Touch A History of Firmware Updates at B&N

[Randeep]

I have never bought an eReader. My last gf had a Kobo and I liked reading on it a lot, but I read a lot of reference material as well as fiction, and being able to flip through the pages of a real book has always been something I need to do.

Well now with this new Nook you can flip through pages (neat!) so I've been considering purchasing one. The main thing holding me back, besides the Nook's attempt to lock me into B&N, are reports of inadequate PDF rendering and lack of landscape mode.

It seems however, that these problems are widely complained about and could be addressed via updates to the firmware. Will it happen, though?

My question is to B&N eReader owners- have you seen the company provide updates that resolved user wants and feature enhancements? Or do these updates pretty much just address bug fixes?

FWIW, I did e-mail B&N customer support to see if they had these enhancements planned but never received a reply.

[afv011]

Originally Posted by Randeep

I have never bought an eReader. My last gf had a Kobo and I liked reading on it a lot, but I read a lot of reference material as well as fiction, and being able to flip through the pages of a real book has always been something I need to do.

Well now with this new Nook you can flip through pages (neat!) so I've been considering purchasing one. The main thing holding me back, besides the Nook's attempt to lock me into B&N, are reports of inadequate PDF rendering and lack of landscape mode.

It seems however, that these problems are widely complained about and could be addressed via updates to the firmware. Will it happen, though?

My question is to B&N eReader owners- have you seen the company provide updates that resolved user wants and feature enhancements? Or do these updates pretty much just address bug fixes?

FWIW, I did e-mail B&N customer support to see if they had these enhancements planned but never received a reply.

B&N have provided some updates that address customer issues, like adding sideloaded books to the desktop on the nookColor. But, as for what will be in the future updates on the touch, only people at B&N know.

As other have said, you should buy an eReader based on what the software offers now, and not on promises of what it may offer in the future.

On the other hand, the nook family is based on Android, which means it is easy to root and you can add additional apps to fill the gaps (like a ezPDF for better PDF rendering).

[Randeep]

Originally Posted by afv011

On the other hand, the nook family is based on Android, which means it is easy to root and you can add additional apps to fill the gaps (like a ezPDF for better PDF rendering).

Is it easy to root? Are there people that have done this?

[boswd]

If they follow the same update model as the original nook, they came pretty often and quite a few came with some major updates and new features.

The nook classic started out with v1.0 about year and half ago and it's now currently on v1.7

so hopefully they will follow the same trend.
Also if you go to BN.com the nook forums there BN engineers are quite active and they have wish lists for updates and many people who share similiar concerns and wishes.

[taustin]

Originally Posted by Randeep

Is it easy to root? Are there people that have done this?

It's been done, though being as new as it is, there are still kinks to iron out. However, I've seen video demos of it with the Android app market working.

[mdclements]

Originally Posted by Randeep

I have never bought an eReader. My last gf had a Kobo and I liked reading on it a lot, but I read a lot of reference material as well as fiction, and being able to flip through the pages of a real book has always been something I need to do.

Well now with this new Nook you can flip through pages (neat!) so I've been considering purchasing one. The main thing holding me back, besides the Nook's attempt to lock me into B&N, are reports of inadequate PDF rendering and lack of landscape mode.

It seems however, that these problems are widely complained about and could be addressed via updates to the firmware. Will it happen, though?

My question is to B&N eReader owners- have you seen the company provide updates that resolved user wants and feature enhancements? Or do these updates pretty much just address bug fixes?

FWIW, I did e-mail B&N customer support to see if they had these enhancements planned but never received a reply.

How about the new Kobo Touch?

[afv011]

Originally Posted by Randeep

Is it easy to root? Are there people that have done this?

It's very easy. You simply create a booting SD card and boot the nook touch with that SD card, then replace a file. There are instructions on XDA if you're interested on the steps.

