I wanted to like it, but I also love books too much. So when I went into Barnes and Noble lately and saw the Nook, the new digital reader, I have to say that my first impression was good. The design is wonderful: sleek, easy to hold. However, when I started to press buttons and actually interact with the device I was most unimpressed. Many of my complaints are actually the same as this review from Engadget. Here are some excerpts from the review:
“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. In many ways the Nook has a leg up on the competition — not just by its presence in Barnes & Noble stores (though that helps), but by providing an attractive package and feature set, offering personalization (via add ons and accessories), a huge selection of books, perks like the LendMe feature, that color screen, and the excellent buying experience. On the other hand, when it came to day to day use, we felt let down in a big way, and can only imagine how magnified that feeling would be if we’d gone and shelled out nearly $300 for the device.”
David Pogue was even more to the point in his review today in the New York Times: “Unfortunately, we, the salivating public, might be afflicted with a little holiday disease of our own: Sucker Syndrome. Every one of the Nook’s vaunted distinctions comes fraught with buzz kill footnotes.” He also notes how slow the Nook is, something I experienced firsthand in the store. None of the salespeople know how to use them, and the device was so slow that you couldn’t tell whether the device responded to your touch or not. Pogue explains”
“Often, you tap some button on the color strip — and nothing happens. You wait for the Nook to respond, but there’s no progress bar, no hourglass, no indication that the Nook “heard†you. So you tap again — but now you’ve just triggered a second command that you didn’t want.
“It takes four seconds for the Settings panel to open, 18 seconds for the bookstore to appear (over Wi-Fi), and 8 to 15 seconds to open a book or newspaper for the first time, during which you stare at a message that says “Formatting.—
I am a big Barnes and Noble fan; I’m a member and I make most of my purchases at their stores. But I think I am going to wait on the e-reader. Please Apple, announce that you are making a Tablet computer and solve all of my problems.
