Color Anyone have a nook color and an ipad?

[JTravers]

Obviously, size is a personal preference and doesn't make one tablet necessarily better than another. It just depends what you want to use the tablet for.

The nook color has a great screen when it comes to reading. Text looks crisp and clear. The touchscreen leaves a lot to be desired, though -- not as accurate or sensitive as the ipad, especially towards the edges/corners of the screen. It can be a little frustrating. Rooting and overclocking make a world of difference, obviously. The nook color is a tinkerer's dream. (And Angry Birds is free on Android!)

The ipad is on another level as a multi-purpose tablet, in my opinion. The reading experience isn't as good as a kindle or nook color, but you can tweak it enough to make it good (changing font types, size, bold, etc). The app ecosystem is outstanding. Video playback is stronger than on the nook color (the video playback capabilities of the nook color are pretty weak). Everything is faster and smoother on the ipad. Compare pinch to zoom on the nook color to the ipad, and you will understand what I'm saying. Although iOS is simpler and less customizable than Android, the ipad experience is simple and just works extremely well. I spend 99% of my time in apps, so the fact that the UI is basically just an app launcher and nowhere near as versatile as Android Honeycomb doesn't really matter. Overall, the ipad is just a more polished device.

That being said, the nook color is a great device for the price if you want something small and will mainly be using it for reading. I owned both devices and used the nook color extensively after I first bought it. With time, I found myself using the nook color less and less and going back to using the ipad the majority of the time. I decided to sell the nook color because I really couldn't justify keeping it knowing that I didn't use it that often.

[jocampo]

Originally Posted by maxbookworm

it didn't have enough capability to replace my ASUS T91MT for travel. I maintain websites, etc. so multi-window, easy C&P, ability to code, etc. are all crucial to me.

That is true, but I don't think any tablet can replace a regular netbook or laptop, not for heavy IT purposes. Motorola Atrix, which is a cellphone, is getting close tough, but I would not rely on that or replace my Ubuntu laptop anyway, besides Android does not run MS-SQL Server Management Studio.

Originally Posted by maxbookworm

the iPad was too big for reading

It depends. For technical books or poetry, you need bigger screens. Small screens re-adjust text and images making reading impossible or difficult. That's why I can't use my Kindle 3 or Galaxy Tab for my SQL books. I've also found that Kindle handles technical books better. I can expand or enlarge images, I cannot with Nook (Android, Nook Color and Nook 1st gen) that is also vital on technical documents.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by jocampo

I have the iPad2, but had no issues with 1st gen. My wife and I prefer Zinio though and you should try it if you have an iPad; I think Zinio is more powerful and better for Magazines than the Nook app.

Zinio's not bad; however, a number of the magazines I read aren't available on Zinio. I got the NC to be able to get more of the mags I want from the B&N store, as well as being able to sideload the others in PDF format (something else the iPad had serious problems with, as it happens... fyi, I have the 16gb iPad running iOS 3.2).

[The Hooded Claw]

I have the Zinio app for the iPad, and I love using my iPad for National Geographic and Smithsonian magazines! I find the iPad screen adequate-sized for viewing these magazines, and my instinct is that the smaller screen of the NC wouldn't be as satisfying for these visual-oriented publications.

I haven't felt a call to try the Nook Color magazines, but my suspicion is I wouldn't like them as well.

[aagstn]

I really liked my nook Color, but an opportunity to get a iPad cheap has moved me to the iPad. Comics was the thing that finally turned me to the iPad. The iPad is the perfect size for a comic book page and makes up for the weight and added size. I ended up selling my Nook Color as I don't need 2 tablet devices.

[madsquabbles]

advantage for nook, or any android device, is that you don't need itunes or run a calibre server (or any other) to transfer books to your device. any computer or any website where you download books will do. plus if you want to use another ebook reader you don't have to have a copy of the book for every reader.

i have both and have a use for both. i prefer the nook for reading b/c of the convenience of being able to transfer files far more easily from any computer. plus with fbsync i can sync fbreader with all my devices.

Originally Posted by madsquabbles

advantage for nook, or any android device, is that you don't need itunes or run a calibre server (or any other) to transfer books to your device. any computer or any website where you download books will do. plus if you want to use another ebook reader you don't have to have a copy of the book for every reader.

i have both and have a use for both. i prefer the nook for reading b/c of the convenience of being able to transfer files far more easily from any computer. plus with fbsync i can sync fbreader with all my devices.

I keep hearing how it is difficult to transfer books to the iPad, but I have not encountered that problem. I've got both tablets and if anything transferring books to the iPad is just as easy if not easier than with the nookcolor. Calibre is NOT required. A simple drag and drop method from computer to iTunes works very well. Of course 99% of my books are deDRMed so I cannot really speak for transferring DRMed files to apps like Bluefire, iBooks, eReader, etc. It is certainly the same process on both tablets to download books to apps like Nook and Kindle when making purchases through their respective bookstores.

