When the Barnes & Noble Nook was first unleashed in late 2009, most Nook reviews gave it a barely passing grade citing performance issues that the book company could have seen to before actual release. Heeding these calls, B & N then hastened to make upgrades to its hardware to bring the Nook up to standard. After a couple a version updates, let's see just how much better the device has gotten in this 2011 Nook review.
Overall Design and Size
Wireless Headphone Ipod
Not much has changed with the Nook's design since it was first introduced. The Nook's frame is a 7.7 by 4.9-inch white plastic bezel with a shiny finish on the front and a rubber-like material on the back. The Power button which doubles as Sleep control is located at the top of the device, while the bottom portion is where the headphone jack, USB port, and two speakers are found.
This ereader is just half an inch thick and weighs 12.1 ounces. While noticeably bigger and heavier than the industry forerunner, the Kindle 3, it is not that bulky and is still reasonably compact to use for long hours of reading.
Display and
The Nook is unique in that its display area is composed of two parts. On the upper portion is the 6-inch e-ink screen that's designated as the reading display and right below it is the 3.5-inch color LCD that's to be used for navigation. The colored portion of the display adds a dash of brightness to the grayscale e-ink screen. But just how well suited are the two displays for their intended uses?
Well, there has always been a consensus among consumers and manufacturers that e-ink is the best type of technology for ebook reading, specifically long form reading. In this regard, the e-ink display with its 16 shades of gray and 3 font sizes to choose from is just perfect. On the other hand, navigating within the device using the LCD touch screen can be a bit difficult. You'd have to remember to confine your touches to the lower part of the screen and this is not easy especially if you're used to full touch screen devices like smart phones and tablets.
Battery and Storage
The upgraded Nook already offers a battery life of 10 days with the wireless off. This is already pretty good and would prove to be quite useful when traveling for short periods. Still, this doesn't come close to the Amazon Kindle's battery that can last up to 30 days.
Nook users can already store up to 1,500 books with the ereader's 2G internal memory. If more is needed, then it's easy enough creating extra storage via the microSD slot which can accommodate up to 16GB of added memory.
Nook Review: What's the Verdict?
With access to more than 2 million titles and exclusive B & N features and technologies like LendMe, Stay in Sync, My Shelves, and Password Protection, the Nook now offers more value for money than before. The 9 (Wi-Fi + 3G) or 9 (Wi-Fi only) you shell out for the Nook is worth every cent.
True, it still has some catching up to do with the Amazon Kindle such as with the battery performance and compact size, but from what we've seen up close in this Nook review, the Barnes & Noble Nook is now a serious contender in the ebook reading industry.
Nook Review: The Barnes and Noble Nook Up CloseBedlam Insecticide Aerosol Coleman Food Cover Camera Remote Trigger Canon