# Hands-on with the nook



## Jesslyn (Oct 29, 2008)

Well I went to my local B&N today to get an up-close and personal with the new nook.  They had two demo models and I was also lucky enough to get about 30 minutes with the demo guy and the nooks.  I immediately told him that I wanted to compare it side-by-side with my Kindle 2 and he had no problem with that.  I am sure that many will think that because I am a 'Kindler', that I'm being too harsh and critical, but I can only compare the experience when using the nook to my current Kindle experience and I hope that some of my criticism of the device can and will be addressed by software updates.  I'd like to see the nook as real competition for the Kindle - so far, its announcement alone seems to have forced Amazon to address some of the needed improvements in the Kindle--that’s a good thing.
I'll try to address only things that make up any major differences in using the devices.  All things being equal, there is access to most of the same books with Amazon edging out ahead on pricing, but with nook offering some library books, nooks lending feature comparable to the Kindle text-to-speech feature as well as Amazon's wireless but pay-per-item email feature vs. nook's in-store sample readability and wifi offerings.  Users' mileage and options will vary on the  usefulness of any of those features.  
I would have had the nook as the real winner in the competition because of the LCD screen but, well you can read on to see why not...
My first negative was that one of the in-store display units required two resets and we still couldn't get it to work, and had to move to the second.  That doesn't seem to bode well for users getting shipped right now, most reviewers admit that a software update is needed and I have heard other reports of demo units not working as well.  Hopefully, these bad units were from initial stock known to have a few issues so were sent to stores rather than customers.
In-book
The screen contrast seems a bit better than on the Kindle 2.  The gray background doesn't seem as gray so that makes the text seem clearer.  There are also options to change the font that are not available on the Kindle without a hack and users can add their own screensavers which again are not available on the Kindle.
IMO, B&N did themselves a bit of disservice when they designed the navigation in terms of an eReader.  You have to go through too many touches of the screen to get to a book, navigate thru books, get definitions and other things.  Keep in mind that I am coming from a Kindle interface where I can open any one of the 10 books on my home page with one click, use my thumb to highlight as well as get any definitions.  I imagine that traversing through the menus and options may not be as distracting when shopping as a user expects more interaction in that scenario.  But up front, there are too many screens with too many options just to open one of the books in your list.
Opening and going through a book side by side with the Kindle, the screen refresh of the nook is markedly slower in the page refresh--markedly.  I did not see any of the LCD lag mentioned in other reviews, but the eInk refresh definitely needs some work.  Every time a book is opened, it looks like the nook updates the 'flow', and turning a page was also slow.  I estimate about twice as long on the page refresh and 3 to 4 times as long to open a book and sync the main display to the LCD .
The dictionary and notes and highlight features of the nook also require interaction with the touch screen.  To illustrate the different, in the same time it took the B&N guy to open a book and go to the 1st page, I had a book open, had gone to the next page and gotten a definition.  I used one hand, he had to use two.
In short, as far as navigation and menus, the nook really needs the assistance of a usability expert to trim down the menu selections and options to something WAY more workable.
Shopping
I liked the shopping experience of the nook better than the Kindle store experience as pricing showed up in the book list and the screens shown seemed really clean as far a the options for browsing.  Being able to browse books on a device doesn't sound like much, but it added to something that I was missing with my Kindle--that in-store feel.  I really like a good bookstore.  
Also having the price right up front within the list was a nice feature.  I got an in-store advertisement in a box on the screen right in the middle of browsing books that I would find distracting if were to repeat, but maybe they pick stuff based upon what you're browsing.  I don't know as that box only showed up once. They need to add a feature that shows you customized recommendations though.  I was told that the 'Recommended' book list would not be customized to either my browsing or past purchase history.  I find that hard to believe, but since the device was not registered to me, I could not verify that.
I almost had a cow when one of the books available on the nook was Stephen King's Under the Dome, but I was later told that it was a sample.  It was a big sample, though as I saw a Chapter 8 on the list.  Most Kindle samples are only the 1st two chapters.  I didn't think to ask if that was because I was inside the store, but for nookites, I hope not.  A big sample would be great because I have purchased Kindle books based upon the 1st two chapters only to regret it because it was all downhill from there.
Overall
I found the nook to be noticeably heavier in my hand.  Since I didn't have hours of reading time, I'm not sure if that would be any factor to the reading experience, but we'll see how that shakes out with daily use.  
I really did not get any value from the addition of the LCD screen.  There were just too many menus for what is in essence a single purposed device.  The nook is for reading books.  Period, end of sentence and for me, the experience was not enhanced in any way by the LCD it and in fact, was a distraction at best.  Perhaps if B&N opens that area up to development, it may really turn into something, but for now it gets a shrug.
I was really surprised that there is no content management.  The demo unit only had 10 books on it, but in contrast, I have 108 items on my Kindle.  One of my first questions was how to navigate thru the nook if I had a similar number of items and was told to search, but that wasn't what I was looking for.  If I was searching, I would probably be looking for more of  what I call a 'browse' search, not a I'm looking for a single specific item search.  I would probably be looking for a choice of various genres, authors or perhaps a series.  B&N missed what to me is a big Kindle complaint by not jumping on the ability to organize your books with more options than the Kindle offers.  
I don't think this is the 'Kindle-killer' that B&N was looking for, but even though I will remain a dedicated Kindler for now, the nook is definitely a viable option.


