Barnes & Noble Nook

My family got me a Kindle for Christmas this year (and I died of happiness). Then Barnes & Noble (a bookstore, full disclosure, that I hold near and dear because they carried my book far longer than any other bookstore -- although it should so totally still be on the shelves, AHEM -- BRING BACK SLEEP IS FOR THE WEAK TO THE PHYSICAL STORES IT IS ALMOST MOTHER'S DAY)(dudes, this is my blog, I can pimp if I want)(sleepy, you are very sleepy) e-mailed me and asked if I would like to review and give away a nook e-reader, their answer to the Kindle. I was thrilled, because I've been wanting to compare the two for some time.

Let me say first that I had no problems at all using the nook from a technical perspective. I got it, I plugged it in overnight, and the next day I immediately began downloading books (well, after registering a credit card with my Barnes & Noble account, that is). On that note, I would've liked to be able to attach my Barnes & Noble account to my PayPal account. I would like to be able to attach anything online to my PayPal account. (I hate the charges, but the convenience rocks.)

Barnes & Noble has a pretty impressive section of their site dedicated to the nook -- including a product comparison -- but here's the informal comparison I did:

• The screens are the same. THE SAME. I'm pretty sure the same company makes the paperless-ink thing. Neither actual reading screen is a touchscreen. The screen is not a differentiator.

• They are almost exactly the same size and the same weight. They are both white.

• The nook has a color touchscreen menu at the bottom. The Kindle has a QWERTY keyboard and a movable joystick-like button that allows you to navigate options on the reading pane.

• The only reason you use the keyboard or touchscreen keyboard is to order books, search the  bookstore or take notes. For the casual reader, this difference probably isn't that big of a deal. If you were using this as a student or just in general are a big note-taker, you probably have a preference for buttons vs. touchscreen. I hate touchscreens and have since my waitressing days. I particularly hate small touchscreens, when the button is smaller than my finger. This is why I have a Blackberry, not an iPhone. It's a personal preference.

• The color aspect of the nook's touchscreen is nice, because it makes the book covers really pop. However, the contrast between the backlit touchscreen and the not-lit reading pane made the nook seem shinier and honestly, a little gaudier.

• The navigation is different. On the nook, you navigate around using the touchscreen and only use the buttons on the side to turn a page. On the Kindle, you use the little joystick to navigate around and two extra buttons on the side of the device. Again, I think this is personal preference. I expect a lot of people would prefer the touchscreen. I didn't necessarily find one easier to use than the other.

I took both the nook and the Kindle to my in-laws' house over the weekend and passed them around an extended family gathering. There was a lot of discussion about which would be better for different individuals. Someone pointed out that if you have arthritis, the toggle joystick on the Kindle is hard to use. Some people liked the tie-in between the nook and the Barnes & Noble stores (apparently if you carrry the nook into the store, the B&N wifi will recognize your nook and send you special deals -- I have not tried this yet, so I don't know if it works). B&N clearly has a brick-and-mortar presence, so I'll be watching with interest to see if they are able to integrate the nook and the stores in a real way in the next few years. I think it would be incredibly smart if they could. Bookstores aren't necessarily going away, but to ignore e-readers would be very, very dumb.

Outcome? I think any serious reader should have either a Kindle or a nook, because it's so easy to read on them, it's so easy to get the books instantly and it's so easy to screen an author at a lower price with less to store if it turns out you hate the book. And if you like the book, guess what? You can still buy it and put it on your bookshelf forever more. Which I still totally do. I don't think video killed the radio star at all. I think the e-reader and print books complement each other more than compete with each other.

I'm sure there are other differences between the two devices that I didn't notice, but I looked at the nook and Kindle from the perspective of my readers, not a technical specifications specialist. 

SO! Who wants a nook? I'm holding a giveaway through the end of March. Comment as much as you like, and I will use a randomizer to pick the winning comment number on March 31. Good luck!

UPDATED 3/17: I ran into my first problem with the nook. Although I was able to successfully download and read a book when I bought it from the device itself, when I bought a book from bn.com, it was a struggle to download it to the nook. Now every time I try to open it, the device freezes. I've e-mailed customer service and did disclose that I'm reviewing the nook and their response to this problem. I'm not necessarily upset about the glitch -- I've never met an electronic device that doesn't glitch from time to time -- but I am interested in whether or not I'm able to resolve the problem in a fair amount of time. Stay tuned and keep commenting to win!

