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Barnes & Noble's Nook, Reviewed
harrymcc writes "Barnes & Noble's Nook — the most significant e-reader since Amazon's original Kindle — hits B&N's retail stores today. I've published an extensive review of the device, which is also the first e-reader to run Google's Android OS: It's an interesting and capable gadget in many ways, but the interface — which is sluggish and somewhat quirky — isn't polished enough to render it a Kindle killer."
What e-books need is not a kindle-killer but a dead-tree-killer.
Just need something that forces Amazon to keep innovating and keep pricing competitive.
Thanks, B&N!
Speaking as someone not living in the US ... and hence out of the AT&T whispernet, the fact that this can work over WiFi is a huge plus.
I'd totally pay 250 US for it, just for kicks. Especially if they'd publish something like a bird watcher's guide, which where I really miss having a ton of searchable content, but without the bulk to carry around.
Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum videtur
Perhaps it is my slashdot bias, but the story about Kindles having books removed from readers' machines still strikes a sour chord with me. I recognize that most consumers don't know a thing about and many don't care. I don't see much difference between book burning and book deleting. To me the reasons, are irrelevant. Abuse will always emerge when opportunity is given.
Amazon's reluctance to let the gadget out of the US market earlier makes the Kindle just another e-book reader, it has no iconic status that would warrant the "killer" adjective for any competitors, who are competing against it in equal footing pretty much everywhere.
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
Which reads any .pdf .djvu .younameit, e-ink, etc?
They can not be the ultimate quality, but they will put some fire in competition! Then prices will begin to be fair!
The review mentions AT&T 3G, but I couldn't find any mention of whether a new AT&T contract is required to buy the device at the stated price. If it is, then fsck that. If it isn't, then 'meh'. Its still pretty expensive. Wait for v 2.0.
Also, if one plugs its USB in, does it appear as 'USB storage', that one can copy PDF's to and be able to read them? Or is one required to use its proprietary software on a proprietary platform to load only special files with DRM?
And how about on wifi? Can one use any sort of standard protocol (ssh, ftp, smb) to copy PDF's in (or out) and/or can it navigate to an arbitrary URL and download a PDF, or does it only support the device accessing company-specified websites to 'buy' books?
Bottom line - Mandatory contract bad. Mandatory proprietary software bad.
The whole phrasse Kindle killer evokes some epic struggle to knock off the top dog in the market. Right now the iPhone/iPod touch appears to be the number 1 ebook reader. Meanwhile Amazon is afraid to release sales numbers for the Kindle because it would show it has been a disappointing seller.
I think the Kindle is a good idea, but for a single use device with a very high price it is not going to make any inroads into the market.
I'm glad that more e-readers are starting to come out. I hope to get one after a couple more generations and a huge price cut. Plastic Logic is coming out with an e-reader soon too. Yay for competition.
Wake me up when there's an ebook reader that works more like a real book.
It should have softish covers, and once you open it, there should be 2 screens inside (one for each page).
This way the screens would be protected all the time, and it would feel more natural as a reading tool
Just Curious: How do you handle electronic mail, what with the absence of stamps and envelopes and licking and such?
The Kindle does have one disadvantage that is making me give the Nook a stronger look.
PDF's.
I buy a lot of Role Playing materials from Steve Jackson Games' "e23" site. They are in very high quality PDF documents and something that can display them without having to lug around a large, heavy, and massively power hungry laptop is a god send.
However, even though I legally own a copy of the PDF, Amazon refused to convert the PDF into a Kindle Ready file due to (as I was informed) copyright issues.
The Nook supports PDF out of the box and the internal file storage as well as the expansion slot gives me the room for all of the PDF's that I have.
So while it might not be a Kindle Killer, it has some features that put it close enough to the Kindle to make it a worthwhile contender.
-- Wiccan Army, 13th Airborne Division "We will not fly silently into the night"
A book offers permanence. Books are created so the only infrastructure required to receive the information within is your brain. And how can you get rid of books authorities no longer like? Well, because of the light infrastructure requirements, you CAN'T. No book burning has ever deleted an entire work from the culture.
But if a corporation decides to "burn" an e-reader book, can they? They sure CAN! And the book will be gone with no chance of ever discovering an unburnt copy.
Sorry, no. The function I want is PERMANENCE. That cannot be built into an e-reader.
There was new firmware recently released (Amazon release notes) that adds, among other things like longer battery life, native PDF reader support to the Kindle 2. (Note, the Kindle DX had native PDF support since it was released months ago.)
Like pi? Try 10,000 digits.
Definitely e-ink is the feature that makes these special.
- Much more readable, because it reflects rather than transmits light
- Readable in bright conditions, for the same reason
- Low power drain when showing static pages
Ironically, in a way, e-ink isn't good for much *except* e-readers (yet) because of the cost, the fact it's monochrome and the poor refresh rate.
Have you used an eBook, like daily?
Its better the way it is. The reading is more natural, its easier to hold, its easier to use than a book in confined settings (or laying in bed, I've found).
Just because books had facing pages for 400 years doesn't mean its automatically the ultimate user experience for reading ...
Could someone please explain the advantage of a dedicated e-book reader? I don't understand why I would buy either when I can get a netbook for $50 more (at worst) that can read both PDFs and Amazon e-books. Is it the battery life of these things, or is the hardware form factor really nice? I don't know.
The battery life is generally rated in days, as opposed to hours.
They are typically shaped more like a book or slate, and less like a laptop. A netbook is going to have the keyboard sticking out of the bottom and the screen is oriented horizontally rather than vertically.
The e-ink screen is more like a printed page, and easier to read under similar lighting conditions. LCDs typically have problems with bright light, and can cause eye strain after prolonged reading.
Both the Kindle and the nook offer free 3G to purchase ebooks, which your netbook probably wouldn't.
If you don't read much and you just want something that can display a PDF, obviously an ebook reader isn't going to be necessary. Just throw it at your computer.
But if you read for recreation, an ebook reader can be very nice. It allows you to condense a huge book into a very small and portable form factor. It allows you to carry a large selection of books with you. It allows you to quickly and easily purchase more books without having to locate the nearest bookstore. And it is designed to allow you to keep reading for hour after hour, day after day.
"Work is the curse of the drinking classes." -Oscar Wilde
No book burning has ever deleted an entire work from the culture.
Are you sure no works died with the Library of Alexandria?