NOOK TABLET STEPS INTO RING WITH KINDLE FIRE – WHICH ONE WILL PREVAIL?

Ladies and gents, the Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet just hit the market on November 7th, and I’m paying close attention. It follows the much ballyhooed Amazon Kindle Fire tablet that was unleashed on the world a month ago, undercutting the entire low-end tablet market.

The Amazon Kindle Fire caught my attention, but it just didn’t captivate me. I think Amazon will continue to be wildly successful selling the Kindle Fire, and it may outsell the Nook Tablet. But my gut feeling that B&N would one-up Amazon with their new color tablet was correct.

Before I get too deep into this, you all know my attitude about tablets. I think they’re overpriced luxury gadgets that you can really live without. But the only type of tablet I have ever considered would be one that combines its use as an eReader. That’s why the original Nook Color caught my eye when it was released in 2010.

Fast forward one year later, and we have Barnes & Noble going head to head with Amazon in the tablet/eReader market. I’m going to give the call to Barnes & Noble, hands down, and there are several reasons why.

First and foremost, all things being equal, I would much rather buy a Nook Tablet at a local Barnes & Noble store rather than getting a Kindle Fire from the “store-front-less” Amazon world. I’d rather have a physical location to lean on for help, tips, advice, repairs, or returns. It just seems like a safer bet.

The second major point of difference is the operating system environment. From what I am reading, you really can’t call the Kindle Fire a straight-up tablet. It’s more like an Apple product for Amazon, held tightly within the constraints of their own “walled garden”. Basically, the Kindle Fire was made for the sole purpose of driving sales to Amazon, including eBooks, video content, music, and applications. They created a fairly tight system, and the device is not really being pushed as an Android tablet per se.

Conversely, the Nook Tablet is not as “walled in” as the Kindle Fire. You won’t get direct access to the Android Marketplace on the Nook Tablet, but it is running a more pure version of Android Gingerbread. It looks like it will have more general tablet use than the Fire.

Hardware wise, the Nook Tablet takes the cake. You have 16 gigabytes of storage rather than 8 gigabytes on the Fire. Plus, you can add a whopping 32 more gigs of storage with an SD card. Amazon is pushing you to store your info on their cloud service instead of offering storage card capability. But unless you’re in a WiFi area, I don’t think that big ole Amazon Cloud is going to do you much good.

The battery will last longer on the Nook Tablet. They are reporting 11.5 hours of reading versus 8 hours on the Fire. If you are pushing a lot of multimedia content through your device, you would clearly be at an advantage with the Nook Tablet.

Evidently there is more RAM in the Nook Tablet, and the display is superior to the Fire. I don’t know the exact details, but you can research it on your own and you will find this to be true. That’s just a couple more points for Barnes & Noble in my book.

Back to the cloud issue, you’ll have to admit that Amazon has a lot more book content to jam through their Kindle Fire, but Barnes & Noble is at least at a respectable level with what they have to offer. Plus Barnes & Noble is offering free cloud storage too.

The Kindle Fire will push Amazon’s Prime service for $79 a year for streaming content. But the Nook Tablet will come with Netflix and Hulu Plus integrated into the device. Both of thse services, from what I am told, have more streaming video content than what is currently being offered through the Amazon Prime service.

Both of these devices were not made to compete with the Apple iPad 2, but there is a reason. Price is the main factor. You’re not going to get cameras, 3G service, Bluetooth connectivity, and all of that jazz. B&N and Amazon are more focused on providing a means of reading and streaming multimedia content. That’s why they aren’t being advertised as iPad competitors. But considering them for what they are, I would definitely say that for $50 more the Nook Tablet gets the nod over the Kindle Fire as a lower-cost iPad alternative.

Honestly, you’re not going to see me ponying up the money to buy either of these devices any time soon. I still see them as luxury items. My smartphone will suffice until I have money to burn. But once I do, the choice will definitely be the B&N Nook Tablet. End of story.

Carlton Flowers
Geeky Gadgeteer

——————-

Feeling froggy? If your preference is the Amazon Kindle Fire, jump on the link below and head to Amazon to purchase this device for only $199. Avoid the Christmas rush and shop from the comfort of your own home!

Kindle Fire, Full Color 7″ Multi-touch Display, Wi-Fi

Tweet This Post

THE BOTTOM LINE ON THE NOOK 3G AS COMPARED TO THE KINDLE

I’ve beaten this dead horse to a pulp. It started with a live video demo of the Nook 3G at Barnes & Noble. Next I test drove the Nook Color at B&N as shown in my video. I then wrote about issues that were frustrating new Nook 3G owners at Christmas time. Well after all of that, here’s the final analysis…

I’m 99% convinced that the Nook 3G will NOT connect to the Internet over 3G service. Anyone who thinks that their Nook 3G connected to the net over 3G AT&T service must be smoking crack. It never has, nor will it. The Kindle 3G does connect to the Internet over 3G service through AT&T. Useless side fact: the 1st and 2nd generation Kindles used Sprint 3G service, the 3rd generation model uses AT&T.

