The Kindle Killer Arrives 542
GeekZilla sends coverage from Wired's Gadget Lab on the Nook, Barnes & Noble's first e-book reader. "Sleek, stylish and runs the Android OS. What's not to like about Barnes and Noble's new e-book reader? Despite the odd name, the Nook looks like an eBook reader that would actually be a worthwhile investment. Best feature? The ability to loan e-books you have downloaded to other Nook owners. The reader, named the 'Nook,' looks a lot like Amazon's white plastic e-book, only instead of the chiclet-keyboard there is a color multi-touch screen, to be used as both a keyboard or to browse books, cover-flow style. The machine runs Google's Android OS, will have wireless capability from an unspecified carrier, and comes in at the same $260 as the now rather old-fashioned-looking Kindle." Here is the B&N Nook site, which is still not visible on their front page and has a few non-working links. (Nook.com isn't set up yet.) Their comparison page takes dead aim at the Kindle. Among the advantages in the Nook's column: Wi-Fi, expandable memory via microSD, MP3 player, and PDF compatibility. (But remember the cautionary note B&N struck six years back when they got out of the e-book business.)
i'm not paying $250 to buy books (Score:4, Insightful)
i'll buy the paper books or download them on my iphone via the kindle or B&N reader apps. loaning books sounds like a good option and i hope they bring it to the B&N iphone app. with websites like Goodreads that link to facebook, it can be a viral marketing strategy
The OS would only matter if the device is open (Score:5, Insightful)
Can users install their own apps or replace the OS? If not, I don't see how use of Android OS would matter.
A little early (Score:5, Insightful)
The Kindle Killer Arrives
How do you kill that which has no life?
Re:The OS would only matter if the device is open (Score:5, Insightful)
I can get a netbook with an e-paper screen that makes battery last for two weeks? Sweet!
Re:Why can't I just use my iPhone? (Score:3, Insightful)
The real killer question: remote deletion? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:The OS would only matter if the device is open (Score:4, Insightful)
Well wait till its been officially released and in the store before you ask for Linux on it. ;-)
If history is any guide it might take a week and a half for someone to post a hack.
But even in the absence of that, the fact that it is Android DOES matter, because Android is growing rapidly, its open source, and has a lot of support from a lot of companies and individuals (and its basically Linux under the skin).
This means there is an upgrade path for the device. Its not a dead-end device, and OS upgrades will likely become available, both official (B&N), and unofficial.
You can't delete my actual books... (Score:1, Insightful)
So did everyone else pretty much (Score:3, Insightful)
"But remember the cautionary note B&N struck six years back when they got out of the e-book business."
A great deal has changed in six years. Small computing has become more ubiquitous with the arrival of the netbook, high capacity flash devices are a lot more common, low power cpu's more common, wireless hot spots vastly more common...
Low sales ahead in the UK? Nook-e anybody?! (Score:5, Insightful)
Low sales ahead in the UK as British punters embarrassed to go into their book shops and libraries and ask for Nook e-books? :-)
For non-UK folks, "Nooky" is cheeky old fashioned slang for sex, so "nooky book" would mean a porno novel....
Re:Will it be DRM inside? (Score:4, Insightful)
international? (Score:2, Insightful)
If not its not a kindle killer. Remember folks, there is the REST OF THE WORLD
Re:The OS would only matter if the device is open (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:The OS would only matter if the device is open (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Yeah, but how's the DRM? (Score:3, Insightful)
There's more than that, when you think of all the times we've been burned:
- Archivability ? physical book can go on shelf, can ebook be stored outside of reader device?
- Format conversion? can I export passages as raw text?
- Right of resale? used ebooks?
- Annontations? can i write in margins?
- Distribution? can I read the book aloud? to a group?
- Expiration? can the content be revoked?
Re:The real killer question: remote deletion? (Score:3, Insightful)
I know you're going for "informative" or whatever, but seriously - even Amazon acknowledged that they fucked up big time by remote-nuking 1984, and reversed it. While you'll never know for sure (unless someone is dumb enough to risk their business by doing that again) if this device or any other has that capability, I think it's reasonable to think that most businesses making such devices don't want to shit where they eat by doing a known bad thing.
No Wall Street Journal - Dealbreaker for Many (Score:2, Insightful)
This device appears to be superior to the Kindle in every way. I told my friend just now, "hey, I know you're interested in the Kindle, but you should wait for the Nook!" I explained how it was better. His only question was "Cool, but can it get the Wall Street Journal like the Kindle?" I checked. It's not on BN's ebook site. Fail. Content is still king.
Re:i'm not paying $250 to buy books (Score:5, Insightful)
i'm not paying $250 to buy books
That's not really that much. I spent more than that on my bookshelves, and they're not even portable.
Re:Okay, so I own an older Kindle, here's my POV.. (Score:4, Insightful)
MP3 support on this thing would be cool.
You download an e-book along side the audio version.
You're at home reading your book on the Nook and when you hop in the car, it can play you the audio while you're driving. When you're ready to return to reading, it has your spot saved.
I'll use this slashdot post as evidence when I get in lawsuit over who patented the idea first.
Re:Will it be DRM inside? (Score:5, Insightful)
So you would rather have it behave exactly like a real book?
As soon as you loan it to a friend, it will be wiped from your eBook reader?
