subject: Checking Out The Nook: Barnes And Noble Nook Review [print this page] Checking Out The Nook: Barnes And Noble Nook Review
When the Barnes & Noble Nook was first unleashed in late 2009, most Nook reviews gave it a barely passing grade citing performance issues that the book company could have seen to before actual release. Heeding these calls, B & N then hastened to make upgrades to its hardware to bring the Nook up to standard. After a couple a version updates, let's see just how much better the device has gotten in this 2011 Nook review.
Size and Design
The Nook looks pretty much the same now as when it was launched more than a year ago. Its 7.7 by 4.9-inch frame consists of shiny white plastic bezel in the front, and rubbery material at the rear portion. The Power button which doubles as Sleep control is located at the top of the device, while the bottom portion is where the headphone jack, USB port, and two speakers are found.
At half an inch thick, this ebook reader weighs a mere 12.1 ounces. It may not be as light or as compact as the popular Kindle 3, but still the Nook color is still comfortable enough to use read with for long periods of time.
User Interface and Display
What makes the Nook different from other ebook readers is that it has a dual screen. On the upper portion is the 6-inch e-ink screen that's designated as the reading display and right below it is the 3.5-inch color LCD that's to be used for navigation. The colored portion of the display adds a dash of brightness to the greyscale e-ink screen. But are these screen types any good in terms of functionality?
Well, there has always been a consensus among consumers and manufacturers that e-ink is the best type of technology for ebook reading, specifically long form reading. In this regard, the e-ink display with its 16 shades of gray and 3 font sizes to choose from is just perfect. On the other hand, navigating within the device using the LCD touch screen can be a bit difficult. You'd have to remember to confine your touches to the lower part of the screen and this is not easy especially if you're used to full touch screen devices like smart phones and tablets.
Battery Life and Storage
The upgraded Nook already offers a battery life of 10 days with the wireless off. This is already pretty good and would prove to be quite useful when traveling for short periods. Still, this doesn't come close to the Amazon Kindle's battery that can last up to 30 days.
Nook users can already store up to 1,500 books with the ereader's 2G internal memory. If more is needed, then it's easy enough creating extra storage via the microSD slot which can accommodate up to 16GB of added memory.
Barnes & Noble Nook Review: Is It Worth Its Price?
With access to more than 2 million titles and exclusive B & N features and technologies like LendMe, Stay in Sync, My Shelves, and Password Protection, the Nook now offers more value for money than before. The $199 (Wi-Fi + 3G) or $149 (Wi-Fi only) you shell out for the Nook is worth every cent.
True, it still has some catching up to do with the Amazon Kindle such as with the battery performance and compact size, but from what we've seen up close in this Nook review, Barnes & Noble's Nook has earned its place as one of the best portable ebook readers in the market today.
welcome to Insurances.net (https://www.insurances.net)
