Is the nook glowlight a good buy?

Micah Dawson · 02-17-2014, 11:13 AM

Hey Mobileread,

A questions for you all...
I am going to be buying my first ereader. After the snow storm last week, I discovered that while reading my nook and Kindle books through their respective windows 8 app is good on my Surface tablet...the battery life is not the best and after 4 hours of reading, I had a dead tablet and no power to charge.

And Of course this happened right at the good part of the book..So I am going to jump into the ereader world...

With that said...

How good is the Nook Glowlight from B&N? Is it a ereader you recommend that I buy? Are there any known issues and complaints?
(I have books with Amazon and Nook so i flirt with both regularly but this will definitely be a marriage to one or the other)

The one thing that bugs me about the Ereaders is that refresh thing. How often does it refresh when you are turning pages?

Rbneader · 02-17-2014, 05:00 PM

The latest Nook Glowlight and the latest Kindle Paperwhite both have a lower refresh rate that typical ereaders do. They're both basically identical, although I think the Nook might have less onboard space.

The most important question is how many books you want to have with you at a time. Neither the Nook nor the Kindle have an SD card slot, so you're limited to the onboard storage. Also, I think the Nook limits your storage even further to B&N space and non-B&N space. That works for people who don't need to have all their books with them. Some people prefer to have their entire library, and those people usually end up getting a reader with an SD card slot.

Aqua-Andy · 02-17-2014, 07:12 PM

The Glow Light has issues with locking up. B&N Will tell you they have never heard of this before and to just deregester and reregester the device. Hopefully they will have a software fix for this soon. The memory thing can be an issue for some people but you still have 500mb for side loaded media. You can still fit several hundred books on the device if all you do is side load. Overall I do like the device. Not sure what you mean by "refresh when turning pages". Do you mean how many times do you have to turn the page until the actual page number changes? If so it all depends on the size of type you choose, my 15yo sons turns two pages with every page turn, mine on the other hand takes around three to four. Yes I need glasses but will not accept the fact that I'm getting older.

eschwartz · 02-17-2014, 07:51 PM

Amazon has a reputation for rock-solid firmware, and B&N Nook has a reputation for being slow.

B&N limits you to 500MB of sideloaded books (including books you download from B&N and transfer via USB) plus 2GB of books downloaded through the device itself, whereas Kindle doesn't care where you get your books from. You can convert your old B&N purchases with calibre and store them on your Kindle, but not the other way around since the memory is restricted.

B&N is a dead platform. They've always played second (or third) fiddle to Amazon, in terms of popularity and workmanship in their devices. Consider the fact that they just fired a whole lot of engineers (since they apparently don't need them anymore), see here: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=233564

I would suggest get anything other than the Nook. If you want EPUB/library ADE support, and the ability to tweak your reading experience, go with the Kobo. If you like Amazon or just want a simple clean reading experience, go with the Kindle.

livramax · 02-17-2014, 09:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Micah Dawson

A questions for you all...
I am going to be buying my first ereader. After the snow storm last week, I discovered that while reading my nook and Kindle books through their respective windows 8 app is good on my Surface tablet...the battery life is not the best and after 4 hours of reading, I had a dead tablet and no power to charge.
...
How good is the Nook Glowlight from B&N? Is it a ereader you recommend that I buy? Are there any known issues and complaints?
(I have books with Amazon and Nook so i flirt with both regularly but this will definitely be a marriage to one or the other)
...

If you can do without the glow light, the Nook Simple Touch ("2nd Ed") which comes with a SD card slot can be had for ~ $50 new from Ebay. For the very same reason of long reading battery life, the NST is still my go-to tablet for pure reading in/outside the home.

Josieb1 · 02-21-2014, 07:54 AM

I currently have a Paperwhite 1, a Kobo Aura and have had a Nook Glow (the first one). If I could only have one ereader it would be a Paperwhite.

I adore my Kobo Aura but if I had to choose I would pick Amazon, they have the best support and infrastructure. I'd not buy a Nook Glow for all the reasons mentioned above, but mainly because Amazon are superior in every way, device, infrastructure and support.

samosa · 03-10-2014, 10:23 AM

I second the suggestion of the old Nook models Simple Touch / Simple Touch Glowlight. Being able to turn pages while holding the eReader with either hand is a big plus. Plus the SD card slot to expand memory is really brilliant.

