Touch Finally played with Nook STR

[boswd]

first impressions was wow is it small. Video's and pictures don't do it justice, it's small. And still maintains the 6 inch screen. Pretty impressive. It gives the Sony 350 a run for it's money in size but yet still get an inch more in screen real estate

It's light, very light. I may be the only person on the planet who thinks this, but I wouldn't mind it a tad heavier, maybe nook classic weight. But if you want a light device this is it.

It uses basically the same UI as the Nook color and that's a great thing. It very intuitive without being overly dumbed down. I have a nook color so I was able to get around the different screen and settings etc without any difficulities. but it's a very easy device to learn and use.

It's fast and responsive. I was quite impressed at how fast it is. Very snappy, no lag, .

Page turing is great, swipe works nice,pages turn very fast, I like the refresh every 6 pages, it does make a noticable difference.
Using the physical buttons for page turning was interesting. I was surprised that the long strip wasn't actually the button to press, it's actually a guide to the "hidden" button underneath. Fairly easy to locate, would have liked to have a little raise rubber dot or something to exactly tell you where to press, like the nook classic has.

Screen- Well it now has the infamous Pearl Screen. It's nice, no doubt but I hold to my statements before the nook classic v1.5 is on par with Pearl screen. Now If I had to say which one is better then Yes I would say the Pearl screen but the original nook's screen is great and is in the same ball park as the other Pearl screen devices, Nook STR, Sony's and Kindle's.

Book downloading: Downloaded a couple of freebies, it's probably downloads ebook's the fastes of any eink device I've come across, This is a testament to it's processor.
the whole device itself is just fast and zippy, from page turning, to boot up , to loading up books and from screen to screen. Only LCD's are faster at this point in time. It's just plain fast.

Form Factor: Well design wise in terms of it's shape, it's a square not much else to say. It's not as stylish as the original or the Nook color but it is what it is a square.
I'm not going to get into how it holds and feels. anyone who has been reading any the reviews both user and prof. have said everything. Barnes and Noble nailed it. Comfortable, light, molds to the hand. The use of rubberized material is the key.
I mean it just feels comfy and great to hold.

hmm will I get one? I don't know yet. I honestly don't have a need for another ereader I have both the nook classic and the nook color. But the " want new gadget" kid in me along with the $140 price tag may prove to be overwhelming.

It's a very impressive device.

but I do think there are some things people do need to realize. This isn't the ereader for everyone, nor is it perfect. If PDF's with technical material ie Graphs, Maps, etc I would suggest you pass. If your PDF's are just regular novels then it should be just fine. PDF novels on my nook classic display nice, I don't see how it would be different here.

It's library managment is what it is. You can create shelves and organize a personal library, sort by author, title, and recently downloaded, and such but if you are expecting a Calbire system and Need and want that , then you might want to think about it.
I personally do all my major sorting on Calibre but do take advantage of the nook's on device management just fine.

but if you are looking for ereader that is an in between a basic no frills and a full featured ereader, you should give this one a serious look. It's a nice device that is super fast and very comfortable to hold.

[RAH]

Nice review, boswd. I bought one today in B&N in NH. I just want to mention one thing about the screen. It is exactly the same size as the one on the Classic Nook. It only looks "square" because the bottom panel is not there.

[JSWolf]

Before buying a nook touch, take a look at the following thread...

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=135684

It will give you more information about the nook touch then a quick play with at the store.

[EldRick]

It is still to wide, however. I'm hoping that the Kobo works as well, because 4.5" is a lot more comfortable to hold than 5".

[boswd]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Before buying a nook touch, take a look at the following thread...

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=135684

It will give you more information about the nook touch then a quick play with at the store.

Ahhh JSWolf on his "must protect Sony" mission. It is funny you feel soo threatned by this. j/k j/k I mean Sony has fantastic features, so if you need them they will always have a customer, they have features that are head and shoulders above a the nook and kindle, but they priced themselves out of the running and lack of any sort of marketing and lack of support in terms of updates etc. Sony is a mess right now, A BIG MESS. I don't know if I would feel comfortable giving my info to them with all the hackers declaring Open Hunting season on them.

As far as using that thread you linked as a mesuring stick on to buy one? Well that's subjectable to say the very least, half of the quibbles are really a roll of the eyes, again if you buy a honda civic why would you complain it doesn't have the features of a Lexus.

I will say this if you are looking for a full featured ereader. One that has all sorts of organizing this way to Wednesday, has the ultimate features in transfers your notes and highlights out of your device to other device and if technical PDF's etc are a must on your wish list, then no the Nook Simple Touch Reader will not be your device.

But if you are a general reader. And don't need or used any of some of these advanced features then the nook touch is a great choice. It faster than the sony's, has one of if not the best UI, very responsive, light, small and pocketable, yet still has a six inch screen and has a great bookstore platform. Light year's better than Sony's bookstore platform and you can download books wirelessly . You have to spend up near $300 on the Sony 950 (when not on sale) to get any of these functions.

So in summary Advanced full featured ereader look elsewhere

If you're a general reader and don't need to export notes and highlights, etc but just want a really nice ereader then the nook touch is a great choice.

It's kind of an in betweener. Has a UI and some other features that make it a step above a basic bare bones reader but still lacks some advanced features fond on some other devices.

And something tells me, if you research the majority of readers, well outside of MR. most are general readers, People who want to buy a book read it, store it away and start another one.

