Barnes & Noble Nook's first close-up (now with video!)
By Paul Miller 
posted October 20th 2009 5:30PM
posted October 20th 2009 5:30PM
Update: We got a closer look at the device, though they still haven't let us touch it. The LCD seems very "passive," and has a shallow viewing angle -- obviously to gather more ambient light and save on battery. The interface appears relatively intuitive, but we're a little confused and doubtful about the highlighting features -- it brings up a software d-pad on screen, and seemed a little unwieldy, though we'll only find out for ourselves when they actually let us get our grubby paws on the thing.
Update 2: We've got some video! It's so very exciting, and can be found after the break.
What is the reasoning behind e-ink? I just don't understand. Is it cost or something? I mean when you can have that little colored strip at the bottom that looks great, why have the dullness that is monotone e-ink as the main display?
E Ink is meant to approximate ink on paper, it's easier on the eyes than backlit LCD for extended periods of reading text. Also it uses very little power as the once the page is drawn the image is static and no power is consumed. The batteries on these things will go weeks between charges even with regular use.
EInk can also be read in direct sunlight, and has a nearly 180 degree viewing angle.
Take a look at one in the store. The first time I did I thought that the display model was a fake with a sticker containing the text on the front. It really does look that close to real print on paper. My Sony has a semi gloss/matte finish. Not exactly as matte a finish as paper but very close. Plus there is a huge cost savings if like me you read a lot off free stuff available off the internet.
Does anyone want to buy a used Kindle 1.0?
I need the money to buy one of these things......
Sony has 1 million books available as well through its eBook store and work with Google.
Hey Engadget,
Could you please also ask if we upload PDFs with code on this eBook Reader, whether or not will it screw up the indentation on code?
Thanks,
S
@(Unverified) I would prefer to read in the dark and have my eyes burned out by staring at the light too long, than to have a battery efficient almost real book looking text.
If I want that I'll just by the actual book.
did those page turns seem really slow to anyone?
All E Ink devices have page refreshes like that.
amazon kindle =no CA tax --> $259 flat. each book 9.99 flat.
BN nook (ie) = yes --> $281.66 with tax. each book 10.86 with tax.
amazon kindle --> basic web browser makes 3G USEFUL. at least you can check your gmail.
BN nook (ieeeee) --> 3G and wifi with no evidence of web browser. Not very useful.
amazon kinlde pdf conversion -painful, but people say it works.
BN nook pdf, wonderful, but needs verification.
I don't need LCD to read books.
I'm leaning toward kindle.
Every PDF I sent to Amazon to have converted came back unreadable....three hours later! Missing images, random font size changes, pages out of order...
@bsom weird issues... my PDFs always show up in a few minutes. While native PDF support on the Nook may seem nice on paper (no pun intended), we'll have to actually see it executed to see how clean it really is.
@David I - I contacted Amazon and they told me the PDFs I was sending were "too complex." I had four auto-returned by the system with a nice form letter telling me that they couldn't be converted at all.
I got ADD and the Kindle seems like a better fit. I find color screens with animations extremely distracting. So +1 to the kindle for being a more focused device.
Am I the only person that doesn't want an e-reader to browser the internet, play music, etc...? I just want it to hold books and have a good screen and such. You know... for reading. I already have a smartphone and such if I want hobbled web browsing or whatever.
Nope. I just want it to be a portable PDF carrier. The Kindle was disappointing in that aspect.
I'm with you. I would like to be able to browse books stored on the device, or from an inserted memory card. I don't need 3G, I don't need wifi. I don't need to bookmark or annotate my books (I've never written in anything other than text books and as I'm no longer at University I no longer need to do that). What I would like is the simplest of devices that reads lots of formats and uses something like an SDHC memory card for moving books around. Of course having 3G / wifi makes it easier to buy books on a whim, but if it restricts regional availabilty it's a bit of self defeating addition.
Sorry Amazon, but your kindle just turned into kindling.
Can someone please clarify if this device is worth buying if you are outside US? I read the WIFI in-store book browsing will only work at Barnes & Noble store? Any links to full specs?
Found the specs on the site below,
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nook/features/techspecs/
ignore my previous post
I like it, but I hate it.
