B & N Nook labelled "Unrevolutionary"

poohbear_nc · 10-21-2009, 12:57 PM

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ratcliffe/?p=434

This article asks several interesting questions:

1. What's so great about 3G or WiFi that only works just to buy B&N books, or in the case of WiFi, works only inside a B&N store?

2. No access to Google Books?

3. A nice shiny LCD display that just displays your book covers? Who cares?

4. You're still tied to a PC to download content from other sites.

Aside from ePub support (yet another DRM), what do you really gain?

luqmaninbmore · 10-21-2009, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ratcliffe/?p=434

This article asks several interesting questions:

1. What's so great about 3G or WiFi that only works just to buy B&N books, or in the case of WiFi, works only inside a B&N store?

2. No access to Google Books?

3. A nice shiny LCD display that just displays your book covers? Who cares?

4. You're still tied to a PC to download content from other sites.

Aside from ePub support (yet another DRM), what do you really gain?

1. Who says that the WiFi only works in the B and N store?
2. Google Books are included in the B and N store, so you get access to those.
3. It doesn't just book covers; anyone who has watched the Video knows that it serves for general navigation, annotation, etc.
4. So? Do you expect B and N to pay for you to access other companies' stores?
That being said, I do think that a Web Browser should be included for use in conjunction with WiFi; as long as customer is paying for the connection, it is best to give them the most bang for their buck.

bkilian · 10-21-2009, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ratcliffe/?p=434

This article asks several interesting questions:

1. What's so great about 3G or WiFi that only works just to buy B&N books, or in the case of WiFi, works only inside a B&N store?

2. No access to Google Books?

3. A nice shiny LCD display that just displays your book covers? Who cares?

4. You're still tied to a PC to download content from other sites.

Aside from ePub support (yet another DRM), what do you really gain?

You forgot the ability to loan the books out to your friends, which is a huge win over the Kindle.

Oh, and the fact that it's called the "nookiebook" or "nookiereader" is good for a few laughs. Just try saying that in public when someone asks you what it is.

juj1n · 10-21-2009, 02:50 PM

What a Debbie Downer...

1) What if you're in an area or at your friends house without att 3g coverage? You have the option for wifi...
2) Yes there is
3) It has all the menus plus it has a quicker refresh rate than e-ink so it's easier to browse.
4) We get access to the BN wireless store and the option to shop elsewhere at our convenience. You don't have that luxury with the kindle so I don't see the problem
is. What device allows you wireless access to multiple stores anyway?

lisreed · 10-21-2009, 03:03 PM

Somewhere on the B&N site faq I believe I saw that the wifi will be able to be used at any hotspot eventually.

Everything else seems to be missinformation so if zdnet said all that ( I didn't click the link) then they are idiots who didn't bother looking the device over at all.

poohbear_nc · 10-21-2009, 03:16 PM

Just to clarify - these are not MY questions/criticisms - I was summarizing the main points from the article. And yes, the writer does not seem fully informed.

sforce · 10-21-2009, 03:27 PM

The below clears up a couple of the original ZDNet blogger Mitch Ratcliffe's misconceptions, specifically his assumptions as to Nook's WiFi capabilities.

The below follow-up article is by his co-blogger, Matthew Miller, and is to specific questions as answered by Barnes & Noble:

"B&N Nook beats Amazon Kindle & Sony Reader, here's why"

"I posted yesterday about the Barnes & Noble Nook and then read Mitch Ratcliffe's post where he primarily focused on the apparent limited use of WiFi. I just posed a couple of questions on the Nook press call and have to now tell Mitch he is wrong about the WiFi access, but he should actually be quite pleased since there are no limits. I confirmed that you can access and purchase books via both WiFi and AT&T 3G from any place where you have access to a network, including your home WiFi network. One point of clarification regarding travel overseas. You can download books from you current library collection via WiFi overseas, but due to licensing issues you cannot browse the store and purchase new content when outside the US (yet). The Barnes & Noble store experience is just an enhanced experience that presents you with free content and also allows you to browse through books, just like you can physically in the bookstore. As I said yesterday, the Nook is a revolutionary product in the ebook market for a number of reasons."

http://blogs.zdnet.com/mobile-gadgeteer/?p=2101

fugazied · 10-21-2009, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bkilian

You forgot the ability to loan the books out to your friends, which is a huge win over the Kindle..

Agreed. It does have it's issues but when you compare it to the baggage the Kindle brings along, it isn't so bad!

I don't even have a B&N store close by so that limits some functionality but with the Kindle I just get material via the web anyway (I don't use wireless much if at all).

Sonist · 10-21-2009, 08:48 PM

Revolutionary?! Nope, by a long shot.

Unless you consider the new and improved DRM to deserve this title.

Using Android is a good thing, and it opens up some hacking possibilities, but all limited to the lower 3.5", non-standard shape screen.

I'd say, overall, it's an incremental improvement on the small K2 (assuming the Nook has a dictionary), but not much more.

juj1n · 10-21-2009, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

Just to clarify - these are not MY questions/criticisms.

haha we know

It sounded like we were flaming you but we're not

fuzzy_dunlop · 10-21-2009, 11:14 PM

If anything nook just strikes me as getting a lot of little things right rather than being revolutionary: affordable, PDF and ePub support, good design, Android, Wi-Fi, wireless, color LCD, removable battery, Micro SD slot, you can read your B&N ebooks on your PC too so it's like you really own them, cheap ebooks offered by B&N.

The reason I've been on the fence for so long and not buying is because with ereaders there always seems to be a compromise on features, and nook just looks promising.

JSWolf · 10-21-2009, 11:15 PM

I have to agree that the Nook is not revolutionary. The revolutionary reader was the Sony Libre as it was the first commercially available eink reader.

