Nook Color is Here!

[rty]

Originally Posted by Over

It's applicable to most devices. And PDF reflow isn't alien to me, at least.

Nope. I have both Nook and Kindle DXG. There's no zoom option on Nook like Kindle. You just need to change the font size and it will reflow the text of the PDF automatically. With Kindle DX, you can only do a fit to page or zoom (& pan). No text reflow option for Kindle DXG.

[leebase]

I'd wait for an android slate. Pay a little more and get a lot more functionality. Including the ability to read B&N books, kindle books -- pretty much everything but Apple books (no big loss).

I do like that it validates the LCD as a reading platform.

Lee

[Noah98]

Originally Posted by Piper_

I think you sum it up well, tubemonkey.

It's not for me, but I can hear some people I know Ooohing and ahhing over it already just for the pizazz at a lower price.

I'm not exactly sure why someone would go this direction, when they could go full android tablet...?

Especially not before it's been out long enough to know it's stable.

I do hope it works out well. I want B&N to succeed. Competition is good to have for all products.

Why is this not for avid readers? Why do we always assume that those that like reading on lcd devices aren't real readers? I love my eink nook, and my wife loves her lcd ipad. She is the very definition of an avid reader, and reads more than I do. She also reads mostly at night in bed and finds the lcd expereince to be superior to the eink + external light one. To each his own. We should not judge or make overgeneralizations. Just sayin...

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by Avarwen

Nice but I'm waiting to see what Mirasol has in store for us. I want an eink reader that will read all DRM as well as all non-DRM titles. But since the won't be happening soon. I may have to buy a Kindle along side my current ereader.

There's been a rumor about a Kindle with a Mirasol color eInk display making the rounds for quite a while.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=68616

That thread contains a link to EnGadget:

http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/m...back-color-vi/

[WT Sharpe]

At two-thirds the weight of an iPad and half the price of the most scaled-down model; if the virtual keyboard on the NOOKcolor works as well as the virtual keyboard on the iPad, it could be worth purchasing, if only for writing. B&N says it can edit MS Word documents, but I don't know if that feature comes with it or is an optional add-on.

[eGeezer]

Originally Posted by rty

Nope. I have both Nook and Kindle DXG. There's no zoom option on Nook like Kindle.

But the thread is titled "Nook Color is Here!" What do nook features (or lack thereof) have to do with the NOOKcolor features?

While I haven't seen all the pictures of the NOOKcolor, the ones I see on the website keep showing full page newspapers/magazines, which seem to be pretty small print on a 7" screen. I only saw one "reverse pinch" that zoomed a little.

I want confirmation that it really can zoom in to the columns on that page. While I'm at it, I want confirmation of what the "web browsing" capabilities comprise.

Edit: Okay. got zoom confirmed (engadget video). In magazines, they have "article view", which looks great, but also the pan and zoom feature I was wondering about. Now I need to see something that demos the browser. the NOOKcolor may or may not suit my purposes over, say, an iPhone or Android phone, but it is an intriguing option that is also an ereader as opposed to one that is also a phone, but (for my purposes) not an ereader.

[ProfCrash]

I don't get it. Other Android based tablets are going to be released that will probably do the same thing, if not more, then the NOOK Color.

I understand that B&N is trying to develop multiple product lines, that is smart, but this really isn't an e-reader and I have difficulty seeing B&N being a major player in the tablet wars.

Color me confused. But this is not marketed at me. The IPad baffles me as well and it sold like hot cakes so I am not an accurate barometer of what the next best electronic gizmo is.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

I don't get it. Other Android based tablets are going to be released that will probably do the same thing, if not more, then the NOOK Color.

But will they be priced at $250?

Price is an important issue and not everyone needs a full spec'd tablet with dual cameras, video recording, GPS, full app store, etc. For most, a tablet that can access the web (email, social, favorite websites), play music, play videos, and read their color content will be more than adequate.

I fall in the latter group. I don't need a full tablet.

[lionel47]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

I don't get it. Other Android based tablets are going to be released that will probably do the same thing, if not more, then the NOOK Color.

I understand that B&N is trying to develop multiple product lines, that is smart, but this really isn't an e-reader and I have difficulty seeing B&N being a major player in the tablet wars.

Color me confused. But this is not marketed at me. The IPad baffles me as well and it sold like hot cakes so I am not an accurate barometer of what the next best electronic gizmo is.

I think that B&N's thinking is that it can capture one demographic with the classic Nook. This group is probably made up of over 40 (though not necessarily) voracious readers who don't mind a little bit of technology.

The Nook Color, meanwhile, is probably aimed at under 40 readers who also probably have small children. The under 40 sector probably does not see reading off an LCD as an issue. They grew up doing it. Also, the Nook Kids thing will double the use of the device as a pacifier that is somewhat educational for their small children. I mean, letting them play with the Nook Color and having books read to them is probably looked at as more educational than giving them an iPad and letting them look at videos on YouTube.

This might especially appeal to geeky parents like me and my wife. She is a professor and I am a literature and film lover. Between us, we have books and bookcases in every room of the house except the kitchen, dining room and deck.

I'd rather get a Nook Color to let my kids and I share. My friends have an iPad for their kids. Not our style, I don't think.

[nyrath]

Originally Posted by cjottawa

NOOKcolor: It's a tablet PC, not an ebook reader.

Nope, a tablet PC is a device that you can install any software you want on it. Blasted color Nook is locked down just as hard as the iPad. You can only get "official" apps.

Some commentator opined that this was to prevent Amazon from porting their Kindle Reader software to the color Nook, which sounds logical to me.

[Nahgem]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

But will they be priced at $250?

Price is an important issue and not everyone needs a full spec'd tablet with dual cameras, video recording, GPS, full app store, etc. For most, a tablet that can access the web (email, social, favorite websites), play music, play videos, and read their color content will be more than adequate.

I fall in the latter group. I don't need a full tablet.

Exactly. I'm not ready to actually pay for a tablet at the moment, but I'll definitely be thinking about it when I go to grad school; a basic tablet that has internet, word processing, video playback, and the ability to read textbooks/PDFs is all I'll need. Given how happy I've been with my Nook, when it comes time to shop for a tablet, I'll probably give the Nook Color some serious thought.

[ProfCrash]

tubemonkey: Will you be buying one?

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Nahgem

Exactly. I'm not ready to actually pay for a tablet at the moment, but I'll definitely be thinking about it when I go to grad school; a basic tablet that has internet, word processing, video playback, and the ability to read textbooks/PDFs is all I'll need. Given how happy I've been with my Nook, when it comes time to shop for a tablet, I'll probably give the Nook Color some serious thought.

It's good to see a large company take the middle ground and deliver a product capable of filling the needs of most people; and at an affordable price.

Also, since PDF is very important to many people on this forum, it'll be interesting to see how well NC handles it.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

tubemonkey: Will you be buying one?

Possibly. I'm in the market for a tablet to replace my netbook for traveling. After watching tablet after tablet succumb to the "hey, it's a giant smartphone, so let's price this thing higher than an iPad", I was getting very disillusioned.

Frankly, I don't need a full tablet experience. All I want is a 7" device with a full web browser, basic multimedia, and the ability to read color content. Deliver that and I'm happy.

On paper, NC meets my requirements. But, I won't know until it hits the shelves and gets reviewed. Key for me is how well it surfs the web.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed, because this is just what I'm looking for and at the right price point.

[lionel47]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

tubemonkey: Will you be buying one?

Ever since somebody showed me the "ignore" feature on here, I have not seen tubemonkey's posts. Anyway, it's cool.