The Nook Touch – More Than Just A Touch Screen
It’s very easy, when considering the newly upgraded Nook reader from Barnes and Noble, to focus on the new touch screen control, e-ink technology display. It is a bit of a big deal after all.
Most people will be accustomed to touch screen controls on their personal electronic gadgets these days. Many will find a touch screen easier and more intuitive to use. Even those (like me) who don’t feel that an ebook reader suffers very much from a lack of touch screen controls will (like me) have prodded their unresponsive Kindle screen in the odd, absent minded, moment from time to time.
Apart from the improved user interface, the Nook’s inclusion of touch screen controls means that a QWERTY keypad is not required. The result of this is that it can be made smaller and lighter, which is ideal for a portable device. Even if you don’t intend to do a lot of reading on the go, a smaller, lighter device is easier to handle and manipulate. In fact, the new Nook is an inch shorter and an ounce lighter than the current Kindle – although the Kindle 4 is rumored to be on the way and only time will tell if the Nook’s current advantage will still exist after that update.
Some Other Good Features About The Nook Touch
However, as nice as it is, there are some other very nice touches to the new Nook. Sticking with the display for the moment, page turns on the Nook generate a lot less flicker than on other readers. The Nook also has a scrolling feature, which many people will find appealing, and which may prove handy when reading newspapers or magazines.
Nook owners can also choose from 7 different font sizes and set bookmarks and highlight passages as they read.
Another feature which will surely be popular with many prospective customers is the provision of a slot for an SD memory card. The already existing 2GB of memory can be boosted to 32GB using this. That’s enough for around about 28,000 books.
Battery life is also excellent. Barnes and Noble calculate that, based upon an average of thirty minutes reading each day, Nook users can expect to go for a couple of months between battery charges. Clearly if you read for longer, the time between charges will reduce. However, your Nook will not run out of juice on a short vacation or business trip. You should be able to leave your charger at home.
Another nice touch with the Nook is the ability to upload your own photos and images. These can then be used as your screen saver page if you wish.
When it comes to reading material, Barnes and Noble claim to have the largest bookstore in the world. Nook users can choose from over 2 million titles, including books, newspapers and magazines. As with the Amazon Kindle titles, many of these are free. Unlike the Kindle titles, Barnes and Noble books are supplied in EPUB format. However, a word of caution may be in order. Do not assume that because two different readers both use EPUB, that you will be able to transfer books from one to the other. It will depend upon the protection placed on each ebook by the publishers.
Barnes And Noble Are Committed To The Nook
One of the really big selling points for the Nook reader, in my opinion at least, has nothing to do with the technical aspects. It isn’t even related to user friendliness or other “soft” benefits. It is simply the fact that Barnes and Noble are 110% committed to the Nook reader.
At a time when sales from their traditional bricks and mortar retail outlets have been generally declining slightly, B&N has seen digital sales – the Nook reader and the books that go with it – soar by 50%. In other words, the Nook is an extremely important product for Barnes and Noble – which means that, unlike some other readers, it is likely to enjoy a long life and be around for some years to come.
Nook Touch Video Review
Back to ebook reader home – or have a look at Kindle 4 Kindle Touch Kindle Fire