# Nook Color: I just don't get it



## fancynancy

I was on the train standing next to someone reading a black and white book on a Nook Color.  The screen was so shiny and reflective, I could read the subway signs behind us on her screen like it was a mirror. It gave me a headache just looking at it.

I kind of get it when I see people reading books on ipads or iphones.  Those are devices they purchased for other reasons, and they're making do with what they've got.  What I don't get is that this woman went to a store to buy an e-reader, and she chose one with a screen like an ipad or an iphone.  On purpose.  What's up with that?  Am I missing something?


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## WayneBowyer

It's possible it was a gift. We buy oft times what we were exposed to initially. My Kindle was a gift from my wife and daughter. If they had instead given me a Nook I would be using and enjoying it. I love my Kindle but I respect some of the competition. Most have their good (and bad) points.

Wayne


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## mooshie78

Nook Color is pretty much a full featured Android tablet if rooted (as I understand it anyway)

So it can be used for a lot more than e-books much like an iPad.


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## pidgeon92

While you may have seen a reflection, from head on the view is different. I never see a reflection on my iPad. The only time the screen is difficult to read is in the sun.


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## fancynancy

WayneBowyer said:


> It's possible it was a gift. We buy oft times what we were exposed to initially. My Kindle was a gift from my wife and daughter. If they had instead given me a Nook I would be using and enjoying it. I love my Kindle but I respect some of the competition. Most have their good (and bad) points.
> 
> Wayne


Nothing wrong with the Nook. It's the Nook Color I'm referring to. I guess it makes a good low-priced ipad substitute. But to me, it's just not an ereader. That's what I'm saying.


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## parakeetgirl

fancynancy said:


> I was on the train standing next to someone reading a black and white book on a Nook Color. The screen was so shiny and reflective, I could read the subway signs behind us on her screen like it was a mirror. It gave me a headache just looking at it.
> 
> I kind of get it when I see people reading books on ipads or iphones. Those are devices they purchased for other reasons, and they're making do with what they've got. What I don't get is that this woman went to a store to buy an e-reader, and she chose one with a screen like an ipad or an iphone. On purpose. What's up with that? Am I missing something?


I have a Nook Color as well as a K3..it's great for magazines, books that are heavy on diagrams/photos and places that have poor lighting or places I don't want to take my ipad. I love my Nook Color almost as much as I love my Kindle-I know that may be blasphemy to some people, LOL.

And, you can tweak the settings. I was worried the screen would hurt my eyes, but it doesn't. It's a nice ereader and has a decent browser on it too. Add the pandora radio, and it's almost perfect.


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## NeroAZ

Yes there is sometimes a glare, but the nook color is an awesome e-reader.  I've actually been using mine more than my kindle recently, plus since mines rooted, I have the kindle app and can read my Kindle books if I want.  Or just play some angry birds.

It is a little heavy compared to the Kindle 3, but it is a nice device.  I didn't get it at first either, then I played with one at B&N.


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## mpeg2

I too have both - given the choice, I prefer to read on the Kindle. However, I don't want to go through the pain of getting library books onto it - so I read these on the Nook Color. To my surprise, I didn't find the reading experience on its LCD much worse than reading on e-ink (Kindle) - as mentioned, you can tweak the settings. Of course, there's no comparison on battery life.

The main reason I got the Nook Color was to root it & have an Android tablet. I find it really handy to use to check email, weather, traffic, news quickly before heading off to work.

  Rich


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## fancynancy

Thanks for explaining that.  I see that for the price, it really does a lot.  I did try one in B&N when they first came out, but the floor model I tried was in sad shape, so I wasn't impressed.  Probably because of my old, sensitive eyes, I could never read a book on a device like that.  But as a handy, lightweight, low cost tablet, I can see how it would be very useful.  And for those with younger, stronger eyes, I can see how it could serve as an ereader as well.  I know my OP sounded a bit snarky, but I really was curious as to how people used it.


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## Tatiana

My DD SAID she wanted an eReader that she could download library books to.  We got her a "regular" Nook for Christmas.  Well, she didn't really want an eReader but a Tablet and couldn't afford an iPad so she traded it in for a color Nook.  She doesn't download library books now because she only reads current bestsellers and the wait list is too long at the library (she's too impatient to wait).  She buys her occasional book from B & N but she's apparently not reading much because the books are so expensive.

