Barnes & Noble - NOOK 3G+WiFi eReader - White/Gray

Though I absolutely LOVE my Nook, which I received as a birthday present, I have to admit that there are several issues with it that I wish I knew before I asked for it. The instruction leaflet (it's literally a small piece of paper) that comes with it is very minimal, so don't expect to get much help there. When I first opened up my gift, I plugged it in immediately. After an hour or so I tried to play with it only to find that it was frozen and this has happed a few times since. It's freezed a few times, usually it comes back after shutting it down and powering it back on. A couple of weeks ago, it froze for an entire day and wouldn't turn on no matter what I did. I called CS and was assured that this happens often. I was instructed to take out the battery and plug it in. Odd thing is that I had tried that on my own to no avail. Never the less.. it worked again. The pages turn much too slowly, even after the recent software upgrade. It's somewhat heavy and the design is not ergonomic, making it a bit awkward to hold for a long amount of time. I'm a book fiend and read for hours every day. The battery life is pretty good so long as you don't use the apps (soduku, chess, web, shopping, etc.). Using the latter will drain the battery really fast, which is going to be a huge issue given the apps with the recent upgrade. The touchpad is also not as responsive as we've become used to with touchscreen technology. The screens tend to smudge and the glare can be annoying even with the protective covers, which by the way can be a drag to apply. I also find that the books cost just about as much as paper ones. It's also not backlit, so you have to get the light and it doesn't latch on well when you have silicone cover on. Though more esthetic than functional, there are also not very many cute and affordable covers for the Nook. The leather ones can be expensive and the silicone covers gather every spec of dust within a 10 mile radius. Given all of the negatives, you'd think that I wouldn't like my Nook, but like I said...I LOVE IT!!! It's cute and very convenient to just download any book I want rather than make my monthly trip to B&N to buy more books. It seems that the possibility for new apps is great. I would definitely recommend this.

Once you learn how to use this device it's great. Learning to use it is more painful than necessary. The display is very clear even in direct sunlight. You have a choice of 3 type fonts and 4 type sizes. The device uses the Android operating system, which allows software upgrades to be downloaded to fix problems or improve features and performance; several have already been released, and by now the Nook performs much better and has more features than it did in early reviews. I received this product just before going on a trip and tried to learn to use it from the enclosed documentation. I finally had to give up and call my daughter (who sells Nooks) to get some hints on what to do. The color touch screen is a nice touch. One of the features not covered clearly in the manual is that you scroll up and down or left and right to access all of the options on the screen. And more options keep coming -- they just added a couple of games and a web browser. You are going to need internet access to do several necessary things with the Nook. You need to open and account with Barnes & Noble on their website and register your device. B&N demands that you have a default credit card on file before you can download books; this can't be done using the Nook. If you are getting tight on space and want to delete items such as samples of books that you downloaded to look at you have to do this through the website. My daughter tells me that you can archive books (leaving them available for the future) through the Nook, but I haven't figured out how yet. Several features made the Nook my first choice for an ereader. --Since you don't have to touch the large screen it stays clear and easy to read, unlike the Sony devices. --It doesn't require a stylus to work, unlike the iRex. --You can download Google Books for free, unlike the Kindle. --It uses epub open format rather than Amazon's proprietary one. --You can replace the battery yourself. --You can add memory and expand the number of books you have available. --Barnes & Noble lets you browse books in their store for free before buying.

I loved reading. I used to read all the time. However, I am horrible at returning library books and loathe the idea of killing trees for books that I may on read only once. I was VERY interested in eReaders. From work experience, I KNEW I could not read on a computer screen. The eye strain is unbearable. I got my nook from my husband for our sixth anniversary. I came to use it with no expectations, no prior experience with any other brand. I simply wanted an "ereader" I could read anywhere. I tend to be mildly ADHD but find I can occupy my mind reading when there isn't a TV available. My husband is somewhat thrilled and disillusioned. I do not watch near the amount of TV as I used to, but now, I am grossly absorbed into reading. As for the nook; if you have never used another eReader device and have no expectations, it is great. I do not know the pros/cons of other devices, and personally, I do not care. I find most critics of "other" ereaders are owners of the Amazon kindle, and well, they sound rather snobbish about their kindles. I have no brand loyalty. What I did appreciate about B&N and their nook as that I have access to wifi at home and away and can get books without having to have my computer or anything else with me. I like the selection at B&N. I think ALL ebook prices are too high for what you get, regardless of your brand loyalty, however, I can more rationalize this than the whole tree/paperback thing. I can maintain my nook without having to ship it off (that would VERY much irritate me if I had to ship it off for a simple battery replacement). I love the idea that I can go to any B&N and get access to exclusive ebooks. I like the longevity and “brick and mortar” security of B&N as a company. People say reading is a dead past time. I say if everyone had an ereader it would live again. People just need to evolve, think outside the “book”, magazine or newspaper and get digital with their reading. I can’t say that Sony or Amazon do not have excellent devices, because I have never touched one. I can say that I love my nook and am so thrilled to be reading again after many years of “abstaining”.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the use of my Nook after buying it in mid-August. The most impressive aspect of the device is the battery longevity. You can basically leave it on, either using it or not using it, with the WiFi off and it will last for a full 2 weeks. The screen is clearly legible when you are reading PDF documents and B&N books, PDF documents display perfectly for reading on the device, you can change the size of the text if it's hard to read, it plays music while you read, and if you need to look up something on the internet, it's easy to quickly go and look something up on Google and go right back to where you left off in reading. I highly recommend getting a leather-bound case for it to protect it but the value of the Nook is fantastic for the avid reader or just for reading technical documents which is what I use it for (it's a lot easier to read technical documents on a separate device from your PC and easily be able to refer to it on the nook). With the gray screen though (when reading tech docs), you're unable to determine when text is highlighted in the book, that's the only flaw. Overall, the ease of use is fantastic via the color LCD screen at the bottom, it's easy to search through your PDFs, easy to upload to, and very pleasant on the eyes as if you were reading a regular book but this way, you don't have to hold a bulky book (computer books can be rather lengthy!) and your not blinded by a bright computer screen as such when you're reading docs on the PC. It's great for travel and if you're gone for less than a week, you don't even have to take the charger as long as you charge it before you leave. Not to mention, it's very lightweight and the 3G works great! Highly recommend!

