MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Color Anyone have a nook color and an ipad?

The Hooded Claw · 03-13-2011, 12:01 AM

I have had an iPad, bought the first day they released it last April. It was my first Apple product, though I'd been a Kindle owner for about six months, and owned a smart phone or PDA of one kind or another for over a decade. I wanted the iPad for traveling--I take several business trips each year, and do some "for fun" travel that sometimes involves flights to Europe or Hawaii. I had been enjoying a teeny-tiny "Creative Labs" media player with a postage-stamp sized video screen, and thought the iPad would be excellent for watching videos in flight, and I figured it would be an acceptable reader and way to play games. I've really, really enjoyed the iPad! But I do find the size a little bit too large for travel. It's not so bad while traveling by plane, but once I get to my destination it can be a nuisance if I don't have a hotel room or rental car to leave it in (and even those aren't ideal). Plus, it is expensive enough that I'm nervous about leaving it in checked bags I might leave with the hotel during the last day of a meeting before flying homes and similar situations. But it is so large I don't want to take it with me during those days!

I also use the iPad at home a lot, something I didn't expect to be as popular as it ended up to be. I love some of the games and apps, and I especially love browsing the web while leaned back in my recliner.

Late last year I escorted my elderly mother when she went to the Mayo Clinic, and I took my Kindle with me to read while waiting for her while she saw the doctors. I found that my Kindle inside the Amazon lighted cover was a good size to slip into a pocket on my photo vest, and was a lot better companion to take walking around with me than the iPad. Since then, I've wanted a seven inch tablet that was less expensive than the iPad, but wasn't happy with what I saw of the various Chinese ones with resistive screens.

I thought the Nook Color looked attractive for its capabilities, and being about the same size as my Kindle in the lighted cover, but didn't shell out for one till the recent ebay $200 deal. So far I'm quite pleased with it, but I haven't taken a trip with it yet.

Between the various devices, I find the Kindle is hands down the best device to read on, but is essentially useless for any other purpose. The games are better than nothing, and the web browsing is BARELY better than nothing, but my Android phone is better for both gaming and web browsing than the Kindle.

I love the iPad best of all for everything except pure reading (where it is much inferior to the Kindle). But it is a bit large for travel, and the expense makes me nervous about traveling with it.

Based on a few day's experience, I view the NC as a hybrid between these two. Not as good a reader as the Kindle, but better than the iPad. For watching video, it is about as good as the iPad (the smaller screen on the NC doesn't bother me for watching videos, I enjoy them as much as on the iPad). The NC is greatly inferior for games and entertainment, and the browser on it is not nearly as nice to use as that on the iPad. But the size is much more convenient to have around, and the expense makes it less stressful to care for in uncertain situations outside the home. I plan to root my NC to Honeycomb when a final release of Honeycomb is done, and that will improve the situation for apps and games, and probably enable me to have a better web browser.

I'm planning to keep all three devices, and will probably upgrade to an iPad 3 when they become available (the new iPad 2 doesn't tempt me). I'll keep the NC for quite awhile I hope, eventually technology will advance to the point where I'll decide I "need" a better small tablet and I'll decide what to do at the time.

Hope this helps.

03-13-2011, 12:01 AM	#2
The Hooded Claw Connoisseur Posts: 70 Karma: 6050 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Oklahoma! Device: Kindle Paperwhite, Android phone with Kindle app, Kindle 4 in reserve	I have had an iPad, bought the first day they released it last April. It was my first Apple product, though I'd been a Kindle owner for about six months, and owned a smart phone or PDA of one kind or another for over a decade. I wanted the iPad for traveling--I take several business trips each year, and do some "for fun" travel that sometimes involves flights to Europe or Hawaii. I had been enjoying a teeny-tiny "Creative Labs" media player with a postage-stamp sized video screen, and thought the iPad would be excellent for watching videos in flight, and I figured it would be an acceptable reader and way to play games. I've really, really enjoyed the iPad! But I do find the size a little bit too large for travel. It's not so bad while traveling by plane, but once I get to my destination it can be a nuisance if I don't have a hotel room or rental car to leave it in (and even those aren't ideal). Plus, it is expensive enough that I'm nervous about leaving it in checked bags I might leave with the hotel during the last day of a meeting before flying homes and similar situations. But it is so large I don't want to take it with me during those days! I also use the iPad at home a lot, something I didn't expect to be as popular as it ended up to be. I love some of the games and apps, and I especially love browsing the web while leaned back in my recliner. Late last year I escorted my elderly mother when she went to the Mayo Clinic, and I took my Kindle with me to read while waiting for her while she saw the doctors. I found that my Kindle inside the Amazon lighted cover was a good size to slip into a pocket on my photo vest, and was a lot better companion to take walking around with me than the iPad. Since then, I've wanted a seven inch tablet that was less expensive than the iPad, but wasn't happy with what I saw of the various Chinese ones with resistive screens. I thought the Nook Color looked attractive for its capabilities, and being about the same size as my Kindle in the lighted cover, but didn't shell out for one till the recent ebay $200 deal. So far I'm quite pleased with it, but I haven't taken a trip with it yet. Between the various devices, I find the Kindle is hands down the best device to read on, but is essentially useless for any other purpose. The games are better than nothing, and the web browsing is BARELY better than nothing, but my Android phone is better for both gaming and web browsing than the Kindle. I love the iPad best of all for everything except pure reading (where it is much inferior to the Kindle). But it is a bit large for travel, and the expense makes me nervous about traveling with it. Based on a few day's experience, I view the NC as a hybrid between these two. Not as good a reader as the Kindle, but better than the iPad. For watching video, it is about as good as the iPad (the smaller screen on the NC doesn't bother me for watching videos, I enjoy them as much as on the iPad). The NC is greatly inferior for games and entertainment, and the browser on it is not nearly as nice to use as that on the iPad. But the size is much more convenient to have around, and the expense makes it less stressful to care for in uncertain situations outside the home. I plan to root my NC to Honeycomb when a final release of Honeycomb is done, and that will improve the situation for apps and games, and probably enable me to have a better web browser. I'm planning to keep all three devices, and will probably upgrade to an iPad 3 when they become available (the new iPad 2 doesn't tempt me). I'll keep the NC for quite awhile I hope, eventually technology will advance to the point where I'll decide I "need" a better small tablet and I'll decide what to do at the time. Hope this helps.