tsk, tsk, tsk…
I’ve been a Barnes and Noble Nook user for a couple of years now, started with the 1st generation, then purchased a Nook color last year. And I was happy and recommended the devices to friends and family alike. Truth be told, I still like the readers and the software better than the Kindle equivalents. The problem is that Barnes and Noble has been alienating me as a customer. I had a Windows Mobile 6.5 phone when I bought my first Nook and it came with the Nook software pre-installed. I didn’t have to carry the Nook with me to work, just on travel. I was able to read while I was waiting for an appointment to start, for a flight, etc. without having to carry an extra device. Then I switched carriers and got a new Windows Mobile 7 phone. For whatever reason, B&N is purposely not putting out a Nook app for the WinMo 7/7.5 OS. They are doing this to spite MS because of a lawsuit, but the only people really getting hurt are the customers. They have an app for Microsoft computers, so why not the phone? Guess what, there’s a Kindle app for it. It sucks, but it’s there.
Then this summer I got an HP TouchPad. Same thing, came with a beta Kindle app pre-installed on it. No Nook support yet, and with the demise of the platform, iffy at best. But how much does it actually cost to port existing apps (or write from scratch a new app), compared to the risk of losing customers like me to Kindle?
I wanted to get really excited about the new Nook Tablet that was introduced today, but I just can’t.
November 7, 2011 at 6:44 pm
Can I have your Nook Color then? That would REALLY show B&N who’s boss.
November 16, 2011 at 9:10 pm
Pshaw! You just want to hack it.
November 10, 2011 at 7:37 pm
Damn, you’re on a writing rampage. Good to have you back.
They all have flaws. Last I heard, the iPad didn’t support Adobe Flash. And when I got my Kindle last year it didn’t have sharing or library borrow like the Nook. When it comes to technology, you just have to pick your poison.
That said, it appears Nook is pretty much the Blackberry of eReaders. At least I got my eReader purchase right (says the girl who has to hard reboot (read: remove the battery) on her Blackberry at least once a day to unfreeze it.
November 16, 2011 at 9:11 pm
PJ, will old Kindles be able to join in the new library lending like the new ones will?