The first week she had it, she brought the color Nook into our store to show us and the florescent lights reflected off the screen and made reading on it impossible.  Suddenly she says, "I see what you mean about trying to read anything on the back lit screen.  I think using it outside in the sun this summer is going to be a problem."

She's unhappy about not being able to read in bright light on her new the eReader but she has her Tablet...not that she uses it much for reading.  She went on a Caribbean cruise a few weeks ago and didn't bother to take it with her because she said she wouldn't have been able to use it in the bright sunlight.  She took a heavy book instead.


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## tamborine

I have a K3 & a Nook Color. I got the NC for magazines & things with lots of illustrations, like cookbooks, but continue to use my Kindle for the majority of my reading. When/if the long-awaited NC update comes, I'll decide whether to root it or not.

But I must say that the Kindle is so much more user-friendly than the Nook! And what's with the thumbnails along the bottom of the home screen? I tried a NYT subscription for a week or so, then cancelled it. Now it looks like I'm doomed to have a bunch of old newspapers littering the bottom of the home screen forever. Tried a couple of suggestions I saw online, but nothing works.


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## KindleChickie

I think there will always be a segment who "don't get" the e-ink devices and those of us who "don't get" the LCD readers.  For reading, I strongly prefer my K3. But if I am going to just carry a single device (with a few bucks or credit card stuck in its cover) I will carry my iPad.  The Nook Color I bought as a toy so I could have an android device to play with.

If I am wanted to read, it has to be the K3.  If I want a multi media device, it will be  my iPad.  But the Nook color is a great device, especially when you consider the money.


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## fancynancy

You're right, Kindlechick.  I'm in a mixed marriage myself.  My husband is a very bright guy, and he's heard me go on and on about how much I love my Kindle for years, yet the other day he said that the new ipad was going to kill the market for the Kindle.    He STILL doesn't get it!


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## love2read

I have a K3, Nook Color, Sony 350 and an ITouch. I didn't think I would like to read on the LCD as much as the Pearl E-Ink screen but I actually love the Nook Color. I have mine rooted and really enjoy the internet feature on the NC much better than the Kindle. I also love reading at night much better on the NC. Being able to change the background color and the brightness of the screen makes it easy to adjust to my eyes. 

Overall my kindle and Sony are not used very often and the NC and ITouch are never far away.

The one think that I can't do with the LCD devices is read in the bathtub. I haven't yet tried them in bright sunlight. But for the most part a rooted NC is a really awesome device.


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## R. M. Reed

I've heard of jailbreaking a device, but never rooting one. What does that mean?


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## Meemo

fancynancy said:


> Nothing wrong with the Nook. It's the Nook Color I'm referring to. I guess it makes a good low-priced ipad substitute. But to me, it's just not an ereader. That's what I'm saying.


I picked up one of the Literati readers when they were marked down to $40 at Bed Bath & Beyond. It has an LCD color screen like the nook (not a touch screen though). I have to say I like it a lot better than I thought I would. I use it mostly for reading in bed at night, but while I still prefer the eInk screen for long bouts of reading I can see the usefulness of the color screen, especially for folks who want to read more than just novels on their ereaders. Great for magazines, picture-heavy non-fiction, newspapers, kids' books, etc.

I have a friend who had an eInk nook, and recently got a nook Color. She really likes the nook Color. If you want to know why folks like the nookColor, check out nookboards - frankly, the more I hang out there (I do have an eInk nook too), the more I appreciate my Kindle.  But they love their nooks & their nook Colors.


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## Meemo

R. Reed said:


> I've heard of jailbreaking a device, but never rooting one. What does that mean?


It's essentially the same thing - we hack our Kindles, they root their Kindles.