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## akpak (Mar 5, 2009)

Jesslyn said:


> ...but for nookites, I hope not.


I think you mean "nookies" He he.

Thanks for the writeup! Based on what you and other reviewers have said, the Nook is surely one to watch, but is too sluggish and burdened with dubiously useful "features" to be a real Kindle Killer.


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## Jesslyn (Oct 29, 2008)

I like nook*ites*


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

Nookies!

Nookies
Nookies
Nookies
Nookies
Nookies
Nookies
Nookies


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## Jesslyn (Oct 29, 2008)

pidgeon92 said:


> Nookies!
> 
> Nookies
> Nookies
> ...


Snicker! 
Okay, okay, I'll stick to nookies from now on! Tee hee


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## MLPMom (Nov 27, 2009)

Thank you for that overview. I really was looking into getting a Nook before I bought my Kindle so it is nice to see someone that has had experience with a Kindle rate it. 
I still think I made the best choice and I don't foresee regretting it in the near future if at all.


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## cloudyvisions (May 21, 2009)

This is a great review! I agree, it's great to get some feedback from a Kindle owner who could still look at the Nook with an unbiased view. 

I think it's interesting that I went to B&N tonight - the one by my house who said they would be out on Monday - and they still weren't out. They said "soon" when I asked. I wonder if all these initial start up problems might hurt the Nook? Who knows!


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## Varin (May 12, 2009)

Jesslyn,

Do you think that the slightly better screen contrast could be due to the black border around the screen of the nook? 

Ever since the first few pictures of the nook came out, I was impressed by that move by Barnes and Noble; though the device is mostly white, that thin area immediately surrounding the screen is black which (at least in my mind) should help with contrast. That's an area where I really felt that Amazon shot themselves in the foot by making the device that bright white bezel; no matter how good the contrast was, the background contrasted with the text would always look muddy in comparison to the white border surrounding it all.

It's easily corrected by a skin, but still...

Also did your kindle have a skin on it? That might have affected your perception of the difference between the two.


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## Jesslyn (Oct 29, 2008)

Anarel said:


> Jesslyn,
> 
> Do you think that the slightly better screen contrast could be due to the black border around the screen of the nook?
> 
> ...


Very nice observation! Yes my Kindle has a skin, but I still think the text looks crisper. Now that you've commented, I think it may be due more to the font, than the actual contrast.


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## Jesslyn (Oct 29, 2008)

Update:  I forgot to mention two things on the nook that are a big plus.  Their book navigation notes both a book 'location' and a PAGE NUMBER!  This is uber-awesome for book clubs, students and workplace use.  Even though I got a few silent blinks when I asked whether the page numbers were for the hard or paper-back versions, any reference to actual page numbers is nice.  The second thing is that B&N sprang for an upgraded .PDF model than the Kindle.  Per the B&N employee, the .PDF is text searchable.  I'd like confirmation of that.


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## Varin (May 12, 2009)

Jesslyn said:


> Very nice observation! Yes my Kindle has a skin, but I still think the text looks crisper. Now that you've commented, I think it may be due more to the font, than the actual contrast.


Hn apparently something else Amazon didn't do that B&N did was allow a few different font choices; (I read it on either I Love my Kindle or a Kindle World Blog, I can't remember which though I think it was the latter) do you think that may have had anything to do with it, also?

Did you have the font hack installed?

@ Jesslyn,

I heard that about page numbers, as well, though I wasn't so excited about it- apparently the page numbers don't correlate to the print editions, and are specific to the ebook edition, so (unless I'm wrong) page numbers in this current iteration aren't much more helpful for citation purposes than location numbers....

Oh, and about searchable PDF's, I think that depends on the type of PDF it is; if the PDF is a searchable PDF then it can be searched on a device such as nook or the Kindle; but if it has just been scanned and not OCR'd, then it just appears as an image and cannot be searched on either device.


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## Jesslyn (Oct 29, 2008)

I updated my blog post with:
Update:  I forgot to mention two things on the nook that are a big plus.  Their book navigation notes both a book 'location' and a PAGE NUMBER!  This is uber-awesome for book clubs, students and workplace use.  Even though I got a few silent blinks when I asked whether the page numbers were for the hard or paper-back versions, any reference to actual page numbers is nice.  The second thing is that B&N sprang for an upgraded .PDF model than the Kindle.  Per the B&N employee, the .PDF is text searchable.  I'd like confirmation of that.
------------------
I was told that the page numbers correlate to the print editions, I guess we'll see, but the upgraded .PDF model is a real plus.


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## lorraineya (Aug 24, 2009)

I got to see & handle the Nook today. I have to say, it really is a beautiful ereader! It is lightweight, clean, sharp and felt good in my hands. I couldn't figure out how to work it though and I'm usually pretty quick to figure out techie gadgets. It was very slow and I never was able to open a book. When I took my Kindle out of the box for the first time, I was able to use it immediately...very user friendly. The Nook is beautiful but you're going to need the user's manual to find out how to open a book.