Before you go trading in your Nook 3G for a Kindle 3, every report I have read is that surfing the net over 3G AT&T on a Kindle sucks. It’s next to useless. It is not something you would want to use as a portable Internet device. So that evens the score, somewhat.But whether or not having the 3G for book downloads on a Nook is worth $50 extra is not something I could give an answer to. That just depends on the user.

Anyhow, there are a few areas where Kindle is better, and a few areas where Nook is better. Kindle apparently has greater access to more books as a whole, has cheaper books, a longer battery life, a better display, and the ability to surf the web on an experimental browser over 3G service. But the Nook has the following advantages over Kindle:

• Nook supports ePub format, Kindle does not
• a lot of libraries use ePub and will lend books you can read on your Nook
• the games are free (chess, sudoku), and come with the device (you have to buy them on Kindle)
• you can add an SD card for more memory
• built on Android platform (makes possibility for apps in the future)
• color touch screen for control of the display instead of physical buttons
• use of Cover Flow on bottom touchscreen
• you can replace the battery
• you can use custom screen savers
• you can go to an actual store for support groups and help
• you can read any book in B&N for 1 hour over their WiFi

The bottom line is, none of the e-Ink devices are worth 2 craps for getting on the web over 3G. They should have never even marketed them as devices for surfing the web. I think B&N was misleading at best and dishonest at worst, and they really didn’t even have to push the web surfing. The main advantage to these devices is ease on the eyes for reading. So I guess if you’re not hard pressed for money, the 3G for downloading books is a nice luxury. It’s not a necessity by any means, but why not.

Getting away from the advantage of e-Ink and looking at web surfing, you’re talking Samsung Galaxy 3G Tab with a 3G monthly contract. I think it’s $30 a month or so for web access over 3G, and the device costs $599. The alternative is to get a Sprint Hot Spot for $40 per month. I can’t remember exactly, but either Verizon or Sprint lets you do a month-to-month contract with the Hot Spot, so there’s no 2-year commitment. Whatever the case, it’s quite an investment. If you’re not an Internet nerd, forget about it. It would be better to add a data plan to your cell phone.

But back to the topic at hand, my choice is still the Nook. I would probably get the WiFi version. I’m still actually thinking about getting one myself because my computer screen is killing my eyes, and I get huge bright spots in my vision after reading and staring at the screen for hours on end. But the reason I like the Nook is the color touch screen at the bottom. I don’t like physical buttons. The touch screen is more “gadgety” and cool. Plus, I like the idea of having the B&N store right here in town where I can take the device if I have problems or questions.

So there you have it. Aside from the fact that I think B&N bamboozled us on the whole 3G web access thing, it’s pretty much a closed case.

Carlton Flowers
Nook Master
www.carltonzone.com
www.microbusinessplans.com
www.twitter.com/carltonf

Tweet This Post

DEBATE RAGES – DID BARNES & NOBLE PREVIOUSLY PROMISE INTERNET ACCESS THROUGH 3G SERVICE OR NOT?

I just wrote a story about new Nook 3G owners having problems accessing the Internet through WiFi and 3G. Barnes & Noble has reported an issue with Century Link Internet service not working with the WiFi hardware on the Nook. But the real debate is whether or not B&N previously advertised that the Nook could access the Internet through the “free” 3G service.

I helped a friend to decide on buying an ebook reader for his wife as a Christmas present. He settled on the Nook 3G, because they do not have a WiFi network at home. When we were at our local B&N bookstore, the employees told us that the Nook 3G would be able to access the Internet. They stated that the browser was in beta, but it could access sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Google. We told the salesperson that my friend’s wife wanted to be able to access her email and Facebook, so she was leaning towards the Nook 3G or Kindle 3G.

After getting her Nook 3G for Christmas, my friend noticed that the device would not connect to the Internet via 3G. At first, the WiFi wouldn’t work, but it eventually started working. But the 3G service was only working through the B&N online bookstore, and nothing oustide of the B&N website. I called Barnes & Noble technical support and could not get the line, so I called the local store. Store employees told me that the network was swamped, but access should be available within a few days. However, when my friend called B&N, she was told that the 3G was never supposed to be able to access the Internet in the first place.

