Considering buying a nook

[cashmoney805]

Hey guys, new to the forum

I'm considering getting a Nook Color soon after learning it can be rooted. After rooting, is it basically a fully functional tablet? I'd expect it to be a little laggy and whatnot because it is marketed as solely an ebook reader. If it is like a smaller version of the iPad, $250 isn't bad at all.

What's the battery life like while web browsing/using media apps? Thanks guys!

 

[markiej]

I wouldn't go so far as to say it's fully functional, because it's missing important hard buttons (such as "back"), has no cameras, nor gps. There are also some compatibility issues with certain apps (all tablets seem to struggle with overall compatibility - I will say that the all-important Angry Birds works extremely well). What it does, it does really well. For example, it has an amazing screen. And a nice hw inside (fast cpu, good accelerometer & touch sensitivity, solid wifi) which keep things rather "unlaggy".

But, for me, the reason to get this over available devices in the 250-300 range is the screen.

Battery life has been pretty good (6-7 hours of mixed use), but online reviews can give more detail on that.

 

[mrtubz69]

It works wonders for just about everything, my mom has one and I wanna hack it!

Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using Android Tablet Forum App

 

[cashmoney805]

How do you guys find reading on it? I mainly read in my room at night and the lighting isn't great. I've played with the NC and it seems like it's good, but I haven't read on it for an extended period of time so don't know if it causes eye strain like when reading on a laptop for too long.

 

[JackOnan]

How do you guys find reading on it? I mainly read in my room at night and the lighting isn't great. I've played with the NC and it seems like it's good, but I haven't read on it for an extended period of time so don't know if it causes eye strain like when reading on a laptop for too long.

I've been using Moon+ reader(which seems to be the most full featured reader I've tried sofar - although it does have some issues with its menu being covered by the NC's notification bar) in custom night mode and I did experience some slight eye strain after several hours - but I was starting to fall aleep so could have been that I was just tired. I also did notice in some videos on youtube, with the Galaxy Tab and NC side by side, that the Nook Color screen was exhibiting some artifacts(scrolling vsync patterns) while the Galaxy was not. Note that this only appears in the video and not when using the NC first hand. I suspect the NC has a lower refresh rate than the Samsung Galaxy, which the naked eye cannot detect. It could have also been that the vsync of the Galaxy was more closely matched to the camera than the NC, but I did notice these patterns in several videos.

 

[rmr]

The color nook is a decent reader, especially for magazines and pictures. For straight books I still prefer the Kindle.


____________________________
Droid Pro rocks with keys

 

[cashmoney805]

The color nook is a decent reader, especially for magazines and pictures. For straight books I still prefer the Kindle.

Interesting. If it's not great for books I don't think I'll go with it. There are other droid tablets for around the same price (Acer I think) that I could download the Kindle app on. Thoughts?

 

[csrabear]

Interesting. If it's not great for books I don't think I'll go with it. There are other droid tablets for around the same price (Acer I think) that I could download the Kindle app on. Thoughts?

Do yourself a favor and try out every one of the ereaders/tablets and see which one is the best for your needs. I did and I found the Nook Color was the best fit for me. I especially found the WiFi N to be important to me. I bought my Nook primarily for reading but with the expectation that I could root it and make it more functional. I am well pleased and have no regrets. Hope this helps.

-Ray

 

[cashmoney805]

Do yourself a favor and try out every one of the ereaders/tablets and see which one is the best for your needs. I did and I found the Nook Color was the best fit for me. I especially found the WiFi N to be important to me. I bought my Nook primarily for reading but with the expectation that I could root it and make it more functional. I am well pleased and have no regrets. Hope this helps.

-Ray

that's a good point. Wish I could just play with a rooted one before buying a NC

 

[pez]

you could always buy the nook root it and if you didn't like it
set it back to factory settings and return it. I would check
the barns and noble return policy first tho.

 

[gadgetrants]

Interesting. If it's not great for books I don't think I'll go with it. There are other droid tablets for around the same price (Acer I think) that I could download the Kindle app on. Thoughts?

AFAIK there is no competition at the moment at the $250 pricepoint. I'm focusing on recognized brand names, and excluding lesser-known (Chinese made) tablets, which bring a different set of pros and cons (I'm personally pretty excited to see what Asus is bringing to the table). With CES coming up, we'll have lots of announcements, and presumably spring products. But I don't think the Nook will have a good competitor under $300 until June or July.

Now, on to a more important issue: Is the Nook Color an eReader? This is a REALLY important question. My answer is "No, it is not. It is an Android tablet."

Admittedly, off the shelf, the NC is designed to be an eReader, and that is how B&N intends us to use it. I am sure most consumers see it that way--indeed, most reviews pitch the device as an eReader. If one takes this stance, then I would argue that a dedicated eReader is a better option (lighter, better battery life, etc.). Unless having the ability to read color magazines is an issue. But all of that is a personal choice, so no debate on that issue.

Why I suggest we see it is an Android tablet is based on two reasons: First, its hardware is comparable to numerous other devices, and in fact it matches up well with the Samsung Galaxy Tab (touchscreen, display, processor, RAM). Second, if you're comfortable with rooting and modding, it takes about 30 minutes to convert it to a tablet and install dozens of Android apps. At that point calling it an eReader makes about as much sense as calling a smartphone a "device for making telephone calls".

Sorry for the rant buy hey it's my middle name. Each person should pick the device that best fits their needs...but using the NC exclusively as an eReader is not only overkill for the task but also sadly misses all the fun and enjoyment that the device is able to offer!

-Matt

 

[rico2001]

I love the NC for books so far, but I'm coming from reading books on my phone (lcd screen like the NC) and have never read a book on a typical ebook reader. Very easy on the eyes and you can adjust like if needed.