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

lorraineya said:


> I got to see & handle the Nook today. I have to say, it really is a beautiful ereader! It is lightweight, clean, sharp and felt good in my hands. I couldn't figure out how to work it though and I'm usually pretty quick to figure out techie gadgets. It was very slow and I never was able to open a book. When I took my Kindle out of the box for the first time, I was able to use it immediately...very user friendly. The Nook is beautiful but you're going to need the user's manual to find out how to open a book.


Won't help much if it is an ebook on the device!


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

Jesslyn, I saw your blog before I saw this thread.  Someone posted the link to it in Twitter.

I forgot to take notice of the contrast, but that's actually probably a good thing with regard to the Nook.  I think the background was lighter.  The font is pretty dark (at least at the larger sizes that I looked at) though, which is a very good thing.


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## mindreader (Oct 8, 2009)

Thank you for this in-depth review.  Really cool. 

Question:  I only spent few short minutes with the nook yesterday but though I liked the screen contrast I thought it compared favorably to my K1. I hear the K1 and K2 are different in that regard but can't say that for sure.  Is that true?


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## mwvickers (Jan 26, 2009)

mindreader said:


> Thank you for this in-depth review. Really cool.
> 
> Question: I only spent few short minutes with the nook yesterday but I though I liked the screen contrast I thought it compared favorably to my K1. I hear the K1 and K2 are different in that regard but can't say that for sure. Is that true?


I have a K1 and a K2 (both refurbished) and there doesn't really appear to be any difference in contrast or clarity of the text to me. If there is, it's so little that I can't really notice a difference.

It seems possible that older K2s had more of a contrast difference than new ones do, though I'm not sure.


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## BookishMom (Oct 30, 2008)

Jesslyn,

Does the Nook support library ebooks (in ePub or pdf) via OverDrive? In your review it sounds like it does, but I've read other threads where it doesn't. Do you know?


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## kevindorsey (Mar 4, 2009)

Great early review, good job


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## ElaineOK (Jun 5, 2009)

I saw a Nook today.  My B&N says that they got it this morning, and they are still figuring it out -- which was nice, they left me alone.  

First of all, it has a slightly contoured back, which I liked.  It does seem heavier, though; and enough heavier that it was pretty noticeable.  The screen looked slightly better, and that might have been the font (no, I do not have the font hack installed.)  

It was slower, less intuitive and the menus were more cumbersome.  It was having trouble connecting to the store's wifi so I didn't get to play with the store.  As far as touchscreens go, the Sony wins hands down.  That is not to say that the Nook isn't a fine addition (and has pretty clearly forced Amazon to attend to business), but I didn't see anything tonight that made me want to jump ship.

Elaine
Norman, Oklahoma


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## Jesslyn (Oct 29, 2008)

BookishMom said:


> Jesslyn,
> 
> Does the Nook support library ebooks (in ePub or pdf) via OverDrive? In your review it sounds like it does, but I've read other threads where it doesn't. Do you know?


There seems to be confusion over this at the nookboards and the user guide doesn't make the issue any clearer. I guess we'll have to wait and see what the nookITES find out.

I'm reverting to nookites instead of nookies cause even the nookboards refers to nookites. **snicker**


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

Nookies.


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## Jesslyn (Oct 29, 2008)

pidgeon92 said:


> Nookies.


My DH keeps asking me why I'm laughing


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## libros_lego (Mar 24, 2009)

Nooker?


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

To me.. Nookie.. is polite for sex. it's what we have used for years when talking around the kids when they were little.. 

Nookites, much more apropos for nook readers.


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

BTackitt said:


> Nookites, much more apropos for nook readers.


But not nearly as amusing...


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## back2nature (Jun 15, 2009)

BTackitt said:


> To me.. Nookie.. is polite for sex. it's what we have used for years when talking around the kids when they were little..
> 
> Nookites, much more apropos for nook readers.


We say "nookie" too. (i.e.: Want some nookie tonight?)


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## BeastMD (Feb 13, 2009)

Got my nook today. Quick Impressions..

-Packaging looks nice/classy, but is a PAIN THE THE REAR to open. Took me at least 10 minutes. Felt like I was going to break it a few times.
-Screen is GREAT, great contrast and sharpness. Better than both of the Kindles I've owned.
-Moving around is very sluggish, just about everywhere.
-Same type of power cord that the K2i uses. USB Micro.
-Store not right yet, let me order Under The Dome, but not actually download it.
-Page turns are much slower than K2i and a little slower than K1. 
-Interface is in need of streamlining.
-Store is pretty good browsing as far as details and look, but slow.
-Looks well built(and it didn't break while I struggled with the nutty package).

More later.. Charging right now and I'm not happy about the Under the Dome order. $9.99 for nothing.


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## Varin (May 12, 2009)

BeastMD said:


> Got my nook today. Quick Impressions..
> 
> -Packaging looks nice/classy, but is a PAIN THE THE REAR to open. Took me at least 10 minutes. Felt like I was going to break it a few times.
> -Screen is GREAT, great contrast and sharpness. Better than both of the Kindles I've owned.
> ...


Beast, when you get back to it, I'd be interested in hearing how easy it is to do things with the interface; does it take long to change font sizes, make bookmarks, how many menus do you have to go through...


