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Pros and Cons of the Barnes and Noble NOOK
By Admin | January 15, 2011
The NOOK from Barnes and Noble is looking to become an eBook device to rival Amazon’s eBook reader, the Kindle
. Loaded with features such as Wi-Fi connectivity, full-text browsing when in any Barnes and Noble stores and a built in library of eBooks, the Nook has much of what the Kindle
has to offer and promises even more, especially with the color touch screen. But the real question is, “Does it deliver?”
Features of the Barnes and Noble NOOK
* 7.7 x 4.9 x 0.5 inches in size,
* 12.1 ounces,
* 3.5 inch color touch screen LCD,
* E-Ink paper-link display,
* Up to ten days battery life,
* 2GB storage with expandable slot,
* Photo galleries,
* Supports ePub, PDF, PDB, JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP and MP3 files.
Pros of the NOOK
With many of the same features that owners of the Amazon Kindle
love, the Barnes and Noble NOOK is right on par with their target market, including an extensive library of thousands of eBooks, magazines and newspapers. As with Kindle, the NOOK has built in wireless access along with an additional Wi-Fi ability. While you are within a Barnes and Noble store, Nook owners have the added ability of being able to browse the text of the stores books in full.
Setting the NOOK apart, in terms of aesthetics, from other eBook reading devices is the color touch screen. This along with expandable memory (the NOOK is able to store close to 1,500 eBooks), for those consumers who like to have their entire library stored on their eBook devices.
There are a number of the useful eBook functions taking it beyond a basic eBook reader such as; customizable screen savers and personal photo galleries, able to listen to MP3 files, create notes and read books from local libraries. Having the ability to lend eBooks to family and friends who also own the Nook, free of charge for up to 14 days, is one feature that really sets the handheld eBook reader apart from the rest.
Cons of the NOOK
When the product was first released, Barnes and Noble was plagued with multiple complaints in regards to issues when creating bookmarks, loading the device, problems with turning pages and the overall user interface. They quickly worked to release the appropriate firmware upgrades which were supposed to fix the problems, but users continued to complain that page turns and loading times aren’t as fast as they could be. Another disadvantage is that it’s not possible to download eBooks when outside of the US, despite the Wi-Fi connectivity.
Conclusion
The Barnes and Noble NOOK is fast becoming a true competitor for the Kindle
especially in terms of access to an expansive online bookstore within in the US. While the the Nook’s color touch screen makes it look really good, it does not necessarily make up for the slower loading times that eBook readers might experience when using the product. I really like the “lend a friend with a Nook a book feature”, which really separates it from other eReaders, but this will ultimately depend upon how many eBook publishers will allow their eBooks to be implemented with this feature for it to really take and seriously be able to compete with the Amazon Kindle
.
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