Touch Nook Simple Touch shipping NOW!!!

[Scarpad]

Can someone compare the new nook to the prs 350 from Sony. I like the sony's pocketability, but their reader store bites the big one, B&N has a much better store.

[anabolina]

I went and looked at it in the store without my 350(gave it to my sister last weekend doh) and the screen didn't seem that much bigger and the bezel is thicker. There are the side buttons which I feel I could get used to, but I missed the dedicated home button since the lower center n button is a menu button rather than a home button. Also, I asked the associate about tags and she mentioned that she uses Calibre to organize them which didn't tell me whether or not the Nook could see them and whether or not you could search or organize using them. It was fast, but I didn't think it was that much faster than the 350. I liked the many font sizes in comparison, but it only reads pdfs and epubs. Not a big deal for me since it's really easy to convert lrfs to epubs in calibre. I liked the feel of the back in my hands, but not so much the UI since I'm used to the Sony one and the Aldiko one. Unfortunately, I only had a few minutes in the store since there was another woman waiting and playing with it for a few minutes was enough to convince me that I would rather go to the BB a few stores down and pick up the $199 PRS-950(or rather order it from another store and it will be in next Tuesday.)

[jocampo]

Originally Posted by anabolina

I went and looked at it in the store without my 350(gave it to my sister last weekend doh) and the screen didn't seem that much bigger and the bezel is thicker. There are the side buttons which I feel I could get used to, but I missed the dedicated home button since the lower center n button is a menu button rather than a home button. Also, I asked the associate about tags and she mentioned that she uses Calibre to organize them which didn't tell me whether or not the Nook could see them and whether or not you could search or organize using them. It was fast, but I didn't think it was that much faster than the 350. I liked the many font sizes in comparison, but it only reads pdfs and epubs. Not a big deal for me since it's really easy to convert lrfs to epubs in calibre. I liked the feel of the back in my hands, but not so much the UI since I'm used to the Sony one and the Aldiko one. Unfortunately, I only had a few minutes in the store since there was another woman waiting and playing with it for a few minutes was enough to convince me that I would rather go to the BB a few stores down and pick up the $199 PRS-950(or rather order it from another store and it will be in next Tuesday.)

Interesting.

I don't own a Sony, but have played before, just a bit. What do you like most from the Sony ... and can't remember now but what's the weight on the Sony .... the Nook Touch feels really nice on my hands ...

[SCION]

Originally Posted by anabolina

I went and looked at it in the store without my 350(gave it to my sister last weekend doh) and the screen didn't seem that much bigger and the bezel is thicker. There are the side buttons which I feel I could get used to, but I missed the dedicated home button since the lower center n button is a menu button rather than a home button. Also, I asked the associate about tags and she mentioned that she uses Calibre to organize them which didn't tell me whether or not the Nook could see them and whether or not you could search or organize using them. It was fast, but I didn't think it was that much faster than the 350. I liked the many font sizes in comparison, but it only reads pdfs and epubs. Not a big deal for me since it's really easy to convert lrfs to epubs in calibre. I liked the feel of the back in my hands, but not so much the UI since I'm used to the Sony one and the Aldiko one. Unfortunately, I only had a few minutes in the store since there was another woman waiting and playing with it for a few minutes was enough to convince me that I would rather go to the BB a few stores down and pick up the $199 PRS-950(or rather order it from another store and it will be in next Tuesday.)

Enjoy the 950! That's the price Sony should be selling them for instead of stores clearing out stock at that price. It's certainly worth $199. Great if you're primarily sideloading books because it's calibre friendly.

I'm disappointed the new NOOK doesn't have the same size screen as the NOOKcolor. We need more eink devices with a 7" screen. The only option is the Sony.

[jocampo]

Originally Posted by SCION

Enjoy the 950! That's the price Sony should be selling them for instead of stores clearing out stock at that price. It's certainly worth $199.

I have the same opinion.

Originally Posted by jocampo

Interesting.

I don't own a Sony, but have played before, just a bit. What do you like most from the Sony ... and can't remember now but what's the weight on the Sony .... the Nook Touch feels really nice on my hands ...

Sony PRS-350 is 5.47 oz and 4.1" x 5.7" x 0.33" (WxHxD), 5" screen, currently $120

Nook STR is 7.48 oz and 5.0" x 6.5" x 0.33" (WxHxD), 6" screen, currently $140

I'll keep my tried and proven Sony PRS-350. The Nook's WiFi is no advantage due to lack of browser, leaving the only advantage as the SD card capability, but that is outweighed IMO by the lackluster firmware of the Nook.