[boswd]

Originally Posted by EldRick

It is still to wide, however. I'm hoping that the Kobo works as well, because 4.5" is a lot more comfortable to hold than 5".

have you held one yet? This is very comfortable to hold

[tomsem]

I'm amused by people who say 'it is too light'. You can always make it heavier: get a cover, tape some quarters on the back with duct tape, etc.

[Rocketime]

Originally Posted by boswd

first impressions was wow is it small. Video's and pictures don't do it justice, it's small. And still maintains the 6 inch screen. Pretty impressive. It gives the Sony 350 a run for it's money in size but yet still get an inch more in screen real estate

It's light, very light. I may be the only person on the planet who thinks this, but I wouldn't mind it a tad heavier, maybe nook classic weight. But if you want a light device this is it.

It uses basically the same UI as the Nook color and that's a great thing. It very intuitive without being overly dumbed down. I have a nook color so I was able to get around the different screen and settings etc without any difficulities. but it's a very easy device to learn and use.

It's fast and responsive. I was quite impressed at how fast it is. Very snappy, no lag, .

Page turing is great, swipe works nice,pages turn very fast, I like the refresh every 6 pages, it does make a noticable difference.
Using the physical buttons for page turning was interesting. I was surprised that the long strip wasn't actually the button to press, it's actually a guide to the "hidden" button underneath. Fairly easy to locate, would have liked to have a little raise rubber dot or something to exactly tell you where to press, like the nook classic has.

Screen- Well it now has the infamous Pearl Screen. It's nice, no doubt but I hold to my statements before the nook classic v1.5 is on par with Pearl screen. Now If I had to say which one is better then Yes I would say the Pearl screen but the original nook's screen is great and is in the same ball park as the other Pearl screen devices, Nook STR, Sony's and Kindle's.

Book downloading: Downloaded a couple of freebies, it's probably downloads ebook's the fastes of any eink device I've come across, This is a testament to it's processor.
the whole device itself is just fast and zippy, from page turning, to boot up , to loading up books and from screen to screen. Only LCD's are faster at this point in time. It's just plain fast.

Form Factor: Well design wise in terms of it's shape, it's a square not much else to say. It's not as stylish as the original or the Nook color but it is what it is a square.
I'm not going to get into how it holds and feels. anyone who has been reading any the reviews both user and prof. have said everything. Barnes and Noble nailed it. Comfortable, light, molds to the hand. The use of rubberized material is the key.
I mean it just feels comfy and great to hold.

hmm will I get one? I don't know yet. I honestly don't have a need for another ereader I have both the nook classic and the nook color. But the " want new gadget" kid in me along with the $140 price tag may prove to be overwhelming.

It's a very impressive device.

but I do think there are some things people do need to realize. This isn't the ereader for everyone, nor is it perfect. If PDF's with technical material ie Graphs, Maps, etc I would suggest you pass. If your PDF's are just regular novels then it should be just fine. PDF novels on my nook classic display nice, I don't see how it would be different here.

It's library managment is what it is. You can create shelves and organize a personal library, sort by author, title, and recently downloaded, and such but if you are expecting a Calbire system and Need and want that , then you might want to think about it.
I personally do all my major sorting on Calibre but do take advantage of the nook's on device management just fine.

but if you are looking for ereader that is an in between a basic no frills and a full featured ereader, you should give this one a serious look. It's a nice device that is super fast and very comfortable to hold.

Well said. Puts ereaders in proper perspective without bias.

[RAH]

Originally Posted by tomsem

I'm amused by people who say 'it is too light'. You can always make it heavier: get a cover, tape some quarters on the back with duct tape, etc.

Maybe they mean that it feels kind of flimsy and insubstantial. I just bought a Touch and one thing I have noticed is that the power button has a very "plasticy" feel to it. It kind of creaks when you push it and feels flimsy, unlike with the old Classic.

I think it is pretty hard to make a very light-weight device and also have it feel solid and well-made. They are kind of a contradiction in terms.

On the whole, I like the way it feels. The rubbery back is great and the sculpted shape of the back is perfect, IMHO. The matte finish on the borders is also nice - the shiny white rim on the old Classic was one of my dislikes.

[boswd]

Originally Posted by RAH

Maybe they mean that it feels kind of flimsy and insubstantial. I just bought a Touch and one thing I have noticed is that the power button has a very "plasticy" feel to it. It kind of creaks when you push it and feels flimsy, unlike with the old Classic.

I think it is pretty hard to make a very light-weight device and also have it feel solid and well-made. They are kind of a contradiction in terms.

On the whole, I like the way it feels. The rubbery back is great and the sculpted shape of the back is perfect, IMHO. The matte finish on the borders is also nice - the shiny white rim on the old Classic was one of my dislikes.

well to me when I say too light, It's not that it feels flimsy at all, it doesn't , it's just sort of airy, kind of like my old iPod nano 5G, great build quality just very airy. but

I like a little bit of weight. I think the nook classic had the perfect weight for me.

but I know I am in th extreme minority here.

but yeah you're right on the mark in how it feels in the hand. It's just feels wonderful. Im a HUGE fan of the rubberized texture. It great for the grip and feels high end, well made. My Droid X has it, my Sansa fuze has it, my nook classic has it. heck even my Vizio remote has it. LOL

[EldRick]

I think it is pretty hard to make a very light-weight device and also have it feel solid and well-made.

Not really - check the iPod2. It just costs more for a lightweight cast-metal case.