Really?
Re:i'm not paying $250 to buy books (Score:3, Insightful)
My issue isn't with LCD DPI abilities, it's the fact that the iPhone screen is tiny. That's why the iPhone, for me, is a useless device for reading e-books. The glossy screen doesn't help much, either.
Re:i'm not paying $250 to buy books (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:How can you kill it?? (Score:4, Insightful)
A kindle only makes sense for a terrestrial traveler (WiFi download of books/news) who also uses it regularly. On a plane you can't get WiFi, nor are you going to travel to work daily by flight. So it makes no sense to use a Kindle there.
Now this market might not be very large. But it is extremely rich (hedge funds, Wallstreeters or the average beautician in NY) and will last a while -- people have been commuting for work to NY for years and they won't start driving anytime soon.
Re:The OS would only matter if the device is open (Score:4, Insightful)
You're asking Slashdot what is the point of getting on a device and tweaking/adding your own code? Seriously?
Re:i'm not paying $250 to buy books (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:i'm not paying $250 to buy books (Score:3, Insightful)
Yawn (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:A little early (Score:3, Insightful)
Agreed; there was The Matrix, and two other movies that sucked.
Library books? (Score:3, Insightful)
Will I be able to lend any book available at my library for free (tax dollars and all)? I woudn't mind DRM then.
Re:A little early (Score:3, Insightful)
There's nothing wrong with Matrix 2 and 3, except that they should have been merged as one single movie and shortened to three hours. Or kept separate and shortened to 90 minutes each. The story as told was too long.
Re:Not to mention: (Score:2, Insightful)
You're right: I'm not typical. I read a lot - I read one book a week when I'm working 12 hours a day, at least one book a day on vacation. I have disposable income galore. I don't read in the dark; I just don't go to bed until I'm ready to sleep or do other bed things. As for speed, it's only unreadable for half a second or less - about as long as it takes to turn a real page. If you have a device with a large screen, like a Kindle, you're not turning the page more than 2-3 times a minute.
Re:The real killer question: remote deletion? (Score:4, Insightful)
The real killer question is whether it supports remote deletion like the Kindle does.
Does it matter? It's a remote-upgradable computing device. Even if it doesn't currently support that feature, they could always add it in the next automatic firmware update. Conversely, if it currently does have that feature, they could always remove it in a future update.
What matters is whether you feel you can trust B&N not to screw you over.
Re:hmm (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Not to mention: (Score:3, Insightful)
This claim is very much debatable. If your vision is very poor (meaning, you can't read an iPod), then sure, you need a big reader. But there are very few other features the Kindle offers that actually make it a better choice when you actually look at them carefully.
A book a week? I read a book a day. Here's some of my library [flickr.com], all pre-e-reader. I have more books just packed into the shelves on the ceiling -- well over a thousand -- than most people even own. Reading a book has always been part of my daily routine. So I really don't have time for e-ink to ghost up into readability. When I turn a page, I want to continue reading. And I read fast... my page consumption, with the smallest font, is quick on either Kindle or iPod. But the Kindle makes me wait after every page. The iPod does not.
[laughs] of course you don't -- you have a Kindle, you can't read in the dark.
And you think this is a good thing? You turn the page on an iPod, there's zero lag, you're reading instantly. One tap and you're there. And I think your 1/2 second estimate for a page turn is way out of line. I hold a physical book with the next page ready to flip, and flip it in a small fraction of a second. I think most serious readers do the same; otherwise, again, you're losing time and breaking rhythm. I'd estimate physical real-page turn time at about 50 ms, or a 20th of a second, max. Less for a paperback.
Ok. Kindle: .5 second for the text to come up; 3 pages a minute; 1.5 seconds; 1.5/60ths, or 2.5% of your reading time shot. A minute and a half per hour. iPod touch: Doesn't matter how fast you turn the page, because there's no delay. No reading time lost. Zero. touch is about 50 chars/line (in portrait... in landscape, it's about 75.) This is pretty much right where you want to be for maximum comprehension if you don't have to move your eyes. Consequently, page turning is perfectly reasonable; better yet, because the screen is small, there is little eye movement required and this also speeds up your reading if you are reading at a reasonable level (which I know you are because you say you can get through a book a day on vacation.) Finally, the contrast on the touch fonts is much higher than that on the Kindle; this makes a significant difference in readability. All these things lead to fewer breaks in concentration, less strain when reading (given that you have normal vision), and higher reading speeds.
I'm happy you're happy with your Kindle; but as I say, we own both, and the Kindle is a pale shadow of the reader that the Kindle app on the iPod touch is. With both at hand, the choice for readability, storage, flexibility, convenience and comfort is easy: it's the iPod. And as I said initially, when there is a real tablet out there - not e-ink, and not just a reader - that'll be the end of the readers. e-ink is to LCD as McDonald's "eggs" are to a gourmet breakfast. LCD's offer glorious color, high contrast, high speed, high resolution, ability to read in any light, and when that LCD is on a general purpose tablet, functionality that exceeds that of a dedicated reader by an almost incomprehensible degree. Because the iPod touch is small, there will be many users that cannot deal with the small fonts, and for them, the Kindle and devices like it are the only fallback available. Tablets will eliminate that one failing, and that'll pretty much be the end of it unless e-ink comes a very long way forward.