Nook Color = Disappointing

[VinceInMN]

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Tania_Katherine wrote:

.... However, the Nook Color is not a tablet. ...

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Yes, it is.  It's a pretty good tablet; regardless of what BN calls it in order to sell it.  Also BN needs the NC and it's follow-up devices to be awesome tablets.  The stark reality is that the dedicated e-reader device market will be gutted by the tablet market once tablet prices drop.  If the NC won't compete as a tablet, then it will soon be a footnote in the annals of e-reader history.

BN has a unique time window here to re-position the NC as a cheaper capable tablet e-reader, but they need to do it before there's a flood of cheaper Android 3.0 tablets out there.  They've got less than 1 year to do it, and there's a lot of money to be made around apps; particularly if they can manage to cater to the selective audience here who would appreciate apps that enrich their reading experience.  But if they wait too long.. there won't be any point to owning a NC and I for one do not wish to own an abandoned device.

(Yes, I know they're working on an app store, but it's not here yet so there's no point in letting it go.)

[shadowcat80]

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El_Nacho wrote:

My main thought of the Nook color is that it is not a direct rival to the iPad and was designed to be a great ebook reader first. I think B&N hit it spot on with that goal so I do not have much issue with the lack of an app store. If you feel that apps would be that important I would recommend returning it and possibly getting an iPad or other full fledged tablet. As others have mentioned, it might be worth looking into rooting your device and turning it into a full android tablet. 

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They can hope, they can dream it but here's the main issue with that, its not a tablet and if it was you would need a data plan to go with it, which BN doesn't want to get into that, best thing to do is weigh what you really wanted?  if you wanted a reader then embrace the reader you have, if you wanted a tablet use best buy's buyback program and use that nookcolor towards a tablet. 

[Nallia Distinguished Bibliophile]

I don't have much of an opinion about this either way, though I own both a 3G NOOK and a NOOKcolor.  I am content to wait and see what B&N's vision for the NC is and did not buy it in order to own a cheap tablet.  I have nothing against those who want it to do more, and can see their points, but I am currently content.

I have to say, though, that I find it ironic that the B&N home page that comes with the NOOKcolor says, "Explore the award winning Reader's Tablet(TM)" right at the top.

Pot-ay-to, Pot-ah-to.

[VinceInMN]

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its not a tablet and if it was you would need a data plan to go with it, which BN doesn't want to get into that

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Actually, that's a great reason to get into a NC: the lack of a data plan is really a selling point for me.  It keeps costs low and it's still a great tablet even without 3G and beyond. 

And really, if one wants a data plan, then that's premium territory in my opinion.  That crowd isn't going to care about NC over iPad because of price.

[TrevorS]

But, let's be clear about this:  THERE IS NO EXCUSE TO NOT OFFER AN APP STORE

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Otherwise... this thing has a lot of promise but it isn't much better than my original eInk Nook.  In fact, my eyes tell me it's worse.  And, really, for not much more cash than we've already paid out - I can get an iPad that will let me do all this and more (larger size not-withstanding).

So, what's it going to be guys?  Like it or not, you're in the "tablet space" now, so it's time to be competitive.  Do I return this thing and tell all my friends to not bother, or do I get to rave about how you're going to have an actual freakin app store so I can rave about it and tell them to invest in one now because it will be worth it?

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Honestly, I tell people all the time... if you want to read books, lots of books, stick with the Nook Classic.

If you want apps, you are looking for a tablet. Buy an iPad, or an Android tablet. 

The Nook Color is designed for magazines and kid books, and technology limitations (battery life, namely) mean it's not all that superior to a DTB magazine. It's not badly designed at all, it's quite nice, but I question the amount of demand for a product like this, truthfully.

The kind of people who don't really read books for the text are not likely to really want an eReader. 

Sounds to me like you want a tablet, but bought a magazine reader. You would probably be happier returning the magazine reader and getting an Android tablet. Sorry for your disappointment. : (

[El_Nacho]

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shadowcat80 wrote:

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El_Nacho wrote:

My main thought of the Nook color is that it is not a direct rival to the iPad and was designed to be a great ebook reader first. I think B&N hit it spot on with that goal so I do not have much issue with the lack of an app store. If you feel that apps would be that important I would recommend returning it and possibly getting an iPad or other full fledged tablet. As others have mentioned, it might be worth looking into rooting your device and turning it into a full android tablet. 

