B&N profiting from Nook

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by azayn

As poor as Nook sales are in the US, they just barely exceed Kobo sales worldwide so there's still money to be made. And with business dwindling at their brick and mortar stores, it makes sense to diversify into ebooks.

Call my crazy but I think B&N could still turn things around if they decided to get serious about e-books. Now that Amazon is focused on things other than books, B&N has an opportunity to carve a niche for themselves in the reader market by making e-books a central focus. Revamping the website, rolling out more inspired Nook hardware, and using their stores to spotlight the Nook could get people talking again.

I agree. Though I'm not sure at this point if they have the money or wisdom to do it.

Since they use the same company that manufactures Kobo, there's really no excuse for them not to offer a more compelling e-reader. Otherwise whatever little market share they have left in the US could shrink further once Kobo enters the US market through Walmart.

I think they already have a more compelling ereader than the Paperwhite. The Glowlight 3 has page turn buttons, more storage and a color changing front light. Where it's let down is in its software, which is not too pretty good. And it's tied to B&N which has a tarnished reputation.

I'd hesitate to say either of those is an easy fix, but they are doable if B&N decides to get serious about the ebook business again. Otherwise I wonder if it would make sense to partner with Kobo?

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

I think they already have a more compelling ereader than the Paperwhite.

More compelling is only true when you like the bigger bezel.

[azayn]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

More compelling is only true when you like the bigger bezel.

That's a fairly minor con compared to its other features ZodWallop described. Even with the large bezels, it still stacks up favorably with the Paperwhite. The software and poor B&N ebook experience are the device's real shortcomings.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

More compelling is only true when you like the bigger bezel.

Do you own one? I ask because the I hear knocks about the bezel more than anything else. But I own one and I don't have any issues with the bezel in person. It doesn't look enormous and it is easy to hold without hitting the screen.

I also own an original 6" Aura that has much smaller bezels and I'm still okay with the ones on the Glowlight.

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Do you own one? I ask because the I hear knocks about the bezel more than anything else. But I own one and I don't have any issues with the bezel in person. It doesn't look enormous and it is easy to hold without hitting the screen.

I also own an original 6" Aura that has much smaller bezels and I'm still okay with the ones on the Glowlight.

There is no need to be so defensive. And no, I do not own one, nor would I consider buying one. You may have liked the bezel fom the beginning, or you took a plunge and grew to like it. I also did not want to spell it out quite this blunt, but I don't think I personally could get used to it looking like an oversized kid's toy (e.g. silicone iPad bumper gone wrong).

It is a simple design choice, some will like it and some won't. Oh shock, there is quite a few people deciding not to buy an Oasis because it is asymmetric left to right instead of up and down. If they say it is ugly, who am I to tell them: But do you own one?

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

There is no need to be so defensive. And no, I do not own one, nor would I consider buying one. You may have liked the bezel fom the beginning, or you took a plunge and grew to like it. I also did not want to spell it out quite this blunt, but I don't think I personally could get used to it looking like an oversized kid's toy (e.g. silicone iPad bumper gone wrong).

It is a simple design choice, some will like it and some won't. Oh shock, there is quite a few people deciding not to buy an Oasis because it is asymmetric left to right instead of up and down. If they say it is ugly, who am I to tell them: But do you own one?

I don't think I'm being defensive. At least, I wasn't meaning to be. I ask because looking at images, yeah the bezels! But when you actually handle the thing, it's quite different. I had the same problem with an old phone I had, the Sharp Aquos. The chin looked enormous when looked at online. But when you actually handle one, it's a different story.

[FizzyWater]

Before I gave up on B&N, I have to agree about the bezel. I actually like how it handled, but thought it was ugly. It's been awhile - I don't actually remember what tempted me away from it. Maybe the lack of ability to sideload very many books?

To some degree, that's true of my Oasis, too. I thought when Amazon first rolled that out it was about the ugliest thing I'd seem. But OH how MUCH I love that Oasis 2.

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

I don't think I'm being defensive. At least, I wasn't meaning to be. I ask because looking at images, yeah the bezels! But when you actually handle the thing, it's quite different. I had the same problem with an old phone I had, the Sharp Aquos. The chin looked enormous when looked at online. But when you actually handle one, it's a different story.

