BN rep called Nook color a 'toy', recommended original Nook

[Rich_D]

Originally Posted by RockdaMan

Serious readers are still using their Kindle 1. Too busy reading to upgrade.

[SCION]

Originally Posted by RockdaMan

Serious readers are still using their Kindle 1. Too busy reading to upgrade.

Nice!

[Grimm]

Originally Posted by SCION

That's an interesting take on life.

I'm expecting the "eeeeeeeeevil corporations" or "greeeeeeeeed" catchwords to be used soon.

[RockdaMan]

Originally Posted by SCION

Nice!

[fafaforza]

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

Again, assuming magazine reading isn't "serious reading."

No I wasn't. The Economist is a magazine, and has serious topics. I didn't mean the content but the device. Readability in direct sunlight, long battery life, software that's not still in alpha. I'm not a serious reader, but from what I'm seeing on the forum, people spend hours reading, and I'd imagine not needing to be tethered to a power outlet or having the unfinished OS get in your way is preferable.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by fafaforza

No I wasn't. The Economist is a magazine, and has serious topics. I didn't mean the content but the device. Readability in direct sunlight, long battery life, software that's not still in alpha. I'm not a serious reader, but from what I'm seeing on the forum, people spend hours reading, and I'd imagine not needing to be tethered to a power outlet or having the unfinished OS get in your way is preferable.

The NC doesn't need to be "tethered" to an outlet, unless you really do read for 12 hours at a stretch... most people I know do not. And the OS can be updated, so I don't see that as an impediment, myself. Just sayin'.

[Crowl]

Originally Posted by SeaBookGuy

She may well be a good salesperson, not wanting to push a higher priced product on folks who just want (primarily) to read books.

While the phrasing probably isn't intended, it might be that b&n have instructed their sales drones to push the original nook more heavily if they have higher stock levels of that one rather than doing something for the good of the customers.

[voracious71]

Originally Posted by fafaforza

I'm sure if she were able to clarify or expand, she would have said that compared to eInk, which only does plain text, the Nook Color would appeal more to the type of person that's looking for a general device that does games, browsing, etc; more of a toy or personal gadget, versus a printed book replacement.

Sure you can read on the NC, but you can do the same on an android phone, or a Nintendo DS. Doesn't make them the best devices for "serious readers," which the customer asked about. I'm sure the corporate brass wouldn't like hearing that word, but since when are we as customers so concerned about the suits? And why should a B&N employee have any loyalty to the company that wouldn't think twice about firing her to make a quarterly report look better.

Back in the day, I used to work for a big chain bookstore and you're right, they have no loyalty for their employees. I mean, this is a minimum wage job. But also, no job sector really has loyalty towards their drones anyway. I'm a nurse now, and its the same thing at the hospital, except we have a union, and I make considerably more than minimum wage.

I don't disagree that the NC is more toylike than the classic Nook, meaning that it has more bells and whistles that would appeal to a wider base of people. Heck, I call my iPad a very expensive toy all the time.

[Elfwreck]

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

The NC doesn't need to be "tethered" to an outlet, unless you really do read for 12 hours at a stretch... most people I know do not.

I regularly read for 4 hours at a stretch, and often without easy access to an outlet before the next stretch.

Some days, it's:
Read 1.5 hours before work.
Read .5 hours on train.
Read .5 hours at lunch.
Read .5 hours on train home.
Read 2.0 hours at home; have dinner;
Read 2.0 more hours.

Would it be safe to plug in all night while I'm sleeping? Some devices aren't happy with 8 hours of battery charging; they need to be pulled off when the battery's full.

Even if it can't be plugged in all night, I could work around that... find a way to recharge at work, or be careful to recharge during meals, or something like that. But that requires careful scheduling and attention; if I forget, I risk having the device stop in mid-chapter and tell me it's done until I give it an hour on the charger.

I switched to e-ink so my evenings wouldn't be interrupted by "must stop reading now to recharge device" problems.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by Elfwreck

Even if it can't be plugged in all night, I could work around that... find a way to recharge at work, or be careful to recharge during meals, or something like that. But that requires careful scheduling and attention; if I forget, I risk having the device stop in mid-chapter and tell me it's done until I give it an hour on the charger.

Not much different than the attention I give my smartphone to keep it charged. Cradle to drop it into at night... cable to connect it to the PC at work... problem solved. That should be easy.

I don't know how well the NC handles charge cutoff at the 100% point... anyone have information or anecdotes on that?

[sunflowerlight]

Hello, I am new to this forum AND to the world of e-readers. I got the opposite, the sales person was definitely pushing the new Nook on me. She said that everyone that has the regular one are coming in for the Nook Color. I salute the person who was honest in her opinion of the 2, but I'm afraid she may not have her job for very long if she keeps up the down-playing of B&N's products. But on the other hand, she may get customers to buy because of her honestly/integrity. I just turned off by hard-selling sale pitches, I'd rather have a "soft" sale. Besides the NC is $100 more than the older version. I will say though the NC does have some extra features to "play" with, you can even draw on it. Thus the name of "toy" assigned to it.

[jedifarfy]

A bookseller perspective:
Note: I have not read the entire thread. This is also just my opinion.

Our job isn't to have an opinion on the devices. Our job is to sell them. We take our customer, evaluate their needs, and recommend a device. You may not like the original nook, you may not like nookcolor, but that means very little. You need to know them, be able to answer questions, and assist the customer with their needs. Telling a customer the NC is 'just a toy' devalues the device, the brand, and the customer's opinion.

Now, if a customer gives me their needs and asks my opinion, then I will give it, but only in regards to that specific person. I personally have one of each devices. I use them for different things. I'd never, ever, dismiss a device unless it was completely not what they needed (aka - no desire for a web browser, the need to read Word documents, etc). I've even been completely honest: if you want to send an ereader to India and have it work right out of the box, this is not the device for you (yes, this was asked of me, I didn't just pick that country).

Overall, the employee in the first post needs to be retrained. Dismissing the device as a 'toy' is insulting, potentially leads to lost sales, and shows their lack of real understanding of the device.

Again, only my opinion. If I heard a coworker say that, I'd totally jump in and start explaining how it is NOT a toy.

JF

[Sydney's Mom]

You can imagine this in any job. Should a nurse say "You know, Hospital X is known for this procedure, you really should go there." It is your opinion as an employee of that organization. They are paying you to perform a service, and if that bothers you, you really should explore the world of self-employment. But once your business gets so large you have to hire employees, are you going to be upset if they talk up your competitors products?

[tennoel]

Why are so many people assuming that a "toy" is a bad thing? Let's be realistic. If most of us did not have an ereader our lives would continue. While I enjoy mine, it is NOT crucial to my life. To a certain extent ALLLLL ereaders are toys. Primarily the market is those with disposable income who enjoy using the item in their down time. Although the text book market is growing, that's not the lion's share of the market right now.

Sheesh. I want some of you to go and have a cup of perspective tea.

[Elfwreck]

Originally Posted by tennoel

Why are so many people assuming that a "toy" is a bad thing?

Toy is not a bad thing--but saying "device #1 is a toy; device #2 is a tool" is an insult to device #1. It implies by contrast that it has only frivolous uses and that the other device is better because it can be used for important purposes.

If the sales rep had called all the ebook readers toys, that might be reasonable; he could then point out that they are toys for adults. But he claimed only one model was a toy, implying that the other one had more purpose and maturity.