I bought a nook the other day.[1] In recent months I've gone from thinking I'd never buy an ebook reader to considering it at length to one day just waking up having decided to buy one.[2] I resisted buying one for a long time because I am so very attached to my physical book collection. But there is no denying that they are heavy and bulky and not conducive to travel.[3] Prices on ebook readers have dropped significantly in recent months, well into the impulse range for that sort of item. And my new job[4] now involves a good hour of subway riding every day. The reasons for considering the purchase were a lot stronger than they'd been.
It is not my intention to replace my physical book collection with ebooks, but the nook will supplement it. My plan is to use it for free public domain classics and renting ebooks from the library. I may occasionally buy a new book for it[5] but mostly it will be a space-saver when travelling and a convenient way of getting through books I only intend to read once.
There. Philosophy and self-censure out of the way, I can talk about my impressions so far.
I like it. The eInk is easy to read, and it doesn't take any longer for the new text to appear than it would for me to flip a page and refocus. I have not had much experience with touch screens, but navigation is becoming a more natural process than when I first demoed it. I think the cover flip feature will become more handy as my collection size increases. At present, it's mostly flair. I'm struggling a bit with typing on the keypad, but I've also just graduated to a full QWERTY keyboard on my cell phone too. Behind the curve a bit, me. Actually, most of my impressions can be summed up as: no, it's not reading a book, but it's a decent approximation. I don't trust myself to take it out with me until the protective cover arrives, but once it does, it'll start the daily commute with me.
I did not do extensive comparison shopping before deciding on the nook. I was firm on wanting two features and the nook was the only viable option to offer both. I) I don't currently own a laptop, so being able to download books independent of another fixed-location device was important. Most of the more basic Sony readers do not offer a wi-fi feature. II) Public libraries have jumped aboard the ebook train, and most loan ebooks in .epub format. Kindles don't support .epub. After knocking those two options out of contention, only the nook was really left standing. Decision made.
So how am I faring in terms of selection? I've already added about 60 titles to my elibrary. I've paid a combined total of $2.98 to add two digital-only titles. The rest I've gotten for free from a variety of sources, including the B&N ebook store, Project Gutenberg and Girlebooks. I have not started borrowing from any libraries yet. My elibrary is heavily slanted toward classics at the moment, understandably, but I probably have about 10 current fiction titles from several genres. I might not have decided to read all of them had they not been free, but hey, they're FREE.
The experiment will continue, and I'm sure I'll form more decided opinions the more I use the nook, but for now I am happy with my purchase.
[1] Not typing a capital N is really bothering me.
[2] This is how many of my decisions regarding techie items are made.
[3] I bought so many books the summer I was in Oxford that I nearly toppled over when I first put on my roller bag/backpack the morning I flew out. And I'm not a tiny, weak person.
[4] Did I tell you I got a new job? Well, I did. I'm living in Atlanta now. O HAI East Coast!
[5] If, say, it is only available in digital form. Or on sale for 99¢.
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