Up Close With New 'Nook' E-Reader From Barnes & Noble
Suddenly, here in the second half of 2009, it seems as though e-readers -- those portable digital devices that can hold thousands of books and use easy-on-the-eyes E-ink -- are finally going mainstream. Yesterday, Barnes & Noble threw its own hat into the ring by unveiling the Nook. This 6-inch digital reader boasts: a built-in, full-color, navigational touchscreen at the bottom; 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity for wireless, straight-to-device book downloading; and innovative ability to share entire books with other cell-phone-, computer-, or e-reader-wielding friends. The Nook joins the iRex DR 800SG and the Plastic Logic Que -- two other Barnes & Noble-compatible e-readers that will launch before the end of the year. (For a list of other new e-readers that have either recently or are soon to hit the market, check out this roundup.)
So what's different about the Nook? Well, mainly, it's that little LCD touchscreen at the bottom. As you can see from the pictures below, it lets you scroll through book covers and menu commands. In addition, it transforms into a touchscreen keyboard, perfect for book and author searches. The little color screen certainly looks cool and makes for a different kind of navigation, but we're wondering just what the power-sucking LCD technology is going to do to the Nook's battery life. In its product spec sheet, Barnes & Noble says the battery will last for "up to" 10 days with the wireless off. For our part, we're guessing that's a big "up to," seeing as our up-to-14-days-with-wireless-off Amazon Kindle only lasts about half that long. Also, though it looks cool from a distance, the recessed LCD seems to be clamped onto the bottom, afterthought-style, giving it a cheesy, gratuitous look, in our opinion. The proof will be in the pudding, however. In other words, just how smoothly and quickly will this touchscreen work? Will it offer as seamless an experience as the iPhone's?
_thumbnail.jpg "Vintage Keyboards")
