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Hey everyone!
I've been lurking for a day or two and finally decided to register! :-D
I have a 1st gen Nook and a Nook Glowlight. Both are working flawlessly! I like the 1st gen Nook because it was unique. Absolutely love being able to easily replace the battery, something we need to return to IMHO.
I see the next Nook being pretty much the same as the Glowlight. I don't see the SD slot coming back. As much as I like having removable storage, I just think it won't happen. While there's a lot of people who notice there's no SD slot, there's a lot of people who don't notice, and if they just love to turn on their device and read, they could care less. I've long since given up on a removable battery coming back, as such, I'm treating the SD slot the same way. Besides B&N management attempting to follow Apple (I detest Apple with every fiber of my being now whereas I was a huge fan of Apple's until '08) on ditching practical parts of a device (removable batteries, SD slot), if you want to blame someone for no SD slots, you can blame Apple. While it's arguably brought them a lot of $$$, it makes their products more limited in functionality.
I see the Nook in the same situation as the Apple Macintosh was in the 90s... specifically before the iMac came about. For all practical purposes, if you seriously thought about getting a Mac in 95/96-97/98 (prior to the iMac), you did so at your own peril. Very little software to choose from vs. Windows, and the very real possibility Apple could one day go bankrupt. Bottom line... if you wanted the most for your money with the most usability in mind, you bought a PC. I think the same holds true for the Nook. If you want the most for your money, you buy a Kindle. That's not to say the Nook is not good. I like the Nook, even now, but it's clear to see they've become a niche eReader that's shrinking more and more every year... same as the Mac did in the 90s. Kobo and other eReaders are in their own niches as well (I have a first gen Kobo, and it's a good eReader too).
One thing I have yet to see B&N, Amazon, Kobo and so many other eReader companies do something about it is something that Sony hit the nail on the head about... checking out a library eBook through Overdrive ON THE EREADER. I worked for a library for almost five years, and as such, I helped a lot of patrons learn to use their eReaders. On the Nook, Kobo and most all others that aren't Kindle's, you have to plug it into a PC, and use Adobe Digital Editions, which can be a royal pain at times. For a lot of patrons, especially middle aged to older, it was too complex and even I thought, just to check out a library eBook, it bordered on convoluted. Amazon got close to making checking out library eBooks more seamless, but you still have to login to send it to your Kindle. As to what Sony did to get it right?
On their Reader (T1 and T2), they had a Public Library app (think of it as an Overdrive app). You could check out your library eBook on the device and it would open. No need to plug it into a PC! Sony nailed this! It's sad Sony pulled out of the market, but I have often thought of trying to pick up a T1 or T2 if someone had one used they would part with. B&N, Kobo, and even the mighty Amazon still hasn't implemented anything like this on their eReaders. If any of them did, that would be my eReader of choice. I would love for B&N to do it! I know there are people who will say one of the following things... root the Glowlight, buy a tablet and use the Overdrive app, just deal with Adobe Digital Editions or Amazon's way of checking out eBooks. Here's my thing though... make it as seamless and easy for people as possible. Sony did, why can't the others?
Despite that, I still love my Nook 1st gen and Glowlight. :-)
Tommy
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