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## mattswifeof15yrs (Apr 30, 2009)

Just an FYI, you can't download Under the Dome because it isn't available until Dec. 24th.  It is probably a pre-order.


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## Meriflower (Nov 28, 2009)

mattswifeof15yrs said:


> Just an FYI, you can't download Under the Dome because it isn't available until Dec. 24th. It is probably a pre-order.


That would be my guess too. FYI - Sounds like you have a Kindle as well. Amazon has Under the Dome for $7.99 for preorder. It will be automatically downloaded to your Kindle on 12/24.

Also thanks for your initial review of the Nook. Keep us posted!


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Cobbie said:


> Nookites....Nookers.....Nookies.....
> 
> What to choose, what to choose.....
> 
> You all are just too funny.


I vote for nookites or nookers. Not nookies.


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## webhill (Feb 12, 2009)

BeastMD said:


> Got my nook today. Quick Impressions..
> 
> -Store not right yet, let me order Under The Dome, but not actually download it.
> 
> More later.. Charging right now and I'm not happy about the Under the Dome order. $9.99 for nothing.


Under the Dome isn't being released til 12/24. You paid 9.99? The Kindle store has it for pre-order for $7.99!


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## BeastMD (Feb 13, 2009)

I actually have a hardcover I got as a gift(too heavy to read comfortably in bed) and wanted to try the nook so I ordered it. Its only $2 difference. Anyway...


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## Wunderkind (Jan 14, 2009)

Under the Dome ebook pre-order price was $9.99 on Amazon when I ordered it a few weeks ago, so it looks like the current price of $7.99 was recently changed. Perhaps a side benefit for Kindle users for the nook competition? (and of course I canceled my pre-order!)


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## Jesslyn (Oct 29, 2008)

On Under the Dome - That may have been one of those in-store things.  There were a lot of chapters on the nook and we went thru a couple of them

After lurking on the nook boards at a couple of other forums, I think that Amazon is going to have to open up their model and allow other DRM'd formats in order to stay competitive.  Library books seem to be working on the nook, but on the other hand personal documents seem to have a few issues especially personal pdfs.

Even though I'm a gadget person and thought that I may get a nook just to have, instead I think I'll start saving my pennies so I can get the next model of the Kindle.  Amazon now has a look at what is going to become their 1st real viable competition so I think they may have some really exciting stuff in the works.


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## angelad (Jun 19, 2009)

BeastMD said:


> Got my nook today. Quick Impressions..
> 
> -Packaging looks nice/classy, but is a PAIN THE THE REAR to open. Took me at least 10 minutes. Felt like I was going to break it a few times.
> -Screen is GREAT, great contrast and sharpness. Better than both of the Kindles I've owned.
> ...


Hmm.. Will wait for your full review.


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## BeastMD (Feb 13, 2009)

Will post more thoughts later, one big issue I ran into so far is another book I downloaded, Pattersons Run For Your Life, came out with no text. Tried redownloading a few times and same thing. The sample was fine though. Grrr.

Not sure this was ready for prime time.


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## Jesslyn (Oct 29, 2008)

8 minute You-tube of nook here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-5xW_LQIeg


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

BeastMD said:


> Got my nook today.


Good for you!!  (did they choose this name for the double entendre?)

The title of this thread cracked me up! I wasn't sure it was "safe for work"


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## larryb52 (Nov 18, 2009)

you definately right on epub books from library & the font issue Amazon will have to respond to stay competitive...



Jesslyn said:


> On Under the Dome - That may have been one of those in-store things. There were a lot of chapters on the nook and we went thru a couple of them
> 
> After lurking on the nook boards at a couple of other forums, I think that Amazon is going to have to open up their model and allow other DRM'd formats in order to stay competitive. Library books seem to be working on the nook, but on the other hand personal documents seem to have a few issues especially personal pdfs.
> 
> Even though I'm a gadget person and thought that I may get a nook just to have, instead I think I'll start saving my pennies so I can get the next model of the Kindle. Amazon now has a look at what is going to become their 1st real viable competition so I think they may have some really exciting stuff in the works.


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## Jesslyn (Oct 29, 2008)

I'm now totally over the nook fanfare, but I have to say that the NYT gave the nook one of the most scathing reviews that I have seen in a while. Did they do this to the Kindle (1, 2 or DX) when it came out?
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/10/technology/personaltech/10pogue.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

David Pogue has always been opinionated.... That said, everything he said in the op-ed regarding features was accurate, if not kind.

Regarding the lag: I know a lot of people who have "played" with the nook at B&N say there is no lag, and there have been a few reviews from suers who got theirs yesterday which were very favorable....

So you have to wonder:

    Are there problems with the review units?

    Did the firmware update B&N pushed out yesterday fix some of these problems already?

    Have enough users of other e-book readers been able to put nook through its paces long enough to made a real comparison?

I think it will be a good week before we get beyond initial impressions and see how nook is really functioning.


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## larryb52 (Nov 18, 2009)

I had it crash in the store & it was sluggish & the page turning was IMO bad...the review was a bit rough but its what I saw...


