[taustin]

Originally Posted by kittyhawk63

Fourteen of you have already looked at this thread and no one has offered any help. Surely, someone can help answer these questions.

I apologize for asking for some quick answers, but I just bought a Nook Color yesterday and I need to have some answers to see if I need to return it today for a different reader.

1. My wife is petite and the reader is her birthday gift. She mentioned how heavy the NC is. Do you get used to this weight after having it for a while? She reads sitting in a chair and laying in bed. Would she have a hard time reading with this in bed because of the weight? Would it be too heavy for reading for an hour or so? Chime in ladies.

It's maybe a little bit heavier than a typical hard cover. I didn't even notice the weight while reading, even at the beginning. (I also read both sitting and lying down.)

Originally Posted by kittyhawk63

2. We do not have WIFI at our house. We have broadband cable. I do not want to invest more money changing over to WIFI. I need to know if 3G will allow me to connect for downloading books and if it cost anything to use 3G from my house. How do I know if I have 3G at my house? My wife has a cell phone that uses AT&T and we can use it anywhere we go: home and on the road.

The Nook Color has no 3G. You cannot even use it until it has been activanted using WiFi. An access point isn't terribly expensive if you already have broadband (less than $50), but it is an expense. You can also activate it at any B&N to get it going, and then download purchases and "sideload" them through your computer, but you can't buy books through the device without WiFi.

Originally Posted by kittyhawk63

3. It is my present understanding that 3G will not allow me to go onto the Internet, but I would need to use WIFI for that. Is my understanding correct? Is 3G limited to downloading books?

The NC has no 3G at all.

Originally Posted by kittyhawk63

4. I am sure this has been answered, but I want to save time this morning from having to search for answers. Do any of you have any difficulty reading from the LCD screen over the eInk screen?

I don't, at all. Some do. Reading for long periods can cause eye strain. I'd guess it's a minority, but it's not uncommon. Only way to know is to try it.

Originally Posted by kittyhawk63

5. My wife continuously uses hand cream that is oil based. How would she go about using the touch screen without constantly having to clean it from her oily fingers? Is there something she can wear on her finger(s) to keep the screen clean?

The touch screen is quite sensitive to wetness on the screen. Normal fingerprints don't cause a problem (other than being smears on the screen that need to be cleaned from time to time). If she's leaving fingerprints, it's not a big deal. Just get a microfiber cloth and wipe it clean when you notice the fingerprints. If she's leaving smears of hand cream, it may well interfere with the touch screen working. A single small drop of water can make it unresponsive, in my experience, and several drops of iced tea make it go crazy.

Originally Posted by kittyhawk63

6. Is the LCD screen as easy to read as the eInk screen, especially outside in the sun?

Again, experiences vary. The brightness is adjustable, and at the brightest value, I have no trouble at all reading outside in direct sunlight. Some do, and some suffer eye strain far more easily when reading in dark rooms, even with the screen as dim as it will go. For most, it doesn't seem to be an issue. (I have a Nook classic, too, and while I found it quite easy to read, and very high quality, I prefer the LCD because it seems to be sharper and crisper, and the contrast between black & white is greater.)

Originally Posted by kittyhawk63

7. Is the touch screen superior to the Qwerty keyboard?

No, a real keyboard is significantly superior. Which should come as no surprise to anyone. But you most likely won't be doing a lot of typing on it anyway, and the touch screen keyboard is OK for most people. (There are sporadic reports of it being a little insensitive near the edges - mine is like that - and many people seem to get multiple input from keystrokes - several of the same letter - when it's plugged in and charging, but if you're careful, it's not a big deal unless you're typing a lot on it.)

Originally Posted by kittyhawk63

Is the Nook eInk reader as good as the Kindle eInk reader?

Opinions vary on that, so it seems to be a matter of preference. The screens aren't much different, but the Kindle has an actual (tiny) keyboard on the device, while the Nook classic has a small touchscreen. From what I can tell, the Kindle is easier to type on, but there are a couple dozen mechanical switches to wear out or break, so it's a matter of how much you expect to type vs. wear and tear.

Originally Posted by kittyhawk63

8. My wife wears contacts but reads wearing glasses. Have any of you noticed any difference in eye strain using contacts over glasses?

I wear Coke bottle bifocal glasses, and have no problems at all. Don't wear contacts, though. I would expect that if she can read comfortably from a paper book, reading from the LCD shouldn't be an issue (in that regard, anyway).

Originally Posted by kittyhawk63

9. Do any of you download books using your computer and then downloading them to your Nook?

I've only bought three or four books from B&N so far. Mostly, I've gotten books from Project Gutenberg or Baen. Sideloading them (through the USB cable) is no big deal, although there is no way to get sideloaded stuff on to the home screen like the B&N purchases are.

Originally Posted by kittyhawk63

Thank you for taking the time to read and answer my questions. Your answers will determine if I return the NC for a Nook eInk reader and keeping the Nook or trading it for a Kindle.

The two biggest reasons to go with the color version is if she's going to read in dim lighting - the LCD is backlight, the eInk screen is not - or if she'll actually need color, like reading magazines or comic books. The one undeniable advantage for the eInk version is that it's available with 3G (though I don't know if there's any charge for using it, as mine's a WiFi).