Just got my Nook today. I am in Ottawa, Canada and as expected the 3G wireless access does
NOT work. But Wi-Fi works perfectly and I was able to download all my purchased ebooks through it without any issues. Of course the activation was done over Wi-Fi.
The only tricky part was to actually order it.
To get ebooks I had to register my account with an US address but with my Canadian credit card. Worked just fine.
The actual ordering was done using the US address US Unlocked gave me (they are a great option for anyone outside US willing to buy anything over there) and they shipped the Nook to me yesterday using FGX. Shipping/their fee/etc was $45 and got here next day (today)! Very impressive service.
My impressions about it so far? Great device. Note this is my first e-reader so I cannot comment how it compares to anything else. What I found so far:
1. Pages turn VERY fast for me. I did not measure but it is definitely under 0.5s.
2. The touchscreen interface, yes, it is no iPhone 3GS.
But works fine and it is responsive enough IMHO. Nothing that ruins the experience.
3. On all my books it DOES remember the last page I was on.
4. I am on firmware 1.1.1 from what I can see.
In a nutshell, I would buy it again for sure. And for a 1st generation device that will for sure get better over time, it is impressive.
And after looking at one Kindle 2 one of my friends has, the Nook looks way, way better. But for some people the lack of a keyboard may be a show stopper. Not for me. Plus it does not look like something out of the 90s like the Kindle does.
Cheers guys!
CR