smaller LCD touch screen.  Now, you may be thinking, “You just raved about how e-ink is better; why is this LCD an advantage?” Several reasons, first: the second screen acts as the navigation screen.  You switch between the current book and another there, between your library and the store there, you can navigate to the games (yes, games!) there, you type your notes there.  It is an all-purpose area, which I find pretty intuitive.

syncing

I know the Kindle also offers this, but I think the syncing feature at least is worth a mention.  You can download Nook software for your PC, Mac, iPod or iPhone, iPad, and Android phones.  Your Nook syncs with whatever various Nook software you may have.  I could be reading my Nook in the library, pull out my laptop at home and keep going where I left off, and finish up in bed on my iPod.  It’s all seamless and automatic.

updates

The last pro I’ll list is how frequently B&N updates the software on this thing.  It was really good when it first came out, and has just gotten better.  The updates have included a web browser, a couple of games (sudoku and chess), and many performance updates.  They have been vary proactive in upgrading their device, and I don’t think they’re going to slow down anytime soon.

Cons

But alas, there are a few downsides to this device that you must be aware of:

no keyboard

This is my number one complaint.  The LCD screen is great, but the on-screen keyboard is very difficult [read: downright impossible at times] to work with.  It’s fine for typing in a book or author you’re searching for, but you really notice how bad it is when writing a note.  I have yet to write a single note in a book that didn’t require me to go back and correct some typo.  There a sever lag between typing and seeing your letters appear on-screen, so I’m often three or four words down by the time I realize I made a mistake.  It’s not a deal-breaker, but this is where they could stand some major improvement.

speed

My second complain is speed.  The page turns used to be atrociously slow, but through their updates, this is no longer an issue;  I’m primarily talking about the LCD touch screen.  I know I just listed this as a pro, but here me out.  The menu design, I think, is wonderful.  I never have to wonder about how to get to a certain setting or anything like that.  The screen, however, is still a bit buggy.  In the main screen, I often have to swipe several time for it to register that I wanted it to move over.  I often have to hit a button two or three times for it to register.  Sometimes may tap does register, but the screen took a second to switch to the next menu, so I end up tapping a second button I didn’t mean to.  It’s not horrible, but it is still pretty bad.

Conclusion

In spite of these two buggy issues, I would definitely recommend the Nook to anyone who reads any amount whatsoever.  I didn’t cover every feature the Nook has, but these are some of my pros and cons.  The Nook now is offered as Wi-Fi only ($149) or with 3G ($199).  I recommend the 3G, as it allows you to access the online store anywhere you can get a cell signal, and there’s no price on the cell use.

By all means, research the offerings out there, but since you asked my opinion, I say go for the Nook.