A week with a nook
Thanks everyone, for the suggestions last week! I haven’t had a chance to answer everyone, but I wanted to tell you all that I got a nook!
I’m not gonna lie, there were a few factors that made me pick the nook. It’s a little girlier than the Kindle, for starters. I like girly. You can go fondle it in the store. I like to fondle. And thus far, Barnes & Nobles has never yanked all of a publisher’s books off of the nook yet. I don’t like yanking.
Mind you, I love Amazon – I’m a Prime Member and don’t plan on giving it up. But when shopping for a e-reader? I weighed these factors HARD. And I read a lot of new releases, and I want to make sure I can get them. So I went with the nook.
You guys, it’s so preeeeetty.
In which I am filled with affection.
The trickiest thing about the nook so far was getting it out of the box. It was a total breeze to set up, and figuring out how to download books was really easy too. There’s not as big of a selection as the Kindle, though, and almost all of the books are full price. I know there’s a ton of Kindle-published books on Amazon that are pretty darn cheap, and the nook doesn’t have those yet.
What the nook does have: SUDOKU! In addition to ebooks.
(I have no idea how to play Sudoku…but YAY ebooks!)
shameless book plug!!
Anyhow. I wanted the nook for functionality than prettiness. So far there are a few cool things that I really like. For example – I don’t have to turn the bugger off. I have my screensaver set to turn off after 2 minutes, so if I don’t click on anything, it automatically goes in sleep mode. THIS IS THE ULTIMATE LAZY, Y’ALL. ULTIMATE. I like it so so much, too. Also? The nook automatically remembers what page I was on. So I can leave a book behind, flip to a new book, then go back to the old book and still be on the same page without me having to bookmark anything. I had a Sony PRS-505 previously, and was a bookmarking fiend. Now I don’t need to do that anymore at all.
it's in screensaver mode! ooo!!
Also? The instant download thing is LOVE. I have bought books a plenty in the last week (don’t tell my husband) and I really dig the color covers that it shows. It’s easy to read on, light-weight to hold, and the page flipping buttons are easy to reach. I have heard a lot of talk about how ‘slow’ the nook is, but I haven’t noticed any slowness, personally. It turns pages at the same speed as the PRS-505, so I haven’t noticed a difference. The battery life is nice, too. And it comes with a wall-plug FOR FREE. I’m scowling in your direction, Sony PRS-505, because I had to shell out $40 for a fricking wall plug for you. The wall plug kind of feels like Bonus! Accessory! to me.
Lest you think this is all glowing madness about the nook, there are a few things that I miss from the Sony PRS-505, and a few things that make me go WTF on the nook.
For starters – the samples feature. I love this feature. I can instantly download the first chapter of anything I’m interested in reading (well, most anything). Some of the samples are awesome – I read 35 pages of one book and then bought it because I had to find out what happened next. Some of the samples suck lime green donkey balls. I’ve downloaded a few samples that were 10 pages long, and 8 of the pages were copyright info and blank pages. Uh. Yeah. I did not buy that book.
Also? While I’m bitching? Some of the books don’t have covers OR art. This makes me a SAD PANDA.
Only two out of five? WAT?
So…back to samples. Here’s what I *hate* about the samples: there is no easy way to delete one once I’m done and I don’t want the book. If I DO want the book? When I download, the file replaces the sample, no problem. When I don’t want the book? The sample just sits there.
THERE IS NO DELETE FUNCTION ON THE NOOK. WTF, NOOK. WTF.
This was a major “whaaaaaaaaaaat” moment for me, I admit. I had visions of a $270 doorstop in my hands. So I did some research on how to get rid of the crap that had accumulated on my nook in a sample-spree. You DO have options. You can archive a full-sized book (but NOT a sample, hence my problems) or you can log on to the B&N website and manage your files there. I’ve basically just started logging in to the B&N website to manage my files there, but I have to admit that I’d rather be able to do it on the nook itself.
Another thing that’s kind of a pain is the color LED Screen at the bottom. It’s pretty when you want to look at covers…and pretty much a pain in the ass whenever you want to scroll down or scroll up. Or anything else. I can’t help but feel this was a bad call on the nook’s part. It’s not HORRIBLE (almost), but it does take some a lot of getting used to. And since I was used to the PRS-505, I miss the number buttons that went up the side of the 505 that allowed me to jump ahead or jump back page-wise. I haven’t found an easy way to jump chapter by chapter yet. Right now I’ve been bookmarking the dynamic chapter page if it’s in the book itself, and using it to navigate.
eeeevil
One last thing that’s a little disappointing – unless you are buying straight off the cover or title (or know exactly the author you want), it’s tricky to browse for new books when you’re in the mood to read and not quite sure what to read. My solution to this has been to load up on samples like a hoarder when I’m on the B&N website, and then pick through them when I’m ready to read…and then I have to go back and delete the ones I don’t want. It’s not perfect, but it’s not horrible, either. I’d just love a more robust browsing functionality.
