This officially goes in the category of Devices I Really Want To Play Around With And Probably Own, But They're Way Down The List Of Things I Can Justify Paying Money For. Right next to the Zune HD. #barnesnoblenook
I'd be interested in one of these, but only if/when it can at least do all the formats that my Sony reader can do. If it can do .doc, .rtf, and .txt, then I'm sold. Can't wait to see it get hacked. #barnesnoblenook
I've been reading a ton of books on my iPhone. So getting a second ebook reader doesn't seem all that necessary, but I really want to know what Apple is gonna come up with. It seems like if they take too long they won't be the ones starting the fad this time though. Come on Apple you are slacking. #barnesnoblenook
@ilovexspin: "The black dude"? That's Ice-T! If you've never heard of him, that makes me sad and you're too young. Go watch an episode of Law & Order SVU Ice-T is "the black dude". He also was a decent rapper who is one of the few who really did come up from selling crack/cocaine on the streets of South Central LA in the gangs and made something out of himself. #barnesnoblenook
@Gators15: If your first instinct is to go with Law & Order: SVU, that makes me sad, and you're too young. He was much, much more than "a decent rapper." #barnesnoblenook
@92BuickLeSabre: I was trying to stay within this kid's comprehension level, sorry. And I say "decent rapper" only because I don't like rap and never have. I do appreciate his work as I appreciate many rapper's works, it's just not my kind of music. #barnesnoblenook
Why in the world is B&N the one coming up with this stuff. It must have taken them significantly more work than it did for, say, a Sony.
No excuse electronics giants or online/software groundbreakers. No excuse. You just got out-gadgeted by a frickin brick and morter book store. #barnesnoblenook
@frigg: Way surprising. Plus it's harder to make the argument that they are morons. (vs. making the argument that Sony are morons. Which is pretty easy. See: "Sony? Morons." Easy.) #barnesnoblenook
I don't think the Nook offers a lot of advantage over the Kindle for people who are interested in ebook readers. Everything that is potential offered by this "second screen", WiFi, and the promise of Android is really better offered by a netbook, and people who buy ebook readers buy them for one reason; to read books. That said, I think that B&N has come out with a strong offering right out of the gate, and with their retail advantage and strong publisher relationships it may very well make a good showing - certainly better than Zune/iPod did. I'd even say, as a Kindle loyalist, that I would strongly consider a Nook as a gift this holiday season, provided of course that it can deliver on the promise. #barnesnoblenook
@cardboredbox: hefty helga had been unable to meet her hefty quota in these lean years, so naturally hefty helga perked up as her hefty ears overheard carboredbox ask her pimp that question. #barnesnoblenook
Why can't anyone make a reader that's just a well-made, durable screen? Why does every one need to be browsing-capable? Does every company seriously fucking think that the people buying these don't have computers?
Just make a friggin screen for christ's sake. That's it. No MP3 playback, that's fucking retarded. NO second screen to act as a "media center", that's stupid. A good screen for 60 bucks. And make it waterproof so I can finally read in the goddamn tub. #barnesnoblenook
@Pope John Peeps II: Yeah, I'd pay around $150 for one... what I don't get is how the units are basically single-function by the nature of the screen, but they try to cram in every extra feature and gadget that they can and drive up the price.
I'd love to love an ebook reader, but I currently have an iPod Touch that costs the same or less and does 10x as much, so all I'm looking for is a justification to buy a reader with what functionality they have, and all I can think of is that it'd be neat to see the screen in person some time.
"It's cost effective... you're getting so much more for your money"
I don't want more, because they're so expensive I'm not spending any money or getting anything. Wireless book downloading? Really? I just want a reader that can do textfiles and remember where I last read. It doesn't make the Sony reader look absurdly overpriced - it makes the Nook look $60 more overpriced than the Sony pocket reader because most features are superfluous to me.
