Manage updates with the Download AppBarnes & Noble Nook (3G/Wi-Fi)
Manufacturer: Barnes & Noble Part number: Nook
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The Nook Wi-Fi/3G doesn't quite measure up to the Kindle in terms of design and overall performance, but it's a worthy alternative if you're looking for a more open e-reader that supports the EPUB format.
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Where to buy
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CNET editors' review
Barnes & Noble Nook (3G/Wi-Fi) price range: $200.00
- Reviewed by: David Carnoy
- Edited by: John Falcone
- Reviewed on: 12/06/2009
The good: Large library with tens of thousands of e-books, as well as newspapers and magazines; built-in free wireless data network, plus Wi-Fi connectivity (no PC needed); separate capacitive color touch-screen pad for navigation, and a virtual keyboard for notes and annotations; 2GB of internal memory (capable of storing 1,500 electronic books) as well as a microSD expansion slot for additional memory; font style and size are adjustable; displays image files and plays MP3 music files; compatible with Windows and Mac machines; battery is removable and user-replaceable; allows free browsing of full-text books while within Barnes & Noble stores; you can lend certain e-books for up to 14 days free of charge; EPUB format compatibility lets you read free Google Books and loaner e-books from your local library; page turn speeds are faster with firmware upgrade.
The bad: No protective carrying case included; color LCD has an impact on battery life; in-store reading and loaning capabilities come with notable limits and caveats; no support for Word or text files; no ability to download books when outside the U.S., even when on Wi-Fi.
The bottom line: The Nook Wi-Fi/3G doesn't quite measure up to the Kindle in terms of design and overall performance, but it's a worthy alternative if you're looking for a more open e-reader that supports the EPUB format.
User reviews
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Good product but poor customer service.
by jeng2010 on June 30, 2010
Pros: Portable, easy to use, lots of memory, easy to connect to wifi.
Cons: 3G does not work well. Poor construction. Poor customer support.
Summary: I've really enjoyed using my nook and was really disappointed when one of the page buttons cracked after having it for about a month. I bought the nook thinking ...
Summary: I've really enjoyed using my nook and was really disappointed when one of the page buttons cracked after having it for about a month. I bought the nook thinking that you would have the support of the Barnes and Noble store. I even bought the extended warranty. When I took the nook back into the store they put me on the phone with customer service to mail a new nook. There were nooks in the store that they could have replaced mine with. I have to now mail back the broken one. Also within a few weeks of owning a nook, they offered gift cards, and then the price dropped. None of that was offered to their previous customers. Spend your money elsewhere.
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great and getting better
by gadgetgrrrl on May 19, 2010
Pros: support for multiple, non-proprietary formats
pleasing form factor
ease of use
in-store extras
color screen
battery lifeCons: occasionally a little slow
wi-fi drastically reduces battery life
fewer titles available in B&N store than in Kindle storeSummary: I chose a Nook over a Kindle because of the support for multiple formats, and it hasn't disappointed on that score--sideloading books and documents couldn't be easier. I ...
Summary: I chose a Nook over a Kindle because of the support for multiple formats, and it hasn't disappointed on that score--sideloading books and documents couldn't be easier. I get most of my books from the library, and now that my library offers e-books, the Nook is truly the right device for me.
But even better is the sheer pleasure of the reading experience. The screen is a good size, the e-ink quality is excellent, and navigating my collection is easy. The touchscreen can be a little quirky and took some getting used to (I kept touching the non-touch part of the screen at first), but it's a useful feature. I haven't had any of the issues with the software that I've seen mentioned in other reviews, and each update has been a major improvement. I've even played the games that were added with the last firmware update. Battery life is superb in airplane mode, which is what I use when I'm at home and don't need to download anything; it's good in regular mode, not so great on wi-fi. It's really just a great device.
About the only complaint I have is that Barnes & Noble's selection of e-books isn't as good as Amazon's, at least not yet. On the plus side, though, I can also find books at Kobo, through Adobe Digital Editions, and of course at the library, so finding enough to read hasn't been an issue. I really couldn't be happier with my Nook.2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great reading experiencing. Needs speed improvement.
by Garlidie on May 14, 2010
Pros: Great overall design, Selection of books, removable battery, book lending capabilities, Color LCD, Free reading of ebooks in B&N stores, can increase memory.
Cons: Sluggish at times, battery life, No protective cover in box.
Summary: I got the nook as a present from my family. And I must say, I'm impress. The e-ink display is just awesome and is resistant to direct sunlight. It'...
Summary: I got the nook as a present from my family. And I must say, I'm impress. The e-ink display is just awesome and is resistant to direct sunlight. It's amazing how crisp the display render text and images. If it wasn't for the bezel and clicking a button to turn turn a page, you wouldn't know the difference in reading from the nook from an actual book.
With the nook, you can cross "running to the bookstore" off your errant list. With the included 3g (free) data connection, you get to purchase, browse, and preview books from anywhere you have at&t coverage. Even if you don't have at&t coverage, which is rare, don't sweat it. Wifi is included.
