Just Played With The New Nook Tablet
So I am at the Android Developer Conference this week (AnDevCon II) and Barnes & Noble has a booth in the exhibition hall. When I stopped by yesterday, all they had on display was the NC. I stopped by again this afternoon between classes, and what do you know..they had a couple of Nook Tablets we could mess around with.
Random thoughts after playing around with it for 10 minutes, and talking to one of the technical reps:
1) I thought there was notably less glare than the Nook Color (NC). I stood under a bright light in the exhibit hall, and while there was glare, I could still read pretty well. I even tried to position the screen for maximum glare and thought the screen was still readable.
2) While it might be just 2 ounces lighter than the NC, it is noticeable.
3) Other than the glare reduction (i believe the rep told me there is an anti-glare layer between the glass and the screen itself)..the screen is exactly the same as the NC
4) Device seemed pretty responsive. No noticeable slow downs when moving between screens, flipping pages, etc. Didn't play any games or video.
5) NICE: the Nook Tablet is still bootable from SD. The rep said that while they think only 3% of sales of the NC go to people who want to root it, they are still sales they wouldn't otherwise have. And they aren't interested in removing the ability to root for those who want to do that. I was pleasantly surprised how ok they are with rooting. Plus, he said they have to keep the boot from SD option. When someone brings a messed up device into a B&N store, they can wipe the device clean and restore it to its original condition by booting the system from an SD card (by using the OS on the card to restore the system on the device).
6) the android version is 2.3.3
7) the UI of the device is pretty nice. I haven't played with my NC on the stock B&N OS though (i run CM7), so I'm unsure how different the UI is between the NC and Nook Tablet.
Overall, felt like a nice 7 inch device. Didn't feel much different than the NC, but I am guessing the spec bumps will make it a noticeable upgrade if you use it for things other than just reading.
E-Book Deal: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms for $2.99 (US)
Just a quick post to let you know that you can pick up The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin for just $2.99. This is the first book in the Inheritance Trilogy..the final book, The Kingdom of Gods, is due out Oct 27.
E-Book Deal: Empire In Black & Gold by Adrian Tchaikovsky
It looks like the digital edition of Empire in Black and Gold went on sale today in the US for a mere $1.99. This is one of my favorite on-going fantasy series and I would definitely recommend giving this book a shot while it is on sale.
Note at the time of this post, the Nook version is still $9.59. I'll include the link above in case the price drops over the weekend. But for now, the sale price is Kindle only.
Free E-Book: The Weight of Blood by David Dalglish
In case you are looking for something new to read this weekend, the first book in the (5 book) Half-Orcs series is currently free. The rest of the books range in price from $1.99 to $3.99. You can find my review of The Weight of Blood here.
I Found the Perfect Booklight
Yep, I found the perfect booklight last week. It is called the M-Edge e-Luminator Booklight Touch. It works with the e-Luminator compatible M-Edge covers for the Kindle and Nook devices. Plus due to its design, it should work with regular paperback and hardback books. Nice! I've even used it with a non M-Edge ereader case...one of the cases I have has a pretty snug fit between the back of the ereader and the case...so I can slide the light between the ereader and case and it stays in place. So, you should be able to use this light in many circumstances (the M-Edge covers are nice..you can find them at your local Best Buy, in addition to online).
So besides their ability to be used with ereaders and physical books, what is so special about the light? These things:
1) The light has 3 brightness settings. The first setting is perfect for me to read in bed...just light enough to see, but not so bright it bothers my wife. Most book lights I have tried are so bright that they disturb her and seem to light up the room. Not so with this one. Though if you need a bright light, the brightest setting is really bright. There is a nice increase in light between settings..making all 3 of the brightness levels useful.
2) It runs on a single AAA battery. Don't have to worry about those more expensive little bottlecap size batteries. You supposedly get 20 hours per battery, but I haven't had it long enough to verify that yet.
3) Touch operated, so it is easy to use..just tap the light to turn it on and change the brightness levels.
4) It can turn itself off after 1 hour to save the battery. At the 1 hour mark, it will flash..if you don't touch it to keep the light active, it will shut itself off.
5) It has a flexible neck, and the light itself rotates, so it can be used in many positions.
Overall..really the perfect light..and i have tried TONS of them. My only complaint is the touch area can be sensitive and I will accidentally turn the light on sometimes.
If you have any questions..feel free to ask!
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