Overall, they’re nitpicks. I really do love the nook for the sheer lazy factor and the fact that ANYTHING I want (that B&N carries) is mine with the click of a button. It is a heady, heady feeling. I can see why the Kindle fans are such rabid fans. I do love the nook!
Great review Jill!
Thank you! I really do like the nook, so I don’t want it to seem like I’m complaining. There are just things that surprised me.
If you like pretty and girly, you should totally check out DecalGirl nook skins (with matching wallpapers, *squee*) and Oberon covers. I also knitted a “nook sock” to go around the case for when I throw it in my purse. My husband mocked my nook protection protocol, but I know deep down he was jealous.
“So let me get this straight, you put the skin on the nook in the case in the sock.”
“Yes, and then I put it in the purse. I may need a bigger purse…”
Oh man – I hadn’t even thought about Decals yet!
*wants*
One other feature I have come to love is that I can up/download (I can never get those straight) your own pictures for the Wallpaper (for when you are on the main menu- Library, Shop, Reading Now…) and screen savers for when you turn it off. All you do is plug it into your computer and upload (yeah, I think that’s right) the pics you want. For me it’s my cutie-pie kids. LOVE IT!!!
I’d probably have pictures of my cats.
For now, I enjoy the screensaver stuff they have – I cycle through them every few days just to ‘try’ them out. 
Yea, I hate that some covers don’t show… I’m with you on that WTF!
Did you get a case for it too? I love love love my case!
I gots me a purty green case.
I won my Kindle, so that’s what I have. LOL I’m learning to use it, and I figure by time I can afford to pick something on my own there will be many choices and the prices will go down. I do need to get a skin and a case though.
I’m really getting into the e-books now. It’s a cool way to try new authors, novellas etc. I still love holding a physical book though:)
Oh, if I’d won a kindle, you’d bet your ass I’d be using it too.
And there’s still definitely a lot of appeal in a physical book – I know if I read something in ebook that I am BESIDE myself with love for, I go out and buy a paper copy to have for my keeper shelves.
I’m still teetering on the edge of buying a e-reader, but the Nook is at the top of the list. And FYI – if you go to a B&N store, you can read any e-book for free while you are in the store, I’m not sure how that works, or if I would want to sit there for that long, but definitely an interesting feature!
Yeah, I’m not sure why you’d want to go and sit in B&N and read on your nook. I know my closest B&N is about 20-25 minutes away. But if you’re broke, it’s not a bad idea!
That could help with sampling, especially for end peekers.
You could skim through any part of a book to see if you really want to buy it.
You’re too funny. I haven’t caved into e-readers yet although if I had to choose, I’d probably go for the Nook.
I definitely like it so far! You should come to the dark side! We have cookies.
[...] I got a nook a few days ago and blogged about my experiences with it over at Odd Shots. I even drew on pictures (and since I’m bad with photo manipulations, this took me far, far [...]
The scrolling up and down thing was SUPER frustrating to m on my nook at first. And then I realized I dont have to be touching the actual scroll bar to make the list move…the whole screen is pretty much scroll-able. That is a lot easier!
My nook used to be super slow and would freeze, but this latest update seemed to fix that *crosses fingers*
I have only bought one book on the actual nook…I manage all books with my online account. I LOVE when I go home and touch the “Check for new B&N content” button and things magically appear!
Lol! I know – there is no greater joy than “checking for new content”.
I’ve never had trouble with the nook freezing up on me, but I bought it and the software update was already out, so maybe that’s why.
Thanks for sharing! I’m totally leaning towards the nook based on last week’s discussion and the many reviews I’ve been reading. I never really thought I’d want to get ebooks but my mom has started dropping hints that I have too many things on my bookshelves and since I can’t expand my room’s dimensions or shrink my books, I have to come up with alternatives.
I’ve been tentative to give up paper, but I admit that I really enjoy the ease of ebooks.
