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Originally Posted by hollowpoint
As @Zodwallop asked, trying to return to the topic: :-)
To me, as you mentioned on p1 of the thread, Nook hardware has often had the most thoughtful, reader-centric design and features compared with reading-focused devices such as Kindle and Fire.
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To me, you're mixing apples and oranges here (pun not intended, but inevitable). When I talk about Nook hardware being better, I mean Nook e-ink devices only.
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To take a current example off their site, the Galaxy Tab A (7" Nook tablet) is a nice piece of hardware, optimized for reading regular books with a nearly perfect sized screen, and a lot of value at its price point. And they used to have the very nice Samsung Galaxy S2 8" tablet, also optimized for reading. If it weren't for other issues with BN, I'd choose quality devices like these over a Fire, any day.
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I think there's no good reason to bypass a B&N branded tablet. They are just Android tablets at this point, complete with Play Store. I wouldn't buy one because I've got enough tablets. But I wouldn't avoid one just because of B&N's reputation. It won't receive updates if B&N croaks? Most Android tablets get few if any updates anyway.
I bought one of those $50 Fires on a Black Friday sale and don't like it at all. Yeah, you can sideload the Play Store, but why bother when B&N gives it to you out of the box at the same price? And you're still stuck with the crappy Amazon launcher, which I don't think can be changed (at least it couldn't when I still cared enough to check).
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The problem with BN has never been the hardware but their practices about DRM. Which makes it a hassle to purchase their ebooks, decrypt, and use on any device. Lately it sounds like it has gotten worse. They've been doing this for a long time, and this fact kept me from ever buying a Nook, even though I often admired their hardware and features. All this, plus their more recent, acute financial problems, have gotten me to the point I wouldn't consider one of their devices, despite the nice hardware.
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That's true enough. But of course, there's nothing stopping you from buying a Nook and sideloading your books. That's what I do with both my Nooks and Kobos.
When I bought the Simple Touch w/Glowlight B&N mentioned the openness of the Nook in their marketing materials. And if they didn't advertise their easily crackable 'social DRM', it was at least an open secret.
That all changed with the Nook Glowlight, which ditched the SD card yet not giving the user much room for sideloading. In that same time frame they changed their DRM scheme without notice.