Actually handling one is not as easy as it sounds. I have to go out of my way, by a lot. Barnes & Noble? Sure, an hour this way, or an hour that way. Best Buy? An hour this way, 50 minutes that way, 1 hour drive that way. A book store? I got a Walmart right in town. Maybe I will be able to finger around a Kobo soon. I remember when my Walmart had a Nook and Kindle next to each other on display ...

For me shopping starts with a browser. It works for books, and for my ereaders it has to do as well.

[azayn]

Looks can be deceiving. A couple of weeks ago I hit up B&N to check out the Glowlight 3 in person and bought my Nook ST along for comparison. Despite the large bezels, the Glowlight 3 was lighter than my old Nook and felt good in the hands. The page turn buttons are improved too. The infrared screen is sharper than the Paperwhite's capacitive display.

The software though is what killed it for me. Page turns and responsiveness felt slower than even my old Nook. This was especially apparent when compared to how snappy the Oasis 2 is.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by azayn

Looks can be deceiving. A couple of weeks ago I hit up B&N to check out the Glowlight 3 in person and bought my Nook ST along for comparison. Despite the large bezels, the Glowlight 3 was lighter than my old Nook and felt good in the hands. The page turn buttons are improved too. The infrared screen is sharper than the Paperwhite's capacitive display.

That was my experience as well.

The software though is what killed it for me. Page turns and responsiveness felt slower than even my old Nook. This was especially apparent when compared to how snappy the Oasis 2 is.

Unfortunately, that's been my experience too. Not the page turns. That has been corrected. When reading a book, the Nook works perfectly, and that is a good 90% of the time you spend with the device.

But, when you are searching, browsing your library or whatever else, things are slow and the UI could really use a refresh. There's also been complaints of the Nook dropping user created shelves when you sideload books. I don't use shelves/collections much myself, but it is another slip-up from B&N.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

That was my experience as well.



Unfortunately, that's been my experience too. Not the page turns. That has been corrected. When reading a book, the Nook works perfectly, and that is a good 90% of the time you spend with the device.

But, when you are searching, browsing your library or whatever else, things are slow and the UI could really use a refresh. There's also been complaints of the Nook dropping user created shelves when you sideload books. I don't use shelves/collections much myself, but it is another slip-up from B&N.

Software seems to be the big issue for a lot of vendors. Many seem to think that you can outsource that sort of thing and it's basically a one time thing rather than an ongoing process. Then they dig themselves into a hole and never really seem to be able to make the commitment to get it right.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

Software seems to be the big issue for a lot of vendors. Many seem to think that you can outsource that sort of thing and it's basically a one time thing rather than an ongoing process. Then they dig themselves into a hole and never really seem to be able to make the commitment to get it right.

Yeah. The Nook software never had the bells and whistles that the Kobo and Kindles have, but at least it was stable and reliable. But the update they rolled out for the Glowlight 3 and Glowlight Plus is very buggy and slow (though the actual reading experience has improved). It seems like it wouldn't be that hard to correct. It was faster in the past. I just don't think B&N has the inclination or resources to do it.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Yeah. The Nook software never had the bells and whistles that the Kobo and Kindles have, but at least it was stable and reliable. But the update they rolled out for the Glowlight 3 and Glowlight Plus is very buggy and slow (though the actual reading experience has improved). It seems like it wouldn't be that hard to correct. It was faster in the past. I just don't think B&N has the inclination or resources to do it.

Probably not. Of course it's not just a manufacturer problem.

One of the downsides of using 3rd party apps to read is that for the most part, reading apps isn't exactly a big money maker and most app developers do it because it's interesting. It's not uncommon for the developer to lose interest over time.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

One of the downsides of using 3rd party apps to read is that for the most part, reading apps isn't exactly a big money maker and most app developers do it because it's interesting. It's not uncommon for the developer to lose interest over time.

I wouldn't call the firmware running an e-ink reader a 3rd party app.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

I wouldn't call the firmware running an e-ink reader a 3rd party app.

Read the line above it. I was saying the issue isn't just with manufacturers. It can be an issue with 3rd party apps such as Marvin on the iPad/iPhone as well.