Lend books for 2 weeks:
Nice... I guess it's good enough for a quick preview to see if you want to buy the book. It's ok, because it'll probably be another 3-5 years before I see someone I don't even know with an e-ink reader of any brand. I don't know anyone who would read it on another digital device either (which is sad... I'll read on a PC, PSP, PDA, etc...)
Free in-store reading:
*cough* ok... so that's brilliant! Exactly the kind of thing that helps people transition to these devices! I'd hang out in bookstores more if I had this feature on anything.
Looks: No one really makes a good looking reader yet, but I'm cool with that; the more non-screen you add, the more bulk. That photo makes the touch screen really stand out from the dimly lit, hard to read e-ink screen though. It looks like it's harsh in a dim room...
Android: I'd think the screen would hold it back from a lot of functionality, but I haven't read much about Android since I heard about the remote kill-switch for apps Google doesn't like.
Second screen: Can't say... I've never seen an e-ink reader in person because they're so expensive no one for miles has one, so I don't know if navigating on them is too cumbersome. Could be useful, but hopefully it dims the screen to match ambient light, and shuts off fast when reading.
Battery life: Is good for any reader. 5 hours would be alright if it charges by USB... If it's over a week, you won't hear any complaints from me.
3G and Wi-fi: Even if it were $10 worth of chips (I'd guess $60?) can I opt out and save from the cost of the device? I mean... what's < 1/10th of a second per book copying to a memory card if you could load a card once and read it all year? Even 32MB of onboard memory would serve pretty well for book reading...
So ultimately, I'm just looking for a low-feature, low-cost reader with an e-ink screen, but the current obsession seems to be with putting a whole laptop into them - except even most laptops don't have features like 3G connectivity! It's like shopping for the world's most advanced coffee cup, complete with GPS, cel phone, day planner, web browser, flashlight, etc, starting at $100, when all you need is a cup to hold coffee, lol #barnesnoblenook
@fuchikoma: You mean the same remote kill switch that iPhone, Pre, Windows Mobile, and Blackberry all have on their app stores too? The one that's used ONLY for viruses and not just for "apps they don't like" (which has already been tested when they removed some tethering apps from the market but didn't remote uninstall them).
Not to mention Android lets you get your apps from anywhere, and the remote kill switch doesn't work on apps that weren't installed from the official (but optional) market app.
Of course, this is all a moot point since the kill switch has never been used and probably never will be. Even if it is, it'll be used against apps that provide no usefulness to anyone and you'll never miss them. If you think Google is going to remotely uninstall an app that you like, you're completely misunderstanding the point. #barnesnoblenook
@chefgon: Yes, that switch. It's been good so far, but everything was fine on the Kindles until the copies of 1984 suddenly vanished once Amazon had a compelling reason to remove them. What if someone found a way to remove apps by using such functionality in an attack? I don't have to compromise to get a comparable device without a backdoor, so even if I didn't feel strongly about it, I'd still simply get something that could not happen on.
@fuchikoma: I was going to come here and write this EXACT COMMENT, but you did it earlier and better. Most of these features that they are trying to sell us in e-book readers are entirely unnecessary. Don't need WiFi, don't need a second screen, don't need a keyboard - I'm still reading books on my Palm Vx, and all I want is a bigger screen and maybe Mobipocket.
Do you hear that Palm - STOP MAKING PHONES THAT SUCK and start making Palm PDAs with bigger screens! #barnesnoblenook
@Pope John Peeps II: MP3 playback is NOT retarded, when you consider audiobooks. Otherwise, I quite agree with you.
The problem is that manufacturers are trying to make these convergence devices, which most early adopters already HAVE in their cell phones. #barnesnoblenook
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So it's, in essence, a non-touchscreen PADD? Seems like Star Wars and Star Trek tech is imminent.