Xerxes · 10-22-2009, 03:09 AM

What's funny is his article has a huge line threw a third of it.

Format C: · 10-22-2009, 06:25 AM

Revolutionary or not, it's just another small local thing for use in that remote country located somewhere between two Oecans...

Too far away from here to be interesting.........

kennyc · 10-22-2009, 06:31 AM

The Nook may not be revolutionary, but the entry of B&N into the eReader market is a major milestone in the evolution of the ebook.

10-21-2009, 12:57 PM	#1
poohbear_nc Now what? Posts: 58,843 Karma: 135181808 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Durham, NC Device: Every Kindle Ever Made & To Be Made!	B & N Nook labelled "Unrevolutionary" http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ratcliffe/?p=434 This article asks several interesting questions: 1. What's so great about 3G or WiFi that only works just to buy B&N books, or in the case of WiFi, works only inside a B&N store? 2. No access to Google Books? 3. A nice shiny LCD display that just displays your book covers? Who cares? 4. You're still tied to a PC to download content from other sites. Aside from ePub support (yet another DRM), what do you really gain?

10-21-2009, 11:14 PM	#11
fuzzy_dunlop Enthusiast Posts: 29 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: none	If anything nook just strikes me as getting a lot of little things right rather than being revolutionary: affordable, PDF and ePub support, good design, Android, Wi-Fi, wireless, color LCD, removable battery, Micro SD slot, you can read your B&N ebooks on your PC too so it's like you really own them, cheap ebooks offered by B&N. The reason I've been on the fence for so long and not buying is because with ereaders there always seems to be a compromise on features, and nook just looks promising. Last edited by fuzzy_dunlop; 10-21-2009 at 11:16 PM.

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10-21-2009, 02:50 PM	#4
juj1n Connoisseur Posts: 95 Karma: 350 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: Lots!	What a Debbie Downer... 1) What if you're in an area or at your friends house without att 3g coverage? You have the option for wifi... 2) Yes there is 3) It has all the menus plus it has a quicker refresh rate than e-ink so it's easier to browse. 4) We get access to the BN wireless store and the option to shop elsewhere at our convenience. You don't have that luxury with the kindle so I don't see the problem is. What device allows you wireless access to multiple stores anyway?

10-21-2009, 03:03 PM	#5
lisreed Addict Posts: 281 Karma: 1301 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Upstate NY Device: Nook GlowLight 3	Somewhere on the B&N site faq I believe I saw that the wifi will be able to be used at any hotspot eventually. Everything else seems to be missinformation so if zdnet said all that ( I didn't click the link) then they are idiots who didn't bother looking the device over at all.

10-21-2009, 03:16 PM	#6
poohbear_nc Now what? Posts: 58,843 Karma: 135181808 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Durham, NC Device: Every Kindle Ever Made & To Be Made!	Just to clarify - these are not MY questions/criticisms - I was summarizing the main points from the article. And yes, the writer does not seem fully informed.

10-21-2009, 03:27 PM	#7
sforce Connoisseur Posts: 81 Karma: 184 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: Plastic Logic (?)	The below clears up a couple of the original ZDNet blogger Mitch Ratcliffe's misconceptions, specifically his assumptions as to Nook's WiFi capabilities. The below follow-up article is by his co-blogger, Matthew Miller, and is to specific questions as answered by Barnes & Noble: "B&N Nook beats Amazon Kindle & Sony Reader, here's why" "I posted yesterday about the Barnes & Noble Nook and then read Mitch Ratcliffe's post where he primarily focused on the apparent limited use of WiFi. I just posed a couple of questions on the Nook press call and have to now tell Mitch he is wrong about the WiFi access, but he should actually be quite pleased since there are no limits. I confirmed that you can access and purchase books via both WiFi and AT&T 3G from any place where you have access to a network, including your home WiFi network. One point of clarification regarding travel overseas. You can download books from you current library collection via WiFi overseas, but due to licensing issues you cannot browse the store and purchase new content when outside the US (yet). The Barnes & Noble store experience is just an enhanced experience that presents you with free content and also allows you to browse through books, just like you can physically in the bookstore. As I said yesterday, the Nook is a revolutionary product in the ebook market for a number of reasons." http://blogs.zdnet.com/mobile-gadgeteer/?p=2101

10-21-2009, 08:48 PM	#9
Sonist Apeist Posts: 2,126 Karma: 381090 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: The sunny part of California Device: Generic virtual reality story-experiential device	Revolutionary?! Nope, by a long shot. Unless you consider the new and improved DRM to deserve this title. Using Android is a good thing, and it opens up some hacking possibilities, but all limited to the lower 3.5", non-standard shape screen. I'd say, overall, it's an incremental improvement on the small K2 (assuming the Nook has a dictionary), but not much more.

10-21-2009, 11:15 PM	#12
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 73,957 Karma: 128903250 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	I have to agree that the Nook is not revolutionary. The revolutionary reader was the Sony Libre as it was the first commercially available eink reader.

10-22-2009, 03:09 AM	#13
Xerxes Addict Posts: 355 Karma: 90 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Houston, TX Device: Astak EZReader, Pocket Pro	What's funny is his article has a huge line threw a third of it.

10-22-2009, 06:25 AM	#14
Format C: Guru Posts: 753 Karma: 1496807 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: The Third World Device: iLiad + PRS-505 + Kindle 3	Revolutionary or not, it's just another small local thing for use in that remote country located somewhere between two Oecans... Too far away from here to be interesting.........

10-22-2009, 06:31 AM	#15
kennyc The Dank Side of the Moon Posts: 35,872 Karma: 118716293 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Denver, CO Device: Kindle2; Kindle Fire	The Nook may not be revolutionary, but the entry of B&N into the eReader market is a major milestone in the evolution of the ebook.