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## Boston

R. Reed said:


> I've heard of jailbreaking a device, but never rooting one. What does that mean?


basically the terms mean the same thing..working around software restrictions that come with the device.

the term "jailbreak" was first coined by the iphone community because basically the process allowed to break away from the function that prevents one from rooting their device

"root" is used by the android/linux community

I think you may also hear some refer to this process as "unlocking" their device


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## Meemo

mpeg2 said:


> I too have both - given the choice, I prefer to read on the Kindle. However, I don't want to go through the pain of getting library books onto it - so I read these on the Nook Color. To my surprise, I didn't find the reading experience on its LCD much worse than reading on e-ink (Kindle) - as mentioned, you can tweak the settings. Of course, there's no comparison on battery life.
> 
> The main reason I got the Nook Color was to root it & have an Android tablet. I find it really handy to use to check email, weather, traffic, news quickly before heading off to work.
> 
> Rich


I've considered a nook color as a sort of a poor-man's iPad, but I know I'd missing having the variety of apps I get on the iPad, and I do have an iPhone, and it'd probably end up like when I bought a netbook instead of a Mac laptop - DH told me I should just get a Mac but I didn't want to spend that much money on what was a bit of a toy for me. Now I'm using a MacBook Air and the netbook lives in a cabinet. I suspect the same would happen if I got a nookColor - I'd end up getting an iPad. I wish Apple would make a 7" iPad....

Oh, it's a moot point for you now, but putting library books on a Kindle is a lot less painful than it used to be...


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## Boston

Meemo said:


> I wish Apple would make a 7" iPad....


I got the Nook Color because I wanted a 7" tablet from the start (if the iPad had been 7", I might've bitten). I don't need a lot of apps beyond the basics...I'm not a video game player and it's nice to have something bigger than my phone if I want to surf the web or watch a movie without going to my computer.

How much use I will get remains to be seen. (I too had a netbook that hardly got any use). But I figure that spending $200 on a Nook Color was a good way to see how a tablet fit into my lifestyle...if I really end up using it alot then I can justify spending more.


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## Capri142

fancynancy said:


> I was on the train standing next to someone reading a black and white book on a Nook Color. The screen was so shiny and reflective, I could read the subway signs behind us on her screen like it was a mirror. It gave me a headache just looking at it.
> 
> I kind of get it when I see people reading books on ipads or iphones. Those are devices they purchased for other reasons, and they're making do with what they've got. What I don't get is that this woman went to a store to buy an e-reader, and she chose one with a screen like an ipad or an iphone. On purpose. What's up with that? Am I missing something?


 Yeah you are missing something! The Nook Color and the Amazon Kindle are similar only ion that they are both e-readers. The Kindle is really good for One thing, reading a book. end of story...Nothing wrong with that. I like my kindle because it is an e-reader, i dont have to worry about the battery and it is dependable. I have the Color nook which, on the Android platform and rooted easily becomes a tablet that can do all sorts of cool stuff besides being a very good e-reader. It beats the Kindle, hands down for any reading that has to do with any graphics, pictures and photos. Magazines are great on the Color Nook, Reference books with pictures/graphs, maps and the such are so much better than on the kindle. The back lighting is completely adjustable so it is easy to avoid any glare. One thing I did not expect, I really like the back lit screen for reading in low light vs the clamp on lamp for the Kindle.

So while you are missing something, a lot of the rest of us are enjoying the technology offered by the Color Nook.


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## Pushka

If you hack, or root the nook then you have access to the full Android marketplace.  I dont read on the nook but use it as a cheap and very pretty tablet.  And more portable than the ipad.


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## astonwest

My wife loves her Nook Color, simply because of all the children's books that she can download with the color images and such for our 4yo niece. That, and Pandora...


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## fancynancy

As a tablet, how fast is it?  Do you get frustrated waiting for the screen to load?


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## Pushka

fancynancy said:


> As a tablet, how fast is it? Do you get frustrated waiting for the screen to load?


its fast enough for me and I am not a patient person when it comes to stuff like that! .


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## AnnetteL

I learned a lot from this thread. Had no idea.

One thing I envy about the Nook is the ability to borrow library books.


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## KingAl

fancynancy said:


> I kind of get it when I see people reading books on ipads or iphones. Those are devices they purchased for other reasons, and they're making do with what they've got. What I don't get is that this woman went to a store to buy an e-reader, and she chose one with a screen like an ipad or an iphone. On purpose. What's up with that? Am I missing something?


Believe it or not, some people actually prefer LCD screens to e-ink. (Personally, I prefer e-ink, but have no problem reading on my iPhone/iPad.)


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## Will Write for Gruel

AnnetteL said:


> I learned a lot from this thread. Had no idea.
> 
> One thing I envy about the Nook is the ability to borrow library books.


Yeah, that's cool. As someone else said, there will be a waiting list for bestsellers, but if you're patient your turn will come. And you never have to go to the library, and your books are always returned on time. As libraries expand their ebook selections, they will become more viable as alternatives to buying books.