I heard stories from other Nook 3G owners that had purchased their devices months before Christmas, and they all said that their units were working and accessing the web through the 3G service and not just WiFi. This conflicted with what my friend was told by the B&N store. So we went back to our local B&N store and asked the staff the $5 question, “does the Nook 3G access the Internet, or not?“, because we were told differently when the Nook was purchased. The employees told us that they previously thought that the Nook 3G was supposed to be able to access the Internet without WiFi, but they called the “Nook Expert” on the phone and he stated that it does not access the Internet over 3G, nor was it ever supposed to.

My friend immediately downgraded her 3G unit for a WiFi version, because it just didn’t make sense to pay $50 more to be able to download a book while you are sitting in your car in the middle of nowhere. Who would ever have a “book buying emergency” where they couldn’t wait to get in a WiFi area, or wait to get home and connect the device to a USB port? It didn’t make any sense.

The Kindle 3G has an experimental webkit-based browser that allows 3G web browsing. The Nook 3G is the direct competing device to the Kindle 3G. It had the same experimental webkit-based browser when I first toyed with the device in the store. So why on earth would B&N think they could compete with the Kindle 3G without offering free 3G browsing? It doesn’t make sense. Kindle 3G will soon have book sharing, and that is in direct response to the Nook 3G offering that feature.  The point of my bringing that up is the fact that both companies would most definitely try to match the features of the others’ device in order to remain competitive.

The bottom line is, I smell a rat. I am sure as the nose on my face that the 3G experimental browser was working on the Nook over 3G and not WiFi when I tested it for the first time in early November of 2010, and it was a major selling point when B&N was pushing the device before Christmas. What I believe happened is the fact that the network must have gotten overwhelmed by all of the new Nook owners, and they had to do something about it. AT&T is likely not able to give them the bandwidth they need, so they may have shut off the access for the new accounts.

Tonight the truth will come out. I have a Nook 3G owner who told me on the phone today that her unit does most definitely access the Internet over a 3G connection. That directly contradicts what Barnes & Noble is telling us. Once I have this confirmed, I may shoot a video with 2 Nook 3G units side-by-side, showing one accessing the Internet while the newer unit does not. There won’t be much explaining their way out of this one if I am successful with my demonstration.

Stay tuned… the saga continues!

MEMORIAL DAY B&N SALE! GET 15% OFF ONE ITEM UNTIL 5/31/11 – USE NON MEMBER CODE D4K7E7K

Click this link now to get 15% of for the Barnes & Noble Memorial Day sale. Choose any one item. PLUS, save up to 45% from the Gift Guide as we head into Father’s Day. Don’t miss out! Click the link and save now!

Carlton Flowers
Gadget Detective
www.carltonzone.com
www.microbusinessplans.com
www.twitter.com/carltonf

Tweet This Post

NOOK 3G WIRELESS & 3G SERVICE CONNECTIVITY ISSUES OVERWHELM BARNES & NOBLE SUPPORT

I have a handful of friends who got a Nook 3G for Christmas 2010, and all seem to be reporting the same handful of problems with their new device. Here are the issues that I have heard from several new Nook 3G owners:

• Device won’t connect to WiFi signals when available
• Device won’t connect to 3G Internet when service is available
• Cannot connect to Internet, but will connect to B&N Online Store just fine
• Swipe feature on bottom touch screen will not work properly

I called the Barnes & Noble Support toll-free number on behalf of 2 friends, and the system was overloaded. After being on hold for 5 minutes and being warned that the support staff was receiving an enormously high amount of calls, I got another recorded message apologizing for the delay and asking that I call back later, and the call disconnected automatically.

Not being able to get through the toll free support line, I called my local Barnes & Noble bookstore and asked a store clerk if there were some issues going on with the Nook 3G. The employee told me that they were getting swamped with people that were complaining of not being able to connect to the free 3G service, and that it was not an issue with the Nook device itself, but AT&T’s 3G service availability. She claimed that many people were even reporting that their cell phones were not able to obtain regular 3G data service that day, and that it had to be the carrier’s fault.

I didn’t completely buy the explanation that it was the fault of AT&T. The reason is, the people who had the connectivity problems with the Internet were able to immediately connect to the Barnes & Noble Bookstore online, peruse the selections, and even make a purchase. To ice the cake, the eBooks purchased downloaded with blazing fast speed. At the same time that the store claims that AT&T was having network problems across the board, I was able to access the Internet with my iPhone all day long. That had me scratching my head.

The only thing I can figure out from this is that there must be a distinction made between free 3G service accounts and paid cell phone data plan accounts on AT&T’s side. I wondered how it was possible that Barnes & Noble and even Amazon would be able to offer lifetime 3G for their devices at the exact same time that AT&T was ending the unlimited data accounts for new customers using smart phones. That just didn’t make sense. This is why I believe there must be some type of limit on the amount of bandwidth set aside for these free 3G accounts matched with the e-reader devices.

