After testing the nook in my local Barnes & Noble, I decided to take a chance. I loved the look and feel of this ereader device and looked forward to the convenience of buying more books without adding more clutter to my already cluttered bookcases. I read all of the pros and cons of owning a Kindle and compared it to the pros and cons of owning a nook. The nook won because of its versatility (epub format, book lending, etc).
Crashes
My nook arrived on January 28th. Since then, I’ve experienced three crashes (two this past weekend). Some people have reported that all they had to do was press the Power button to unfreeze their nook. In my case, I had to disconnect and reconnect the battery to get the device functioning again. Because of this, I recommend that you have a small cross-top screwdriver handy. Prying off the case took a bit of gentle effort but once I got it off, I was able to snap it back on with no problem.
Photo Credit: Barnes&Noble.com
Turning the Pages of your eBook
The nook offers two ways to do this: the arrow keys on the bevel and the touch screen. After hearing several complaints about the bevel cracking from repeated pressing, I decided that it would be best to master the touch screen. A light flick of your finger across the left or right side does the trick. However, it does take some getting used to.
eInk Versus LCD
The eInk technology is fabulous. I can read all day (and do) without eyestrain. The letters are very crisp on a plain white background. Even better, you can adjust the font size from small to extra large. Not only that but the nook comes with several fonts: Amasis, Helvetica Neue and Light Classic. I’m happy with the Amasis as it resembles Times Roman. Be aware that the nook will format all of your books to the size that you select, which means that you may have to adjust the size again if the font in your next ebook is too large or too small.
This feature is available on my Kindle app for the iTouch, but the glare of the screen makes for very short reading periods for me. The size of the screen is also another factor, although I find that I have difficulty reading for long periods of time on my computer screen. eInk definitely wins over LCD for me because the words don’t start blurring and I have yet to get a blinding headache after twenty minutes of reading.
Since I’ve gotten the nook, I’ve read two books during the first week, which is a personal record for me, as it normally takes two weeks for me to read a single paperback, longer if I’m reading an ebook on an LCD screen or computer. Since then, I’ve read four ebooks and am now reading my fifth.
The Software Upgrade
B&N has already sent out an update, which is a good improvement over the old interface. While the touch interface can be a bit buggy (Sometimes you have to flick your finger more than once or use the arrow keys to turn the page.), I can turn pages in one second compared to the 2-3 seconds it would take with the original software. That wasn’t a big deal until I received the upgrade.
I also like what they’ve done with the bookmarks feature. Before, they had a strange numerical format for bookmarks. With this upgrade, it lists the page that you bookmarked, which is much nicer.
I love how I can download samples of ebooks directly from my nook without having to rely on the B&N site to do everything. Once you finish the sample, you have the option to buy or add it to your ebooks wishlist. If you decide to buy the book, you will be taken to the last page you read so that you can continue from there. You can also archive the books that you’ve read directly from your nook with the press of a button, which helps manage your list.
My biggest complaint so far is that I am not able to organize my books into categories. At the moment, I’m forced to wade through my list until I find the book that I want to read. That is something I hope Barnes & Noble fixes soon.
The interface is very easy to use. It comes with a manual that you can read on the device, or on the B&N website. If you’re still stuck on an issue, I found this great forum (NookBoards) with friendly people who can help you.
Sideloading eBooks
Sideloading my pdf ebooks onto my nook was an easy experience. However, you can’t categorize your documents; you can only sort them by title or author. Right off the bat, I had to adjust the font size of the first pdf in my list because it was too large. Then, I noticed that the quality of the graphics wasn’t as crisp as other books I’ve read in the epub format.
I also uploaded .rtf files and found the same formatting issues. But I can read them, which means that I can upload the pages of my WIP and make notes and/or highlight passages, if I need to. No more wasting paper!
Great Versatility
The best aspect of owning a nook is that you are not locked into buying books only from Barnes & Noble. You can borrow ebooks from your local libraries (see overdrive.com for a list of libraries near you), sideload books that you have bought from Fictionwise and other ebook stores, and download free ebooks from wherever you can find them. That’s what ultimately sold me on the nook, the versatility and freedom to choose where I want to buy or download free ebooks. The nook is not proprietary, unlike the Kindle and the soon-to-be-released iPad (Amazon and Apple, get a clue.).
I’ve yet to test out the Lend feature because my family and friends have yet to embrace this technology. I’ll have to find an online book club for nook owners, and then post an update.
Overall Impression
Other than my issue with organization and the infrequent crashes, I am really enjoying my nook. That doesn’t mean that I’m abandoning print books. The big reason for that is that not every book I own is available in ebook format. Then there are books that I would like to have as a physical copy. So, I will be enjoying the best of both worlds while I finally catch up on my “To Read” pile. Highly recommended.