So will I be able to load all the books I currently have on my computer in pdf format onto the nook?
Seems that way...
Uh-oh, he said "if the book is lendable". Guess I was stupid for thinking they all would be.
How many publishers do you think will let you lend the ebooks?
Any confirmation as to if this support running your own apps? Not too much of a point to running Android if it doesn't.
Built-in backlight would have been nice (more so than other features).
I don't see the point in buying this though if you already have a Sony Reader. However, it's clearly superior to the Kindle due to the ability to read so many formats natively.
If I didn't already have a Sony PRS-505, I'd get this, but since I do, there's no compelling reason to upgrade to this.
You can't backlight eInk. The closest thing would be to frontlight it, which is what the PRS700 did, but this has a negative affect on overall screen quality.
Well it certainly looks pretty.
Does anyone know if you'll be needing to pay sales tax on ebook purchases for Nook? Correct me if I'm wrong, there is no sales tax on ebook purchases for Kindle right?
As for Sales tax, companies have to collect a sales tax in any state (that has a sales tax) they have a physical presence in for whatever they sell. In the case of Barnes and Noble, they have physical stores pretty much everywhere, so expect a sales tax if you live in a state with a sales tax. In the case of Amazon, us folks in Washington state pay sales tax on all Amazon purchases, and I wouldn't be surprised if there are a few others out there as well (I am sure they have to have datacenters in other states that have sales taxes).
I guess you could always buy your Nook, and somehow register it to an account in Oregon, I highly doubt they will be checking your ip address every time you purchase a book using the thing.
I'm still holding my breath on the whole ebook escapade. It's a much better way to both store books and carry them around with you (can't bring a 1m x 2m bookshelf overseas now, can you?), but as one user commented, they are really still in a bit of a prototype stage. The cost of fiction ebooks should be a fair bit cheaper due to printing costs, too. You don't even need to commission an artist to design a cover for your book! Plus, the convenience should eventually lead to authors realising that they can still make fair profit on their hard work, even at much cheaper prices than paperbacks.
Worst video ever, seriously. Who was filming that?
@(Unverified) I disagree with you on the bookmarks thing. I love to be able to bookmark my books... I don't sit and read a book in one sitting, I can't hold interest that long, and to remember what page I was on and scroll all the way too it is a hassle. To just click on my bookmark would be and is a great feature, whether you personally use it or not.
Please host your content on YouTube ONLY!
For those of us without multi-megabit/sec Inet connections, streaming video isn't practical, it has to be fully downloaded before it can be watched. Multiple tools are available for YouTube, whereas other sites are either unsupported or not supported as well.
Have mercy! Pretty please!
@(Unverified) They do what they think is best/easiest for them. A great majority of the people that visit this site can view other hosting than just YouTube, and YouTube is of far lesser quality than what they're using.
It would be nice to accommodate for everyone, but they just can't do that.
I will order two (one for my wife) when there is an 8.5"x11" display with full color and 3G wireless communications (even if they costs $500). We want to read our color magazines and books in full size and color! Thanks, but we'll be waiting ... (for the new Microsoft ebook later this year or 1Q next year)?
@(Unverified) http://www.editorsweblog.org/multimedia/2009/10/microsoft_denies_e-reader_rumours.php
Microsoft is not making an eReader, they said the PC will read things just fine, online and in PDF format.
Sorry you got you hopes up.
Does anyone know if this will read to you? Checked the specs, but nothing.
@Plothole Who cares about screen quality or how good the text looks? If you can't read it in the dark, when you're either too lazy to get up and turn on a light or can't because you're injured, or traveling as a passenter in a car or on a bus at night, then it's not really worth it.
The bottom screen for the books is backlit, but it makes no sense for it to be because if you can't read in the dark why do you need to see your books in the dark? They should release a front light for it then, if that's what they can do.
What's the point in having the bottom screen backlit when the actual pages of the books are not lit up?
It's like, "I love how I can choose what book to read in the dark... when I can't even fricken read the book in the dark."
Barnes & Noble's site said the upper screen doesn't have a light because they want the text to look as good as possible. But I don't care about that. I'm sticking with the Sony 700 because I can read it on road trips and if I'm too lazy to get up and turn the light on of the room I'm in.