Barnes & Noble eBook Reader Nook REVIEW

What you get in the box:

• The Nook
  
• Micro-USB 2.0 cable
  
• Quick Start Guide
  
• AC adapter
  
• Rechargeable battery (installed)
  

Nook's easy-to-read E-Ink® display makes the reading experience more like a traditional book than a computer screen.

There is no glare or backlight, and with the adjustable text size, you can read on for hours without the discomfort of your eyes being tired out.

Try your eBook on your eReader before you buy.

You can download a free sample of any eBook from the store and not only discover new authors but also check out the most talked about books for free.

If you find something you like? It's immensely easy to buy and download the titles you want in seconds, with many bestsellers and new releases only at $9.99.

Nook makes it simple and easy to bookmark, highlight passages, or even make notes, with the built in tool called Reading Now.

You can use Reading Now, your virtual bookmark, to take you back to the last book you've read, right to the passage where you left off.

If you forget your Nook at home and are stuck on a bus, you can continue on reading with your iPhone or BlackBerry®, using Barnes & Noble's free eReader software.

Additionally, you can look up the meaning of words mid-sentence using the built-in dictionary.

• Compact Size
  The Nook is about the same size and weight as an average sized paperback book.
  
  Height: 7.7 inches
  Width: 4.9 inches
  Depth: 0.5 inches
  Weight: 11.2 ounces (317 grams)
  
  
• Expandable Storage
  * 2GB (approximately 1500 eBooks)
  * Expandable microSD slot (buy an extra 16 GB memory card and store up to 17,500).
  
  
• Paper-like Display
  * The most advanced E-ink Vizplex electronic paper display reads like the printed page
  * You can read in bright sunlight as clearly as inside your home
  * You can easily increase the font size so it's easy on your eyes.
  
  
• Color Touchscreen
  * 3.5 inch color touchscreen LCD.
  * One touch control and navigation.
  * Swipe to browse your library displayed via full-color book covers.
  
  
• Fast and Free Wireless
  Download books in seconds.
  * Free wireless from Barnes & Noble via AT&T, the nation's fastest 3G network. *
  * Wi-Fi ( 802.11 b/g).
  * Free Wi-Fi in all Barnes & Noble stores.
  
  
• Supported File Types
  * EPUB and eReader Formats
  * PDFs load easily and look great.
  * PDFs, MP3s and graphics load to your nook from your computer or micro SD card.
  * Use JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP files to create personal screensavers.
  
  
• Personalized Screen Saver
  * Customize your nook quickly and easily.
  * Load your own photos to create personal screen savers.
  * Keep a gallery of cherished pictures on your nook.
  
  
• Audio
  Use your nook as an MP3 player to listen to audio books or music. nook holds about 26 hours of audio.
  
  * MP3 player
  * Built-in mono speaker
  * Universal 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack
  
  
• Powerful Battery
  Read for days. You can read for up to ten days without recharging with wireless off.
  
  * Installed Rechargable battery.
  * Charging via USB to computer system or power adapter.
  * Charging time: 3.5 hours from wall outlet.
  

Below are 5 reasons why any one who loves to read books will love the Nook Review.

The Nook from Barnes and Noble is cost-efficient. Yep, at just $260, the Nook is the same price as Amazon's Kindle 2, but you get so much more for your money: Wi-Fi, an SD slot, native PDF support and that crazy double screen makes it seem eons out of the Kindle's league. It even makes the Sony Reader and iRex look insanely overpriced and the Plastic Logic Que look like some shot in the dark.

Lending and Sharing. One of the main objections that users of the Kindle and other eReaders have are that they tend to get most of their eBooks from friends, rather than bookstores, which all these previous eReaders don't allow much flexibility with. The Nook realizes that people do like to share their eBooks and allows for a 2-week lending period - plenty of time to read a book. Also, you can lend a book from your Nook to tons of different devices: Mac, PC, iPhone, iPod Touch, PC, Mac, BlackBerry, or Windows Mobile (soon).

Sharing is also done very well: As opposed to the Kindle where you can only read purchased ebooks on the same-account with an iPhone or iPod Touch, the actually Nook lets you read on any device supported, the most important of which are the PC and Mac.

So what does that mean?

This means that you and your significant other or anyone you choose to share your book with, can read the same book at the same time, on whatever devices each of you prefer. The Kindle, however, does not support PC and Mac at all - but I can bet you that Amazon is regretting that decision right about now - look out for this amazing feature to be on the Kindle 3! If that's not enough for you, then take a look at this - the Nook syncs both your place in the book (your nookmark) and any highlights or annotations that might have made, which could be a great feature for students to use.

Yep, it's weird, isn't it? I didn't believe it but once I saw it, it all made so much more sense. With the traditional single screen, browsing for books on e-ink was a workout on its own and a frustration, and the touchscreen e-ink was even worse. Bit with its capacitive double touchscreen, the Nook offers a keyboard and Cover-Flow-esque browsing that takes away the awkwardness and lethargy of e-ink, and more importantly, it opens the door for multitasking. You will be able to read a book and control your music at the same time, and since the music browser will be on the LCD screen, it won't look like some e-inked crap. It will also support photo browsing and the ability to set your own wallpaper. Cool, huh?

The Nook's comes with a 10-day battery life, which might not be just as long as the Kindle 2's 14 days, but with all the extra features it comes along with, you have to admit, 10 days is still bonzo. Additionally, the Nook's battery is replaceable, always a welcomed feature (you could have a spare battery, but when it eventually dies, it's always best and easy to simply replace).

There are two main things when it comes to Android.

First has to do with legit apps. B&N seem open to apps to introduce to the Nook, which will make the user experience in a totally different league to the Kindle and other existing eReaders. Picture this: Your iPod merged with an eBook reader - that's exactly what the Nook will feel like.

Second has to do with more illicit options: The Nook runs both the Android and microUSB jack. This microUSB will make it easy for hackers to get through. Imagine user-created apps, skins, games (in case you get bored of reading) - the possibilities are endless. The Nook already supports PDF natively (yippie!) but we could definitely see it hacked to embrace other formats like Word documents.

I am very interested in the Nook eReader as I do a lot of reading and to be honest, how cool would it be to be doing some bedtime reading with a light-weight Nook, not having to switch arms because you are getting tired of holding a traditional, heavy book.

For me, the Nook wins the battle with The Kindle by a landslide. The new features are of course noteworthy, but what stands out to me is that this is not another iPhone-esque product. Once everyone starts getting something and all your friends are going around with Kindles in their pockets, I feel better knowing I have a different one and The Nook seems to be perfect to do just that.

If you are considering an eReader for yourself or as a gift for someone, you should definitely consider the Nook for a more personal, advanced and genuine touch.