It's something you might hear mothers of small babies saying, but the nook is more than an infant soothing device, it's a technological genius. The Nook is sold exclusively through Barnes & Noble bookstores and website. I am talking specifically about the NOOKcolor. Before I tell you anymore about this little gem, let me first describe my journey to discovering it. Yes I had heard of it, but never gave it any thought.
So I was checking my email yesterday when I read one talking about NOOKstudy which is a free application that you can download onto PC or Mac that can be integrated with Blackboard. This software is great because you can download your textbooks for a fraction of the cost (up to an 80% discount), highlight, underline, make notes and other mark ups, lookup words or information using Dictionary.com, Google, Wikipedia, Wolfram Alpha, and YouTube. You can link websites to your notes, pull up just your notes when it's time to study or write a paper and have 2 documents open side by side. The features that allow you to adjust the view are wonderful as is the search feature.
As an example I looked up a Writing textbook so I could get an idea of cost savings to students. This particular book retails for $79.95 but you can buy the NOOKstudy version for only $15.56 - an 80% savings! Plus if all you have to lug around is your laptop, instead of a bunch of heavy books, notebooks, highlighters, pens, etc - you are saving more than just money! You can download other books too, not just textbooks and Barnes & Noble has a huge library of free books and resources. The majority of books cost $9.99 or less which is a great deal if you think about it - most hardcover books sell for around $25-$30.
Ok, so now back to the NOOKcolor. As you may recall I have been looking for a small device that I can read books on, perhaps surf the web, check email...that sort of thing. I have already ruled out the iPad and I thought the Samsung Galaxy was the one for me...but I just decided that $499 is still too much. That is more than I payed for my new laptop. So I was resigned to get the Kindle 3...that is until I stopped in the Barnes & Noble store last night and tried the NOOKcolor. Now I know what you're thinking, "this girl is like a ping pong ball!" but hear me out. This little reader is around the same dimensions as the Galaxy and Kindle (7" screen), it's in color, functions just like a tablet in that you can add music, videos, files, books, surf the web, check email and they are coming out with apps very soon. It runs on an android OS (that's operating system for those of you crinkling your eyebrows) and has wifi. Also, when you download books from NOOKbook they can sync between applications so maybe you have a NOOK app on your computer and a NOOKcolor or on an iPad or something. If I highlight and read a book in one it will sync and show up in the others. Cool huh? If that weren't enough, it has an expandable SDHC slot up to 32GB. Imagine having all your magazines, newspapers, book collections, children's books, textbooks, cookbooks, documents, pictures, etc on this one little device...talk about convenience.
Are you ready to hear the price...don't cheat by googling it...it's only $249! Now I'm not sure if it's compatable with NOOKstudy yet, but if not it will be in the very near future. I encourage anyone thinking about a Tablet or eReader to really try them out first...which is difficult with Kindles (but I think Target might carry them). Weigh your real needs versus the price. I don't NEED to be able to do everything I could do on my laptop when I'm away...but it's nice to be able to do somethings like entertain yourself in waiting rooms, on your lunch break, at the beach or while traveling.
You can find out more about NOOKcolor at the Barnes & Noble website. I also encourage you to download the free NOOKstudy app on your computer - you'll thank me later. Happy reading!
~S
So I was checking my email yesterday when I read one talking about NOOKstudy which is a free application that you can download onto PC or Mac that can be integrated with Blackboard. This software is great because you can download your textbooks for a fraction of the cost (up to an 80% discount), highlight, underline, make notes and other mark ups, lookup words or information using Dictionary.com, Google, Wikipedia, Wolfram Alpha, and YouTube. You can link websites to your notes, pull up just your notes when it's time to study or write a paper and have 2 documents open side by side. The features that allow you to adjust the view are wonderful as is the search feature.
As an example I looked up a Writing textbook so I could get an idea of cost savings to students. This particular book retails for $79.95 but you can buy the NOOKstudy version for only $15.56 - an 80% savings! Plus if all you have to lug around is your laptop, instead of a bunch of heavy books, notebooks, highlighters, pens, etc - you are saving more than just money! You can download other books too, not just textbooks and Barnes & Noble has a huge library of free books and resources. The majority of books cost $9.99 or less which is a great deal if you think about it - most hardcover books sell for around $25-$30.
Are you ready to hear the price...don't cheat by googling it...it's only $249! Now I'm not sure if it's compatable with NOOKstudy yet, but if not it will be in the very near future. I encourage anyone thinking about a Tablet or eReader to really try them out first...which is difficult with Kindles (but I think Target might carry them). Weigh your real needs versus the price. I don't NEED to be able to do everything I could do on my laptop when I'm away...but it's nice to be able to do somethings like entertain yourself in waiting rooms, on your lunch break, at the beach or while traveling.
You can find out more about NOOKcolor at the Barnes & Noble website. I also encourage you to download the free NOOKstudy app on your computer - you'll thank me later. Happy reading!
~S
