My review of the Nook
I pre-ordered my Nook on 11/20 and was told that it would ship on 12/4, then arrive 2-3 business days later. I found out, after checking the Barnes and Noble website on 1/1, that it had actually been shipped on 12/28 and would arrive on 1/4 – which it did… A+ for customer service!
The Nook arrived in a hard plastic case, which was a little difficult to open, yet that was a minor detail for me. The initial charging time for the included batter was a few hours – again, no big deal for me.
The E-Ink screen is incredibly easy to read no matter what font size that you choose (you have a choice of, if I recall correctly, 5 or 6 different font sizes and 3 different fonts). The Nook, however, does not come with a built-in backlight for reading in a darkened room – you can, however, purchase a book light from Barnes and Noble for around $15 that will serve this purpose.
The Nook uses both WiFi and AT&T’s 3G Wireless network – if you have disabled the WiFi then the Nook will default to the 3G Wireless. The Nook also has an “Airplane Mode”, where you can disable both the WiFi and Wireless at the same time. Although I was told that the Nook can use a “Wireless-N” network, I was never able to get it to work with my “N” network (it kept telling me that my Access Point was out of range, even though I was one room away from my Router) – the “Wireless-G” works perfectly. One thing to note regarding the WiFi is that, if the WiFi you are connecting to requires any sort of authentication ie. agreeing to Terms of Service and/or entering a Username and Password, the Nook will not recognize the connection.
The screen is divided into 2 parts, the “reading screen” and the “touch screen” – the “touch screen” is where you control the Nook. You have the ability to store your items(books, magazines, newspapers) either in your “My Library” section or on your MicroSD (if you inserted one) card. I store most of my items in “My Library” while storing my PDF’s on my MicroSD card – the Nook can use both MicroSD and MicroSDHC cards.
The touch screen interface was problematic for me at first, until I learned the “trick” for using it effectively – the touch screen is not pressure sensitive e.g. you do not need to press hard for something to happen. Instead, if you press lightly on the touch screen the Nook will respond much more accurately.
As for battery life, Barnes and Noble states that if you turn off the WiFi, you will receive around 10 days of battery life. I occasionally used the WiFi, turning it off when I was finished with it, and I received about 6 days of use out of my battery.
I am very satisfied with my Nook – it has performed remarkably well for what I use it for and I have recommended it to several members of my family.