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Jesslyn said:


> I'm now totally over the nook fanfare, but I have to say that the NYT gave the nook one of the most scathing reviews that I have seen in a while. Did they do this to the Kindle (1, 2 or DX) when it came out?
> http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/10/technology/personaltech/10pogue.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp


This is a typical Pogue review, he always emphasizes the negative. The fact that he is actually saying nice things aobut the kindle is what surprises me, in his video of all available e-book readers he was just as hard on the kindle as the others.


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

I was in the B&N neighborhood again today, went in and then decided not to try out the Nook again.  There was no one at the counter to explore it, but later there was one person looking at one while I was browsing paper books.

David Pogue's complaint is mainly that B&N rushed out the Nook for Christmas and that some of it's marketing claims turned out not to be impressive.


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

scarlet said:


> This is a typical Pogue review, he always emphasizes the negative. The fact that he is actually saying nice things aobut the kindle is what surprises me, in his video of all available e-book readers he was just as hard on the kindle as the others.


I think that on the whole, Pogue gets over-excited about new products. He adores everything that Apple puts out. He's quite biased against netbooks though. I'm quite sure that he reads on a Kindle 2. He's mentioned that in a column earlier in the year.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Wow... that startup was way slow.  Is it just me, or does the fancy color screen somehow make this look cheaper and more like a toy than the Kindle?  It's like it takes away from the beauty and simplicity of the e-ink screen and makes it look dull and secondary.


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## BeastMD (Feb 13, 2009)

More thoughts..

-I have decided I really dislike the interface, not intuitive at all. And clunky..

-When you open a book it take has to "format" the book every time. Even if you just go back and look at the menu.

-The thing I mentioned above with the book that came "blank".

-Playing around with the various setting generated errors a few times.

-The touch screen sometimes double taps on a single tap.

-I've had the touch screen backlight stay on for minutes even though I didn't have anything near it. It makes reading difficult.(Its set to 30 seconds)

-For the person that asked, it takes about 10-15 seconds to change fonts.

-When you try to turn it off when the screen isn't lit, you have to press the power button twice. Once lights up the screen, then the second turn it off.

-Battery life with wireless on after one day and about 2-3 hours of playing and reading it is now at 80%.

-Screen still looks better to me than my K2i.

-Some books don't have more than 1 font available. 

-Free Book 1 of pattersons Wizard book has some font wonkyness with some letters like "y" being cut off. No matter which font of the 3 available for that book.

-The case I got is cheap feeling. Thin leather. I know not a nook issue but the price of $30 for it feels like a rip off.

Any other questions?

I think the device is still in beta form, needs some serious software fixes.


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## Varin (May 12, 2009)

@ Beast,

15 seconds to change the font size?  I can do it in like, four..... I don't mean to nitpick, but I hit the aA button, and then all I have to do is move the joystick to the right or left...


Hn, how about making bookmarks and highlighting, how many menus do you have to go through to do that and how long does it take? Also, how long does it take to type out a few words for a note on the keyboard?


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## brainstorm (Dec 8, 2009)

Sounds like B&N is afflicted with Microsoftitis.


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## BeastMD (Feb 13, 2009)

Anarel said:


> @ Beast,
> 
> 15 seconds to change the font size? I can do it in like, four..... I don't mean to nitpick, but I hit the aA button, and then all I have to do is move the joystick to the right or left...
> 
> Hn, how about making bookmarks and highlighting, how many menus do you have to go through to do that and how long does it take? Also, how long does it take to type out a few words for a note on the keyboard?


Maybe 10-15 seconds is high, but it feels like a long time. Also I am talking about actually changing the font not just the size, thats quicker than 10-15.

I haven't tried highlighting or notes, as I don't use them very often even on the Kindle, but I will try them.

Bookmarks are like 3 steps. I will do another, speed is fine on that.


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## Neekeebee (Jan 10, 2009)

Thanks for posting your impressions, BeastMD!

N


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## Jesslyn (Oct 29, 2008)

BeastMD said:


> Maybe 10-15 seconds is high, but it feels like a long time. Also I am talking about actually changing the font not just the size, thats quicker than 10-15.
> 
> I haven't tried highlighting or notes, as I don't use them very often even on the Kindle, but I will try them.
> 
> Bookmarks are like 3 steps. I will do another, speed is fine on that.


B&N really did not have 'usability' experts help them with their menus. Even going to another chapter or entering notes requires more than 2 steps to start, ugh. Hopefully the much touted Android OS will allow them to change the menu system, but I would imaging they can only do so much. Still, competition is good for the consumer so I'm eagerly awaiting more Kindle updates!


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## BeastMD (Feb 13, 2009)

Bookmarks are three steps.. Activate touch pad, press bookmarks, add bookmarks.

Adding notes and highlights starts like adding a bookmark and then opens a virtual direction pad so you can select a passage. Painfully slow cursor.


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## Daisey31 (Mar 23, 2009)

I was literally shocked at the bugginess when I played with one at my local B & N. It froze once, and was so incredibly laggy, that in my eyes it is unusable. I can't believe the released it in it's current state. Lets hope the updates help with poor people that ordered it early.


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## BeastMD (Feb 13, 2009)

I agree. They really have dropped the ball getting it out by Christmas. Now they are just going to have a bunch of pissed off customers.

