# Color Nook is "backlit for easy reading". What?



## Anne Victory

I got an email ad from BAM (Books-A-Million) today talking about the Color Nook.
http://www.booksamillion.com/p/F9781400532650?&ad=AD1101106

Apparently, among its other features, it's "backlit for easy reading". What? And "Up to 8 hours of battery!" More "What?!?" I feel like they're taking a step backwards.


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## caracara

Looks like an iPad, that only has one app!
Definitely looks like a step or two back.


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## monkeyluis

I think it's a nice simple device foe people outside of us who want to read. This will appeal to a mass market who want a low cost reading device but who also want to check email quickly & ha e some nice color books. I can give this to my dad & not have to do tech support......finally


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## bwbollom

Arkali said:


> Apparently, among its other features, it's "backlit for easy reading".


Well, it would be much easier to read the Color Nook in complete darkness than the Kindle


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## Barbiedull

I think they're trying to appeal to people who have not used an ereader. The "pretty factor" of the color backlit display will appeal to the eye _at first_, but in the long run your eyes will be screaming.


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## AmberLi

I considered the Nook Color for a little bit, because I don't mind reading on my phone too much, but then I realized it's wifi only and there are no page turn buttons - exactly what I hated about my tiny phone, even that much of a swiping motion is distracting!!


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## history_lover

Barbiedull said:


> I think they're trying to appeal to people who have not used an ereader. The "pretty factor" of the color backlit display will appeal to the eye _at first_, but in the long run your eyes will be screaming.


Not everyone has a problem reading for long periods on a backlit screen. I didn't. I read on my pc and phone for months before getting my Kindle. I do think eink looks better for text because it looks just like paper - but I don't NEED it.


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## Barbiedull

history_lover said:


> Not everyone has a problem reading for long periods on a backlit screen. I didn't. I read on my pc and phone for months before getting my Kindle. I do think eink looks better for text because it looks just like paper - but I don't NEED it.


It could be the age of the reader. Backlit type didn't bother me until recently, but I have never enjoyed reading on the computer for long periods because my eyes start to ache.


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## David Derrico

NEW & IMPROVED NOOK COLOR!

- Backlit LCD for easy reading!
- Heavier and more bulky, so it feels more solid in your hands!
- Up to 8 hour battery life* so you don't hurt your eyes from reading too much in one sitting!
- Touchscreen smudges add "depth" and "character" and are very "book-like"!
- More expensive than the Nook classic -- MUCH better for showing off your latest overpriced gadget to your friends!
- No 3G wireless, in order to protect you from the dangers of cell phone radiation!
- And, coming soon, even higher e-book prices, just like a real hardcover book!

* With wireless off, screen brightness set to the lowest setting, without running any apps or turning pages, when placed in your freezer. Rounded up to the nearest 8 hours.


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## Barbiedull

What would be really great is to be able to switch modes and have e-ink for plain text reading or backlit/color if you prefer that.


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## Anne Victory

David Derrico said:


> NEW & IMPROVED NOOK COLOR!
> 
> - Backlit LCD for easy reading!
> - Heavier and more bulky, so it feels more solid in your hands!
> - Up to 8 hour battery life* so you don't hurt your eyes from reading too much in one sitting!
> - Touchscreen smudges add "depth" and "character" and are very "book-like"!
> - More expensive than the Nook classic -- MUCH better for showing off your latest overpriced gadget to your friends!
> - No 3G wireless, in order to protect you from the dangers of cell phone radiation!
> - And, coming soon, even higher e-book prices, just like a real hardcover book!
> 
> * With wireless off, screen brightness set to the lowest setting, without running any apps or turning pages, when placed in your freezer. Rounded up to the nearest 8 hours.


LMAO Quite a pitch you've got there. Maybe you should work for B&N


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## monkeyluis

AmberLi said:


> I considered the Nook Color for a little bit, because I don't mind reading on my phone too much, but then I realized it's wifi only and there are no page turn buttons - exactly what I hated about my tiny phone, even that much of a swiping motion is distracting!!


I don't swipe. I just tap. The way I hold it is just where the buttons would be so I can just tap with my thumb.


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## lori_piper

history_lover said:


> Not everyone has a problem reading for long periods on a backlit screen. I didn't. I read on my pc and phone for months before getting my Kindle. I do think eink looks better for text because it looks just like paper - but I don't NEED it.


Exactly this.

That 8-hour battery life, though, is a dealbreaker.


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## mlewis78

I never seriously considered buying a Kindle until I learned that it is NOT backlit.


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## hannahi

When I read on my ipod touch, unless I'm in bright sunlight,  I use the inverse text setting. I find it to be much easier on the eyes that the regular setting--not as good as an e-ink screen though. But it's very hand for reading in bed. That's one of the reasons I ordered the color nook. I can't easily afford an Ipad at this point, otherwise that's what I'd be using to read in bed.


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## Barbiedull

hannahi said:


> When I read on my ipod touch, unless I'm in bright sunlight, I use the inverse text setting. I find it to be much easier on the eyes that the regular setting--not as good as an e-ink screen though. But it's very hand for reading in bed. That's one of the reasons I ordered the color nook. I can't easily afford an Ipad at this point, otherwise that's what I'd be using to read in bed.


Does the Nook have inverse text?


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## monkeyluis

Barbiedull said:


> Does the Nook have inverse text?


The color one I'm sure will. The nook app does it on the iPad.


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## Will Write for Gruel

So if you want to read a book with color illustrations on a Kindle, what do you do? What about magazines with color photos? Seems to me there's a place for a portable color e-reader, even if it doesn't use e-ink. 

And hey, millions of people love a touch interface now. 

The worst thing about the color Nook is the price. I'm much more likely to grab the $139 wifi Kindle than I am to get the color Nook at $249, but it does sound nice in a lot of ways. And it's half the price of the entry level iPad.