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They can hope, they can dream it but here's the main issue with that, its not a tablet and if it was you would need a data plan to go with it, which BN doesn't want to get into that, best thing to do is weigh what you really wanted?  if you wanted a reader then embrace the reader you have, if you wanted a tablet use best buy's buyback program and use that nookcolor towards a tablet. 

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Just to throw this in... T-mobile is currently selling Galaxy Tabs for 249 right now (with activation of course)... same price as nook color and is a full fledged adroid tablet. Might be a good option if you need a tablet quickley and do not want to wait for andoid 3.0 or ipad 2

[TrevorS]

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VinceInMN wrote:

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Tania_Katherine wrote:

.... However, the Nook Color is not a tablet. ...

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Yes, it is.  It's a pretty good tablet; regardless of what BN calls it in order to sell it. 

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You see the humor here, right? The OP is complaining that this thing doesn't have certain features. We respond "Those aren't really eReader features, you want a tablet".

And you reply that this is a tablet, a good one, so they should put tablet features on it.

It's like if I sold you a machete, to cut down weeds in your yard, and you came back to me complaining the next day because it didn't have a proper hilt that protected you from your enemy's blade while swordfighting.

Me: "It's not a sword. It's a machete. If you're going to swordfight, buy a sword. This is for chopping down weeds."

You: "It's a sword, darn it. A great sword. A wonderful sword. Best sword I could ever want. Now put a hilt on it, because it's absolute crap for swordfighting without one."

If you want a sword, buy a darn sword. Don't buy a machete and then complain that it's lacking key sword features.

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Also BN needs the NC and it's follow-up devices to be awesome tablets.  The stark reality is that the dedicated e-reader device market will be gutted by the tablet market once tablet prices drop.

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I'm not sure about that. I deliberately chose an eInk display for reading. I'd do so again. The e-ink display e-reader's pretty secure, IMO. 

Now, I admit that the NC is a poorly thought out jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none, and it is not going to compete against an e-Ink display for pure reading, or against a tablet for playing Angry Birds and posting on Facebook.

The question is, what market does B&N want to compete in? The handheld computer market, or the book market? 

In my opinion, they've got a better shot at the book market than they do going up against Apple and a billion and one smartphones. In the book market, they've only got to hold their own against Amazon... and while that's a tough job, it's not as tough as fighting Steve Jobs in his own backyard after he's spent the last ten years securing it.

You want the Nook Color to be a tablet, but that's not the same thing as it being a good idea for Barnes and Noble. 

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  If the NC won't compete as a tablet, then it will soon be a footnote in the annals of e-reader history.

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I don't think it's going to be around ten years from now no matter what.

But I still think that deciding to fight a war on just one front - the book front - is a wiser decision than opening a second front on the war by invading Russia in the wintertime.

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BN has a unique time window here to re-position the NC as a cheaper capable tablet e-reader,

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B&N is not a techno-toy manufacturer of any real talent, and never has been. And there are already a swarm of cheap tablets out there. 

Your business strategy is not a wise one, in my opinion.

[VinceInMN]

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El_Nacho wrote:
Just to throw this in... T-mobile is currently selling Galaxy Tabs for 249 right now (with activation of course)... same price as nook color and is a full fledged adroid tablet. Might be a good option if you need a tablet quickley and do not want to wait for andoid 3.0 or ipad 2

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Without activation, I think you're paying the full MSRP for the device, which turns out closer to $450, which is why I think the NC is a compelling tablet choice.

[TrevorS]

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VinceInMN wrote:

Without activation, I think you're paying the full MSRP for the device, which turns out closer to $450, which is why I think the NC is a compelling tablet choice.

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: )

Not trying to be contrary... but this does sort of tickle my funny bone.

People want to use the Nook Color as a cheap tablet. But it doesn't have a lot of good tablet features, right? It's locked with a proprietary overlay of an Android OS, for starters. It's optimized for reading, sort of. It is deliberately not optimized for surfing the web or playing computer games, because the manufacturer is a bookstore, not a computer vendor.

