Barnes and Noble’s Simple Touch Nook is not a reinvention of the e-reader in any way. It’s not even an evolution. It’s a refinement, and a very good one at that. Why It Matters: The Nook dispels the notion that all e-readers have to be long and slim, instead opting for a squatter, bulkier body that’s still a full ounce lighter than Amazon Kindle. It runs Android, but you’ll never notice that. They’re not concerned with making the Nook a do-everything device. The battery is rated for two months of use between charges. And it uses a new proprietary screen technology that refreshes pages faster, with less flashing. Using It: The Simple Touch feels like it was designed to stay out the reader’s way. When you pick the Nook up, the first thing to grab your attention is the rubberized, carved-out backing that gives your fingers something to grab onto. The feeling is akin to folding a magazine back on itself. And despite the shorter body, the screen is the same 6-inch Pearl e-ink display as the Kindle, which ensures that text is plenty big, sharp and contrasty. Also, the Nook is light. Even after an hour of reading, you’ll hardly feel fatigued or bothered having this thing in your hand. If you’re walking about town with this thing in one hand, it feels more or less like a small book. When your arm swings It never feels as though it’s trying to escape your hand, and any movement of your wrist is unencumbered. There are a myriad of options for navigation. There’s a handy center button that always has you a click and a tap away from your library or the Nook store. While reading, you can use the touchscreen (which is powered by a similar IR ring technology as the touch Kobo) to swipe and tap through menus and pages. Alternately, you can use the buttons on either side of the bezel to move through content. People with smaller hands might find one-handed page turning to be a challenge, but for the most part, either method is equally convenient.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=111056