It has been less than two years since the first NOOK (it’s all capitalized for some reason) appeared, and although we have seen the emergence of a color, tablet version last fall, the original E-Ink reader hasn’t changed much. Well, that is, until today. Barnes & Noble decided to do a little re-engineering. Read on for the deets. THE DEETS, I SAY.
As discussed the other day, the Barnes & Noble nook has received a new software update via some sort of fantastical voodoo otherwise known as wifi. I’ve had a couple of days to play with the new features. Let’s make some arbitrary observations on how good or bad they are.
It may come as no surprise that we (read: I) are excited for the newest version of nook software to roll out. I have had mine for around two months and really enjoy it. Today, Barnes & Noble released version 1.3 for its little e-reader that could. Let’s see what they’ve done.
According to the B & N eReader blog, 1.3 brings a few interesting features. Take note, though, that this update (it’s around 64mb) will not be pushed over 3G; you will have to either side-mount the update or download it over wifi.
That’s pretty much the rundown. My nook is currently updating as we speak (we’re not speaking right now, in all honesty). We’ll have an update on how great 1.3 is soon. I say “great” only in that mine just restarted and the bottom menu has changed for the awesome.
You can download the update here.
I might have lied the other day when I said I’d had the last word on the nook. There’s no last word, people; none. This weekend Barnes & Noble pushed out an update for our little book reader: software version 1.2.
Gizmodo has the full scoop on what was updated, but here are is the nitty gritty on what has changed:
So it has been one full week with my nook, and how does it stack up? Are books in paper form dead? Well, I don’t think so, but we’re getting to the point where they’re becoming less…necessary.
First, let’s begin with some product design. As reported earlier this week, I received the nook – the name is not capitalized – as a gift for Christmas. Barnes & Noble did not account for the demand of their new product, and as such I was stuck high and dry for two months waiting on mine to arrive. (Through various sources – i.e. someone who bought one this week – they are now shipping at an expedient rate.) The device comes in interesting packaging, housed in a thick, clear plastic container that displays the nook like it was an artifact dug from Tutankhamun’s tomb (I’m sure Howard Carter would have loved to find this thing in there; Lord Carnarvan, not so much). Once inside, the nook comes out with some effort, and you will find a USB cable that can be used to plug it into your PC or to the included wall charger. The unit also has a headphone port for listening to MP3′s/audiobooks/whatever and a pair of speakers on the bottom. I have yet to play any audio through the speakers, so I cannot attest to how good they are. But enough of all of the stuff that was covered in the video, how does it feel?
Today I got myself a fancy new Barnes & Noble Nook. The long and short of it is that it’s pretty fun to use and the screen looks great. I don’t have much time right now to discuss a whole lot about it, but I made a fun unboxing video:
I hope to have some more in depth thoughts about it soon, once I’ve had a chance to play with it more. Enjoy!
So not too long ago I may or may not have written a fairly gushing preview of the Barnes & Noble Nook, a portable E-Reader machine that has a color touchscreen that sits along the bottom. I mean, really, it does look sexy. Look at that thing. Who wouldn’t want one? How it could it be anything less than pure awesome? As it gets closer and closer to its debut, review copies have now been sent around, and Engadget has weighed in. Here’s a snippet:
Throughout our testing with the Nook we vacillated between being completely charmed by the aesthetics of the reader, and completely frustrated by the way it actually works.
Oh my. Head over to Engadget for their full review.
Over the passed couple of years the eBook craze has all went nuts. While some early adopters went to Sony and others, picking up their respective readers, it wasn’t until Amazon kicked open the door like Steven Seagal with their Kindle that eBook readers became really popular. And truth be told, this writer has had a nerd crush on the Kindle since its inception but has never had the extra monies to pick one up. The Kindle dominated market, however, may be up to some stiff competition if Barnes & Noble has their way. Last week, to confirm many rumors, B&N unveiled its take on the eBook reader, and it is one sexy piece of plastic.
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