Classic Get your Nook questions answered

[Daithi]

The B&N Nook Blog is now taking questions where presumably they will be answered.

Does the Nook support folders?
Are you limited to only lending out a book once?
Etc.

[Daithi]

Well they answered one of my questions (kind of) and ignored another question.

I asked it the Nook supports Folders or Tags. <-- Question ignored.

I posted the following question about the LendMe feature:

Your website on the Nook seems to indicate that a book can only be lent out once and no more. I'm hoping this is just poorly worded at that we can lend the book out again after the 14 day lending period has expired and the book becomes accessible to us again. Can someone clarify the lending policies?

This is what your FAQ says:
Can I lend eBooks from my nook?
Yes. With our new LendMe™ technology, you can now share from nook to nook. But it doesn’t stop there. Starting Nov. 30th, you can lend to and from any device with the Barnes & Noble eReader app, including PC, Mac OS®, BlackBerry®, iPhone™ and iPod® touch. All you need to know is your friend’s email address. You can lend many of your eBooks one time for a maximum of 14 days. When you use our LendMe™ technology, you will not be able to read your eBook while it is on loan, but you always get it back.

Here was the disappointing response

by Administrator Kevin

Daithi,

Lending is a brand-new feature, unique to nook and the Barnes & Noble eReader software.

As the FAQ says, eBooks may be loaned one time, for a maximum of 14 days.

I posted a follow up

Just to make sure I have this right, because I am going to start posting it on other blogs, such as Mobileread, Teleread, Kindleboards, etc., and I don't want to get anything wrong.

Once you lend a book out -- You can NEVER lend that book out again. Even after the 14 day lending period has expired, you can't relend it. You can't relend to the same person. You can't lend it to another friend. You can't relend it period. To be crystal clear, is that the policy?

I have a suspicion that they are not going to answer my follow up. My guess is that they have a low level B&N employee that looks through the questions and answers the ones to which he knows the answers, and basically the only information that employee has is the info in the poorly worded FAQ on their website.

[ficbot]

It wants you to register to post and I could not be bothered, but I am curious about international customers. I know they were quite clear you cannot buy from *their* store, but if you somehow get the actual reader (through an American relative, off ebay, as a gift etc.) and want to use it, can you buy books elsewhere and do so? For example, could I buy epub books from Shortcovers and load them via USB onto the reader? Or is wireless the only way to load books so they can make sure you are really American?

[The-eBook-Reader]

Just by the way things have been phrased, I'm guessing there won't be folders. Instead, you'll probably have to type in a search with the on-screen keyboard to look for a book when you have thousands on board.

[The-eBook-Reader]

Ficbot, users will be able to download to their computer but I bet they'll have to use B&N's eReader software, thus thwarting them from uploading to the nook other ebooks using software like Calibre.

[ficbot]

Figures. Clearly, the jungle hinterlands of Canada are unworthy of a techie dream like this one...

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by Daithi

Well they answered one of my questions (kind of) and ignored another question.

I asked it the Nook supports Folders or Tags. <-- Question ignored.

I posted the following question about the LendMe feature:



Here was the disappointing response



I posted a follow up

by Administrator Kevin

Daithi,

Lending is a brand-new feature, unique to nook and the Barnes & Noble eReader software.

As the FAQ says, eBooks may be loaned one time, for a maximum of 14 days.

I posted a follow up


Quote:
Just to make sure I have this right, because I am going to start posting it on other blogs, such as Mobileread, Teleread, Kindleboards, etc., and I don't want to get anything wrong.

Once you lend a book out -- You can NEVER lend that book out again. Even after the 14 day lending period has expired, you can't relend it. You can't relend to the same person. You can't lend it to another friend. You can't relend it period. To be crystal clear, is that the policy?



I have a suspicion that they are not going to answer my follow up. My guess is that they have a low level B&N employee that looks through the questions and answers the ones to which he knows the answers, and basically the only information that employee has is the info in the poorly worded FAQ on their website.

wowsers! the lending issue just got blown out of the water! if I have 2 kids I need to make a Sophie's Choice in book distribution? choose between a spouse and a lover? 20 years from now I meet my soul mate that has the same reading choices I do and I have to confess; "sorry CHarlie, that book sailed a long time ago!"

that right there pretty much unsealed whatever deal may have been brewing in my brain

[phenomshel]

Ok, as I understand it on the lending issue - you can loan the book to only one friend at a time.. not one friend only, ever. Once the book comes back into availability to you after the 14 day lending period, you may lend it to another friend.

The folder question has been answered - No, it does not have folders at this time but they are looking into it.

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by phenomshel

Ok, as I understand it on the lending issue - you can loan the book to only one friend at a time.. not one friend only, ever. Once the book comes back into availability to you after the 14 day lending period, you may lend it to another friend.

The folder question has been answered - No, it does not have folders at this time but they are looking into it.

I dunno 'shel. the response still seems a little froggy to me!

[phenomshel]

From the FAQ: Can I lend books from my Nook?

"Yes. With our new LendMe™ technology, you can now share from nook to nook. But it doesn’t stop there. Starting Nov. 30th, you can lend to and from any device with the Barnes & Noble eReader app, including PC, Mac OS®, BlackBerry®, iPhone™ and iPod® touch. All you need to know is your friend’s email address. You can lend many of your eBooks one time for a maximum of 14 days. When you use our LendMe™ technology, you will not be able to read your eBook while it is on loan, but you always get it back."

I think this is a typo - I think they meant one at a time - not one time. As you will see, later in the answer it says, "you always get it back".

At any rate, whichever is the correct answer, as good as this idea is, I don't see it taking off, because the publishers are all going to throw fits and deny B&N from offering LendMe on their titles.

Daithi, if they get back to you with a different answer, please let me know

[kindlekitten]

kind of like the whizz bang text to speech bit with the K2?

[phenomshel]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

kind of like the whizz bang text to speech bit with the K2?

Yes, exactly like that. As much as I love the idea (assuming it's done right, anyway), I just can't see publishers letting it happen.

[Daithi]

The answer they gave seems to say that you can lend the book out once and then NEVER loan it out again. However, I still think Phenomshel is right and that I've just been getting bad info from B&N so far. Once I get a definitive answer, I will post it here.

[TrendyGuy]

Any word if Overdrive content is going to work on this? If it doesn't I will have to cancel my pre-order. I was thinking it would since it is supporting pdf and epub documents.

[neilmarr]

How can the developers of such mind-boggling communcations devices as ereaders be so equally mind-bogglingly dumb when it comes to actually communicating? The mind ... well ... it's boggled. Neil