As far as portability, in my situation I never carry the nookcolor or iPad when away from home unless I'm going to a meeting where one or the other would be useful. BTW, both tablets work quite well for viewing meeting agendas and reports. The iPad has an edge in that it can be connected to a projector through a VGA adapter for presentations, but this only works with apps that have specifically programmed that ability. I don't think the nookcolor can be connected to a projector. But I digress as my point was going to be that travelling around town to such places as a doctor office will find me carrying neither tablet as I prefer my Sony PRS-350 for its uber portability and its ability to read in bright light situations.

So in my case, I use a tablet when at home and quite often while sitting at my desk. I work from home so that is my office, though I'm semi-retired. Thus for me the size of the tablet doesn't have as much of a portability issue as a how mch can I get on the screen issue. If I'm merely going to read ePubs the nookcolor would make more sense as it is easier to hold and has a sharper screen for reading. However, if I'm going to read PDFs, view office documents like spreadsheets and PPT presentations then the iPad wins hands down as 7" is not large enough. The same holds true for web surfing. Plus the iPad browser (Safari) is very functionable and websites look like they do onmy computers, whereas the nookcolor stock browser is a not good at all IMO.

I guess I'm kind of unique in this forum as I'm not a "fanboy" of any company or OS. I certainly don't think much of Android, nor do I care for Apple or Sony as both keep their products overpriced and pretend to be way more cutting edge than they really are. To me what matters is what works. Frankly I get easily annoyed by those who always defend a specific company or OS simply from a perspective of prejudice, and Android, Apple, and to a lesser degree, Sony fans tend to do that to the exclusion of common sense in many cases. And they tend to wear the feelings on their sleeves. How silly is that. I reserve that kind of loyalty for friends, family, and country, and in that order.

[jocampo]

I don't care too much about Apple and actually, don't like their business strategies, but since I saw the iPad as a PDf and ereader in action, it certainly caught my attention. I prefer, like and use, Linux, followed by Android which is also a Linux flavor (at work, Windows, got no choice)

Having said that and after using iPad for almost 2 months, iPad 2 for a few days of course, I don't see a problem transferring ebooks. I just point my browser to the Calibre website and download the ebook, that's it. For DRM books, I use the app. itself, Kindle or Nook which by the way, it is exactly the same method on Android. So... I see no issue, honestly.

Do I miss SD slots? It depends. Love Android flexibility, but talking about ebooks only the SD card or slot is not much of a deal to me, has not been so far.

[Amafan]

I bought an NC when they first came out. I continue to be impressed with the NC as a reader with its beautiful display, reading form factor, and user interface. The browser needs improvement and more apps will make it much better. The reader is fine. Battery life also needs improvement. The iPad battery life is a great improvement. Of course, neither the NC or the iPad beats the Kindle 3.

I cannot tell you how impressed I am with the iPad. The display is also beautiful and huge. I downloaded the Nook and Kindle for iPad apps so I do have access to all my libraries. PDFs are outstanding. Nothing does PDFs better than the iPad. With books from the iBook store you can do a side by side 2 page display which is nice. Battery life on the iPad is also good for this class of device. I've never come close yet to exhausting the battery in a day, making all day use and overnight charging possible. One thing that makes the NC necessary is subscriptions. If you are subscribed to magazine or newspapers through the Nook store, you cannot view them in the Nook iPad App as they are not compatible. Same with the Kindle. You also cannot view personal docs to the Nook or Kindle apps, although its easy to view them with the iPad if you have the right Apps.

I will probably rely on the iPad for its superior application base. I'm no longer tempted to root the NC as there is no reason for me to do that. I'll use my dedicated readers most of the time for reading with the caveat that I will probably use the iPad for reading when I travel. Who wants to travel with two or more devices and two chargers, etc.

Say what you will about Apple, Steve Jobs, and their marketing practices. They make a great device with a very useful ecosystem. The Ipad is a perfect example of that. In my mind it doesn't replace the NC, becuase its a jack of all trades device. The NC is optimized for reading.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by Amafan

Nothing does PDFs better than the iPad.

Heh.

I have a series of magazines in PDF format (Home Power Magazine), which I loaded into the iPad to read, and tried using 3 different PDF readers. In each case, text came out garbled throughout the magazine, rendering them completely unreadable.

On the NC, the sideloaded magazines displayed perfectly on the stock PDF reader. They also read perfectly on a PC.

Point is, a lot depends on the source material. The iPad won't read everything.