Sorry, but I didn’t really understand this review. You mention you chose Nook, for it’s functionality, not because of the ‘prettyness’. Then you go on to list the functions (instant download, saving your place, not having to turn it off etc). The Kindle does ALL of those things. You can easily delete books and samples from a Kindle. You also get a whole chapter when you request a sample.
The major difference between the Nook and Kindle is the color flow screen on the bottom of the Nook. So here’s what you had to say about that –
“Another thing that’s kind of a pain is the color LED Screen at the bottom. It’s pretty when you want to look at covers…and pretty much a pain in the ass whenever you want to scroll down or scroll up. Or anything else. I can’t help but feel this was a bad call on the nook’s part.”
So, again, I’m confused…you’re happy with your Nook because….??
It seems to me you did indeed pick for what you consider to be ‘prettyness’, which is fine, but just say so. If I had to base a purchase decision based solely on this review, there’s no way in hell I would even consider purchasing a Nook. But then your parting line is that you love it. WTF?
Hey there! It’s not really a review for or against a nook, just my impressions of the device after having it for a week. I do have nitpicks about the device and I did want to bring them up because they were things I didn’t realize I would dislike when I got the device, and I felt it appropriate to discuss them. Some things that bothered me were because my prior experience was with a Sony PRS-505. Some things that bother other people (like the slow screen refresh) don’t really bother me because I never had a Kindle, so can’t compare the two.
This isn’t meant to be a list of reasons why anyone should buy a nook over a Kindle, or why one device is better than another. I certainly wouldn’t expect anyone to go out and buy one based on my review alone.
I debated between the Kindle and the nook for a long time, and I ended up choosing the nook because I was able to walk into a store and get it that night as an anniversary present, and because Berkley books are all available on the nook. It’s not meant to be a slam against the Kindle – I have zero experience with one, so I can’t really talk about the merits of one at all. When I said I wanted a nook for the functionality, I meant in comparison to the Sony PRS-505, which doesn’t have insta-downloading.
Sorry if this came across as confusing. It was more of a “Here’s the things I’ve noticed about my nook after playing with it” rather than “The nook is AMAZING and you guys should all buy one for the following reasons”. That’s why I didn’t entitle this a ‘review’.
[...] If you’re curious about the B&N Nook, check out author Jill Myles’ amusing review. [...]
I bought my Nook about three weeks ago, and that was after reading about various eReaders for about a year. Like you, I decided on a Nook partly because it looked so sleek, but also because I could run right down to my B&N store and hold one in my grubby little hands and go home with one RIGHT AWAY, instead of waiting for the postman to bring it.
This past week I took it on its first business trip with me, and I’m pleased to report that despite not having any cover for it — I had ordered a custom made job from someone at Etsy — it survived the trip just fine using only a mesh pouch for a cover. It was lovely to have the NY Times available to read every morning, especially since I was deep in the hills of Alabama where sometimes even USA Today isn’t available. It was also a relief not to have to bring a bagful of books to read on the trip, AND even more better was the ability to instantly buy a book without having to hunt around an unfamiliar town trying to find a bookstore.
I suppose it’s possible that a better eReader might exist, but I’m very happy with my nook.
Jill,
Although this isn’t a “review” it brings the little things that might annoy to our attention. For that thanks. My sister has a Nook I’m going to have to ask her how she likes it. I have the prs_505 now I have to ask you I you had this problem with yours. Every time I lsync up to my laptop I redownloads all my books to the reader. Giving me multiple copies o the same book on the reader. Any advice? I’m actually I Meljeans camp I won buy a new reader until hey decide on the format. But I love my prs505
I love my nook, sure it has a few issues but I like that I can go to other ebook websites and download books to my nook(using the USB cable). The only thing I dont like is how all files not from B&N automatically go tho the documents folder, I wish they would show up in the main library so I could see the cover in the bottom viewpane.
More pretties for your nook, alice in wonderland themed screensavers, plus you can copy the images to your wallpaper folder and use them there as well.
Enjoy!
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/alice/index.asp?
eBookRDR, you got one thing wrong when you were talking about the samples – you DON’T always get the first chapter, it depends on the book you sample. I’ve sampled some where you get all the copyright info, the dedication, chapter page, etc…and only a couple pages of the text itself, and sometimes not even that. One thing I don’t like about the Kindle is if you get a sample, read it, delete it and then decide later to get, there is no way to do a search for the book if you forget the important things like the author or the title. The samples do show up in the “progress” section of amazon.com/manage your kindle but there isn’t a way to track your history of downloads regardless if you bought the book or not.