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## jason10mm

Out of curiosity, why doesn't the Nook color play apps out of the box? Why do folks need to "root" it? Is it a contractural thing so B&N can sell an android tablet so much less than the competition? Is there a hardware/software issue that makes non-B&N apps unreliable enough that B&N doesn't want the customer service headaches? Seems odd to handicap the device like that.


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## Meemo

jason10mm said:


> Out of curiosity, why doesn't the Nook color play apps out of the box? Why do folks need to "root" it? Is it a contractural thing so B&N can sell an android tablet so much less than the competition? Is there a hardware/software issue that makes non-B&N apps unreliable enough that B&N doesn't want the customer service headaches? Seems odd to handicap the device like that.


Supposedly there will be an update that will make rooting unnecessary. It was supposed to come "first quarter 2011" - and there are rumors that a big update is coming for both nook models in the next week or two. But so far they're just rumors. People "root" their eInk nooks as well.


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## PG4003 (Patricia)

I would love to have a Nook Color to use for magazines.  B&N has a pretty good selection of emagazine subscriptions.


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## The Hooded Claw

There is a Nook Color upgrade coming in April (according to BN and of all people, HSN) that will provide flash support and give access to an app store with a reasonable selection of apps (though they've been awfully vague about which apps other than listing a couple of examples that include a version of Angry Birds and a phrasebook app). It will also have an email client on the device, so you won't have to go to web-hosted email clients.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20046909-1.html

I impulse-bought a Nook Color when they were on ebay for $200 and really like the little guy, even though it isn't getting much love at this moment because I'm struck by ipad 2 infatuation. It has a lot of capabilities for a small device, and I'm trying to convince myself that I should take it traveling and leave the expensive and large iPad at home! I didn't really need it, but I'm glad I got it!

Though the Galaxy Tab will do everything important that the Nook Color will do (it won't get you free browsing in a B&N, but how often are you gonna use that?) and has the fulll capabilities of an Android tablet without rooting. Sprint and Verizon have them on sale for $199 if you're willing to sign on to a $20/month contract for one gig/month of wifi for 24 months. I don't need it, but if I didn't already have a web-enabled smart phone and a Nook Color I'd find it very interesting.


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## sharonC

i like both


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## cindyvine

So which e-reader would you recommend as being the best?


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## The Hooded Claw

cindyvine said:


> So which e-reader would you recommend as being the best?


For just reading text-based books such as novels, I'd unhesitatingly recommend the Kindle 3.


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## cork_dork_mom

Wow! I can't imagine having all those gadgets!

I pondered getting an e-reader for the longest time. I did *lots* of research and talked with co-workers about their preferences. They all had Nook's and just adored them. So I trotted up to B&N and tried to some quality hands on time.... to no avail. The store must have been short staffed because no one came to help and I couldn't track down a sales person. I played with the floor models for awhile. I found that I didn't much care for the pop up control screen and the Nook Color had too much of a glare for me. I spend the day on the computer and it felt like I was reading a computer screen.

I work in a library and we don't have e-book lending - not sure we will in the near future what with budget cuts and all. So free library books didn't matter much.

Bottom line, deciding factor was a thumbs up from Consumer Reports for the Kindle. I got my Kindle last month for my birthday and I have to say I'm totally in love with it . That said... I seem to be spending more time playing the free games I got than reading. For my old, tired eyes I can read for a really long time and not have any eye strain - just butt strain from sitting to long


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## ◄ Jess ►

mooshie78 said:


> Nook Color is pretty much a full featured Android tablet if rooted (as I understand it anyway)
> 
> So it can be used for a lot more than e-books much like an iPad.


Yeah, I only have 2 friends who bought one and they both installed Android on it. It basically becomes a nice tablet with that.


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## Christine Kersey

I love my nook color. Even before I rooted it, I loved the touch screen functionality. Even though it is now a very nice tablet, my primary reason for using it is for reading. But now that it's rooted, I have the Kindle software on it, which gives me the flexibility of buying books from Amazon as well as B&N.


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## planet_janet

My mom has a Nook Color and she really likes it. She wanted it primarily for reading magazines but has been enjoying being able to check out ebooks from the library (we are fortunate to have a wonderfu library system with a rather large ebook collection).  My dad doesn't currently use my mom's NC, but he was recently diagnosed with macular degeneration and may get to the point where reading is much easier for him on a backlit device.


