'Barnes & Noble clearly want consumers to think that this *is* a Kindle'

[Donnageddon]

Palmface.

[RockdaMan]

Originally Posted by boswd

I find it interesting that your rushed out to read his twitter and then post it here in no time

Yes, I have a antennae in my head that alerts me when someone tweets something related to MR.

[taosaur]

I'm hesitant to get near this lovers' quarrel, but the blogger made an extraordinary, nigh-libelous claim and the OP of this thread chose that claim for a headline. Then ducking claims of sensationalism with "well everybody's got an opinion" is dishonest.

If B&N wanted consumers to think the Nook was a Kindle, they'd spell it "Knook." I'm being a little silly, but we've all seen genuine knock-offs (oxymoron intended) which are riding on confusion to sell their product, and it's exactly what they do. The Kindle's entire design is essentially "default," with the exception of the hardware keyboard, which is not present in the Nook STR. That B&N also accepted some "default" design elements--a similar bezel? C'mon--is hardly evidence of copying. The most striking similarity is the identical default font, something most consumers will not notice or care about, and which the blogger himself admits seems like the most readable for the display.

B&N is working to actively distinguish themselves in the market and already has the largest presence behind Amazon. They are not some left-field unknown trying to ride Amazon's coattails.

[aceflor]

The comparison might be relevant .... In the US. Anywhere else, well, who is B&N again ?

[elemenoP]

Well yeah, all ereaders on the market right now look more or less the same.

I am pretty sure B&N has been using "dead authors" in their marketing since before Amazon existed.

eP

[EowynCarter]

It's true the kindle was not the first e-reader (far form it).

For the rest, when comparing two device having the same fonction, you ARE going to find common points

[Jack Tingle]

Especially since they both use eInk 6" Pearl screens. Duh! That big rectangle with a bezel around it and some buttons kinda dominate the discussion. Throw in DRM lock-in and Li batteries and they're downright the same. The biggest differences:

Amazon | BN
keypad | touch screen
.mobi | .epub
commercials
hipster | pepsi generation-like

Not exactly night and day here. Even the two file formats are predecessors/descendants of the OEB standard, as was MS Reader.

If BN copied anyone, it was Sony. They just were smart enough not to copy Sony's legendary ereader/ebook marketing ability.

Regards,
Jack Tingle

[sbtx99]

Is there anything in that list other than the LendMe feature that B&N could claim they were the first to market? Kinda ironic to claim Amazon is "copying" features from B&N, most of which B&N "copied" from others.

Originally Posted by boswd

his claims of the nook copying the kindle is a complete joke even you have to admit that.

and to be honest Amazon has copied and reacted more to BN then BN to Amazon

price reduction
wifi only
LendMe
Library lending
and how much do you want to bet they do a touch as well.

the guy's a joke.

[jocampo]

I did not test or use the new Nook Touch for so much as this guy claims, but I like the new interface and hardware. It was really responsive when turning pages but I did not have the chance (or braveness, lol) of taking my Kindle 3 out and compare page turning. Because the Nook Touch makes a full refresh every 6 pages or so, and Kindle every time, I honestly don't know how the Kindle can be faster. But it is not by much anyway, so I would not say is kind of LCD refresh or like using an iPad.

No "back" button is not good for me, for the same reasons he pointed out, but the implementation of the touchscreen plus physical buttons for turning pages makes the things even.

Regarding the Kindle's keyboard, people barely use keyboards when using readers so I would not compare that feature with Android cellphones. Moreover, I use the Nook Touch on screen keyboard for searching and it was ok.

For a 1st time user that does not need computer or technical books, I think that the Nook Touch is a better choice. If you own a Sony, Kindle or similar eink device already, I would not justify the extra spending.

Me? I look at readers as a tool. Because I don't read novels, bestsellers or classics only, I need a strong bookstore supporting my hardware. And regardless of what some people say, Amazon is Amazon, better and more titles than anyone in USA, especially for IT books, not without mentioning that you don't pay the extra tax per book, not in Texas; that only is about 2 dollars per book, do the math.

Now, putting Sony on the plate, I no longer see a reason for buying one instead of a Nook Touch, unless PDFs and landscape mode are really important for you. But for being a touchscreen device, new Nook does a good job with a very attractive price.

I like the Nook Touch, thinking in getting one for wife, if she likes it of course. But she falls by the white color on Kindle 3G. We have no rush anyway...

[Penforhire]

The aspects that might be copied sound like very smart marketing moves by B&N to me. Confusing the sheep that graze on Amazon should add some amount of sales. Anyone who cares can make an educated choice. Heck, they can come right here for advice, lol!

[bhartman36]

Personally, I think the people who would get confused between the Nook STR and the Kindle 3 are the same kind of people who got confused when I took out my Archos 605 and they thought it was an iPod.

[OtterBooks]

Honda was clearly copying Toyota with their "4 rubber tires, internal combustion engine" design.

[CWatkinsNash]

Originally Posted by Penforhire

The aspects that might be copied sound like very smart marketing moves by B&N to me. Confusing the sheep that graze on Amazon should add some amount of sales. Anyone who cares can make an educated choice. Heck, they can come right here for advice, lol!

If they come here for advice, I hope this thread is NOT their first stop.

Good grief. I'm so sick of the fanfighting. I adore my Kindle, but I'd have one of each brand if I had the money to spare. I really don't get the bickering.

[anamardoll]

Originally Posted by taosaur

I'm hesitant to get near this lovers' quarrel, but the blogger made an extraordinary, nigh-libelous claim and the OP of this thread chose that claim for a headline. Then ducking claims of sensationalism with "well everybody's got an opinion" is dishonest.

If B&N wanted consumers to think the Nook was a Kindle, they'd spell it "Knook." I'm being a little silly, but we've all seen genuine knock-offs (oxymoron intended) which are riding on confusion to sell their product, and it's exactly what they do. The Kindle's entire design is essentially "default," with the exception of the hardware keyboard, which is not present in the Nook STR. That B&N also accepted some "default" design elements--a similar bezel? C'mon--is hardly evidence of copying. The most striking similarity is the identical default font, something most consumers will not notice or care about, and which the blogger himself admits seems like the most readable for the display.

B&N is working to actively distinguish themselves in the market and already has the largest presence behind Amazon. They are not some left-field unknown trying to ride Amazon's coattails.

I'm out of karma for the day, but this. +1.

I just... I mean... what. B&N is trying to confuse customers into buying their item thinking that it's a Kindle? Not only does that not make a lick of sense, but it's also fairly insulting to his readers.

I'm reminded of people who want to believe that only THEY understand anything and everyone else is just a magpie consumer looking for the next shiny.

Honda was clearly copying Toyota with their "4 rubber tires, internal combustion engine" design.

*giggle*

[DiapDealer]

Honda was clearly copying Toyota with their "4 rubber tires, internal combustion engine" design.

Court case still pending.