[hsjwmom]

Originally Posted by Abulia

Went down to the B&N in Salt Lake City today and spent over 30 minutes with their nook. The only reason I've broken this out into its own thread is because I have never used an ebook reader in my life. Actually, prior to today, I've never even seen an e-ink display firsthand.

I tried one for the first time today, also. I'd just decided about a week ago that I wanted to get an ebook reader and started to look at what was available. Kindle I ruled out because I mainly want a unit to read library books, with the occasional purchased book. I had my 3 kids along, including a not-quite 2yo, so I didn't get to play with it too much.

Originally Posted by Abulia

Also it has a bit of heft to it. It certainly looks like it should be lighter. It has slim lines and curved edges; it was pleasant to hold while standing and reading.

That was one of my first thoughts, too! It wasn't uncomfortably heavy, but heavier than I expected. Of course, having never held anything like it before, I didn't have any point of reference, lol.

Originally Posted by Abulia

At first I didn't think it was a working unit. There was an author picture screensaver on and the LCD/nook button didn't do anything. At the top it said "Press the power button to turn on your nook" and at the very top, hidden away and slightly behind the screen, was a 1" long thin power button. Sure enough the unit sprang to life!

You know, same thing here! Thing is, even the employee manning the nook display had no clue how to turn it on. After trying the n on the front several times, he decided that the battery was probably dead and needed to be replaced. He flagged a manager and got it figured out.

Originally Posted by Abulia

Yes, there were momentary page "flashes" between turns, but as I understand it that's normal as well. They were quick enough for my liking.

Yeah, I didn't think they were too bad, either. Not great, but not terrible.

Originally Posted by Abulia

So there you go. Having not used any other reader before I have to say that I was impressed by the nook. Based on the reviews -- and the horde of negative Nancy's on this forum -- I was really expecting a sub-par experience that didn't show its head. The unit was plenty fast and to be up and reading within 1 second entirely reasonable. Having to "format" a book the first time you open it is a little annoying but not a deal-breaker to me. The store was plenty easy to navigate and search was darn quick!

I found that it was a cool enough unit, but honestly, I was not blown away. I didn't like the LCD...it just wasn't functional enough. I never could get the page to turn using the LCD swipe. I swear, that's how I spent the majority of my time with it, trying to get the swipe feature to work. Overall, I thought it was OK.

I'm going to go with a Sony PRS-505 that I found locally. It seems to have the features I need and to be a fairly well-liked reader. I decided that I don't need a lot of bells and whistles, I just need a decent reader that I won't end up hating. I don't feel like waiting on B&N to get nook working better and I really don't want to wait over a month to get something that is still "under construction." Just my two cents to add to yours.