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IRL: Sparrow for iOS, Nikon D800 and the Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. One of the reasons we launched this column was to make sure our reviews and hands-on posts weren't the final say on products -- after all, you often need to live with something for more than a week to notice its WiFi signal cuts off past 15 feet, or there's a nasty bug in the settings menu. Indeed, that theme is what ties together this week's roundup of stories: Darren explains why he ditched Sparrow for iOS, Kevin laments the file size of photos he's taken with his Nikon D800 and Brian finds a flaw in his Nook Simple Touch with Glowlight.
Best Buy confirms Nook for April 18, Greg Packer still hasn't opened his iPad (update)
With all of the Nook chatter going down at Best Buy lately, it was bound to become official sooner or later: as of this morning Reuters is reporting that the retailer will start carrying Barnes and Noble's e-reader beginning, as previously reported, on April 18. We just hope you can contain your excitement until then -- we know we'll be doing our best. Update: We just got our hands on the PR, and here is a little more detail: Not only will the Nook and B&N eBook giftcards be available at Best Buy locations and in its online store, the Geek Squad is also apparently hard at work installing the Nook eReader software on "select PCs, netbooks, tablets and smartphones" sold in its stores. The device is set to retail for $260. Peep the PR for yourself after the break.
Barnes & Noble Nook seen lying in wait at Best Buy
We've already had a pretty clear indication that the Barnes & Noble Nook would be going on sale at Best Buy soon, and we now have our firmest evidence yet courtesy of a tipster who has found Nooks aplenty lurking behind the scenes at the retailer. What's more, as you can see in the shot of an inventory screen after the break, it seems all but certain that the launch date is indeed April 18th, although there's still no confirmation of a price -- we wouldn't be counting on any discounts over Barnes & Noble itself, though.
Barnes & Noble Nook arriving at Best Buy, will go on sale April 18
Looks like the e-reader wars are heating up, retail-style: we just found out that Target will be selling the Kindle later this month, and now multiple sources are telling us that Best Buy will start selling the Barnes and Noble Nook on April 18th -- a rumor we can back up with this shot of Big Blue's inventory system. We're also informed that units are arriving at stores right now, so keep your eyes peeled -- we're assuming an overeager stocker will let one slip out onto the floor sooner or later. You know you can take a photo and tip us right from the Engadget smartphone apps, right?
Nook 1.1 doesn't affect hacks, root still possible
The NookDevs team hasn't wasted any time poring over the recently-released Nook 1.1 update, and there's good news: 1.1 can still be rooted, and rooted 1.0 devices will stay that way after the update. In other news, nookdevs team member robbiet480 just sat down with Nookaholic for an interview, and he dished a few tidbits: the Nook's Android build is called "Bravo," the internal WiFi had to be tweaked to stop turning itself off every three hours, and Bravo itself is basically Android 1.5. Nothing major, but we're definitely getting the feeling the Nook is going to be leading a double life as both a mom-friendly ebook reader and a happy-hacker hardware playground from here on out, you know? [Thanks, Cameron]
Nook 1.1 update hitting now
Right on schedule, the Barnes and Noble Nook is kicking out a software update (we rebooted to get the download to start). We've heard this will fix some of the issues we had with the unit in our review -- but we'll update you once we've had a little time to play around with it. Some things we've noticed so far: Page updating on the E Ink display does seem to be a tiny bit faster. Nothing mindblowing, but a little bit better. B&N has fixed the page numbering issues. There is now a clear number and progress bar along the bottom of the screen. Overall the navigation and color screen loading times seem improved. The experience is definitely faster -- even scrolling through book covers seems a bit improved. There is still pausing and lag in the UI. This isn't a sea change, but it's clear they've cleaned some elements up. [Thanks, anonymous tipster] Update: You can take a look at all the changes right here.
Barnes & Noble Nook now arriving to customers
There was a definite moment of utter pre-launch confusion there, but it looks like the Barnes & Noble Nook is indeed shipping to customers -- reader Peter just sent in this photo of his cold chilling on a desk. We'll see if B&N can crank out the rest of its pre-orders before the holidays, but at least there's hope now -- and we can always tell you where Peter lives if that doesn't work out. [Thanks, Peter]
