Barnes and Noble Announces Nook Color E-Reader



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If the device can be hacked to provide more functionality - akin to a "real" tablet - then B&N will have a winning product, even if people end up using it for totally "non-reader" purposes...


I love my current non-light emitting Nook very much. For people with sleep problems current e-ink Nook is a blessing. Do I want to have full screen touch and color - sure! But if it would would keep me awake like iPad (good device - no words against it) - thank you very much, I would keep non-light emitting tech as long as I can. Probably when you are less then 35-40 - you would fell asleep no matter what. But for me (and as some research shows for the most people) light emitting screens means real problems in sleep department. 



No thank you.  We like the eInk, not a gimped iPad.



I like the e-ink in my Sony primarily because the only time I can't use it is in the dark.  That said, I have found very, very few times when I could not turn on a light and for clandestine bed reading without waking the wife, a red light works great.  If the new nook won't read well in full day or the backlight tires the eyes as studies have shown, it will achieve only a small following.  They should have opted for an Android slate with forced B&N store and app integration.

The backlight will be welcome by many first time buyers.  I meet a lot of people that find it curious that my Sony doesn’t have a built in light.  As to touch screen, it will help, not hurt, the platform.

By the way, if your hands are so dirty and greasy that touching the screen isn't practical (heavy fried chicken eater or some type of engine worker I suppose), simply don't touch the screen.  In a year of using a TabletPC and a Sony Touch reader, dirty fingers simply is a rare problem.  It happens on rare occasions.  The convenience and benefit of the added way to turn pages and input data is considerable.  But for all those with permanently filthy fingers or those that have reached an age where there is no room for new methods, I am sure retro stuff will continue.  Need we forget the cassette walkman...



I think it's dumb that every new device is expected to have a color touchscreen. Personally, I don't want greasy fingerprints smeared on the face of my e-reader (I have a Kindle). Touchscreens on a smartphone/tablet are one thing, because a) they have so many features that any other input method would be awkward, and b) I typically don't stare at the screen for long periods of time so I don't care much if there are smudges. Touchscreens on an e-reader are another matter, because they are dedicated to one simple use and don't need much more than a keyboard and a cursor nubbin. Also, reading obviously entails looking at the screen for extended periods of time, which means that backlights and smudges suck. Unless you're one of those people who thinks that everything needs a touchscreen.


Fecal Face

I agree, smudges do get annoying. Almost every time I use my Zune HD I end up wiping off the screen with my sleeve or something, because it gets so covered in finger-crap. I can't imagine what this would be like on an e-reader though.

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