10/22/09
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[gizmodo.com] #gizmodoremainders
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No excuse electronics giants or online/software groundbreakers. No excuse. You just got out-gadgeted by a frickin brick and morter book store. #barnesnoblenook
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Just make a friggin screen for christ's sake. That's it. No MP3 playback, that's fucking retarded. NO second screen to act as a "media center", that's stupid. A good screen for 60 bucks. And make it waterproof so I can finally read in the goddamn tub. #barnesnoblenook
10/20/09
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I'd love to love an ebook reader, but I currently have an iPod Touch that costs the same or less and does 10x as much, so all I'm looking for is a justification to buy a reader with what functionality they have, and all I can think of is that it'd be neat to see the screen in person some time.
"It's cost effective... you're getting so much more for your money"
I don't want more, because they're so expensive I'm not spending any money or getting anything. Wireless book downloading? Really? I just want a reader that can do textfiles and remember where I last read. It doesn't make the Sony reader look absurdly overpriced - it makes the Nook look $60 more overpriced than the Sony pocket reader because most features are superfluous to me.
Lend books for 2 weeks:
Nice... I guess it's good enough for a quick preview to see if you want to buy the book. It's ok, because it'll probably be another 3-5 years before I see someone I don't even know with an e-ink reader of any brand. I don't know anyone who would read it on another digital device either (which is sad... I'll read on a PC, PSP, PDA, etc...)
Free in-store reading:
*cough* ok... so that's brilliant! Exactly the kind of thing that helps people transition to these devices! I'd hang out in bookstores more if I had this feature on anything.
Looks: No one really makes a good looking reader yet, but I'm cool with that; the more non-screen you add, the more bulk. That photo makes the touch screen really stand out from the dimly lit, hard to read e-ink screen though. It looks like it's harsh in a dim room...
Android: I'd think the screen would hold it back from a lot of functionality, but I haven't read much about Android since I heard about the remote kill-switch for apps Google doesn't like.
Second screen: Can't say... I've never seen an e-ink reader in person because they're so expensive no one for miles has one, so I don't know if navigating on them is too cumbersome. Could be useful, but hopefully it dims the screen to match ambient light, and shuts off fast when reading.
Battery life: Is good for any reader. 5 hours would be alright if it charges by USB... If it's over a week, you won't hear any complaints from me.
3G and Wi-fi: Even if it were $10 worth of chips (I'd guess $60?) can I opt out and save from the cost of the device? I mean... what's < 1/10th of a second per book copying to a memory card if you could load a card once and read it all year? Even 32MB of onboard memory would serve pretty well for book reading...
So ultimately, I'm just looking for a low-feature, low-cost reader with an e-ink screen, but the current obsession seems to be with putting a whole laptop into them - except even most laptops don't have features like 3G connectivity! It's like shopping for the world's most advanced coffee cup, complete with GPS, cel phone, day planner, web browser, flashlight, etc, starting at $100, when all you need is a cup to hold coffee, lol #barnesnoblenook
10/20/09
Not to mention Android lets you get your apps from anywhere, and the remote kill switch doesn't work on apps that weren't installed from the official (but optional) market app.
Of course, this is all a moot point since the kill switch has never been used and probably never will be. Even if it is, it'll be used against apps that provide no usefulness to anyone and you'll never miss them. If you think Google is going to remotely uninstall an app that you like, you're completely misunderstanding the point. #barnesnoblenook
10/20/09
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10/21/09
Word.
Take away all of those flashing lights and sparkly doo-dads and just give me a screen on which I can read stuff, making notes via stylus.
And ditto on price. There's no reason these things should be more than like $90.
10/21/09
@(Starman) AnalysisDialysis:
It seems to be a bad idea to rant on a series of points at once... (;゚ー゚) #barnesnoblenook
10/21/09
Do you hear that Palm - STOP MAKING PHONES THAT SUCK and start making Palm PDAs with bigger screens! #barnesnoblenook
10/21/09
The problem is that manufacturers are trying to make these convergence devices, which most early adopters already HAVE in their cell phones. #barnesnoblenook