Touch Nook STR Mobile Tech Review (video)

[boswd]

This is probably one of the more in depth reviews of the nook str. Lisa from Mobiletechreview gives out a very fair and unbiased review.

It's a very solid overview of the nook str showing off it's highlights and some low lights as well.

I haven't been able to find a better reviewer of products that is as thorough.

http://www.mobiletechreview.com/ubbt...p?Number=40845

[MobileTechReview]

Thanks, boswd

-Lisa

[rahulm]

Lisa always does amazing reviews.

[boswd]

I agree, almost 25 mins? No maintream tech media devotes that much time to their products.

She's one of my "go to" reviewers for all mobile gadgets.

[ucfgrad93]

Originally Posted by rahulm

Lisa always does amazing reviews.

Agreed. I always look forward to seeing or reading them.

[MobileTechReview]

Today I'll be filming a Nook STR vs. Kindle 3 video that should be live later today or tomorrow morning. You know me, it won't be a biased flame war kind of thing, just an honest comparison.

- Lisa

[ucfgrad93]

Originally Posted by MobileTechReview

Today I'll be filming a Nook STR vs. Kindle 3 video that should be live later today or tomorrow morning. You know me, it won't be a biased flame war kind of thing, just an honest comparison.

- Lisa

I'll be looking forward to it.

[Zarich]

I only have two gripes with that review. One is it refers to a written review for more info that I cannot find. Secondly I realize that the kindle is a closed system, but that is a plus for a lot of folks. It means they go to amazon find what they need and leave. My mom is a good example. She loves her kindle and I can't imagine her ever trying to shop around to find things.

Still my minor grips aside, easily the best review ever.

[MobileTechReview]

ucfgrad93: we just finished filming the comparison video, and will likely put it up tomorrow (Saturday night isn't a great time to push new articles).

Zarich: The written review will be up in a day or two. When we do the video review first, we can't edit it afterward to say "visit our site for the full review", so we have to put it in there at the start.

I don't agree that a closed ecosystem and loss of choice is ever good. Even though a shopper has choice with the Nook STR, that shopper could choose to use only the B&N store on the device and find what they want and leave as you mentioned. In fact, I bet a lot of non-techie types do just that. But for those who wish to shop for better prices, specials or content not available on B&N, it's nice to have that option. Also, it means that you may be able to change brands of ereader in the future if several brands all support the same formats. Some Sony Reader folks defected to the Nook or Kobo reader for example, while Amazon folks who can't/won't do format conversion and DRM removal can't switch to another brand E-ink reader. The whole file format mess, brand-locking and DRM mimics the early days of MP3 players. Hopefully one day we'll see common shared formats and non-DRM ebooks just as we now have non-DRM music in two fairly standard formats (MP3 and AAC).

-Lisa

[OtterBooks]

Big fan of Lisa's reviews. It's like getting a no-nonsense review from a trusted friend.

[Zarich]

You can't simply defect from B&N either as their DRM cannot be read on anything but B&N. You can defect TO B&N. Of course you can strip the drm, but if you are savy enough to do that you can convert. Also you are not locked into amazon, you are locked into their format. I get lots of my books from non amazon sites.

But again, for peeps like my mom since amazon has EVERYTHING it is a win for her.

I do agree a universal format would be nice and I would like it if amazon would read epub, but I would still be locked into amazon as they would do a B&N and lock me into a DRM there as well. Of course I know how to convert so I am locked in nowhere. This is the best of all worlds cause I can just buy the device I like.

What would be really nice is if amazon at very least allowed a EPUB converter that auto converted to the kindle, but then they would lose book sales and since they are the leader there is no point.

[MobileTechReview]

And here's my video comparison of the Nook STR and Kindle 3 WiFi:

http://www.mobiletechreview.com/ubbt...p?Number=40859

It's 30 minutes long, and I still didn't quite cover everything; but the main points are there. This is not a you must buy a Nook or Kindle 3 sort of thing, rather it's a point-by-point comparison so folks can see which reader offers the features they want or handles those features best.

[rahulm]

Originally Posted by MobileTechReview

And here's my video comparison of the Nook STR and Kindle 3 WiFi:

http://www.mobiletechreview.com/ubbt...p?Number=40859

It's 30 minutes long, and I still didn't quite cover everything; but the main points are there. This is not a you must buy a Nook or Kindle 3 sort of thing, rather it's a point-by-point comparison so folks can see which reader offers the features they want or handles those features best.

While I appreciate and demand that reviewers remain objective.

I feel like lots of reviewers get so caught up in making sure they aren't perceived as biased where they get scared for making a final opinion.

I wish people would just say "I'd rather use this product A over product B because of reasons X, Y and Z" instead of "well, they're both good". We know both products are good, but which would YOU rather use? Just my 2 cents.

[MobileTechReview]

Ya know, I still can't make up my mind because it's so close in my mind, rahulm!

I prefer the way the Kindle renders pages and the default font (Caecilia), but I prefer the touch interface on the Nook STR. If only they could mate and have the perfect child .

- Lisa

[rahulm]

Personally, I want a love child between:

Sony's build quality
Amazon's store
Pocketbook's myriad of font and formatting options
Nook's input scheme (I prefer it to Sony's touch commands)

When I dream, I dream of such a reader.