What do you get the man who has everything? Such was my dilemma before Pete’s birthday in December. I’m hypersensitive to differentiating birthdays close to Christmas, but the tendency to combine the two into one gifting event looms large every year. Complicating matters is my husband’s inclination to purchase for himself the very thing I might be contemplating or already bought for him. It’s a little dance of exasperation that frequently accounts for additional challenges in the holiday preparations.
And so it was that we approached his birthday this year. I love that my husband is a reader, too. No complaints from him that my “nose is always in a book.” He manages to incorporate leisure reading almost every day. Lately, accommodating this wonderful habit we share has meant adaptations – reading glasses most everywhere he’d be likely to perch, and now that we’re simplifying and downsizing, selling our used books on Amazon.
When our friend Dot, of Deeper Issues, visited us over Thanksgiving, we were quite taken with her new Kindle. We’d each wondered what changing to an e-reader would be all about, and I, in particular, spent some time checking hers out. I liked it. It was portable, easy enough to read, and the instantaneous part of accessing the next book was enticing. But, as with so many things, I set aside the notion until I found myself in Barnes and Noble on the hunt for Christmas presents for the children and my husband in the form of hard cover books.
As part of a great marketing strategy, I was greeted by a person whose job it was to show me a nookColor (affiliate link). The outcome of our time together was that I went home with one. Here’s why:
1. A larger display in full color (duh). Things looked very pretty at first glance and invited a second look.
2. A real tablet feel. The nookColor felt like my Android phone, enlarged. The swiping and dragging motions for functions are very similar. The pop-up screen-based keyboard is familiar. And the reading display appeared brighter, and therefore more familiar, than the display on the Kindle (which, sorry, reminded me of an Etch-a-Sketch).
3. More than a one-trick pony. The extras pre-loaded on the nookColor are fun: crossword, sodoku, Pandora Radio, gallery, contacts, etc. But its wifi capabilities got my attention. I can use Facebook and access my Gmail. Since my business files are held in the Cloud, I could feasibly run my business from it in a pinch. The salesperson alluded to more applications coming down the road. Since then, communities of developers have sprung up as well.
4. Price. Initially, $249 seems high when other readers (including the regular Nook) can be purchased in the low hundreds of dollars. But, when you think of using the nookColor as a tablet, this is a bargain. Now it becomes sort of like a mini iPad – a miniPad? heh. With additional apps on the horizon, this aspect is even more of a no-brainer.
The more I looked at the product, the more I loved it. So I did the only logical thing: I purchased it for my husband.
I spent the next week or so deflecting Pete’s plans to go purchase the latest Tom Clancy novel for himself, until I finally simply scolded. “I really wish you would just stop buying stuff for yourself so close to Christmas and your birthday!” Having him think he was getting a hardcover was far enough away from reality to work for a few days.
Long story short: Pete opened his nookColor and immediately loved it. He took to it like a duck does water. The font was enlarged, the auto-bookmark feature meant he never lost his place, and he headed over to B&N to purchase a cover for it.
Not, however, before he had heard from me how much I liked it and would like to have it for myself! I didn’t have to wait long. He presented me with my own nookColor just before we left for Florida on Christmas Eve. We had a blast with AirTran’s free wi-fi, and the iPad sitting next to me looked vastly oversized by comparison. While in Florida, we read poolside, with minor adjustments for the sun’s glare. Complete portability, including long periods between charges, made our vacation complete.
We both read to our heart’s content. Now I’ve got queued up items on the wishlist, and I’ve never been without something to read since. If you’re seeking a way toward simplification, e-readers are a long-accepted way to go. If you’re intrigued by the aspect of a nice little multi-tasker, the nookColor is your choice.
Related articles
- Barnes & Noble: Online Holiday Sales Up 67 Percent Thanks To The NOOK’s Popularity (crunchgear.com)
- Nook Color Review (web2learning.net)
- Harry Mccracken reviews the Nook Color (teleread.com)
- NookColor Now a Kindle Reader and Android Tablet (gigaom.com)
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Peter and Betsy Wuebker are location-independent professionals who share what they know about travel, simplicity and integrating work with life. 
Sounds great! Someone showed me her Nook just after I got my Kindle. The color feature makes me jealous. Kindle is workng on that. I like the Kindle, but I have found that it’s hard to hold (too thin and the “advance page” buttons are right where you grab it) and the screen has more glare from my lamp than I expected. It has Wifi, games and apps, though not as many yet, but I didn’t buy it for that. “I’ve never been without something to read since…” is why I bought it, and it’s been great for that. The more competition there is, the more the consumer will benefit!
Dot has an awesome blog post here: Noble Winter
Hi Dot – Your visit influenced me to give the concept of an e-reader a second chance, as I’d been very dismissive of them in the past. I think you might find your Kindle easier to hold with a different cover for it, perhaps. I don’t think either product is perfect with a lot of glare. But overall, as we’re discussing in private, having something to read and being able to add the next something to read instantaneously is a great advantage. Reading more and enjoying it more!
Hi Betsy .. I certainly have noted that the Nook has some keen followers .. and so your post has opened my eyes a little more – I’m not in the market for either an ipad or a Nook for now .. so we’ll see where we go .. but the NookColour looks very interesting ..
Christmas and follow-up birthdays as mine .. are always tricky!
Delighted you cheered him up .. and got your wish list too .. just watch the romance novels he uploads??!!
Cheers – enjoyable read .. Hilary
Hilary has an awesome blog post here: Guide Books- Queries – Publishers and Authors- Mariana Starke- Baedeker- Murray- Ward & Lock- Wainwright late 1700s to mid 1900s
Hi Hilary – Romance novels? haha It’s interesting what we’ve both chosen so far. The “Lend” feature will be in great use, I’m sure, with titles going back and forth. Let us know if you decide to take the plunge. E-Reader software makes more sense for the iPad than a computer, I would think. Even the laptops are a little too unwieldy for long term. Thanks.
Hi Betsy .. probably not for a while – especially while Mum lives on – as I now have a machine set up at the Home, and one here .. so can access things up there if I feel like it .. but I’ve certainly noted your comments on the blog .. cheers Hilary
Hilary has an awesome blog post here: Guide Books- Queries – Publishers and Authors- Mariana Starke- Baedeker- Murray- Ward & Lock- Wainwright late 1700s to mid 1900s