to address the past two reviewers. The manuals and the "How To's" of this are more in depth on the barnes and noble website. This is becoming more common with electronics that a need a computer to begin with. It saves on paper To the other, the "Audible" format is owned by Amazon "ahemm" the maker of the Kndle. You won't see them selling that to their largest competitor any time soon. But you can download audio books into an MP3 format and put in your nook that way. Very easy But onto the unit itself. So far I just love this thing. I was going back and forth between this and the Kindle, what pushed me over to the Nook was 1) it supports an open format e-pub, that huge, I can even go into a local library and check out a book. The Kindle is too much like the iTunes you have to buy their books to use on it or reformat, 2) I love the touchscreen color LCD navigation, it just gives you a more "now" feel to it. much like your smart phone or iPhone. and it displays book cover art in color. 3) has Wi-Fi, The Kindle uses Whispernet, which isn't available everywhere. wi fi generally is. That's nice 4) Huge Bookstore, Barnes and Noble, lover. Love the fact you can go in and browse any book. Just a great great feature. And the fact you can bring it into any Barnes and Noble store to have it looked at if you are having any issues. You have to pack up your Amazon and mail it if you own a Kindle. Besides, if you want it today you can have it today. There is no price advantage to have to wait for it in the mail from Amazon. The Kindle overall felt like very old technology from the 80's. stubby joystick to navigate. Seriously? The Nook is so much sleeker and just has better feel and cooler navigation. Yes there is a learning curve but so isn't any new product that has this type of navigation. You aren't going to ditch your iPhone for your old Motorola SarTac from the early 2000's because it was easier to navigate? As of right now, the Nook is just the better e-reader, I love it. The iPad looks amazing but it has too many limitations for avid bookreaders. size and portabliity, LCD screen and is useless outdoors or standing on the Subway commuting. Besides it's twice the price for a basic one and is serious overkill for my needs. Anyway The Nook is the way to go when searching for a dedicated e-reader.

My husband bought this for me as a surprise and at first I wasn't sure I would like it. I love to read, but as a teacher, I value books. My husband did some research to surprise me with an ebook and he decided the nook was the best deal. I love the nook because I can download so many books for free or for a great price. I have also figured out how to download free books from the library and LOVE this feature. I also like that it holds so many books so when I am on vacation, I don't have to lug several books around; they are all stored in this one device. I also love that it doesn't have a backlight so I can read it easily outside. I did not get the colored Nook and do not see why you would need that (I don't read picture books, and the pictures that are on my Nook- Covers, etc.- are Beautiful.... looks like they are sketched). I don't see the point in paying more for the color and I have heard it runs the battery down. For a gift I wasn't sure I wanted, I certainly love my Nook and would recommend it to anyone!

Last year I bought my wife a Kindle 2 (love that as well) and I just got a Nook for myself after carefully comparing the features between this and the new Kindle 3. While the Kindle 3 is a fantastic device, here is what made me decide on the Nook instead: (1) access to Epub books (Kindle currently does not offer this) and (2) in store (B&N) experience - since I vist Barnes and Noble often, the Nook provides capability to read a host of books for free up to an hour a day while in store. They also provide unique promotions to you while in store (free and/or heavily discounted books). That said, I would advise everyone to carefully assess the features of both devices carefully and make a decision based on what is right for you. For example, if the above features were not important to me, I would have probably went with the Kindle due to longer battery life, smaller profile and (slightly) better contrast e-ink. It should also be noted that the new firmware (1.5) download for the Kindle helped reconcile what (IMO) was the biggest drawback to the Nook last year -- specifically page turn speed. Given that I have both devices, I can tell you that the speed of navigation is virtually equal now between the two devices.

I have the 1st Gen kindle, and liked it until Amazon wasn't allowed to publish books by my favorite author's publisher anymore due to a pricing dispute ... I felt that they would not be the first publishers to drop off. So I bought the Nook, because not only do they not have the quarrels with publishers that Amazon has, but I can also easily lend out a book to a family member across the country at the touch of a button. The color touch screen is cool and I like all the features and capabilities the Nook has. I really love that the Nook displays the book's actual page numbers and not a random "location" numbering system that the Kindle uses. My only complaint is that because of all the bells and whistles that the Nook has, it takes a while to turn on, sometimes over a minute. The Kindle turns on within seconds and opens right to the page you had when you turned it off. Aside from this the Nook is far superior to the Kindle and I am extremely happy to have gotten it.