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Barnes & Noble nook Color
8.0
final rating

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Criteria Comments Rating
  • Features As far as dedicated e-readers go, the NookColor has gone above and beyond with additional features to include social network integration, browsing and Pandora. great!
  • Display The display is gorgeous and very appropriately sized. The only very minor niggle is that when there's a window open, whatever is behind it develops a waver. great!
  • Battery life Battery life is adequate given what the NookColor is, but the lack of a functional light sensor is sacrilege for a device with this type of screen. so-so
  • Ease of use Some things seem to work better on the Classic Nook. On the average, it's very functional, but sometimes you just can't seem to get it to do what you want it to good
  • Storage capacity More than enough storage is on board for all the books and magazines you could want. And if you run out, there's a microSD expansion slot. great!
  • Design and form factor Design is well laid out and pleasing. I don't like the power button being located on the left opposite the volume buttons (leads to accidental volume changes). good
  • Portability (size / weight) A bit too thick and way too heavy. Was expecting it to be lighter and thinner than the Nook Classic. so-so
  • Durability Can't comment on how well it holds up to daily use yet, but I did need to return two units before getting one without build quality issues. so-so
Detailed review
The NookColor is a wonderful alternative to a full-fledged tablet - especially when one is more concerned with reading than anything else. It would have been nice to have a cellular option available, but it's by no means a deal breaker. I have some concerns with the quality of the unit, as I went through two bad ones before getting one that was solid and problem free. It's a bit heavy to use for extended sessions (which most of my reading tends to fall into the category of) and is thicker than I thought it would be, but neither point is a deal breaker.

It will be nice to see what future updates hold for the NookColor. Barnes and Noble did a good job of improving the Nook Classic via firmware and I expect no less with their new flagship device. The addition of an application store as well as some OS level tweaks will be welcome.

All in all, a good price for a low end tablet or high end e-reader, whichever way you wish to categorize it. BN has a winner on its hands. Here's hoping they succeed with it.

Comments (1) subscribe to this review's comments

bkd69

bkd69

+5 points for using "would have" instead of "would of!"
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