The only other problem I heard comments about was concerning the “feather swipe” page turn gesture not working. Apparently, you are able to turn a page using a Nook 3G or Wireless device by gently swiping across the bottom color touch screen portion after it has gone black from inactivity. Some owners are reporting that no matter how hard or soft they swipe, they are not able to get the page turn gesture to work correctly.

All of this brings me to a question that I posed at my local Barnes & Noble bookstore during the Thanksgiving weekend. My question was, “why are there so many refurbished Nook 3G units available at the discounted price? Are they overstocked units that the company is trying to reduce inventory on, or are they actual returns that had damage?” The clerk informed me that they were not overstocked units but that they were in fact actual returns that had been fixed for various reasons.

To have as many refurb units available as this store has, that tells me that there must be some serious and widespread functional issues with the Nook 3G and Wireless version of their eInk reader. I have not seen any news stories posted as of yet, but I fully expect to see something soon considering the tech support lines are getting pounded like they are.

Have you had any of these issues, or similar problems with your Nook Wfi or 3G reading device? Tell me about it and share that information with other Nook owners!

Carlton Flowers
The Gadget Man Supreme
www.carltonzone.com
www.microbusinessplans.com
www.twitter.com/carltonf

Tweet This Post

NOOK COLOR EREADER GETS A CZTV REVIEW

Barnes & Noble hit the jackpot, baby! The Nook Color e-Reader/tablet is a bulls-eye, and anyone who says this 7″ form factor device isn’t a potential hit is crazy.

Let me tell you why I like this thing. First off, it’s the perfect size. I was very surprised at how thin it was. I almost felt like it was a jumbo iPhone 3GS or something. Of course Steve Jobs thinks it’s stupid, but the 7″ 1024×600 color screen just seems like the perfect fit to me. It’s a capacitive screen that responds like a champ. The brightness and crispness was fantastic, and magazines looked great. It runs on Android 2.1 operating system for now, but next spring it’s gonna get a big turbo boost by Android 2.2 Froyo which will allow it to run Flash. That rocks!

Something else I noticed, this is not just a normal e-Reader. It’s halfway like an iPad. You can play interactive children’s books that actually read to you and do fun stuff. You can surf the web and enjoy a full browsing experience (I can’t imagine how awesome it will be when the update gets it Flash-enabled). You can stream music, watch videos, play games, get social, or even type emails. The bottom line is, it is versatile.

The best thing about the Nook is the price. For $250, you’ve got one heckuva powerful little tablet that has serious potential. You can use it as it is, or if you are a hacker, you can root it to modify it to your hearts content. But hacking is not even necessary now, because Barnes & Noble released a Software Development Kit (SDK) for the Nook Color which will allow 3rd party developers to create applications for it!

My overall assessment of the Nook Color is that this thing is a home run. I’m getting one as soon as my piggy bank gets fat enough. Do you own a Nook Color? Post your comments about your experience with this device below!

Carlton Flowers
Gadget Geek Extreme
www.carltonzone.com

Tweet This Post

Pandigital Ups The Ante With 2nd-Gen e-Reader

I’ve had my eyes on an e-reader for quite some time. But none of the popular models (such as the Nook or Kindle) have the basic features that I expect to have.The prices have come down quite a bit from their original retail offering, but the low price still doesn’t justify giving up what I really want in an e-reader.

I don’t like the lack of a full touch screen on these devices. The Nook and Kindle have a small touch area on the bottom portion of the device, but it does not work intuitively. I found that I could not figure out how to click on links and hot spots when surfing the web (which is laboriously slow). But it looks like Pandigital has broken new ground in offering the first eInk display e-reader that features a full touch screen.

I would consider paying the higher price to have the touch screen, and I would also possibly pull the trigger and not not wait around for color eInk to come out and settle for this version of Pandigital’s e-reader. What do you think? Is this a good buy at $200? See the details here —> http://bit.ly/9eqnmA

Tweet This Post

HANDS ON TEST DRIVE OF NOOK EREADER

I stopped by Barnes & Noble to test drive the Nook eReader device that we have all been hearing so many good things about. Here’s a 3-part short video series where I point out a few of the advantages and disadvantages of this device. Overall, I give it a passing score as an eReader. The beta Internet browser that is included is a nice extra, but will take some tweaking before it can really be considered as something useful. That being said, check out the videos and post your comments below!

by Carlton Flowers
Gadget Geek Extreme

Tweet This Post

PANDIGITAL CRANKS OUT A SUB-$200 MULTIMEDIA E-READER

Tweet This Post