Touch Stick with Nook?

[BearMountainBooks]

I'm not sure this applies to "end reader" but it does seem that B&N/Nook is cutting back on various Nook programs or simply not implementing from a publishing end. This may not be of concern to readers, but where I see Kobo and Amazon making advancements in upload processes and opportunities for authors...I see the opposite from Nook. I even see more effort on the part of Google Play when it comes to being committed to books/uploads/improvements/services.

This can impact the reader when it comes to selection. Even if you don't read indie books a lot of backlist authors are doing things like only loading to Amazon or limiting how they upload and when to other vendors. I've had concerns about Nook for a while--sales have dropped there significantly not just in the past year, but this year in particular (for me. They used to be my second best sales channel. They are right near the bottom now). They have changed their marketing (at least they still have some. Last year it looked like they might stop all together). But they deleted/stopped both of their reader forums in the last year.

They have no strategy for encouraging reviews. There are often spam reviews (reviews that discuss other products entirely and sometimes appear to be a reference to other businesses) but they do not clean this up even when reported. They used to have a strategy for reviews and no longer have one. This drop in services/effort concerns me.

I don't own a Nook, but I do follow reviews and frequency of new devices coming out and Nook is...behind and falling faster.

As a buyer of books I pretty much shop at Kobo, Amazon and Google Play. I would love for Nook/B&N to be a player, but I see too many aspects of the company that I don't like and not enough forward momentum in areas that I think are going to matter.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I much prefer swiping. The reason is two fold, less visible fingerprints and you can swipe on any side of the screen no matter where you hold. Tapping means you have to tap the specific tap zone. With most Readers you have tap forward on the right and tap back on the left. By tapping, you cannot hold your Reader on the left side. I can hold my H2O on the lft or the right and swipe from either side.

Not me. I actually prefer my page turn buttons (back or forward on either side of my bezel) but tapping is my second preference. It just seems more economical -- and it's what I'm used to. And besides, preference or not, Kobo advertises tapping, it should work right. That's my biggest complaint about Kobos and I don't understand why they don't figure this out. I usually hold my reader with both hands or my right hand, so tapping to go to the next page just takes a minimal movement of the thumb -- on the Kindles anyhow. On the Nook Simple Touches I almost always use the page turn buttons. That's why, ergonomically, they're my favorite readers. I like the page turn buttons on the Kindle NT (Original Basic) but the bezel is smaller and not as comfortable to hold.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by mycurlylocks

I still enjoy my Nook Glowlight. I enjoy the way the case feels and the fact that it's not black. It has its annoying quirks, but I don't think there is an e-ink reader that doesn't.

I agree with that -- about all eReaders having quirks. I think one of the things Barnes & Noble got right was the shape of their eReaders. The wider bezel just makes it easier and more comfortable to hold. I wish they had kept the page turn keys in the new Glowlight.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

I don't own a Nook, but I do follow reviews and frequency of new devices coming out and Nook is...behind and falling faster.

That's true, but I'm kind of a "trailing edge" type of person anyhow. The only eReader that I have with a higher resolution than my Nook Simple Touches, is my Kobo Glo -- and that's the screen my eyes have the most trouble with. I'm curious to see how the Kobo Glo (not the new HD) and the Nook Glowlight match up -- since they both have the same resolution screen. I kind of dismissed the Nook Glowlight because it didn't have page turn buttons and an SD slot, but I'm getting more willing to ignore that -- to be honest, I have never used an SD card in an eReader so, apparently it's a feature that I can live without.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by rcentros

but tapping is my second preference.

With Kobo, you have choices. You can swipe or tap. Both work.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by rcentros

That's true, but I'm kind of a "trailing edge" type of person anyhow. The only eReader that I have with a higher resolution than my Nook Simple Touches, is my Kobo Glo -- and that's the screen my eyes have the most trouble with. I'm curious to see how the Kobo Glo (not the new HD) and the Nook Glowlight match up -- since they both have the same resolution screen. I kind of dismissed the Nook Glowlight because it didn't have page turn buttons and an SD slot, but I'm getting more willing to ignore that -- to be honest, I have never used an SD card in an eReader so, apparently it's not a feature that I can't live without.

I'm a trailing edge person too, but it looks to me like they tried to make the Nook business attractive enough to sell and when that failed, they didn't have much of a plan B. I don't see the innovation and business follow-through that I'd like to see if I'm buying a product. I don't think they will drop Nook, but I'm not sure that they'll do a great job with the future of the products, including books.

[shalym]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

With Kobo, you have choices. You can swipe or tap. Both work.

Yup--both methods work on all of the touchscreen readers that I've ever used. I hear that touchscreen Sonys only work with a swipe, but I've never used one of those, so I don't know for sure.

The point that rcentros was trying to make was that if a feature is advertised, it should work properly.

