Published: November 05, 2009 in design » cool by Thomas Baekdal
As you might have heard, Barnes&Noble announced the Nook a few weeks ago. And this one stands out from the crowd.
The Amazon Kindle has, so far, been the only real ebook reader in the world. Sure you got the Sony, or the Netronix, or the Hanvon, but they all lacked the one really vital element. An ebook is not a piece of hardware. It's a complete reading experience, not technology, not screen specifications, nor how much memory that it holds or how many file formats it can read. All of that is completely irrelevant. Because the best ebook is one you simply "read", everything else is a distraction.
The Amazon Kindle was the only one who understood this princible, but now we have two "real" ebook readers. The Amazon Kindle, and the B&N Nook - and the nook is actually better, at least by the looks of it.
By comparison with the Kindle, it uses the same e-ink technology, so the screen is the same. It's the same size, same contrast etc.
But then instead of a big computerish keyboard on the Kindle (which I really do not like - read my article about it), it comes with a second iPhone like color touch screen, that you use for navigating your library, and all the fancy things that are not directly related to reading. That is actually pretty good.
It definitely makes it look less like a computer, and more like a book.
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Another cool feature is that you can lend your books to your friends.
Apart from that it also sports a number of additional features that really don't matter. It comes with wi-fi, probably because it is using AT&T's network to download books. You can expand it with a memory card, but the built-in can hold 1,500 books, so that is unlikely to be used.
And Barnes&Nobles proudly say that they sell over one million titles of which 500,000 are free! That sounds amazing, until you find out that all of them are really old "out of copyright" books, that you probably wouldn't read anyway.
One good thing is that it can load and read PDF's, which could prove to be most useful, but on the other hand it doesn't support reading blogs as the Kindle does (you can read baekdal.com on the Kindle).
From an international perspective, it is not available outside the US. I asked Laura Russo from B&N about it, and she told me:
"We haven't made any announcements as it relates to international plans. We service tens of millions of customers who come through our stores in 50 states today. That's a huge market, by any measure, so we're focused on the U.S. market first. That's not to say we won't look at international in the future."
That that sounds really nice to people in the US, but since I live in Europe it doesn't really change anything for me. I do understand why it wouldn't work via AT&T's network in Europe, but it has wi-fi, so the international version could simply work without it.
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Anyway, from a design and reading perspective, the Nook looks to be a better ebook reader then the Kindle, and it is thus also better than any other ebook ereaders on the market. But, I am currently waiting until February to see if Apple is coming out with a tablet, and if not then I will buy the Nook... except I can't, so I will get the Kindle instead.
But, I am definitely going to buy some tablet/ebook device in early 2010.
(via Barnes&Noble Nook)
I would expect that Barnes&Noble does not need an address in US from the buyer, so you could buy the Nook (or get a friend to do it) and bring it to Europe and still order the books via Wi-fi.
But again it would be a hassle if something went wrong, but I'm tempted to try anyway.
by the way, why must Europe always be last with the new gadgets?
Bookeen Opus seams like the best choice in the Scandinavian market, at least. It supports all the formats—which is important Thomas, or else you wouldn't have anything to read—and does so nicely. Unfortunately not at the same time, but it is still there .
I just don't get it. I love the feel of books. I can read better on paper than on screen. I'd probably never buy one of these.
This does look like there is finally a device to compete with the Kindle. Too long has Amazon had a strangle hold on ther e-book reader market.
For Books, get the Nook!
@sioux city cars:
I totally agree. Moreover I feel the same obout physical music albums. Though I use the mp3 player every day, as I'm getting wherever, I would never like to stop collecting all the vinyls and cd's. It's probably a bit old-fashioned and keeps consuming your home space, but the smell of freshly unpacked album cover or just bought book i so pleasant :D
Plus it's fun to hunt down all the special editions with bonuses.
I still don't see the point of eBook readers? People just don't read that many books, or read multiple books at the same time. With music it makes sense, because it's very common to listen to an album multiple times.
I think eBook readers will just be a niche product, not the 'iPod for books' (at least in sales). What do people think?
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Kevin, I might be a strange guy, but I actually read 2 books every month, and I am currently in the process of reading 3 at the same time (it depends on my mood) :)
Right now it is:
Dan Brown: The Lost Symbol, Chris Brogan: Trust Agents, David Mack: SCE - Creative Couplings.
