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As previously discussed in my last post, I was searching for the best ereader for my fiancée. It would have to be a multifunction device since she not only reads books but also browses the net frequently. I therefore decided that a Kindle would be too limited since it is difficult to browse more complex websites in grayscale.
I ended up getting two Barnes and Noble Nook Color Ereaders based on user reviews. One was for her and the other was for my mom. They both love the device and I’ve gotten some time to really test them out. The following is my official Nook Color review………..
What is the Nook?
The original Nook is still going strong on the Barnes & Noble website. It was launched on the 30th November 2009. It features an E-Ink display similar to that of the Kindle and also has a smaller touch screen display at the bottom of the screen. The Nook Color was released on the 26th October 2010 and it features a 7 inch IPS LCD touchscreen. It has a small speaker and micro sd card slot at bottom of the device.
Nook Color Specs
- Nook Size – 8.1 in (210 mm) (h) 5.0 in (130 mm) (w) 0.48 in (12 mm) (d)
- Nook Battery – (8 hours with Wi-fi off)
- Nook Books – Can handle several formats such as EPUB (DRM and non-DRM), PDF, Microsoft Office formats (DOC, DOCX, XLS, PPT, etc.), TXT, JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP, MP3, AAC, and MP4
- Nook Screen – 1024 x 600 pixel, 7 inch IPS LCD Capacitive multitouch screen
- Click here for More Specs
The Heart of the Matter – How the Nook Color Performs as A Color Ereader
My fiancée has read a few books over the past week and has had no problems so far. I mentioned previously that she is used to reading on her tiny iPhone screen so this was definitely a big improvement for her. What about those that are not used to reading books on LCD screens? I never really was a fan of reading books on the iPhone but I took a shot at the Nook Color. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to download books to the device and found myself really getting into the books I downloaded.
The color screen is gorgeous and I really appreciated it for reading color PDF magazines. This device is definitely better for reading PDF files than the Amazon Kindle. The Nook PDF reader supports pinch to zoom and the only complaint I have is that it doesn’t remember the last page you were on (I got around this by rooting, as mentioned later in this article)
Click here for the Nook Color product page.
Nook Color Web Browsing Experience
The web browser is simple and functional. It doesn’t support Flash at the moment (Android 2.2 is on the way) however sites like youtube rendered just fine with video playback via the built in media player. Sadly there was no pinch to zoom, however, a simple double tap allows you to zoom in. Overall I’d say the browser was ok and would allow you to visit basic sites such as facebook, twitter etc.
Battery Life
I was pleased to see the Barnes & Noble Nook Color achieving the advertised 8 hour battery life with Wifi off. While it isn’t measured in weeks like the Kindle, my fiancée has no problems since she charges it everyday.
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I just got myself a nook tablet and i was wondering if i need to download any apps to read my pdf files onto the device. i’ve been trying to transfer some of my pdf files from my laptop using the data cable provided by the nook device but i can’t seem to be able to transfer any files :s what am i doing wrong?
Hey
When you plug your nook into the PC it should show up in windows explorer if you are using windows. Make sure you copy the pdf files to the “My Files” folder on your nook’s internal memory. Once you do that you should be able to view them using the Library app on your Nook.
Hope that helps!