I also have PDF material with watermarks designed not to display on newer Adobe PDF reader apps, and on the iPad and NC, the watermarks cannot be removed. I'd prefer to see actual Adobe apps on each device, not third-party apps that don't match the robustness of Adobe's app. Then most of these issues would go away altogether.

[slayda]

I don't have an iPad but instead have a Notion Ink Adam. The Adam is a 10" Android Tablet and I had planned on it being my Christmas present last Christmas. Unfortunately it didn't get release until January this year and min didn't arrive until late February. The NC was my alternate Christmas Present.

I have to agree with most of the comments about the lack of capability in the unrooted NC so mine is rooted. I have an Android smartphone which helped me adjust to the NC, once it was rooted. Like many others I don't like the way Apple does business. I always thought that 'Apple was the computer for the rest of y'all'.

Not that I have a 10" tablet, I find that the only thing it is superior for is viewing the internet and PDFs. I rarely view PDFs so that is a non-issue for me. I like the ability to do some minimal surfing from my armchair but my Tablet is usually in the other room while my NC is in my hand so I end up either using the NC or if I have to get up I use my desktop. Being retired I don't travel much & like others I find the NC easier to carry to the doctor's office. I have several eink devices but since I'm reading on the NC, it would be more trouble than it's worth to manually sync the two. Fortunately it is easier to load my current book to my Android smartphone if I inadvertently forget my NC since I put my current books on Dropbox.

I use FBreader for several reasons, one is that (if both devices are rooted) I can use FBsync to keep them synced to the current page/bookmark. Another reason I like FBreader is that I can change the brightness in FBreader without affecting the brightness in other apps, simply by sliding my finger up or down on the left side. This eases going into and out of different ambient lighting conditions.

[madsquabbles]

Originally Posted by jswinden

I keep hearing how it is difficult to transfer books to the iPad, but I have not encountered that problem. I've got both tablets and if anything transferring books to the iPad is just as easy if not easier than with the nookcolor. Calibre is NOT required. A simple drag and drop method from computer to iTunes works very well.

it's not that android is easier, it just allows a bit more of a convenience. i no 3rd party (or any program) is needed to transfer books to the android device. this is if you already have a collections of epub or what ever format. no need to open itunes, no need for a calibre server... just drag and drop from any computer any os (almost any).

i prefer android over ios b/c of the tweakablity, but i choose to use which ever offers the best bang for my buck, there's no such thing as brand loyalty for me. i considered getting a 2nd refurb ipad at $350 but found that my archos 101 fits the use i had intended for the 2nd ipad a lot better (multimedia/carputer- archos 101 has a worse screen and crappy build quality, but plays everything fine - i've not yet found an app that'll play my 720p mkv's with ac3 with out stuttering on the ipad). and again, transferring movies with just drag and drop from any computer (i won't do it via wifi - i don't have the patience).

ipad is great but it's reliance on itunes is a pain.

[jocampo]

Steven,

Which Magazines are those? Not saying that's not true but PDF is a fixed file format. It does not reflows text or rearrange pics. I have used PDFs since I was a teenager and they always look the same. I also haven't seen any issue viewing one on my iPad.

[voracious71]

I have both- i do little, if any reading on my ipad. The ipad is my go to for web browsing and media and games. I love my nook color( and my Kindle)for reading and will bring it places i dont want to bring the ipad.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by jocampo

Steven,

Which Magazines are those? Not saying that's not true but PDF is a fixed file format. It does not reflows text or rearrange pics. I have used PDFs since I was a teenager and they always look the same. I also haven't seen any issue viewing one on my iPad.

The example I'm using is Home Power Magazine, issues distributed in PDF format on CDs. In this case, the PDFs are tagged... that is, it's not a page image like a traditional PDF, but ISO-compliant tagged text on the page (images don't move or change). Properly-tagged PDFs can reflow text, which is why PDFs can be read on different-sized devices like PDAs and smartphones (with actual Adobe Reader software). And the problems with them are problems I've seen many times over the years reading tagged PDFs, usually caused by font issues, low memory issues, or substandard non-Adobe PDF viewers.

Because of at least one of the limitations above, the text comes out garbled when the files are viewed on the iPad. Usually it takes the form of a line of text being broken into 2 or 3 sections, then "shuffled around" on the line so that letters and words from section 3, say, overlap those of section 1, section 1 may overlap part of section 2, etc, making the entire line unreadable.

It's a particularly frustrating garbling, because you can see the words are there, but completely jumbled and reshuffled so as to be unreadable.

On the NC, the same files displayed perfectly.

The watermarked files I referenced was the 40 Years of the X-Men DVD-ROM Set. Each page has a watermark over it that displays on the iPad and NC, but it does not display on a laptop running the latest Adobe reader SW.