They still haven't gotten back to me on the blank book issue I had with the one book I ordered.

I have seen a bunch of program crashes the last few days doing various stuff.


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## Jesslyn (Oct 29, 2008)

And to add insult on top of injury: http://blogs.consumerreports.org/electronics/2009/12/nook-barnes-and-noble-review-slow-page-turn-formatting-overview-glitch-update-speed-performance.html

_Not_ good


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## BeastMD (Feb 13, 2009)

I think they can get the page turning speed up, as when drawing other screens its fine. I think there needs to simply be some random bug fixes and optimization and it will be much better.


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

I was in B&N today to buy a couple train magazines for DH. While I was there, I stopped to try out the Nook. Some observations that I do not remember from earlier posts:

Dictionary look-ups:
An exact match seems necessary unlike the Kindle which will match plurals, verb tense changes, etc.
Only one word definition is displayed. It does not seem possible to browse the dictionary or to page through it.
I definitely did not like how the dictionary worked.

Notes can only be found if you are either on the same page of the book as the note OR if you remembered to bookmark it as well. No list comparable to My Notes and Marks.

I did not think to ask if the notes are saved to a text or other file readable after saving on a computer. I also did not think to ask if the notes were searchable.

It did take me a while to get used to the swipe/drag motion for seeing the rest of the menu choices. I kept trying to select the top or bottom of the scroll bar (and it does not work that way). It is possible that this behavior is leading people to think that the touch screen is not working.

The demo Nook did not have a PDF on it so I could not check how that displayed. I am curious how the slightly wider screen would help PDF display.


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## Seamonkey (Dec 2, 2008)

I guess I wasn't interested enough to spend a great deal of time.. I did stop at BN since it was close to Kohl's and I'd already parked (not easy in this mall at this time of year, or any time, really..

Walking in, I saw nothing at all about the Nook.. walked the ground floor and finall saw some one page promos, small, near one of the lookup computer stations..  So I went upstairs and again, nothing much in evidence until I went to the desk where you go to ask questions and there was a Nook.  I asked if I could look at it.. sure.  and the employee went off to do something.  Another employee came up and said isn't it amazing.. I said I have kindles so I'm beyond being amazed.  

It is sort of cute.  I turned it on and played a bit but found it awkward and definitely not intuitive at all.  So..  after a guy came up to ask if they had a book called Russian Prison Tattoos.. they didn't and a discussion of Kat von D and her book .. she had come to this BN for a book signing and the young woman said it was insane, they had so many people lined up.  Sorry I missed that.  I do have the book, one of the few DTB I've bought since buying my first Kindle..  

Definitely not tempted by the Nook I saw.


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## BeastMD (Feb 13, 2009)

Terrible customer service too.  I have emailed them twice about the issue with the blank book I have and they seems to be ignoring me. No way to compete with Amazon there. It has NEVER taken them more than a couple hours to respond to ANYTHING I have asked. Just the other day I emailed them about something that changed price from the time I put it in my cart 3 minutes earlier and not only did they offer to give me the original price but also another $10 off within 2 hours of my email.

Oh well, maybe it will end up on ebay.


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## Seamonkey (Dec 2, 2008)

If you put it on ebay now you might get a bidding war going since there aren't that many out there.. heck you might make money on it.  Then you could buy another if they put in fixes.


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

I stopped by a B&N this afternoon on my way home.  I wanted to look at booklights, and I went towards the back to take a look at a Nook.  There was a woman and a young girl, who looked to be about 13 or 14, talking to a clerk.  I heard the woman say "The only gadgets I like are kitchen appliances."  To which the clerk replied, "I'd never own one of these.  If you drop it, you've got nothing."  
I walked away because I did not want him helping me.  
deb


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

drenee said:


> the clerk replied, "I'd never own one of these. If you drop it, you've got nothing."


This is abhorrent. This person should not be dealing with customers.


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

That's exactly what I thought.  Maybe Amazon was smart in not letting a bunch of clerks make their sales for them.  
deb


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## pomlover2586 (Feb 14, 2009)

[quote 
Definitely not tempted by the Nook I saw. 
[/quote]

X2!  The Nook I saw was slow, non intuitive, and very difficult to use....I would definitely need a users manual- whereas I could use Kindle right out of the box with no problems- everything was laid out so much simpler.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

drenee said:


> That's exactly what I thought. Maybe Amazon was smart in not letting a bunch of clerks make their sales for them.
> deb


An astute observation! The last thing a company needs is it's employees saying their products aren't worth purchasing!


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## pomlover2586 (Feb 14, 2009)

It's true that a company doesn't need a sales person telling people NOT to buy their product.........it's not good for the companies bottom line.

But Honestly....if a person really doesn't like a product, or thinks it's not good quality etc.....would you WANT that sales person to lie through their teeth and say "yeah it's awesome! you should buy it!" When deep down they don't believe that?

Personally I'd want to know their real opinion....good or bad.......

Sometimes Honesty is better than the bottom line...JMHO


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## marianneg (Nov 4, 2008)

pomlover2586 said:


> But Honestly....if a person really doesn't like a product, or thinks it's not good quality etc.....would you WANT that sales person to lie through their teeth and say "yeah it's awesome! you should buy it!" When deep down they don't believe that?


