The All New Nook
Yup, it's an eInk. You didn't really believe the stories about a 10" tablet did you? Remember B&N is a bookstore and this is a gateway to your book-loving-heart. Last month I predicted an updated eInk touchscreen device in the low hundred range - and I was right on the money (well I was $20 off).
First off, if you are considering buying a nook 3G or nook WiFi forget it. The battery life won't be as good, the contrast isn't going to be close, and the interface will be far superior on the new nook. What makes this new nook special?
1) Improved eInk display. Like the newer Kindle and Kobo reader this is a next generation device with better contrast and superior clarity.
2) Great Form Factor. It's an 8 ounce device with a 6" display. It's not square it just looks square-ish because it lacks a keyboard or touchscreen at the bottom. This is "just right" in my opinion. I think the new nook will be very book like.
3) Great Battery Life. Two months!? Well that's if you use it 30 minutes a day. What's impressive is how they could sustain the device for that long assuming 23.5 hours a day of sleep. I suspect the device is a fast boot or that spec is only if you power it down. I'll believe you can get 30 hours of reading, I'm just not sure about not plugging it in for 60 days. I'll let you know how my experience goes.
4) Great software. I think B&N's nook Color and android/iOS apps are quite good and suspect that legacy will be apparent on this device. Amazon's whispersync is still far more reliable from my experience but the new nookFriends and other features will make this device software feel very complete. I'll be interested to see how much of the "App" concept comes to this device. I suspect this will be very eReader focused compared to the nook Color. Now matter what balance they strike between the classic nook and the nook Color the new nook will make the old nook look really old! One huge software bump would be if you could do OverDrive on the device (don't hold your breath).
5) Price. It's priced "just right" to complete with the new touchscreen Kobo and right in the zone with Amazon. $139 with free shipping.
Good news for B&N eBook owners that want a nice new eInk device and passed on the nook Color. I think owners of this device will be far happier with it than the original nook.
Comments
Overall if you are looking for a simple way to read books, this gets the job done. I am looking forward to the "apps" that BN has planned for the future.
I read two books,,and not using the regular nook cause the contrast is sooo much nicer!!!
As far as not liking the white,I bought at decal girl skins...and again for the nook touch...LOL and my Ipad...everything is skinned!:)
The new nook looks great, but so's the original, except for the white front, HATE IT! (I covered it with black electrical tape.) I'm sticking with the original, works great as all I read are novels.
E ink readers have reached an ideal price point at below 150.00, (nook,kindle,an d kobo)and I expect they'll go even lower because screen quality and functionality of all three are about the same, it boils down to where you want to buy your books, not so much the device. I was originally looking at the Kindle, but last summer when I bought the Nook, the Kindle was not yet at retail stores, so I was unable to try it out. That, and I liked the idea of buying from an actual book store.
Does anyone know the answer?
Amy, I suspect web browsing will not be satisfactory until some future generation of eInk has much faster update and probably color too. If you want to browse, get a nook color and use it like a tablet.
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