Having said that if you switch to and from languages that don't use the roman alphabet, e.g. I switch between Chinese and English all the time, the Kindle offers the best experience over Nook and Kobo.

Rizla · 03-10-2014, 10:43 AM

The Kobo Glo is fine. The only real issue AFAIK is that the front-light can't be turned down super-low so might be too bright for you in a dark room. I believe the new Aura no longer has this problem.

Glorfindel · 03-10-2014, 11:10 AM

so far I've only used k4&pw1... Excelent devices, both of them... I only own the 4 so I have not used the PW a whole lot...

Glorfindel · 03-10-2014, 11:11 AM

PW is Gma's...

afv011 · 03-10-2014, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by samosa

I second the suggestion of the old Nook models Simple Touch / Simple Touch Glowlight.

You can still do that with the new glowlight, but you have to swipe instead of tap. A swipe will work on both sides of the screen, whether it is forwards or backwards.

meeera · 03-11-2014, 12:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rizla

The Kobo Glo is fine. The only real issue AFAIK is that the front-light can't be turned down super-low so might be too bright for you in a dark room. I believe the new Aura no longer has this problem.

I can confirm that the Aura 6" doesn't have this problem. In addition, the lighting is more even, and it's beautifully small and light.

jscarbo · 03-13-2014, 10:33 AM

I don't much care about the relatively minor differences in hardware between the various brands of e-readers. All of them work fine for reading ebooks. I prefer the Kindle PW, at least for US customers, because of superior customer service and support and better selection and prices of ebooks.

LaughingVulcan · 04-20-2014, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by livramax

If you can do without the glow light, the Nook Simple Touch ("2nd Ed") which comes with a SD card slot can be had for ~ $50 new from Ebay. For the very same reason of long reading battery life, the NST is still my go-to tablet for pure reading in/outside the home.

Also, some B&N locations still carry house stock of the SimpleTouch without the glow light. I paid $59 for mine, recently, and the location has one other available.

rcentros · 04-22-2014, 03:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Amazon has a reputation for rock-solid firmware, and B&N Nook has a reputation for being slow.

I tend to agree with most of what you wrote -- not quoted -- but the Nook slower than the Kindle? I've never noticed that and I now use both regularly.

02-17-2014, 11:13 AM	#1
Micah Dawson Member Posts: 17 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2013 Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2, Nook(Windows 8 App) and Kindle(Windows 8 App)	Is the nook glowlight a good buy? Hey Mobileread, A questions for you all... I am going to be buying my first ereader. After the snow storm last week, I discovered that while reading my nook and Kindle books through their respective windows 8 app is good on my Surface tablet...the battery life is not the best and after 4 hours of reading, I had a dead tablet and no power to charge. And Of course this happened right at the good part of the book..So I am going to jump into the ereader world... With that said... How good is the Nook Glowlight from B&N? Is it a ereader you recommend that I buy? Are there any known issues and complaints? (I have books with Amazon and Nook so i flirt with both regularly but this will definitely be a marriage to one or the other) The one thing that bugs me about the Ereaders is that refresh thing. How often does it refresh when you are turning pages?

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Why I am avoiding the nook GlowLight [2013 nook GlowLight]	anmanwar@aol.com	Barnes & Noble NOOK	20	04-24-2018 12:16 PM
Is it the right time to buy a GlowLight?	lulalullah	Barnes & Noble NOOK	20	06-13-2014 12:57 PM
Barnes & Noble One Week Sale on Nook STR, Glowlight, Nook HD	charmian	Deals and Resources (No Self-Promotion or Affiliate Links)	6	09-26-2013 10:36 AM
Ended Nook Glowlight and Oberon Cover (for Nook Touch or Glowlight)	puglover333	Flea Market	1	09-20-2012 08:11 AM
Free Book (Kindle/Nook) - Good, Better, Best Buy	koland	Deals and Resources (No Self-Promotion or Affiliate Links)	1	02-28-2011 10:17 AM

02-17-2014, 05:00 PM	#2
Rbneader Fanatic Posts: 503 Karma: 2661351 Join Date: Mar 2012 Device: None	The latest Nook Glowlight and the latest Kindle Paperwhite both have a lower refresh rate that typical ereaders do. They're both basically identical, although I think the Nook might have less onboard space. The most important question is how many books you want to have with you at a time. Neither the Nook nor the Kindle have an SD card slot, so you're limited to the onboard storage. Also, I think the Nook limits your storage even further to B&N space and non-B&N space. That works for people who don't need to have all their books with them. Some people prefer to have their entire library, and those people usually end up getting a reader with an SD card slot.