...and right now I read them on my iPhone (using several different readers). It is usable, but I would love to get a bigger screen.
Of course, the optimal device for me is a tablet (from Apple), because then I could use it for so many other things (taking notes, sketching ideas, manage social etc)
"And Barnes&Nobles proudly say that they sell over one million titles of which 500,000 are free! That sounds amazing, until you find out that all of them are really old "out of copyright" books, that you probably wouldn't read anyway."
Yea, who wants to read those cruddy old books that aren't copyrighted. It's Dan Brown, Harry Potter, and the Twilight Saga for today's crowd. You can't be seen with a copy of Moby Dick or anything by Jonathan Swift, can you.
Another way to tell if it's a stinky book is if it's free. EWWW.
been the only real ebook reader in the world. ???? Well I have sony 505 it does pretty good job the screen is execellent very easy on the eyes it's much better than the new ones that are touchscreen (there is a filter with sensors b/w the Iink display and the protective cover that make the text a bit fuzzy) lcd displays 3g wi-fi and what not gimmicks which drain the batteries if your want something like that better buy a notebook.Vizplex is the latest generation of E Ink's microencapsulated ink imaging film.http://www.eink.com/products/index.html
Looks nice ! Although I have serious questions if book lovers will ever turn to reading e-books.
Exactly! I'd rather use it to store university books or other scientific literature to keep it all at hand and in "light" version, as such books usually are brick-weight giants, but reading your favourite stories with a cup of cocoa in the evening on your rocking chair and doing it from a screen, slightly destroys the mood, doesn't it?
E-books are not for everyone obviously and this is just another consumer laden product to get your money on a product that most people will use for awhile and then put it on their book shelf.
Using computers, ipods, iphones, smartphones, and other such devices should be enough for the average consumer to drive their eyes crazy over time. Now an e-book reader will certainly put more strain on ones sight over a long period of time.
Give me the old fashioned book, magazine and newspapers to read.
I think that e-book readers would be great for high school and college students who have to carry such heavy books for every subject. Perhaps the professional specialty fields of medicine, law, accounting and engineering would also fair well with a small handy device such as the e-book reader.
There are so many eBook readers due out next year that I imagine a lot of folks - I'm one of them and I suspect you will be - may not end up buying anything at all because "the one coming out next month is even better". Seriously, check out http://portable-ebook-reader.net/articles/the-future-of-eink-technology/208/ and have a look at the offerings from Qualcom, Pixel or Fujitsu.
I'd love an ebook reader but I want it be able to display *any* kind of text file (.txt, .rtf, .doc, .pdf, .ppt etc.) in colour as well as play audio books and podcasts in any format so that I can use for work (white papers, presentations etc) as well as leisure. I don't think anyone will do that so I'm seriously thinking of a tablet like the Archos 5 but then you're into weight and battery life issues........
Will there ever be a perfect device?
Like you already said: it's not just another ebook reader, like the design. The color screen is a nice feature, this make it a serious competeter for barnes and noble nook.
By the way I have also found another review of the Barnes and noble nook
I thought it was worth sharing
The problem I have with ebooks is the drm. Like the feature where you can lend books to your friends with the Nook, you can only lend books for a 14 day period and you can only lend each book once, ever.
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Matt, I didn't know that. But I agree. That is just wrong.
Kevin, as an active duty service member with 9 yrs in and a number of deployments under my belt I can assure you that being able to stow this many books on such a light weight device is a beautiful thing. At some points I was reading 1 or 2 books per week. There is no room for that type of material in the desert or on a ship. Plus carrying half a dozen books may not seem like alot of weight for a short distance, but add it to the rest of the gear we have and then go for a 10 mile march and it begins to take a toll on you (everything we had went with us). And mailing all those book back and forth got pretty expesive, not to mention annoying if I finish my last book before mail came. It's not for everyone, or everywhere, but it has its uses.
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Nov 6
2009
Martin Bekkelund
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This week I just got a Sony PRS-600. It's far from perfect, but it's a good place to start. I really wanted a Nook, but since it's not available yet I ended up ordering a Sony and a Cybook Opus. Still waiting for the Opus, though.
During the next couple of weeks, I'll be posting several tests in my own blog (Norwegian) about readers, e-books, e-book standards and shopping solutions for books and magazines. If you're interested, feel free to grab the RSS channel.