You have the ability to lend ebooks you've purchase to friends. With the latest update, you can read full length ebooks at any B&N location over wifi. B&N have also have sped things up with the latest update. Noticeable when you're inputting text using the virtual keyboard, browsing books in cover view, and the main menu.
The UI takes some getting use to. Because you have two different screens, color capacitive touch screen for navigation and an e-ink display for reading, you'll find yourself at first hitting the e-ink display initially. Over time (took me a day or two) you'll get adjusted.
Also things liking opening a book and powering on the nook is noticeably slow but bearable. But B&N have shown that these can be overcome with updates to the nook OS.
The nook comes with no accessories, so be sure to get a cover. Also get the clip on lamp for night reading because the nook have no built-in light for nighttime reading.2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Limited to B&N books
by hfaces on March 2, 2010
Pros: Screen and no more
Cons: Limited B&N books, battery life
Summary: I bough the Nook as it said it could read e-pub books, got it home loaded my previously purchased books and I get an error message. I call B&...
Summary: I bough the Nook as it said it could read e-pub books, got it home loaded my previously purchased books and I get an error message. I call B&N and it turns out that it only reads B&N e-pub bokks, not ones urchased at another vender as they are all DRM protected differntly. If this would have been stated I would not have purchased it.
I took it back today as I can't read any of my ebooks on it and the lady at the store gives me bacl the total minus 10% without saying anything. I look on the receipt and it says 10% restocking fee, she didn't even bother to say anything about it. The store does not have a sign that shows this either, you don't find out untill you return it. This should be discloused at the store near the register somewhere. They have other return policies that mention books and cd' s, but there is nothing mentioned about the return fee.
This is my first and last purchase at B&N!!!2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Very disapointed with the Nook I should have waited
by rwchandler1949 on February 28, 2010
Pros: Size of device and screen. Color screen seemed to be laid out nicely
Cons: Too many features and difficult to use. Device kept locking up when trying to load large books. After about a week it started locking up even on small books. No error messages so very hard for technical service to trouble shoot.
Summary: I bought the B&N nook because of all the features and ease of use in the advertisements. I even saw a demonstration at a local B&N ...
Summary: I bought the B&N nook because of all the features and ease of use in the advertisements. I even saw a demonstration at a local B&N store. Bought the nook, the service agreement, cover and light, paid for everything and waited almost a month for it to arrive.
Boy was I disappointed! But it was an expensive purchase and a Christmas gift from my husband so I persisted in trying to get the Nook to work. I finally gave up after a month.
I now have a Kindle which I love. I read the tutorial and loaded the books I needed in a short time. On the first day of ownership I was able to load the King James Version of the Bible and looked up all the verses I needed for my children?s Sunday school class. By the second day, I loaded the number one best seller for free and am reading to my heart?s delight.
Below is my summary of the Nook
Feature Nook
Screen Size Slightly larger than Kindle
Power Switch Push bar ? difficult to tell when you have pushed it down
Keyboard Keys are black and slightly larger than Kindle
Reaction time Slow so you can?t discern if you engaged the button
Color Colored home bar only
Ease of Use Difficult to use probably because the reaction time is slow and the search is insufficient
Memory Download very slow even on smaller books
Save Feature You have to go to the search to find your book and then it finds your place
Bible Never did find what I needed. Opened on Genesis 1 and you had to go page by page from there. I gave up.
Down time Frequent wait and force close dialogue boxes. I waited for over an hour through these messages and gave up.2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Took the Kindle and improved it in all the right ways
by skippyfab on February 22, 2010
Pros: Ease of use, very fast, glitches fixed with updates, removeable battery, expandable capacity
Cons: lower battery life, some books more expensive than Amazon
Summary: I bought my wife a Kindle for Christmas and decided that I wanted a reader as well. The Kindle is great, but something about the nook made me want it. ...
Summary: I bought my wife a Kindle for Christmas and decided that I wanted a reader as well. The Kindle is great, but something about the nook made me want it. After hearing that the February firmware update cleaned up a lot, I went for it. I really love the nook. It is slicker than the Kindle, works just as easily and quickly, and just has a lot of features that the Kindle doesn't. The fact that you can open it up and replace the battery yourself instead of sending it in for double the price is nice. I also like that you can add capacity with the microSD card. The only negatives I can find are the battery life and book prices. The battery in my nook lasts about 6 days. That is with a lot of playing around with the touch screen. My wife's kindle lasts 8 - 10 days, so there is a clear difference. The other thing I noticed was the disparity in book prices. Amazon has done a good job of keeping most books around 10 bucks. B&N has not. For example, one of the books I wanted, Doomsday Key by James Rollins is 9.99 on Amazon. On B&N, it is almost 17! That was a disappointing discovery. However, I must say I am happy with my purchase and no longer covet the wife's Kindle.
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Not Ready for Prime Time
by rpmcestmoi on December 26, 2009
Pros: nice design. Nicely designed optional holders, as well. My anthracite was nifty.
Cons: very slow when I got it in the first software iteration. color is a gimmick, not really useful. No NYTimes subscription when I wanted to buy one. Did I say s l o w ?
