So a couple of weeks ago I splurged and bought an eReader – The Barnes & Noble NOOKcolor. I never thought I’d be one for electronic books but so far I’m loving it!
How Did I Come About Buying an eReader?
I always thought the idea of eReaders were kinda neat but I liked the romanticism of turning the actual pages. As I said, I never thought I’d get into an eReader.
I had seen the Amazon Kindle, both on the Amazon site and in Staples a few times. It looked really cool but I couldn’t justify the cost.
What changed? I started the school semester, late January, with an economics class. The professor required us to buy this online package so we could submit our homework online (this was required) and it also included the online edition of the book. There was no option for just the homework submission. Not wanting to buy a physical copy (there weren’t any used copies of the book out there to get) and not wanting to read it all on my laptop (I sit in from of it all day already) I started to look into eReaders. Note: I could have also printed out the book but I didn’t want to blow up my printer. Bringing a file to a printing store was also an option too (but I kinda got myself psyched up for an eReader).
First up was the Kindle. It looks real cool, the ink technology is awesome, and it feels like a sturdy little machine. The price wasn’t too bad either, starting at $139.
Doing research on it, I discovered that the Kindle doesn’t accept ePub format books. Why is this important? Most libraries carries books in the ePub format. Without the library option then I’d be buying books. I haven’t bought a book in quite some time, opting instead to take advantage of the county libraries. I didn’t want an eReader where I knew I’d probably be buying most of my books (there are free books, but many of these are older classics, which are great, but I like to read more recent stuff too).
So that brought me to the Nook. Initially I was looking at the basic Nook which is similar to the Kindle and comparable in price at $149. In fact I saw on the B&N website that they have Certified Pre-Owned stock for $119. That’s not too bad!
But in doing some further research I found that the Nook might not take pdf’s with graphics too well (of which I had a bunch and was also what my textbook would be). So I looked at the NOOKcolor.
The NOOKcolor is more expensive at $249. But as you can get from the name, this is a full color reader. Truth is, it seems closer to a small tablet than an eReader. In fact it runs on the Google Android platform (though at the moment it’s not open to Android Apps). Also the NOOKcolor is a touchscreen which the NOOK and the Kindle aren’t. The NOOKcolor also has Wi-Fi access.
The more I read about the NOOKcolor the more I wanted one. I know, I didn’t really need it but heck I wanted one. I could go into how it will help me in school and how I’ll get free books from the library and such (like it was my birthday recently) but what it really comes down to is I could afford it and I liked it. I don’t go overboard with expenses, impulse and otherwise, so this would be a nice treat. Of course I discussed buying it with my wife first. We don’t make big purchases without talking about them first.
What I Like About the NOOKcolor
First off, the fact that I can get books from the library is great! I’m actually a member at three different library systems so I have a nice choice to pull from. Not all books are in the ePub format and the book I’m looking for isn’t always available, but so far I’ve read three books from the library. In each of the libraries I’m part of I can keep a wish list of books I want to read. The thing with the library is you only have up to 21 days (sometimes only 14) to read your book before your reader can’t access it anymore. You can’t renew the book, you have to take it out again. This hasn’t been a problem yet and has actually motivated me to read the books I take out.
The NOOKcolor itself is a nice size, fitting in the palm of my hand. I can easily hold the reader and read with no problem. With some physical books my hand would cramp trying to hold the pages open or the book would be bulky and hard to get comfortable with. With the NOOKcolor I pop it open and start reading. I really like how the pages refresh and look in the reader (to turn pages you either swipe in the direction of opening the page or press the left or right margins). You can also change the font, the frame size of the pages, the brightness, the line spacing, the background page color, and you can choose to use the publisher defaults for those options.
The ePub format has some nice options with the NOOKcolor as well. If you press a word a small menu pops up giving you the options to highlight, add notes, share passages with other people, and look up the word’s definition (you can also look the word up on Google or Wikipedia right form the page with your WiFi turned on). You know, I always want to look up words I don’t know but I’m honestly too lazy to go get the dictionary out. Now I have the definitions at my fingertips.
I’ve really liked the highlight and note functions. You can pick the color of the highlight you want to use. The system will keep track of your highlights and you can scroll through them and go to any one of them from a small menu you can call up (tapping the bottom of the screen and pressing “content.”) The same tracking and accessibility is there for the notes. When you choose to make a note a box pop up for you to write text while at the bottom of the screen a qwerty keyboard appears. The buttons are real easy to use. By easy I mean I haven’t had problems with the letters either not responding or by hitting too many at once or hitting the wrong ones (like I do on my cell). I love being able to take notes on the spot without having to grab a pen and write in the margins, inside cover, or paper I grab.
In fact, the highlight and notes functions helped me with my reviews of Crush It and Rework (both books I took out of the library in eBook format).
To keep your place when you’re done reading, you tap the upper right hand corner and a bookmark comes down (you can also tap the screen and you can drag the bookmark down to activate it). You can leave multiple bookmarks and go to them from the “content” menu.
Other Features of the NOOKcolor
There are a few other goodies in the NOOKcolor. Having WiFi you can surf the web. While not as robust as using the internet on a laptop, the browser is still pretty responsive and easy to use. You can use it in either portrait or landscape. I haven’t had any problems pulling up web pages yet, but I have to admit I haven’t used the web on it too often either.