02-17-2014, 07:12 PM	#3
Aqua-Andy Member Posts: 19 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2013 Device: nook simple touch	The Glow Light has issues with locking up. B&N Will tell you they have never heard of this before and to just deregester and reregester the device. Hopefully they will have a software fix for this soon. The memory thing can be an issue for some people but you still have 500mb for side loaded media. You can still fit several hundred books on the device if all you do is side load. Overall I do like the device. Not sure what you mean by "refresh when turning pages". Do you mean how many times do you have to turn the page until the actual page number changes? If so it all depends on the size of type you choose, my 15yo sons turns two pages with every page turn, mine on the other hand takes around three to four. Yes I need glasses but will not accept the fact that I'm getting older.

02-17-2014, 07:51 PM	#4
eschwartz Ex-Helpdesk Junkie Posts: 19,421 Karma: 85400180 Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: The Beaten Path, USA, Roundworld, This Side of Infinity Device: Kindle Touch fw5.3.7 (Wifi only)	Amazon has a reputation for rock-solid firmware, and B&N Nook has a reputation for being slow. B&N limits you to 500MB of sideloaded books (including books you download from B&N and transfer via USB) plus 2GB of books downloaded through the device itself, whereas Kindle doesn't care where you get your books from. You can convert your old B&N purchases with calibre and store them on your Kindle, but not the other way around since the memory is restricted. B&N is a dead platform. They've always played second (or third) fiddle to Amazon, in terms of popularity and workmanship in their devices. Consider the fact that they just fired a whole lot of engineers (since they apparently don't need them anymore), see here: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=233564 I would suggest get anything other than the Nook. If you want EPUB/library ADE support, and the ability to tweak your reading experience, go with the Kobo. If you like Amazon or just want a simple clean reading experience, go with the Kindle.

02-21-2014, 07:54 AM	#6
Josieb1 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,082 Karma: 18051062 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: UK Device: Kindle Scribe, Coloursoft, PW SE, Kindle 6, Kobo Libra Colour, Libra 2	I currently have a Paperwhite 1, a Kobo Aura and have had a Nook Glow (the first one). If I could only have one ereader it would be a Paperwhite. I adore my Kobo Aura but if I had to choose I would pick Amazon, they have the best support and infrastructure. I'd not buy a Nook Glow for all the reasons mentioned above, but mainly because Amazon are superior in every way, device, infrastructure and support.

03-10-2014, 10:23 AM	#7
samosa Groupie Posts: 199 Karma: 919588 Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Hong Kong & Ningbo Device: Aura, AuraHD, AuraH2O, GloHD, Mini, DXG, PW123, Voyage, NookSTG	I second the suggestion of the old Nook models Simple Touch / Simple Touch Glowlight. Being able to turn pages while holding the eReader with either hand is a big plus. Plus the SD card slot to expand memory is really brilliant. Having said that if you switch to and from languages that don't use the roman alphabet, e.g. I switch between Chinese and English all the time, the Kindle offers the best experience over Nook and Kobo.

03-10-2014, 10:43 AM	#8
Rizla Member Retired Posts: 3,183 Karma: 11721895 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: Nook STR (rooted) & Sony T2	The Kobo Glo is fine. The only real issue AFAIK is that the front-light can't be turned down super-low so might be too bright for you in a dark room. I believe the new Aura no longer has this problem.

03-10-2014, 11:10 AM	#9
Glorfindel Force-Aware Elf Posts: 4,762 Karma: 11557898 Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: Valinor Device: Kindle 4 w/SO	so far I've only used k4&pw1... Excelent devices, both of them... I only own the 4 so I have not used the PW a whole lot...

03-10-2014, 11:11 AM	#10
Glorfindel Force-Aware Elf Posts: 4,762 Karma: 11557898 Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: Valinor Device: Kindle 4 w/SO	PW is Gma's...

03-13-2014, 10:33 AM	#13
jscarbo Addict Posts: 220 Karma: 1075434 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Costa Rica Device: Kindle Voyage, Kindle PW2, Nook HD+, Nexus 7	I don't much care about the relatively minor differences in hardware between the various brands of e-readers. All of them work fine for reading ebooks. I prefer the Kindle PW, at least for US customers, because of superior customer service and support and better selection and prices of ebooks.

Advert

Advert