Barnes and Noble Nook firmware version 1.4 now available
By Laura June 
posted June 21st 2010 12:55PM
posted June 21st 2010 12:55PM
posted June 21st 2010 12:55PM
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anyone know if i can buy one of these in the UK, the wifi only version?
How many people does this actually apply to? Oh yeah. The 5 people in the entire world that actually bought this thing.
@AppleFan741
I've actually found it to be damn convenient. Tossed the biggest micro sd in there that I could afford, and put all my system manuals on it (pdf). This thing trumps dragging my laptop out, and is easier to read than my phone.
@AppleFan741 You must be that guy who looks like an idiot holding an iPad on the subway in the morning. Thanks for giving me something to laugh about when I get into work.
@foofighting86 Hey Foo. Try handing him a flash drive sometime and telling him he needs to check out this video. You'll get bonus points for making his "toy" look even stupider.
@AppleFan741
I have 2 (1 for wife) and I love them. The "go to page" really was the last "missing" feature. There are features that I'd like but this finally completes the eBook use cases for me.
@AppleFan741
I'm loving my Nook.
@Niazac I want to pick up a Nook because I don't read. I realize I tend to be more enthralled reading on digital mediums; I want to read more. Do you think the Nook would do my needs justice? Also...can it be read at night??
Was just discussing with my wife that I would probably read more if I had an e-reader because most the time when I'm in the mood to read it's impulsive.
She says she will never give up the joy of reading a real book.
Now I'm kicking myself in the ass. I looked at mine on the way out the door this morning, but didn't think to grab it. Oh well, guess I get to wait 5 more hours...
That's great!
Will be updating today.
"Nooking"
What do we call people who Nook? :D
@gremwood Snookies.
@gremwood Hey Grem! Did your old friend contact you after all?
Awesome going to update now
good good, but where is ios4 already?!!?
@Zeroexe43
DUDE, JUST STOP IT, AND SHUT THE FUCK UP.
@Zeroexe43 It was just released if you took the time to look...
@Zeroexe43 "good good, but where is ios4 already?!!?"
They are attempting an extraction from Jobs's *** as we speak right now. Its so tight though its a touch and go operation.
Wait... you mean this thing couldn't go directly to a page in a book before? Geez, that seems like that is something that should have existed in the software version1.0.
In any case it's really tempting... kind of. My niece wants one for her birthday in December, so the price is way more realistic than when it was still $259.
@barbtx
The Nook works really well, they are working on making it better. Now you will have the option of a Nook without 3G for 150. And really you can download books from WiFi or in your computer and Sync it later. I persoanlly use Calibre for it.
@sirexilon Calibre is nice. I just wish that the Nook would put sideloaded books into the "books" section, instead of under the "documents" section.
:O
Where's the "breaking", Engadget?
Glad to see B&N are really holding up on updating the Nook. It just keeps getting better. I read at least 3 times more than I use to, thanks to the Nook.
@TheGadgetologist Considering the price drop, I was thinking about getting one and thought I'll ask you whether you've noticed a change in the page refresh speed on nook with the various updates released to date. I read that the initial release had a painfully slow page turn as compared to kindle.
@calvinav when I first got it, it was slow. It wasn't "terrible" just not up to par with the kindle, which it should have been. The first first update really fixed that though, I find it much quicker and enjoyable. Don't try to compare it to cellphone OS speeds or anything. It's an eReader and it does it well.
@TheGadgetologist Thanks for the info!
Wondering if I need to wait for a rooted version...
@fencesitter I wouldn't unless you'd like to use Trook or favor nookdevs' library app or.. would like to install any app the guys might come up with (tho I doubt the latter but maybe there would be more projects and thus apps developed / adapted for the nook if its sales would take off with these new and cheaper options made available).
@spaceye Well, it doesn't matter that much- upgrading isn't irreversible especially since I'm working on a copy of the microSD card with the original safely in my desk drawer.
