This has been the week of reviews! The week started with several mostly pretty positive reviews. Later in the week we heard some bad user reviews online from customers who received their nook. Now there are a few notable negative online reviews.

The Critics

Here are a few of the really critical reviews:

• Read Mossberg's review of the Nook in the Journal
• Read Nook product review in the New York Times

User Issues

In addition some users on Twitter have highlighted some issues, here are a few example tweets.

@pcellino : I don't know where the trouble lies. System charged me with no problem would not send to the device. Overall the device is in beta.
@geektonic I had my Nook lock up once last night as well. Had to hold down on the power button for a long time and it "rebooted".
@iAinsley #nook, connecting to wireless network seems to be a problem. "Network Unavailable".

Several users over in the B&N eBook support forums received nooks that were DOA or became completely broken almost immediately.

Kindle or nook?

So if you haven't decided yet on the million dollar question - Nook or Kindle - it's understandable why you haven't. I think it's clear B&N shipped the nook before it was fully-baked and there are some software issues. I don't view this as a show-stopper unless you think B&N is going to disappear or you can't deal with several weeks less than optimal usage while the upgrade the device and improve the online store.

 

Some of the issues may not be as bad as you think. One example is the page turning "lag" compared to the Kindle isn't that dramatic. Check out this video - but the best advice is to go to a store and play with one!

My First Take

The nook is widely available today to tryout in B&N stores. A mall Apple employee and myself cornered the employee holding the nook and got a chance to play with it. My impression was the feel of the device, the buttons, screen were all outstanding. The device response overall was sluggish, like my 3G iPhone after the 3.0 version of the OS came out. The navigation UI tends to lag more than you would expect and the loading of books seems slow - "Formatting book" message while loading.

I admired the "iPhone-ish" menu system in the navigation screen, and I think people will enjoy the touch screen. It stays out of the way once you start reading. Having a single button to turn it on appeals to the Apple crowd (and me).

Some of the Top Reviews

1Technologizer Review

2Gizmodo Review

3Engadget Review

CNET video

Slashgear Video Review

So....?

Less than wowed? Just remember, the Kindle had a lot of issues at first. They have rushed this out the door (well ... sort of going out the door) and it's somewhat expected.

I think the feeling is it's not a Kindle-killer yet but it's not far off. Version 1.1 of the software stack could change everything... or nothing!

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Would Santa wait for a nook? Santa would likely say, "I didn't pre-order either".

The nook has all the buzz the Nintendo Wii had a few years ago. It's one of the most-wanted gadgets of Christmas 2009, and there aren't enough to go around. This is great news for Amazon! The nook "fever" has gotten a lot of people interested in eReader devices. Many of those people will put a Kindle under the tree since the nook is nowhere to be found. Remember, every Kindle purchased is going to generate eBook sales for years to come for Amazon. All this buzz has to make the folks at Amazon giddy with holiday cheer.

In addition to the Kindle, Sony has some nicely equipped devices that also embrace some of the open eBook standards (ePub) that drives part of the interest in the Barnes & Noble nook. There are several other eReader devices coming soon. Some of them are clearly more technically advanced than the nook. The question is why do you want a nook - is it worth waiting for? I think if you haven't already bought the Amazon or Sony reader and wrapped it under the tree, the answer is "yes!". You wouldn't want buyer's remorse would you?

Obligatory Comparison Chart

Let's start with a short & simple comparison chart.

Feature	Nook	Kindle
Network Access	Cellular & Wi-Fi	Cellular
Operating System	Linux (Android)	Linux (Custom)
Memory	2GB, Expandable with MicroSD (up to 16GB)	2GB, Not Expandable
Book Sharing	Lend books one time up to 14 days. Share an account on multiple nooks.	Share an account on multiple Kindles.
Display	6 inch E-Ink Display + 3.5 inch color touchscreen for navigation	6 inch E-Ink Display, has keyboard for navigation
Audio Support	MP3 Support, no "read to me" or audiobook support	Can turn qualifying eBooks into audiobooks. Audiobook support.
Applications: Browser, Wikipedia, Dictionary	Dictionary	Browser, Wikipedia, Dictionary
Bookstore	1M books (about half are free books, probably from Google Books). Offers $9.99 for best sellers. 10% restocking fee on 14 day returns.	350K books. Offers $9.99 for best sellers and typically has the lowest book prices. 30 day return policy with no re-stocking fee.
eBook Format Support	ePub, PDF, PDB	AZW, MOBI, PRC, PDF, TXT, TPZ

What's really in the nook's favor?

• Book Lending. The nook supports lending each title once for 14 days to other nook users - if the publisher allows it. Depending on your own personal situation, that may not be as beneficial as account sharing. For example, a couple that shares reading interests may not find the nook lending feature that useful.
• Operating System. The nook runs "Android"! This could mean everything or nothing. Android is the operating system from Google that runs on small mobile devices. They key thing is Android is becoming a huge platform in the mobile phone market. There are many applications that could run on the device from the Android Marketplace. The catch is B&N doesn't allow you to really use the nook this way yet. If they did, you could use that color screen as a calendar, play games or control a web browser. This could be a game-changer in eReaders transforming them into personal devices with paper like displays, but that's NOT what is being shipped. NOTE: The folks over at nookDevs are already thinking about how to "jailbreak" the nook.
• Wi-Fi Support. This could be a huge advantage - if only you had an application to use it! This is a feature you should demand on a new eReader device, but it seems the only use for this is to buy books when a AT&T 3G connection isn't available. Without more applications, like a web browser, it would seem the killer use of this feature is to read books for free in a B&N store. Again, we see the potential that could be a game-changer for these devices if B&N opens the platform up for applications.
• Book Selection. Barnes and Noble has a huge selection of eBooks, and they have integrated their catalog with the free eBooks from Google books. While this is potentially a big win for the nook, you have to consider how many paid-for books are available and their prices. Several bloggers have shown that the B&N eBook prices are consistently higher in random samplings over the Amazon and Sony marketplace. If B&N can be competitive on price this is a huge benefit!
• Open eBook standards. While B&N uses it's own DRM for eBook lending, the device supports the open ePub standard (which doesn't define a standard for DRM). This opens a lot of doors for getting books from many avenues (listing here). One example of this usage is with your local library. Many libraries use the Overdrive service for eBooks, and according to Adobe the nook is certified to use with those books. The Kindle really loses here since it's tied to the Amazon proprietary book format. These open standards have allowed B&N to easily offer eReaders on your PC or Phone that will work with the books you buy for your nook. The Kindle iPhone app puts the B&N buggy iPhone app to shame, if that's an important point for you.

Santa's Advice?

So at the end of the day you can make a safe bet and get a Kindle, or you can bet on the future and hope B&N opens up the nook platform to run applications. Will the Kindle respond to the nook making it a better platform? You bet! They already announced PDF support last week and I'll bet ePub (non-DRM) support is on the way.  It's the Android platform (and potentially an "app store"), wi-fi, color assist screen and better design that will make the difference for the nook.

I hate to speak for Santa, but I have to think he'd advise putting two hundred and fifty-nine crisp one dollar bills in an envelope labeled "Your Next eReader". Wait until mid January and see what the nook can really do. Will B&N open it up to applications? What will happen with B&N's recent claims of lower eBook prices? If you are really into having an eReader you almost have to wait to try the nook at a local B&N store!

If you are leaning toward a nook I'd recommend to pre-order one now, you can always return it to your local B&N store! The date just slipped to January 15th, and it will probably happen again.

Update...

Some of the reviews are in, check them out.