Barnes & Noble’s Nook on Backorder

Photo Credit: Barnes&Noble.com

Yesterday, I took my boys over to Barnes & Noble with the intention of having a quick look for a hands-on training book for Photoshop CS4. I almost made it to the checkout counter when my oldest piped up about needing a book for a project. That ended my good intention, much to my delight. We found him a book that he might enjoy reading and started back towards the checkout counter.

As we passed the customer service counter, he mentions that they are having a presentation on the Nook, which I told him about a week or so ago. Naturally, I head in that direction and am immediately approached by a clerk. I started asking her questions about the device because although I read the articles online, the information had left my mind at the moment.

The first thing she told me was that the Nook was on backorder until January. I wasn’t surprised or disappointed by this news, given how the Kindle was on backorder for quite some time because they couldn’t seem to make enough of them. I could order the Nook right now and not have my credit card billed until they shipped it. That was reasonable, but I am still on the fence.

The lady kept answering my questions. Then, another walks up and starts comparing the Nook to the Sony Reader, which she found too user-unfriendly. They gave me a friendly hard sell, stating that the major media outlets had given kudos to the Nook. I watched the short presentation on their TV. Then, I took my boys up to the checkout counter.

I have to admit that I was tempted to buy this gadget despite its price and the fact that I’ll have to wait for it. It’s a very stylish device, roughly the size of a paperback, and it has some very attractive features that the Kindle doesn’t have.

1. The ability to download books to my computer and any mobile device that I have.
2. The ability to loan my books out to friends for up to two weeks.
3. I can go into any Barnes & Noble to download books or order them online at home.
4. I can highlight passages in books and make notes, which is especially helpful if I’m reading a textbook.
5. I can expand my memory with a memory card to hold an impressive 17,500 books.

As you can tell, I’m drooling over the Nook. But I won’t be completely sold on it until I’m able to hold it in my hands and test it out first. I want to hear what other people have to say about it. Is it user-friendly? Does it do what it promises to do? Will this first generation have a bunch of quirks and bugs that need to be eliminated in the second and subsequent generations? These are the reasons why I’m willing to wait.

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