If that's the case, they shouldn't be attempting to sell the product at all.


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## vrc84 (Feb 18, 2009)

Unfortunately for consumers, an employee for a company is responsible for ensuring good profits for the company no matter their job position. They are usually required to promote the product, despite what they personally feel.  This is especially true when the store directly produces a product.  Can you image what would have happened if a B&N CEO had been there and overheard a comment from an employee saying he'd "never own one of these.  If you drop it, you've got nothing."  He's likely loose his job. I know that's what would happen at my company!

However, employees can give a more non-commital response such as, "well, I enjoy reading actual books, but there are a lot of folks out there who would like to try out an eReader like this." Sure it's a fluff answer, but I would hardly expect for a B&N employee to bad-mouth their own device. And at the same time, this fluff answer allows the employee to be more honest and not have to lie about their own opinions.


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## pomlover2586 (Feb 14, 2009)

I'm Ok with a fluff answer......but I wouldn't want to be outright LIED to.....but I definitely see both sides here.


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## earthlydelites (Dec 12, 2009)

thanks for the in-depth review, it was very informative 

shame that the demos aren't working properly, that would be a downer for any product when you can't get the demo to work!!


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

I was always honest about products I sold.  There are always pros and cons, and for some people a certain product just isn't good for them.  I was always considered great at customer service by my immediate supervisors (or employees when I became the immediate supervisor) but the corporate folks never liked it cuz they're all about the bottom line no matter what.  But I'm sorry, if someone doesn't need something I'm not going to lie about it to tell them why they do, and more often than not I could steer them to another product we sold that more suited their needs.  These people also became repeat customers because of my reputation for helping them as people and not as sales figures.  But what that guy did was not being helpful, it was just a snide remark made offhand to a customer, the sort of thing you should be saying to a friend, not to someone in a professional capacity what-so-ever.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I think marianner and vrc have it right.  You may not be personally enthused, but you're working for the company and it's WRONG of you to flat out say it's a bad product.  If that's how you feel, it might be wiser for you to quit.  If you really don't like the product, but you have to keep the job , you need to learn how to answer questions with "just the facts, ma'am" and avoid any semblance of a negative opinion.

You don't need to push a product you don't personally believe in on a customer, but you shouldn't lie or put it down because YOU don't like it.  Darn right if a corporate bigwig, or even medium-sized wig, had heard that comment, the clerk would be fired.  If the store manager heard it they'd at least be counseled about it.  If you're enthusiastic about your company's product (Flo at Progressive comes to mind. ) that's great.  If you're lukewarm or negative, you have to figure out where your priorities are and act accordingly -- essentially "dissing" the guy that writes your paycheck is bad form!

I will also note, that there seems to be a subset of people that resist change, are afraid of it, and/or will zero in on negative aspects of any new product.  I think that's what the clerk in question was doing.  They didn't really understand the big picture and could only hold onto the fact that, if it broke, they'd lost their entire library in one fell swoop.  It is REALLY hard to teach that sort of person how to focus on more positive things. . . . . I know. . . .I've tried!


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## happyblob (Feb 21, 2009)

drenee said:


> That's exactly what I thought. Maybe Amazon was smart in not letting a bunch of clerks make their sales for them.
> deb


User generated content certainly looks more credible. But it's easy to fake/pay for reviews. Many companies have taken that route for less.


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## Nytngale (Dec 20, 2008)

CS reps with a poor attitude certainly can be destructive. What seems worse is that B&N put demo units in place with performance that did not match the devices that were shipped to customers. I received my nook prior to Christmas (our family also has a K1 and Sony PRS 505) and it has not exhibited the horrible issues that were reported or that were demonstrated by the in-store demo units. No lag, slow page turning, etc. The firmware update improved the nook's performance even more. Hopefully, B&N learned a lesson in rushing their demo units to stores and in poorly training their CS reps. Amazon was definitely fortunate that there were a lot of early adopters for the K1 who were willing to purchase sight unseen and didn't have to suffer at the hands of ill trained company representatives. Our K1 is still going strong (2 years later) and gets used every day and we enjoy using the nook and Sony as well.


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Scheherazade said:


> But what that guy did was not being helpful, it was just a snide remark made offhand to a customer, the sort of thing you should be saying to a friend, not to someone in a professional capacity what-so-ever.


Well... you're all right about the _principle _here, but perhaps the clerk in question _was_ talking to friends? We don't know for certain that those were customers, after all; they might have been family members or friends stopping by where he works.


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

Susan, you're right.  I have no idea if they were family members, friends, or just customers off the street.  I wasn't standing exactly right beside them.  I was a couple feet away, waiting for my turn.  
deb


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Susan in VA said:


> Well... you're all right about the _principle _here, but perhaps the clerk in question _was_ talking to friends? We don't know for certain that those were customers, after all; they might have been family members or friends stopping by where he works.


That's a good point, Susan. . . . . .though, I would argue that if he's in his workplace and/or on the clock, he still ought to be careful about how he talks about the products of the company that gives him a paycheck.  I mean, clearly, someone NOT a friend of his overheard the comment. . . . .