Here is a "to scale" image comparison of these two readers: A more fair comparison would have been between the Nook STR and the Sony PRS-650, but given the extreme rarity of 650s in the USA market I used the 350 instead.

...

[SCION]

Yippee!!! Just got the call from my local store. My unit is in. She also confirmed the demo unit is up and running as well. I was hoping to kill two birds with one stone, that's why I didn't venture out to any of the stores. Not to mention it's deathly hot outside and just didn't want to go. Heading over there now.

I'll certainly be looking for the negatives as mentioned by posters.

[jocampo]

Originally Posted by SCION

Yippee!!! Just got the call from my local store. My unit is in. She also confirmed the demo unit is up and running as well. I was hoping to kill two birds with one stone, that's why I didn't venture out to any of the stores. Not to mention it's deathly hot outside and just didn't want to go. Heading over there now.

I'll certainly be looking for the negatives as mentioned by posters.

Let us know! ... for sure, you will get one, lol .. I know it ..

[astrangerhere]

Just got mine uboxed and LOVE it. As an aside, i love my wife dearly who would not let me cook dinner until we'd driven all over looking for one for me. She's my hero and the love of my life. /sap mode off.

Played with the demo in the store for about half an hour before hand, and played 100 questions with the rep. He was very forthcoming about the lack of browser (yay!) and sound capability (yay!), and did not try to hide the ball at all. I was one of those crumudgeons who was tired of games and app silliness getting in the way of my getting better firmware overall, so this reader is perfect for me. The shelving is much improved, as is the merged libraries. I'll have more details later.

I'm about to pop my old mem card in from my Nook1, but everything else is perfect so far. Did i mention its lighter than my Droid X?

[jocampo]

Originally Posted by astrangerhere

He was very forthcoming about the lack of browser (yay!) and sound capability (yay!), and did not try to hide the ball at all.

I barely use those two from my Kindle. Granted, some people like those two features, but I got the feeling it won't affect purchase decision too much. I am assuming B&N did some kind of research or got some statistics about it.

[Antioch]

I'm really considering getting one of these next week - it'll be my first foire into the world of e-readers and e-books!

I hope that someone roots the touch and developers create a better PDF reader and, if the screen refresh is a real issue as some say it is, the dev community will deal with that as well.

I just want an e-reader to read my books. No fancy things necessary.

[yomer]

Originally Posted by astrangerhere

The Touch does not have pan and zoom ability. If you want that, esp for comics, you probably want to look at a Nook Color.

The Kobo Touch will do just that out of the box. It can be done, B&N are just lazy.

Now that the new Nook is out. People should be able to try to root it. Does it run Android underneath? I thought I read it at a gadget site.

[jocampo]

@yomer

I think Nook Touch runs Eclair under the hood.

It would be an interesting exercise comparing both, Kobo vs Nook Touch (by a Mobileread user I mean). I think Nook Touch is faster and more responsive. On one of the several initial press reviews, I read that Kobo got frozen when reading a PDF. It was on Engadget review? I don't remember.

Not against Kobo, I had the chance to play with Nook Touch not Kobo, but B&N devices tend to me more stables, in my opinion.

[Latinandgreek]

Originally Posted by JohnnyRocks

By the way, if words per line were as important as you claim (because you read a book from left to right) then wouldn't even printed books be in landscape? Of course they are not, and, of course, that is because words per line isn't the only consideration. Otherwise, someone would invent a 10 foot wide by 1 inch tall ereader that displayed a thousand words per line but only one line per page. Do you see how absurd the logic is?

Words per line are importing for scansion in poetry. When reading things written in a dactylic hexameter (Homer, Virgil, etc.), you really don't want your line cut off. I tend to read that sort of thing in landscape mode.

Originally Posted by Latinandgreek

Words per line are importing for scansion in poetry. When reading things written in a dactylic hexameter (Homer, Virgil, etc.), you really don't want your line cut off. I tend to read that sort of thing in landscape mode.

Excellent point. I hate it when lines of poetry break and look like the first line is indented farther than the wrapped line. It just looks strange and is hard to read. It could be formatted where this doesn't happen, but most ebook publishers haven't got a clue as to how to do it.

    But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
        Too full for sound and foam,
    When that which drew from out the boundless 
deep
        Turns again home.

...or

    But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
        Too full for sound and foam,
    When that which drew from out the boundless 
    deep
        Turns again home.

..or

    But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
        Too full for sound and foam,
    When that which drew from out the boundless 
        deep
        Turns again home.

Red line looks bad when it wraps like any of the above. Landscape will give it 33% more width before forcing a wrap.

It should look like this:

    But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
        Too full for sound and foam,
    When that which drew from out the boundless deep
        Turns again home.