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On the one hand, Barnes & Noble’s Nook offers a familiar reading experience: book pages that approach sharpness and clarity of real books and screen display that is readable under sunlight as the traditional paper. Backed by one of the largest book retailers in the US, the Nook offers huge selection of books, newspapers, and magazines at competitive prices.

On the other hand, the device has set new standards, trends even, in the world of eReaders. The Nook is the first eReader to run on Google’s Android OS and the first to offer AT&T 3G + WiFi combo. It is also the first to successfully pack two screens in one device – a 6-inch eInk screen and a 3.5-inch LCD screen. This has, however, got Barnes & Noble into legal trouble with Spring Design over intellectual rights infringement issues. Spring Design, its former business partner, accused B&N of copying the Alex’s dual screen design.

Nonetheless, the Nook continues to attract fans. Packed with a lot useful features such as ebook loaning and perks such as free in-store browsing of full texts and books discounts when inside B&N stores, the Nook is for heavy readers looking for extra fun ways to save on books.

Nook 3G – $199, Nook Wi-Fi – $149. Buy Now!

Features – Hardware and Software

Various prototypes of dual-screen devices have been shown this year, but none has reached retail yet. For now, the Nook’s dual-screen design makes it stand out from the current pack of eReaders.

Despite housing two screens, the Nook maintains a compact size, making it convenient to bring around. At 7.7 inches tall x 4.9 inches wide, it is even narrower and smaller than the single-screen Kindle (8.0 x 5.3 inches). And while it is thicker at 0.5 inches than the Kindle (0.36 inches), its slightly curved cross section makes it easier to hold than the flat Kindle.

Buttons for page turns are built on the left and right bezel, which makes the device suitable for one-handed use by either right or left handed users. An N logo sitting between the two screens is used to wake up the LCD screen. (You can save on battery power by setting the device to sleep mode if it becomes inactive for 10, 30, or 60 seconds). All other device commands are handled by the Android-powered touchscreen.

The Nook’s secondary LCD screen is used for main input and navigation. It houses the QWERTY keyboard for typing notes, and displays up to five color thumbnail book covers when browsing your library. The LCD screen works seamlessly with eInk screen. When you click a title from your library, the book automatically opens in the eInk screen.

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While it is powered by Android 1.5, the device doesn’t offer any Android Apps onboard. However, it gives you access to a million free ebooks from Google Books. With 2G storage, you can store 1500 ebooks on your device. The device’s upgraded web browsing capability easily beats the Kindle’s, although you need to go to classic setting if you want to access your Yahoo Mail. You can also visit blogs and news sites such as NFL.com. The device support Flash, however, ruling out YouTube and other Flash-based videos.

It’s easy to get ebooks from non-B&N retail sites as the Nook supports a wide range of formats including ePUB, PDF, PFD, DRM and non-DRM Adobe, LIT, and Sony’s LRZ or LRX. However, It doesn’t support Amazon’s AMZ format, Doc, TXT, and MOBI files.

Barnes & Noble has created apps for various devices, allowing you to read your purchased books on Blackberry, PC, Mac, iPhone, iPod, and other gadgets.

Nook 3G – $199, Nook Wi-Fi – $149. Buy Now!

The Bottom Line

Now sold at a more competitive price of $259, Barnes & Noble’s entry level device offers more intuitive design than the Kindle and access to Google’s million free classics. It’s the ideal eReader for those who want the best of both color LCD and B/W eInk worlds.

Looking For The Nook Wi-Fi? Read Our Review Now

Pros

The Nook’s LendMe feature allows you to pass paperbacks to family and friends. The average loan period is two weeks, but that depends on a per title basis and publisher approval. If your recipients don’t have a Nook of their own, they can get the book on their PC, iPhone, or Blackberry as long as they have B&N’s free eReader app. As it is with real books, once a book is loaned out, it disappears from your library. Also, you can loan out an ebook to one person only at any one time. At the end of the loan period, the copy is automatically returned to your bookshelf. Like the Kindle, the Nook lets you sample a chapter per book from the B&N store for free. When inside a Barnes & Noble store, in-store browsing of the entire book is allowed. Now, you also have access to special in-store offers such as discount on books, CD, or free recipe if you show your Nook to the cashier. Barnes & Noble has already fixed bug / freeze issues through software update, giving you a much more stable Nook. Another big plus is the user-replaceable battery, which means there’s no need to send your Nook to the manufacturer for replacement when battery no longer functions. As you will expect from a bookstore giant, the Nook has a wide range of book selection (although not as extensive as Amazon Kindle Store’s). You have over 200 thousand paid books and more than a million free classics to choose from. Barnes & Noble also does everything it can to provide competitive prices (many new releases costs $9.99 only). The Nook now offers 12 zoom levels to help you achieve your reading comfort level. And just when you get tired of reading but would like to kill time while on the back of a taxi, you can play chess or sudoku on the device.

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Cons

The touch panel makes navigation much easier, but there’s a payoff: battery run time is reduced to 10 days with the wireless off (the Kindle has 14 days). With the wireless turned on, the Nook only lasts two days (the Kindle lasts a week). Unlike the Kindle, Nook’s 3G connection works in the US only. When abroad, the Nook limits WiFi use to delivery of periodicals you have subscribed to. You can’t purchase new books when outside the US. The device is slow to boot. While the touchscreen responds faster than eInk screens and lets you flip through books with your fingers, the experience as not as smooth as with iPhone. Add in AT&T’s sometimes sluggish wireless connection, and there are times when you’d wish the Nook is speedier.

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What’s in the box:

• Nook
• Micro-USB 2.0 cable
• AC adapter
• Rechargeable battery (installed)
• Quick start guide

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Main Features

• Dual screen device consisting of a 6-inch eInk screen and 3.5 inch LCD touch screen panel
• Powered by Google Android 1.5
• 2GB storage, expandable via microSD slot
• Compact size
• AT&T 3G connection + WiFi
• 2GB memory can store up to 1500 ebooks

Key Features

• Download books in seconds
• Free WiFi access in B&N retail stores
• Retail presence in B&N and BestBuy stores
• Customizable screen saver
• Lend ebooks to friends

Bonus Features

•Chess •Sudoku •MP3 playback

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