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## Pinworms

David Derrico said:


> NEW & IMPROVED NOOK COLOR!
> 
> - Backlit LCD for easy reading!
> - Heavier and more bulky, so it feels more solid in your hands!
> - Up to 8 hour battery life* so you don't hurt your eyes from reading too much in one sitting!
> - Touchscreen smudges add "depth" and "character" and are very "book-like"!
> - More expensive than the Nook classic -- MUCH better for showing off your latest overpriced gadget to your friends!
> - No 3G wireless, in order to protect you from the dangers of cell phone radiation!
> - And, coming soon, even higher e-book prices, just like a real hardcover book!
> 
> * With wireless off, screen brightness set to the lowest setting, without running any apps or turning pages, when placed in your freezer. Rounded up to the nearest 8 hours.


Haha. For "Heavier and more bulky" you could also say it is more effective as a self-defense tool if you are being mugged (though it will void your warranty).


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## history_lover

Barbiedull said:


> It could be the age of the reader. Backlit type didn't bother me until recently, but I have never enjoyed reading on the computer for long periods because my eyes start to ache.


Well I just found a grey hair so I'm not that young...


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## David Derrico

Pinworms said:


> Haha. For "Heavier and more bulky" you could also say it is more effective as a self-defense tool if you are being mugged (though it will void your warranty).


You must be in marketing.


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## Hair of the Dog

It's a reading device for people who do not read.  The entire list of "features" is, as several have suggested, a wild exercise in cognitive dissonance.


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## Kathelm

The one application I see for the nook color would be magazines and comic books.  It could do those far better than than an black and white eink screen, and the battery life wouldn't even get in the way.

Other than that, fail.


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## heragn

David Derrico said:


> NEW & IMPROVED NOOK COLOR!
> 
> - Backlit LCD for easy reading!
> - Heavier and more bulky, so it feels more solid in your hands!
> - Up to 8 hour battery life* so you don't hurt your eyes from reading too much in one sitting!
> - Touchscreen smudges add "depth" and "character" and are very "book-like"!
> - More expensive than the Nook classic -- MUCH better for showing off your latest overpriced gadget to your friends!
> - No 3G wireless, in order to protect you from the dangers of cell phone radiation!
> - And, coming soon, even higher e-book prices, just like a real hardcover book!
> 
> * With wireless off, screen brightness set to the lowest setting, without running any apps or turning pages, when placed in your freezer. Rounded up to the nearest 8 hours.


ROFLMBO Hilarious and so accurate. Sorry Nook, I'm going to stick with my "old clunky" (catch the sarcasm) Kindle WiFi


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## KevinMcLaughlin

I can see it as a useful gadget for folks who don't read more than 8 hours at a stretch.  Yeah, a lot of us here DO read that much sometimes, so it's not the best tool for us.  I'd be ticked off if I was 8 hours into a new book (which for me is like 150,000 words or so) and the battery went out.

I was in B&N the other day and checked out the color Nook.  I asked the folks there about it a little.  Seems like one of the main groups it's hitting are teens and young adults.  A eInk display looks pretty boring compared to the fancy 3-5" screen LCD smartphones everyone is walking around with these days...  No video?  What do you mean, no video  =)  The color Nook runs video apps, can play movies, etc.  Little more versatile.  The other group that seems to be interested (and it's what got my interest) is parents.  I have twin four year olds.  They're JUST on the cusp of learning to read - was reading with one of them last night and she had about 80% of the words in the kid's book we were reading.  Was amazing.    But the color Nook has a bunch of children's picture books.  And a good number of those have an audiobook component, where a voice reads the work.  That's a pretty powerful combination, and is perfect for those kids right at the cusp of learning to read.

Would I invest $250 in helping my kids learn to read?  I'm seriously thinking about it.


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## mlewis78

If black text is boring for some kids, then the videos would be a total distraction on the Color Nook for them.


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## heragn

The Color Nook sounds interesting but $250 for a border-line new reader? Um, not a chance! My son is learning to read and I'm gettin him the V-Smile ereader for beginners. It reads the story or they can read it themselves. Also, offers help with difficult words. I don't think I would trust a child under the age of 15 with an expensive ereader like Nook or Kindle.  Just my humble opinion.


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## Geoffrey

I can see where younger, casual readers might like this item ... but then I can't see all that many casual readers shelling out the money for a dedicated device ....


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## Selcien

The "backlit for easy reading" is absolutely correct, 'cause, like it or not, the quality of an e-ink screen is 100% reliant on external lighting, so the better the lighting is the better the screen is, the worse the lighting is the worse the screen is, even the new Pearl screen.

I got my nook color yesterday (early Christmas present). I read on it last night in a lightless room, night setting, lowest brightness setting, and I was very comfortable reading on it, far more comfortable than I've been with e-ink excepting for when I'm reading outside or when I have a bright light shining right on the screen, which is not at all indicative of the normal lighting conditions that I have to read in.

It's not about whether a device is backlit but whether the device is backlit in a way that bothers you or not. I've tried reading on my desktop and laptop, and hated it, but the screen that B&N chose to use is much easier on my eyes than they are. Now if only they'd hurry up and update it so it's not such a pain to post on (had to keep switching from landscape view to portrait and back to finish this post.)


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## Will Write for Gruel

Geoffrey said:


> I can see where younger, casual readers might like this item ... but then I can't see all that many casual readers shelling out the money for a dedicated device ....


Yeah, except it's also a web browser and something you can use for magazines as well. It can play some video too, and of course music, though the built-in speakers aren't very good. It has an earphone jack though.

If you think of it as a reader that's also a bit of a multimedia device, the cost is easier to justify. I do think B&N should try to get it to $199.


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