Sunday, July 10, 2011

Review: Barnes and Noble Nook Color

This post has been a long time coming. I purchased a Nook Color at the end of May and it was one of the best purchases I have ever made. As a librarian, I feel it is my duty to read as many books as I can get my hands on. To me, I think that any librarian should be able to give a patron a :30 second "Book Talk." When a patron asks for a recommendation and they receive a halfhearted response, they will be less likely to check out a potentially life-changing book. By purchasing the Nook Color, I will be able to read books that have a shorter reserve list and also keep the physical book on the shelf for patrons.

Barnes and Noble Nook Color:

Unboxing: The box the Nook Color comes in is exceptional. Sleek and innovative, it makes you feel like you have purchased something truly special. The box is elongated and uses a magnetic closure at the bottom. When I was sliding the Nook out of the box, I felt a tinge of excitement. The Nook was much larger than I anticipated, as I had only seen an Amazon Kindle and I enjoyed the weight of the device in my hands. Once the Nook was out of the box, it had a very informative tutorial for you to go through when you turned it on.

Turning the Nook on: On the upper left corner of the Nook Color, there is a power button which turns the Nook Color off and also puts it into hibernation mode. There is also an "n" on the bottom-center of the device, which wakes the device from hibernation mode.

Weight and Size: The Nook is quite a bit larger than the Amazon Kindle and the Nook 1st Gen. Even though it is larger than the Kindle, it isn't too heavy and can be easily held.

Backlit Screen: Unlike the Amazon Kindle, the Barnes and Noble Nook Color uses a backlit screen. Though it is not as easy on the eyes as the Kindle, it allows me to read in bed before I go to sleep without worrying about where the light source is. You can adjust the screen brightness and I have found it makes it easier to use in different light sources (night, outside in bright sun, in the car w/ limited light).

Touch Screen: The touch screen is large and fairly responsive. Every so often, the touch screen is a little sluggish in its response. It appears to respond to turning eBook pages well, but when using the web-browsing feature it can "lock up" for a second. Even with the slower response time, however it does not hinder the web experience to the point of frustration.

Ease of Use: Once I set up my Barnes and Noble account on the website and tied my credit card to it, I was able to make "Wish Lists" and download books right away. Books can be downloaded via the B&N website or directly from the Nook. Barnes and Noble also offers magazine subscriptions, which can be viewed in full-color with the Nook Color.

To Be Completed:
-cont. Ease of Use
-Purchasing: Books, Magazines, Newspapers
-Downloading an eBook from Overdrive
-Transfering Files: Music, Pictures, ePub files, Documents
-Browsing the Internet
-Using Apps
-Overview of Settings
-Special Features: Searching, Bookmarks, Article View, Sharing, Text, Notes, Highlighting, Look Up Feature, Auto-rotate function, Viewing Video, Using Audio
-Wi-fi Connectivity
-Setting Up Shelves
-Using the LendMe Function