Ray Hendon
November 22, 2010
Less than one week ago I summarized a number of hands-on reviews of the Nook Color. Looking back at the reviews, the writers were fairly consistent in criticizing the Nook Color as being less than a fully functioning Android tablet. This is understandable, given the expectations most of us have now about what an Android device should be. To read the initial reviews, click here.
Later reviews noted this fact, too, but praised the device as being a fine eReader, with easy access to new books and its library of downloaded books. The reviewers also consistently noted the good display properties of the small screen.
The magazine features have been praised by some as innovative and helpful; by others this feature was criticized as less than helpful.
Because of the conflicting conclusions, I wanted to see for myself, so I made the hour’s drive to my nearest Barnes and Noble retail store in Beaumont, Texas. I wanted to settle the issues by looking at it with fresh eyes, so to speak, and to use it for the things I do with gadgets of this type.
There was no need to look for it when I entered the store: it was in the middle of the main isle, a few steps from the entrance, surrounded by a huge backboard with colorful graphics, all dedicated to the Nook Color. In the middle of the front display shelf, the Color Nook, tethered and charged, was ready for anyone who wanted to try it out. I had a brief wait, and then had it to myself for as long as I needed to draw my conclusions.
There were two aspects of the Nook Color that stood out most conspicuously: the brilliance and clarity of the screen, whether surfing or reading, and the smallness of the device. I am used to my iPad by now, but at a pound and a half it is a heavy guy to carry around. The Nook Color, at less than a pound, is easy to hold, and 7-inch screen is right for eReading.
I began my evaluation, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised at most every turn. As an eReader, it was excellent. The words on the screen are clear and distinct, with contrast in proper proportion. Page turns are quick–accomplished with a simple tap on the right side of the screen for going forward and the left side for going back. The library display is colorful and functional, using a rich mixture of graphics and text. And one can organize the books with more options than either Kindles or Sony Readers.
There are some apps supplied from the factory: email client, calendar, contacts and other utilities; all of them look good on the screen, and navigation with its capacitive touch screen is smooth and effective.
As a magazine reader, which is one of the main functions Barnes and Noble seem to have in mind for their new star, it takes an odd approach. When viewing a magazine, the full page of the magazine is shown on the screen, but only the headings are readable. Tapping on one of the feature articles pops up a vertical strip in the middle of the screen that displays the text of the article in a readable font. When through with it, you tap something else and the strip disappears.
I found this feature distracting at first, but I think it will be OK once one is used to it. I prefer reading magazines on a full-sized screen anyway. None of my iPad magazines apps are as good as reading the magazine in its regular on-line mode. So, this feature of the Nook Color is not one I would use often, so I do not find that a significant demerit. This is one feature each reader must decide.
For surfing the Nook Color it is less than perfect, but its high resolution screen helps make up for its smallness. The full width of a 1000 pixel web page is shown in full page, so you don’t have to scroll in order to see the entire width. I noticed the same problem with the Galaxy Tab, but in both tablets, combination of high resolution and good color works for surfing. Although more cramped that a 10-inch screen, I found it entirely adequate for surfing and email for light weight use. It is functional but not outstanding.
The largest failing as a general purpose tablet is the absence of apps. Android and iPad need apps to yield the full benefits of a tablet, and here B&N made some tradeoffs that reduce its functionality. The Android Marketplace is not freely available to the Nook Color. The apps, generally made for a cell phone screen, do not scale up to larger screens well.
This will probably be remedied within the first six months of its existence when Android 3.0 is released. In the meantime, the wealth of Android apps will simply not be available unless B&N pays the costs of adapting them for its proprietary features. This has been done for calendars, eReading, surfing and some other general purpose utilities, but I wouldn’t be expecting too many others until mid-year.
While many may see this last limitation as critical, I find it livable for a short duration. My interest in it is primarily as an eReader, so anything else that comes with it is just an added benefit.
I believe it will eventually be much better as a tablet than it is now, but remember that the cost of this gadget is $250. For that price, you get a good eReader and a usable table. I cannot recommend any other similar gadget in this price range that will do half as well as the Nook Color. It will not replace an iPad or Galaxy Tab—it wasn’t designed to. But for casual surfing, email and other low-intensity uses, it will do a fine job.
If I were buying an eReader today, I would probably pay the extra $100 that it takes to jump from E-Ink to color. Being able to surf and do other internet things without compromising the reading capability, would make it worth it in my way of calculating costs and benefits. Not everyone will agree with my calculations, but if you are shopping for a stand-alone eReader, the Nook Color deserves your consideration.
In my view, Barnes and Noble has hit the right note with their new baby. It is, in one sense, a new category of tablet—an eReading Android with high functionality as a reader and meager functionality as a full-fledged tablet. For the price they charge I would happily accept that tradeoff.