Here's the deal. Devices designed to be portable books - eReaders - cost about 200 bucks, give or take fifty. Tablets designed to be touch-screen, portable computers cost 400 to 800 bucks.

It's pretty simple.

If you want to play with apps, you need to pony up the cash. Complaining that the eReader you bought for an eReader price isn't as convenient for tablet things as a tablet that you could have bought for a lot more money is kind of silly, isn't it?

The lack of tablet features is counterbalanced by the lack of tablet price. TANSTAAFL.

[gnkc]

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RSC_Nook wrote:

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VinceInMN wrote:

  I'm not happy that BN hasn't fulfilled this device's potential and I don't think you should be either because it doesn't help any of us that BN should suffer financially because they won't take this seriously.  This is probably my last post here, so flame on if you wish, but you're not helping yourselves by allowing BN to be complacent about this.

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B&N COULD dump TONS and TONS of money into making the Nook Color a full feature tablet.  but many many many do NOT want them too because ALL they want is to spend $250 and get a nice color eReader, NOT $350 or whatever for a tablet.  it is a different market.  really, that is all it is.

i DO NOT want B&N worrying about building some do it all device, I want them to worry about providing the best eReader at a low cost, because that is ALL (and many others) really care about.  if they wanted more they could get it somewhere else, but many like the option of a lower cost device.  that is all they want.  it is an ereader.  that is it and it is priced as such

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But they've already given me more - crossword, suduko and chess. I'm wondering why they are included if BN did not want to entice customers with a product which is capable of more than just being an ereader?

I would be willing to bet that the majority of purchasers bought the NC for the promise of it being able to be more than just an extremely capable ereader.

[toy4x4]

Yet I've never heard B&N call it anything more than a color e-reader.

Send it to me and I'll put it to good use.

[shadowcat80]

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toy4x4 wrote:

Yet I've never heard B&N call it anything more than a color e-reader.

Send it to me and I'll put it to good use.

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Actually on the Nook homepage, they currently calling it the e-reader tablet, but its an inaccurate name, it is not a tablet even if it had an apps store which they are working on, its not a tablet, it will never do what other tablets do because it is the first part of that name its an e-reader not a tablet.

[VinceInMN]

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TrevorS wrote:

: )

Not trying to be contrary... but this does sort of tickle my funny bone.

People want to use the Nook Color as a cheap tablet. But it doesn't have a lot of good tablet features, right? It's locked with a proprietary overlay of an Android OS, for starters. It's optimized for reading, sort of. It is deliberately not optimized for surfing the web or playing computer games, because the manufacturer is a bookstore, not a computer vendor.

Here's the deal. Devices designed to be portable books - eReaders - cost about 200 bucks, give or take fifty. Tablets designed to be touch-screen, portable computers cost 400 to 800 bucks.

It's pretty simple.

If you want to play with apps, you need to pony up the cash. Complaining that the eReader you bought for an eReader price isn't as convenient for tablet things as a tablet that you could have bought for a lot more money is kind of silly, isn't it?

The lack of tablet features is counterbalanced by the lack of tablet price. TANSTAAFL.

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I have no idea why you should be advocating to overpay for a tablet.  There is no such thing as a free lunch, but you can find overpriced and overrated expensive lunches everywhere you go.  But, hey, if you pay a $200+ premium for a device for the "privelege" of having an app marketplace (you know, paying them so you can can pay them again once there), then it MUST be better.

Right?

[VinceInMN]

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shadowcat80 wrote:

...it is not a tablet even if it had an apps store which they are working on, its not a tablet, it will never do what other tablets do because it is the first part of that name its an e-reader not a tablet.

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My wife has a wifi iPad, and I have the NC and it's been rooted.  The rooted NC can do pretty much everything the iPad can.  There are no appreciable gaps.  I suppose you might argue that it's not a tablet just because BN says it's not, but I for one do not cede to them the power to redefine English. 

I really don't understand why this has devolved to word games either.  Really, the substance of this discussion is in the device's capabilities.  So, do tell - what is it unable to do that a "proper" tablet can?