There are also games such as chess, Soduku, and Crossword. I didn’t buy it for the games but they are there if you want them. You can also set up your Pandora account and listen to music from there as your read or load you own music and listen (there’s a headphone jack as well which you may want to use as the speakers aren’t too great – it’s a reader not a music player). If you have pictures you can set those up as backgrounds and wallpaper.
For memory, the NOOKcolor has 8 GB included and can be upgraded to 32GB with a microSD memory card.
From what I understand there will be an app store opening soon to add further functionality to the NOOKcolor. As it’s built on the Android platform, I’m sure there are a lot of possibilities. Hopefully B&N opt to allow developers create for the reader and B&N opens up the functionality of the OS.
Oh yeah, you can pretty much buy books instantly from Barnes & Noble. This is a great option but as I plan to get most of my books from the library it won’t be one I use often.
If you have kids, the NOOKcolor has kids books that are interactive and will read to your kids and more. (I tried testing this out at a store and it looked real cool but as my middle guy was using it the young one — 20 months — wanted one too which caused a ruckus and stopped my testing).
There’s also a social function where you can share passages or make recommendations via Twitter or Facebook.
If you bring your NOOK to a Barnes & Noble you can download any of their books to read for up to an hour free.
If I had a gripe about the NOOKcolor, it’s that when you are reading a pdf you can’t use the bookmark feature. It’s a little annoying scrolling through pages to get back to where you were. If the NOOK is asleep (not completely turned off) it will open to where you last were but if it’s turned off you lose your place in a pdf.
Do I Recommend the NOOKcolor?
Yup. So far it’s been fun reading books on it. I really enjoy grabbing it and opening up a book. I can really see the future of reading through eReader formats. Honestly I have a bunch of physical books I have around that I now wish I had in an ePub format.
Do you need a NOOKcolor? Probably not. If you have the budget for it and you are going to use it then I think you’ll be pretty happy with it.
You can read more about the NOOKcolor on the Barnes and Noble website and see one at their stores. Their sales people have been great in answering my questions about it and I’ve seen they even have nights where you can bring your NOOKcolor and learn more about it’s functionality.
In all I’m happy I made the purchase. I had a little buyer’s remorse in the beginning but now I’m looking forward to all the reading I’m going to do!
Go to Barnes and Noble.com to see more about the NOOKcolor.
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Interesting choice! I’m in the market for one myself, I will probably end up splurging on an iPad.
The iPad looks awesome, especially the new ones, but I wasn’t ready to shell out that much dough. If that’s want you want though, then you can get eReader options there.
I am looking into buying an ereader myself as I read a lot of books and want to start saving some money and space. I also love the idea of reading a physical book and turning actual pages, but think the ereader justifies it for me.
Anyways, it seems that the main reason you went with the Nook is cause of the ePub functionality. The Nook Color seems really similar to the ipad, but with much less functionality. Altough the ipad is much higher priced, did you consider this?
Also, how is reading off of the Nook? One main reason I am thinking of the Kindle is because of the ink and it’s more like reading from a book, and better on the eyes. How is the Nook on your eyes?
You know, as cool as the iPad is it wasn’t a consideration for me. At $249, the NOOKcolor was already enough of an expense. I didn’t want to spend over $500. With the iPad you are looking to have so much more functionality. I wasn’t looking for all of that with an eReader (though I wouldn’t mind if B&N opened up the Android possibilities).
Reading is fine. I’m considering getting an anti-glare screen protector as there is some reflection. But I haven’t found any strain on the eyes. You can adjust the contrast, change the font sizes, and change the background color of the books you read to adjust to your tastes.
I’ve done a lot of my reading at night with dim lights. I just dim the brightness and I’m good.
It seems more and more that the whole “e-ink is better for the eyes” thing is more like an “adumentary” (fake documentaries that are more like ads) that the e-ink companies have been creating to try to keep their sales up. I have no problem reading on newer lcd screens (i.e. newer flat-screen computer monitors, ipad, nookcolor, etc), and the black-to-white flashing of the e-ink screen when you turn the page actually bugs me more than I thought LCD screens would. Just something to consider.
Yeah, I’ve heard different arguments that e-ink is better then I hear that there really is no difference. You have to go with what works for you. There certainly some advantages to e-ink, like using it in bright daylight, but you also need a nightlight to see it in the dark. You have to figure out your use.
The type on the NOOKcolor looks great. If someone is wondering which is better for them then they should go check out the different Nooks at a B&N. You can see the Kindle at Staples.
Amazon Kindle all the way!!! e-pubs aren’t a problem. Use the free software program calibre and convert e-pubs to a format read by Kindle. Kindle is fast, sleek, and you can’t underestimate Amazon’s capacity for providing availability to more and more titles.
I appreciate your pick Mark, and your comment. As I said in my review, the Kindle looks awesome.
But the thing with the ePub format is if it’s DRM protected then you can’t convert it using Calibre, That takes out the option of library books as they are in the protected format.
I’ve been contemplating for a while wheither i should buy a nook. I do like the feel of a book in my hands. But the idea of being able to carry around like a 100 cpoies of my favorite books is growing on me. If given a choice i would chosse the nook free 3g nothing beats free.
If the 3g feature is what’s important to you then the Nook is a nice choice (as opposed to the NOOKcolor).
Looks like my mom is getting one for her birthday. Of course, she wants it for the games. Or I should say because the NOOKcolor offers games in addition to reading. LOL.
Nice gift!
Note though, that right now there are only a few games. When B&N open up there app market I would guess more games would be available (only a guess but it makes sense, no?).
{ 1 trackback }