Shari

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

With Kobo, you have choices. You can swipe or tap. Both work.

Yeah, I like the fact that Kobos support both swiping and tapping. I just wish they supported tapping better.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

I'm a trailing edge person too, but it looks to me like they tried to make the Nook business attractive enough to sell and when that failed, they didn't have much of a plan B. I don't see the innovation and business follow-through that I'd like to see if I'm buying a product. I don't think they will drop Nook, but I'm not sure that they'll do a great job with the future of the products, including books.

Unfortunately I have to agree with you. It's a shame B&N lost their nerve right in midstream. It's not the Barnes & Noble Nook infrastructure I'm defending, it's their devices (at least the NST, I don't own the Glowlight) that I like. These devices work fine with ePubs from other sources.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by rcentros

Yeah, I like the fact that Kobos support both swiping and tapping. I just wish they supported tapping better.

How would you support tapping better? There are more tap zone options for Kobos than any other Reader (that I know of).

[robko]

Originally Posted by rcentros

Yeah, I like the fact that Kobos support both swiping and tapping. I just wish they supported tapping better.

And strangely (and I was terrified to get my 1st touchscreen device), I've never had any significant issues with any of my Kobo's (or at least my newer ones). I have no idea what the difference is because there are enough people with problems that it doesn't seem to be specifically firmware or hardware related (since the people that have problems tend to have them on all their Kobo's). And as a side note I do put tapping in a different category to selecting text which I'll agree is far from perfect.

[shalym]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

How would you support tapping better? There are more tap zone options for Kobos than any other Reader (that I know of).

Make it so that it consistently registers taps? There's nothing that takes me out of a story more than getting to the end of a page, tapping, and not having the page turn. It's one of the biggest reasons I go back to my Kindle.

[odamizu]

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

... it does seem that B&N/Nook is cutting back on various Nook programs or simply not implementing from a publishing end ... sales have dropped there significantly not just in the past year, but this year in particular (for me. They used to be my second best sales channel. They are right near the bottom now). They have changed their marketing ... they deleted/stopped both of their reader forums in the last year ... They have no strategy for encouraging reviews. There are often spam reviews ... This drop in services/effort concerns me.

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

... it looks to me like they tried to make the Nook business attractive enough to sell and when that failed, they didn't have much of a plan B.

Thanks for this insight into the author/publisher side. Sadly, it confirms what I'm feeling on the reader/consumer side.

Originally Posted by tdonline

... a part of me fights against going with Kindle ... walled garden policy and the support of the underdog against the market Goliath. I have a feeling that going with the Paperwhite would probably make life easier in terms of content, but I still have the slight irrational whim against Amazon's enormous market power. It's why I went with the NST back in 2011 ...

After years of resisting Amazon for much the same reasons, I finally made the switch. BN's downward spiral increasingly concerned me, and when they started blocking direct downloads, I decided I was done. Having finally made the transition to Amazon, I am quite happy -- happier than I thought I'd be.

I almost went with a Kobo (and I may still pick up the new Kobo Glo HD), but what finally swayed me was the fact that I could play with a Kindle for 30 days, and if I didn't like it, I could return it no questions asked. I figured if it wasn't for me, I could still get a Kobo, but if I didn't like the Kobo I'd be stuck.

Originally Posted by tdonline

... if Kindles' font selections are as limited as the Nook's, then that would be huge issue for me. As I mentioned, it's my number one pet peeve.

I'm very particular about fonts as well, and Kindles don't have many choices. Fortunately, there is one font (and only one) that works well for me, so it doesn't matter to me that I don't like the rest of the fonts. If I hadn't liked any of the fonts, I would have taken advantage of the easy return policy and sent the Kindle back.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by shalym

Make it so that it consistently registers taps? There's nothing that takes me out of a story more than getting to the end of a page, tapping, and not having the page turn. It's one of the biggest reasons I go back to my Kindle.

Yep, that's my issue. It's not where Kobo's tap zones are -- it's the fact that so often the tap just doesn't work the first time. Instead of something automatic and smooth, it becomes an irritant and takes you out of the flow of reading. I never had this issue with the Nooks (when I did use the tap feature) or my Kindle Touch (or the Fires). The Sony T2 doesn't do taps -- just swiping, but that's okay because it does provide page turn buttons (not at the best location, but at least it has them and that's how I use the Sony).

[MartyTX]

I'll risk being called a heretic ... I gave up on my Nook ST after I started using an iPad Mini and Marvin Reader. The ONLY advantage of a Nook ST is the outstanding battery life of an eInk device. IMHO, the iPad Mini totally destroys the Nook ST or Nook GlowLight or Nook "Whatever" in EVERY other aspect of reading an e-book. NO CONTEST! Pay the $200 for an iPad Mini (Non-Retina) and start enjoying reading above and beyond what is obtainable with a Nook.