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## luvmykindle3

My school just purchased NookColor ereaders for the kids. I have been playing with one of them. I really like it. I have a Kindle and the Original Nook, but I like the NookColor. The screen is not bad, and it was so easy to set up. I was thinking about buying one, but I have an IPad, so I don't really NEED it...LOL

It is a great little device, I do love the size of it, and when looking at magazines, its very nice.


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## Wren Emerson

I would love a Nook Color.  I played with one while waiting in line to buy my standard Nook and was completely won over.  I buy a lot of magazines and art books that are primarily full color images.  A Nook Color would be amazing for that.  As others have already said, it does more than just act as a reader.  I'd probably be just as happy with an iPad though honestly.


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## Cammie

I prefer to read on a Kindle. But, I have and love the Nook Color and Gtablet for casual internet surfing. I rooted both and installed custom roms. Both the NC and Gtab load very fast with the custom roms compared to the stock roms. My elderly mom is not a reader but loves games like Angry Birds and Jewels.  We bought her a laptop a few years back that she never used.  I took the Gtab to her but it was really too heavy for her.  The small form factor of the NC is perfect since it's light and easy to use so I plan on installing games I think she will like and will take it over to her this week.


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## corkyb

Cammie said:


> I prefer to read on a Kindle. But, I have and love the Nook Color and Gtablet for casual internet surfing. I rooted both and installed custom roms. Both the NC and Gtab load very fast with the custom roms compared to the stock roms. My elderly mom is not a reader but loves games like Angry Birds and Jewels. We bought her a laptop a few years back that she never used. I took the Gtab to her but it was really too heavy for her. The small form factor of the NC is perfect since it's light and easy to use so I plan on installing games I think she will like and will take it over to her this week.


Cammie,
S'plain please. To a tech dummie. what does installing custom ROM mean? is it different than rooting it? I had an sd card I bought off ebay so that the nC would boot into froyo OR the custom NC, but it was slow I thought and didn't work for the kindle app.
Paula


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## Cammie

I'm no techie either Paula.  But I was emboldened by my success with the Gtablet enough to mod the NC.  I'm sure someone can explain better than I can but I'll tell you my understanding of the process.

People root their phones and other android based gadgets to get full access to the operating system (OS) of the phone or device.  If you have control over the operating system, you can add more functionality and sometimes upgrade the version of Android. Gaining full access to the OS is also referred to as "jailbreaking" the device. 

A device such as the NC has a stock rom (stock operating system) already installed.  When the manufacturer does an upgrade, the manufacturer is modifying the stock rom.

Adding functionality to the NC can be done using an external micro sd card.  The apps/functionality can boot directly from the sd card on the NC. If I understand this correctly, using an external micro sd card can add functionality without removing or changing the stock rom permanently. There have been reports that this is not as stable (does not run as well) as installing a full custom rom directly to the NC (called installing to the EMMC).

A custom ROM is a stand alone OS that has it's own kernel (I guess I would equate a kernel with an engine that makes a car run).  Adding a custom rom to a NC EMMC will completely remove the stock rom and kernel. Installing a custom ROM and kernel will often make a device faster and more efficient. My NC is flashed with a stable version of CM7 with the latest OC kernel and patch.

The developers at the XDA forum are constantly improving and stabilizing custom roms for the Gtablet and NC.  I owe the members of that forum a huge thank you for all their hard work.  In fact, a member of that forum rooted and installed a custom rom to my very first NC.  I sent you a pm Paula linking all the threads and videos I viewed.


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## Cammie

I should also add that I'm the type of person who is intimidated by all this computer tech stuff.  I made careful step-by-step lists and read threads written by people who did their best to assume little prior tech knowledge on the part of the reader.  I learned and prepared recovery methods before I flashed.  Most importantly, I mentally prepared myself for the possibility that I might brick the NC (I'm pretty convinced I could recover from a brick or partial brick of the NC though and I have recovered from a soft brick of the Gtablet).


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## corkyb

Thanks Cammie.  I am going to read and view what you sent me.  I had the sd OS and I didn't care for it.  I found it very unstable, slow and unwieldy.  Couldn't get the things that I wanted most to work for me.


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