UPDATED 3/17: I figured out how to fix the freezing issue. I think the file got corrupted during download. I used the USB cord to attach the nook to my computer, opened up the nook files, deleted the book that was freezing (I could not figure out how to delete it on the nook itself), disconnected the nook from the computer, and downloaded the book again from my digital library on BN.com. This was after several hard restarts. The book now opens. To figure this out, I had to read the instruction manual and also rely on my own technical knowledge, which is more savvy than average. Since all the other free e-books I downloaded yesterday opened just fine, it became obvious the problem was with the book file, not the nook itself. However, I think the typical user would still be waiting for customer support. I invested about an hour in figuring out the problem on my own. My assessment: The nook is not that complicated technically if you have a general knowledge of devices that sync. All's well that end's well. Also? Stuff happens.

UPDATED 3/17: It only took about five hours to get a response from Barnes & Noble customer service. A real person advised me to call the 800 number and included it. Honestly, considering my workaround, I think talking to someone would be the best solution, as well, because I had to try a few things before I hit on it. Pleased with the customer service.

Updated 3/31: We have a winner!

Comments

[FireMom]

But wait. What are the colors in the picture? Does it COME IN GREEN? Just went and read. Case cover. Must have. :)

[Dee]

I would love to have a Nook! I use both Kindle and Stanza on my iPhone, but sometimes I would really like to have a bigger screen. I didn't think I would really like the ebook format at first, but now I love it!

[Natalie]

I am admittedly skeptical of e-readers because i love to write in margins of books. I hear Kindle can do that, can nook? Not that I wouldn't want one if it didn't. :)

[Kylie]

I would love to have one! I hadn't heard about them until now, and I have wanted a kindle since I saw it on TV a few months back, but, I live in NZ, and so far we can't use the kindle here (insert sigh), so I doubt we will be able to use the Nook here either. (insert bigger sigh - wishing that our country would get with the times :-p)
Kylie

[Susan]

Woo Woo! Love this giveaway. I am intrigued by the digital readers, but very skeptical. I love the feeling of a book in my hands. I'm so happy to give this a try if I win. Thanks for the opportunity!

[Natasha]

I do! I do!
Would love to win this reader. Are you listening Universe?

[Michele Banks]

Me! I'm a big reader, and this would allow me to stop killing trees to feed my habit.

[Robin]

Would love LOVE a Nook. I'm still debating between Kindle and Nook, and knowing that so many are still coming out, I was biding my time and saving my money.

[Rita Arens]

@Natalie -- yes, you can essentially write in the margins by using the touchscreen keypad on the nook to make your notes and tag them to that page.

[Ginger]

I would love a nook. Does it come in any particular color?

[Rita Arens]

I believe the nook itself is always white. Those colors are covers, sold separately.

[Brent Garland]

Did you try any of the file formats that the Kindle doesn't support?

And do you think the ability to lend your e-books to others with Nooks will play a role in readers' choice of device? (Of course, like a lot of book junkies...er, avid readers, I love to borrow books and only grudgingly lend them.)

[Average Jane]

Me, me, me! I spend so much time reading on a computer screen as it is, the next logical step is to get a reader device.

[Bobbi Rohrberg]

Perfect timing! I was just searching for a book on the B & N website Sunday. It was not in stock in my area, but I could buy the e-book. So I did (I am an instant gratification girl!), but I have to read it on my giant laptop screen. I so need to get a Kindle! :)

[Michele Banks]

Give us the nook. We wants the preciousssss.

[Rita Arens]

@brent -- I think the lending thing is intriguing, but other people have to also have the nook for it to work. I am migrating my book club reads to e-book as I don't like to purchase hardcovers I don't know I'll love. My shelf space is more vast than most people's, but I choose carefully what I will display, as I view bookshelves as a window to the soul.

[shel]

I've been coveting the Nook since I first saw one; I love that you can share books with other Nookers...I'd just have to convince everyone I know to buy one too. It would be great to carry my library with me wherever I go; I'd carry my Nook with me all the time.

[Michele D]

My sister has a Kindle I love it.

[Brent Garland]

Rita--the saving of shelf space is quite a good argument for getting a e-book reader, and I say this as a guy whose office was once described as "looking like the Library of Congress threw up in it."

If my bookshelves are the window to my soul, I'm not sure what that says about me! That my inner me hates trees? That I need a 12-step book addiction program? That I have the world's most tolerant wife?

Your description of the Nook definitely makes it sound good, even if you are sticking with your Kindle.

[Robin]

So the glitch is in it freezing up/decreased performance on bn.com purchases?