I’ve been playing with my new toy this week…Barnes and Noble’s Nook. It’s their answer to Amazon’s Kindle. So far, I LOVE it.
It might be small and lightweight but the screen is still big enough to resemble a paperback page. I’ve had other ereaders before but the problem was that the screen was tiny and the content I wanted to read wasn’t readily available at the time. That has certainly changed! The best thing I’ve found so far? I can buy all the Blaze books for my Nook every month. I’ve been buying and downloading other books too. I’m sure B&N is very happy with the heat being generated on my credit card. At the moment I’m like a kid in a candy store.
One of the things that sets the Nook apart is the 2nd color touch screen. It’s easy to use and allows me to sort and search my downloaded book by cover instead of just by title and author. Along with that nifty feature, I can upload my own pictures to use for backgrounds and screen savers. I love taking photos of my family with me everywhere!
The screen is very easy on the eyes. And while it isn’t back lit – which can be a problem – I bought an attachable reading light which allows me some late night indulgence.
About the only problem I’ve discovered is that I can’t take it into the bathtub. I do like to relax with a drink, a book and lots of hot water. Unfortunately, I’m not willing to risk dropping my expensive new toy into that water. I realize in theory this makes no sense since I have no problems taking my alphie in there to write…but I’m not holding alphie over the water and the Nook is too small to read from the side of the tub.
All in all, I’m very pleased. Ask me again in a few months and lets see if I’m still using it or if I’ve reverted to the stone age and good old-fashioned paperbacks. I have a feeling that I might end up with a combination of the two. While comfortable to hold, there’s just something about the feel of a book in my hands that I don’t get from the Nook.
Do you have an ereader? Have you ever thought about purchasing one? Do you read on your phone or your computer or are you a die hard book in hand kinda person?
Kira
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I have been wanting to get a Nook since they first came out!! Mainly because they support the same format that I buy my eBooks in…eReader. I am so glad to read a positive review on this device…maybe with my income tax, I might splurge and buy myself a present – LOL!!!
Congrats on your new toy. (Y)
That’s exactly what I did, Kara! Only I splurged at Christmas. Didn’t get it until the middle of Jan but…it was definitely worth the wait.
I’ve been using a Sony PRS-505 Reader since last summer and love it. I know what you mean about baths, however with mine I can put it in a ziplock bag or similar because you use numbers to turn the pages (Make sure it’s sealed and double bag it!). I definitely saves my life on holiday, I can read up to 10 books a day if I do nothing else (except eat and sleep) so imagine trying to pack all of that!
I liked the look of the Nook when I first heard about it but now I’m curious about the Apple iPad, not that I’ll be buying anything else!
Yeah, the ipad is intriguing. But I’m with you, no more electronics for awhile! DH agrees.
I have a Sony and love it. The only drawback is that some of the epubs books have to be reformatted so I can enlarge the text.
I wish all e readers were more uniform in file acceptance. (@)
That’s something I’m worried about. I know the Nook will accept other file versions but so far I haven’t bought any books other than B&N ones. It’ll be interesting to see what happens when I want something B&N doesn’t sell. I know there are a few already I just haven’t gotten through the books I already have yet.
I don’t have an ereader and don’t really want one for everyday reading. But I think they’d be great for travelling instead of hauling around a half dozen paperbacks. My BIL is a private pilot and wants a Kindle because he can download all his flight data to it instead of printing it off and balancing a clipboard on his knee in flight.
Ooh, that would be a good use of the Kindle. I think you might find you’d like it, Marilyn. I’m so used to reading on a screen – work computer, macbook, Alphie – that my brain didn’t take any time to adjust.
You know what? You might find you’re a total convert! I always said I love the feel of a book in my hands, but after I bought my Kindle (I know, this is about the Nook, but the reading and size is about the same), well, I would MUCH rather read by Kindle than have a book in hand now. And it took me about one book to make this decision! I think these kinds of eReaders are terrific. If I didn’t already own the other, I would definitely buy the Nook. It looks like a great answer to the Kindle!
You are absolutely right, Kim. It was just my luck that I managed to get my RITA books and Nook right around the same time. I ended up purchasing a couple of them for my Nook though because I just couldn’t wait to use it. Last night I had to switch back to one of the paperbacks. I miss my Nook! It’s just so easy to read. Don’t have to deal with droppy pages that are hard to hold up in bed.
