Barnes and Noble Nook Review

Editor’s Update August 2010: The Nook is now at a reduced price of $199 for the original Nook, which has both 3G and Wi-Fi, and $149 for the Nook Wi-Fi. It’s worth noting that right after Barnes & Noble dropped Nook prices, Amazon also made drastic price cuts, with the Kindle DX going from $489 to $379 and the 6-inch Amazon Kindle from $259 to $189.

The Nook, Barnes & Noble’s answer to the Amazon Kindle and the first Android-powered ebook reader, launched to considerable fanfare in the third quarter of 2009. First seen on the company’s website and later formally introduced in a New York City event on October 20, some tech reviewers immediately tagged it as a likely challenger to the Amazon Kindle. Now, more than four months and a couple of firmware upgrades later (one in December 2009 and another in February 2010), this Barnes and Noble Nook review will try to see if the gadget has delivered.

What Nook Users are Saying

As they say, you can’t please everybody and the same holds true for gadgets like the Nook. While it has received generally favorable consumer Nook reviews, particularly after the firmware upgrades, ebook reading enthusiasts aren’t all that convinced that it’s a game changer in the market.

Consumer reviews range from the overly pleased and enthusiastic “love it, love it, love it!” to the lukewarm “good features but poor operation” then to the downright “disappointed” and “planning to return it.” Going over what many ebook reader users had to say about the Barnes & Noble Nook, it’s worth noting that those who have had no previous experience with using ebook readers are more satisfied with it.

A Close Look at the Nook

So what really has the Nook got? For starters, it has both a 6-inch e-ink screen with 16 shades of gray, and a smaller, 3.5-inch capacitive color LCD touch screen below it that serves as the user’s navigational area, taking the place of an actual keyboard. The device is 7.7 inches long by 4.9 inches wide by 0.50 inch thick, and weighs 11.2 ounces. The Nook’s plastic back plate is removable so replacing its lithium ion battery should be easy enough.

Overall, the Nook’s basic design highlighted by the interesting LCD and e-ink screen contrast, and its sleek, shiny finish, have both gadget reviewers and consumers agreeing that it’s a great-looking device.

• The Extra Features

But this Barnes and Noble ereader isn’t all about looks. It also comes packed with a load of features that give it a competitive edge over the Kindle and other ebook readers today. Case in point: the Nook’s got WiFi connectivity (in addition to its free AT&T 3G connection), 2GB of internal memory, and a card expansion slot that allows you to add up to 16GB of memory. The device also comes with a dictionary, mp3 player, and built-in speakers.

But what’s really unique with having the Barnes and Noble Nook as your ebook reader, is that it offers book lending and in-store browsing options. There are however, certain restrictions for both features. For the book lending option, the most significant setbacks are being able to lend out individual ebooks only once, and a 14-day loan period limitation. As for browsing in a brick-and-mortar Barnes & Noble store, you’ll soon be able read full ebooks for free via the store’s WiFi connectiviy – but only for one hour per title for a 24-hour period.

• The Missing Features

But it’s not all praises though, as this Nook review also points out where this ebook reader is found lacking. For one, if you’re hoping to check your email using your Nook, you’re out of luck here as it doesn’t have any web browsing capabilities. Connecting to the Barnes & Noble store is all you can do despite its WiFi capacity. Also, the battery life is another major cause of concern among Nook users. The company claims you can go up to 7 to 10 days without recharging with the Wifi turned off, but for most users, it’s even shorter.

On the whole, the Barnes and Noble Nook is a welcome addition to the ebook reader market. It is obviously marketed to directly compete with the Kindle (note the same $259 pricetag), but as of the writing of this Nook review, it’s hardly giving the Amazon ebook reader a serious run for its money. At least, not yet.