[linux_author]

Originally Posted by Randeep

The main thing holding me back, besides the Nook's attempt to lock me into B&N, are reports of inadequate PDF rendering and lack of landscape mode.

what 'lock'? i simply created an account at B&N (did not enter my CC#) to register, and mostly use my STR with wifi off - there are plenty of free books on my computer that i simply transfer over - no need (for me) to download any content at all - especially considering calibre - an essential, IMHO, app for nearly all ereaders - i'm completey un-tethered from B&N

AFA .pdf rendering and landscape mode: i kinda agree, but i just re-rendered a .pdf doc to .epub and was satisfied enough with the results... landscape mode would be nice, but not essential for my needs...

YMMV

[Bookworm_Girl]

I wouldn't rely on any of the major companies to make firmware updates for features that you really need. If landscape and PDF are that important to you, then perhaps you need to check out a different reader than the STR.

I rarely buy books from B&N because of the lock-in too. I want to be able to buy a book and read it on other devices. Instead I authorized my Nook Color with Adobe Digital Editions and purchase books from other stores like Kobo, Sony, ebooks.com, etc.

I wouldn't expect landscape mode to be implemented soon. The STR firmware is clearly based on the NC, and we've been waiting for landscape for books since last November. B&N could have incorporated that customer complaint in the STR but obviously chose not to. Then again, maybe after 8 months it's finally moving up the priority list...

[ST-One]

Originally Posted by Randeep

The main thing holding me back, besides the Nook's attempt to lock me into B&N, are reports of inadequate PDF rendering and lack of landscape mode.

Well, since PDF isn't a viable ebook format to begin with I can't see this as such a big negative - some (many?) do though.

There is no lock in.
Other than with, say, the Kindle you can buy DRMed mainstream content from a lot of sources all over the net, transfer it to the Nook and be able to read it - without ever having to strip the DRM.

[boswd]

Originally Posted by ST-One

Well, since PDF isn't a viable ebook format to begin with I can't see this as such a big negative - some (many?) do though.

There is no lock in.
Other than with, say, the Kindle you can buy DRMed mainstream content from a lot of sources all over the net, transfer it to the Nook and be able to read it - without ever having to strip the DRM.

To expand on ST-One's post

To the OP: also I think it's important to point out that PDF's that are text only or novels render just fine on the nook einks. You can change the size of the font's etc. I have quite a few PDF's novels that read just fine. It's PDF's that are more technical heavy that is where people run into issues, such as pictures, graphs, maps, etc.
But if you have let's say The Time Machine or some other book that is in PDF form you'll be just fine.


Also as others have stated, if taking your library with you and not being "locked into" BN. All the nooks support ePub and ADE ePub, so if you want you can buy as many books as you want from other vendors such as Google Books, Kobo, Borders, Sony, Fictionwise etc and not have to buy a single eBook from Barnes and Noble. I would say 40% of my library are ePubs from other vendors and some PDF's.

[RAH]

Originally Posted by Randeep

My question is to B&N eReader owners- have you seen the company provide updates that resolved user wants and feature enhancements? Or do these updates pretty much just address bug fixes?

With the Color Nook, I think that version 1.4 added the ability to zoom in and out on webpages with the pinch technique. This was a much-requested enhancement.

And with the 1.5 enhancement, there were many abilities added, most significantly the ability to add apps. The email app was one of the most important freebies that it came with.

As far as the e-ink Nook, like the Touch, on the Classic Nook they enhanced the page-turning speed quite a lot over the various updates.

Having said all this, I agree that landscape mode for PDFs probably will not be implemented because they would have done it before if they wanted to (as others have said).

[EldRick]

Or you could buy a Kobo Touch, which does a fine job on PDFs, including zoom, pan, and landscape modes.

[mettleh3d]

PLEASE PLEASE B&N, updates please!

[Randeep]

Hey guys-

Thanks for all the replies.

As for PDFs, I'm not talking about books. I have a lot of business materials that are given to me in PDF format and think it would be cool if I could use a reader to access them.

Being able to boot the Nook using just an SD card sounds epic and I will be sure to look into that.

As far as lock-in, I don't know how you can argue that it doesn't try to lock you in. First of all the B&N store is hardwired into the software, is it not? If I want to use Wireless to purchase an eBook will I be able to do so on other sites using the Nook? Also, from what I have heard the DRM attached to B&N ebooks isn't compatible with many other readers. If my assessment is incorrect, then my apologies.