I fell in love with Sony’s line of ereaders and just ordered the Daily Edition. I can’t wait to get it.
Also if you want to read in the tub…what I do (because I love tub reading too) put it in a sturdy ziploc back…seal it well, and there you go. It works, I haven’t had a problem with my pocket in the tub yet.
That’s a great idea, Monica! And would definitely solve the one major issue I’ve had with it so far. Thanks for the tip.
I have a Sony ereader and I do love it. I do still buy “dead tree” books and love the feel of them in my hands. The Nook wasn’t out when I got my Sony or I might have gone with the Nook instead. I’m pretty sure my niece would love to take my Sone reader if I ever change over to the Nook.
That’s the way I got a lot of my electronics growing up…hand me downs. She’d love it and think you’re the best aunt ever!
Glad you are loving it. I like a book in my hand, but never say never. I also said I wasn’t going to eat sushi, read Twilight, and get a tattoo. I’m still pretty sure about the tattoo.
I bet we could change your mind about that tattoo.
I think you might change your mind about the ereader too. It really is just soooo convenient. And the thing can hold like 1500 books and that’s before the memory you can add onto it. Zilla is really excited about the prospect of me getting rid of my piles of books. I haven’t had the heart to tell him that’s probably not going to happen.
Yeah, piles of book do not go away! You are just able to buy so many more now without driving everyone crazy with MORE piles!
I love the idea of an ereader, however the laws in New Zealand don’t protect DRM enough for anyone to be willing to sell them here yet. I was having a chat with one of the staff at a local Sony store the other day and he did say that if I was able to buy a reader overseas there would be nothing stopping me using it here.
As I prefer to be able to see the devices and had a little bit of a fiddle before I purchase, it may be sometime before I actually get an ereader. In the meantime I just read ebooks on my computer (I’m too impatient to wait the 6 months or more that it takes for Blaze titles to make it to Australasia). At the moment, the ebooks on the computer do mean that I prefer to read a physical book.
I know that Amazon just released a global version. I’d definitely recommend the Nook though if you come over here and want to pick one up as a souvenir. The one problem I could see is that it has a built in wireless connection to AT&T and there’s no way to change it. I’m not sure how you’d download books although you could probably connect it directly to your computer by USB.
Yep Amazon has released the Kindle worldwide but for the reasons that I listed before, they can’t ship them here. I’ll definitely be taking a look at the different ereaders when I eventually get to the US.
Hey Kira, I am glad that you are enjoying your new toy. I am a die hard book in the hand person. I love the feel and smell of books, and the sound the pages make as you turn them. I don’t like to read much of anything on screen, and my attention span is only long enough for emails and some blogs. I don’t know what I would do without books. And the smell of old books….aaahhhhh!!!
Peace and love,
Paula R.
I’ve thought about getting one, but haven’t gotten one. It’s tough for me to read large amounts on the computer, hurts me eyes. I do have some ebooks, I usually read a chapter a day. Right now I’m sticking with paperbacks. It may change down the road, but for now I’m happy with paperbacks.
Happy Birthday Brenda!
Sam
LOL — sorry about that — thought I had deleted that post when I realized I posted to the wrong thread… duh.
FWIW, I love my Kindle. I saw the Nook at B&N, and it was nice, but I would probably still just stick with my Kindle because it has more battery life and the Kindle prices are hard to beat — at least so far.
I actually didn’t like the soft keyboard on the Nook… found it difficult to type on.
sam
I got the Sony eReader this Christmas and really love it. It’s light and comfy to hold, the text is crisp and not an eye strain, plus I can enlarge it easily which is nice. Also, the immediacy is great. So often, I think of books that I want and forget them by the time I make my bi-weekly trek to the bookstore. This lets me go grab titles from home when they’re fresh in my head.
I’m definitely buying more books, but am spending less too. Very cool.
Joanne, same here — I can read so much more easily now — no eye strain.
And yeah… I bought 7 books today, LOL… but for less than $25, so you know, can’t beat it. Now I just have to find time to read them all…
My MIL gave me a nice B&N Gift cert for my b’day… I won’t buy print books because I actually don’t like reading them anymore, harder on the eyes, but they have all kinds of nice gifty things and also coffee.
Sam