Barnes and Noble Nook Color Review: The Ebook Reader That Looks Like A Tablet

Since Barnes & Noble was way behind in the ereader market, releasing the Nook only in late 2009, many did not expect that it would be able to come up with the Nook Color just a year after. It's being promoted as the "reader's tablet" and we'll learn in this Nook Color review just how much of an ebook reader and a tablet the Barnes & Noble Nook Color is.

Design and Overall Size

If you're expecting an average-looking, run-of-the-mill ebook reader, then you'll certainly be impressed with the colored Nook, which could pass off as a tablet PC at first glance.

Unlike the usual ereaders which use e-ink technology, this one comes with a 7-inch full color LED-backlit IPS display. This display technology is actually the same one that Apple's iPads and Macs are equipped with. Barnes & Noble however, improved the IPS screen by using its VividView technology which laminates the screen coating and reduces the glare.

Compared to the e-ink version of the Nook ereader, the Nook color is a tad bigger and heavier. Weighing a solid 15.8 ounces, it is 8.1 inches long, with a width of 5 inches and a depth of 0.5 inch. The device's display is surrounded by hard plastic framing in the front and a smooth back cover with a rubbery feel to it .

Performance

The Nook Color's program is based on the Android 2.1, the widely-used operating system running on a big number of smartphones and tablets in the market today. In this Barnes & Noble device, the Android-based software delivers the goods.

Nook Color users are all praises for the ereader's fast performance, quick page turns, intuitive and responsive touchscreen, and crisp, clear images and text. You can also go over photo galleries and PDF documents quickly and easily.

New Features

As one of the first colored ebook readers in the market, this Barnes & Noble device has gained a lot of interest since it was introduced. Among the added functions that have been incorporated into the Nook Color are web browsing, email, video, and Pandora music streaming, and also works well with B & N's new features and technologies.

There's the new Nook Kids brand which promotes reading colored, illustration-packed children's ebooks on the Nook Color, NookFriends which lets users share heartwarming lines from books to friends and family via Facebook and Twitter. Nook Color also utilizes the LendMe feature, which allows lending of books between Nook users.

Price

The company has really gone out of its way to release an ebook reader that's not only sleek and feature-packed, but is reasonably-priced as well. At just $249, it's really quite a steal considering that you can already do a lot more than just ebook reading with it.

Nook Color Review: Final Thoughts

The Nook Color is of course, far from being a perfect device. Its battery life for instance, is too short for an ereader. It is said to last for 8 hours without recharge and this is peanuts compared to what other e-ink ebook readers can do. Also, even with its VividView treatment, the LCD display could still get reflective and possibly even cause eye strain after a few hours.

After all is said in this Nook Color review, it really depends on what you prefer. The Nook Color is certainly ideal if you like its tablet-like features, and if your family's reading fare mostly consists of magazines, children's books, cookbooks and other content that requires color. However, for long form reading of mostly text ebooks, e-ink ebook readers are still the better choice.

Check out our site for the comprehensive Nook color review and see how it stacks up against other popular portable ebook readers.