@fencesitter Gotcha now. My comment was about the only benefits I can name of having a rooted nook vs latest versions of BN software.
So the 3G on these things is just for buying books, not web browsing correct? If that's the case, I'm going with the $150 one.
@Slyrax i understand that in version 1.3 they improved the web browser functionality:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/23/nook-gets-web-browser-free-in-store-reading-and-games-in-new-f/
but I don't know if it only works on wi-fi or with 3G too, I don't have one (yet) so dont know for sure.
@Slyrax I'd take a guess that web-access over 3G gets filtered by AT&T as a service provider (which probably wasn't the case prior to 1.3 as there was no official bundled browser app). Definitely there's no filtering performed on the device as I was able to use it with my local SIM card that has a data plan (Eastern Europe here), not even saying that it would be pretty much dumb. As for the US maybe someone here will let you know for sure, seems like we have a number of nook owners among the readers.
@Slyrax Web browsing only works on wifi. The 3G only allows shopping for B&N books, downloading purchased B&N books and updating the Nook's daily page.
@kabloink
Oh, dammit. I just exchanged my WiFi nook for a WiFi + 3G model thinking I could use the 3G for the web browser like I could on the Kindle. And I can't.
So I really didn't need the 3G version. Great.
As I've already done two returns (one for the upgrade, one for a defect) I'm not eager to try to return and get the WiFi model again. I guess I'll have to hope I need the 3G for an emergency book purchase at some point... Or maybe B&N will update and allow the 3G to do some web surfing.
For $50 more, I'd think they'd give us a little more use out of the 3G.
I love my Nook! This was really the last feature that I missed on it. The refresh rate became respectable with the 1.1 update, and since 1.3, has been so great that I never think about it anymore. I really love how portable my Nook makes reading, and even though it now costs a significant amount less, it has really come in handy since I got it in December.
I thought David Pogue's review was rather unfair when the Nook first came out, and I'd be interested in seeing if B&N's updates have made any difference in his opinion of the device.
Still holding out for the a 10" version at $299. Come on people, get to it. :-)
Now, the only thing left is to get a good pdf reader on this thing. Some pdf's do well but some are to small print to read at all.
I originally had a Kindle 2, and I liked it. It was a good e-reader. I eventually had to get rid of it, but missed having an e-reader, so I looked at and finally got the Nook.
I have to say, I like the Nook better. It's more compact. The screen seems more off-white, while the Kindle was kind of grey. The Nook handles ePub, which means I have *lots* of options for getting books, and the Nook seems to handle pdf files a lot better than the Kindle.
It also helps that the Nook WiFi is pretty affordable.
I like that the bezel is smaller on the Nook, and I like being able to turn pages with the touch screen (and the Nook has back/forward on both sides of the main screen, too. Why did they only put them on one side of the Kindle?)
I like that I can replace my own battery for $30 (or less, if there's a Chinese knock-off) and that I can boost the storage capacity. I like that you don't need to hack the Nook to use your own wallpaper, and that the touch screen makes playing music or web-surfing a lot easier than on the Kindle.
I also really like that the touch screen eliminates the need for a keyboard, like on the Kindle. That was a lot of wasted space.
I also looked at the Sony Reader Pocket, but honestly, it was the same price as the Nook, and had 1/2 the features!
I don't think I'll regret going with the WiFi version, as I can't see relying on the 3G connection for anything (I live in a college town. You can't turn on a device without getting half a dozen unsecured WiFi signals).
All in all, for as much as I defended the Kindle, I'm feeling pretty good about the Nook. I think B&N took a good idea and made it better.
With the Nook, you can go to the Sony store, you can go to Borders, or you can go to B&N, among others. They all use formats compatible with the Nook! If you're the less-than-ethical type, I'm sure you can find lots of ePub material out there, too.
And you know what? With Calibre, you can even convert comic books to ePub or PDF format, and they look pretty decent on the Nook.
My only gripe is that it doesn't support basic formats like RTF, TXT, or DOC. But I can convert those with Calibre.