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

I really wanted to go into a B&N and have a demo that would give me some good information.  
After hearing what he said I walked away without even getting a close up look.  
deb


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## B-Kay 1325 (Dec 29, 2008)

I recently went into a B&N to look for a Christmas gift (we have a family gift exchange on New Years day with all my siblings and all of our offspring).  While there I stopped to look at the Nook and was unable to just look by myself due to the sales person standing at the counter who was persistent in demonstrating it's features.  I am not going to give a review since I did not get hands on time but will tell you that the features shown seemed to be predetermined and orchestrated, having said that there were no glaring issues with what was shown and everything seemed to work the way the clerk wanted but I didn't see anything that would impress me enough to want a Nook over my Kindles.  I later found out that one of my Nephews (who is in Canada for work and not at our annual get together) has purchased a Nook.  I will be interested in finding out why he chose the Nook and not a Kindle.

As for the clerk that made that statement he has apparently not been given proper customer service training and needs to get a much needed refresher course.


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## kevindorsey (Mar 4, 2009)

B-Kay 1325 said:


> I recently went into a B&N to look for a Christmas gift (we have a family gift exchange on New Years day with all my siblings and all of our offspring). While there I stopped to look at the Nook and was unable to just look by myself due to the sales person standing at the counter who was persistent in demonstrating it's features. I am not going to give a review since I did not get hands on time but will tell you that the features shown seemed to be predetermined and orchestrated, having said that there were no glaring issues with what was shown and everything seemed to work the way the clerk wanted but I didn't see anything that would impress me enough to want a Nook over my Kindles. I later found out that one of my Nephews (who is in Canada for work and not at our annual get together) has purchased a Nook. I will be interested in finding out why he chose the Nook and not a Kindle.
> 
> As for the clerk that made that statement he has apparently not been given proper customer service training and needs to get a much needed refresher course.


That sucks. Why woudn't she just give you a Nook to play with?


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## Selcien (Oct 31, 2008)

> "I'd never own one of these. If you drop it, you've got nothing."


While the "you've got nothing" bit is a clear exaggeration as you're only out of the money it takes to fix or replace the device, I see nothing at all wrong with the general sentiment being expressed. Most everyone worries about dropping their gadgets to some degree, some worry more than others. I've been lucky in that I've dropped my PSP twice and it still works, I recently dropped my iPod about four feet onto hard concrete, some scratches on it from the fall, but still functional. I very much doubt that any of my e-readers would have survived that same drop.

E-readers are very nice but the fact is that they are far more prone to breakage than paper books.


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

Selcien said:


> While the "you've got nothing" bit is a clear exaggeration as you're only out of the money it takes to fix or replace the device, I see nothing at all wrong with the general sentiment being expressed.


When it is expressed by someone who is employed to sell the device, it is inappropriate. From the context I read, it was not even said in response to anything the customer said/asked, it was simply tossed out there.

In the event an employee were to discuss the general hardiness of the device, it would be far better to them to present the facts, and perhaps try to sell a protective case?


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

Selcien said:


> E-readers are very nice but the fact is that they are far more prone to breakage than paper books.


Everything I own is more prone to breaking than a paper book. I think generally people try to be careful in these days of various gadgets. But like Verena said, not really appropriate for an employee to make such a broad negative statement. 
deb


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Ann in Arlington said:


> That's a good point, Susan. . . . . .though, I would argue that if he's in his workplace and/or on the clock, he still ought to be careful about how he talks about the products of the company that gives him a paycheck.  I mean, clearly, someone NOT a friend of his overheard the comment. . . . .


True. If he wanted to give his mom/sister/girlfriend the facts about a device, he could have given them the "official" spiel in the store and then said quietly that he'd tell them more later at home, or something like that. I just meant that this was not necessarily said directly to a customer (though if it were, and if I were the manager of the store, that salesperson would likely be fired).


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## Malweth (Oct 18, 2009)

happyblob said:


> User generated content certainly looks more credible. But it's easy to fake/pay for reviews. Many companies have taken that route for less.


Bah! These are easy to spot. It's a poorly informed buyer who takes one point of info.

My favorite example are the rechargeable batteries "Tenergy" which often get high ratings (especially off-Amazon) but the 5-star Amazon reviews are so "golden" for the brand you can assume they're fake.

99.99%+ of the product reviews are real.

An example... (these show up all over the web) http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/product-reviews/719246


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

Selcien said:


> I recently dropped my iPod about four feet onto hard concrete, some scratches on it from the fall, but still functional.


Reminds me...when I walk with my iPod I hold it in the palm of my hand parallel to the ground. So one day -- pssshhht. Bird dropped a load square on it.  TG had kleenex with me. iPod was none the worse for it.


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## Selcien (Oct 31, 2008)

I do not care whether the manager would deem such a comment as "inappropriate" as I'm not his manager, nor am I, or have I ever been, employed by B&N.

The guy did not insult anyone that was interested in the device, he did not insult the device, he merely said that he wouldn't buy it. I do not have a problem with that comment, simple as that, and I really do not understand all of the posts over something that is nothing at all.

Now, if the guy had gone on and on about all of the things B&N has done wrong with the nook I still wouldn't be bothered by it, rather, I'd simply hope that he wouldn't get fired over it.


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