Summary: I was so disappointed that I put it on eBay on day three, made a profit and a happy buyer in Texas. I will read my BN purchases on my ...
Summary: I was so disappointed that I put it on eBay on day three, made a profit and a happy buyer in Texas. I will read my BN purchases on my iphone and look with interest at the probable January launch of iTablet from Apple that will likely blow everything of this nature out of the water.
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Don't buy this piece of crap.
by menonook on May 26, 2010
Pros: Decent door stop.
Cons: 300 bucks down the crapper. BN should be ashamed. Broke within weeks.
3 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great eBook reader.
by Robbiex on May 15, 2010
Pros: Excellent mechanical design. Attractive appearance and with superior mechanical functionality.
UNIX based operating system ( Android)
E Ink provides superior text readability, including usage in bright sunlight.
Compatible with multiple formats.Cons: Application program response time is a little slow.
Cellular access is only to B&N.
Web browser only works with Wi-Fi not with cellular.
E Ink technology display time is still very slow.
Needs TTS capability.Summary: Pros
Excellent mechanical design. Attractive appearance and with superior mechanical functionality.
UNIX based operating system ( Android)
E Ink provides superior text readability, including usage in bright sunlight.
Cellular and Wi-Fi ...Summary: Pros
Excellent mechanical design. Attractive appearance and with superior mechanical functionality.
UNIX based operating system ( Android)
E Ink provides superior text readability, including usage in bright sunlight.
Cellular and Wi-Fi access.
Compatible with multiple eBook formats.
Book data are easily transferred between a PC and the Nook.
Cons
Application program response time is a little slow.
Cellular access is only to B&N.
Web browser only works with Wi-Fi not with cellular.
The Nook could easily be an excellent multi-purpose device with the addition of a GPS receiver, Bluetooth and software implementation of cellular voice communications and GPS navigation.
E Ink technology display time is still very slow.
DRM results in many frustrating and unnecessary limitations.
Needs TTS capability.
Limited third party add-on software is available at this time.
Overall a great device for reading eBooks.
I think that it is the best of the currently available readers.3 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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tech downer
by jeffdroubay on January 9, 2010
Pros: classic titles
Cons: takes the brains of einstein and the strength of a chimpanzee just to open the packaging.
Summary: Slow to boot, font size too small (even on "large")doesn't automatically return to your last page when signing in, store tried to charge $30 restocking fee when returned, ...
Summary: Slow to boot, font size too small (even on "large")doesn't automatically return to your last page when signing in, store tried to charge $30 restocking fee when returned, and wouldn't refund my e book purchase. I don't like the marketing strategy - the fact that no actual nooks were available to try at time of purchase. My wife has a kindle so I could compare firsthand. This product will be popular with anyone who doesn't have anything to compare it with.
3 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Barnes & Noble
- Part number: Nook
- Description: nook's easy-to read Ink display is more like a traditional book than a computer screen. With no glare or backlight, and adjustable text size, you can read comfortably hours. nook makes it easy to bookmark, highlight passages, or make notes - plus, look up words mid-sentence using the built-in dictionary. Use reading now, your virtual bookmark, to bring you back to the last book you've read, right where you left off.
General
- Packaged Quantity 1
- Product Type eBook reader
- Built-in devices Display,
Touchscreen - Dimensions (W x D x H) 4.9 in x 0.5 in x 7.7 in
- Weight 11.2 oz
- Color Black
- Features LCD display,
One touch control - Packaged contents USB 2.0 cable,
AC adapter,
Battery - Slot provided type [Dec 3, 2010 from CDS: Slot Provided] microSD
Display
- Type 6 in Monochrome E Ink
- Touchscreen Yes
- Display type 6 in E Ink
- Color Depth 4-bit (16 gray levels)
Display (2nd)
- Type 3.5 in Color TFT active matrix
Memory
- Flash Memory 2 GB
- Installed RAM 2 GB
- RAM 2 GB
- Supported Flash Memory Cards microSD
- Flash memory installed 2 GB
Communications
- Cellular Technology 3G
- Cellular Protocols HSPA,
UMTS - Wireless Connectivity 802.11b/g
EBook Reader
- Supported Text Formats EPUB ,
PDF - Supported Still Image Formats PNG,
JPEG,
BMP,
GIF - Features Wi-Fi ,
3G wireless ,
Touch screen ,
Expandable memory Location
- GPS Navigation None
Multimedia
- Audio Speaker
- Supported Digital Audio Formats MP3
Input Device
- Type Touch-screen,
Navigation button Power
- Battery installed (max) Lithium polymer
- Recharge Time 3.5 hour(s)
- Power supply device Power adapter
Expansion and Connectivity
- Expansion Slot(s) 1 x microSD
- Interfaces 1 x USB,
1 x Headphones Battery
- Technology / Form Factor Lithium polymer
Miscellaneous
- Included Accessories USB 2.0 cable,
Power adapter , AC adapter,
Battery - Cables Included 1 x USB cable
Dimensions & Weight
- Width 4.9 in
- Depth 0.5 in
- Height 7.7 in
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
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