Books, we don’t need no stinking books!

Say it ain’t so…is this the beginning of the end of books? I hope not, but Amazon.com’s Kindle 2, and Barnes & Nobles’s new Nook e-book reader (scheduled to debut late 09) is making book lovers (maybe better to say avid readers) take notice.


Watching the evolution of e-book readers has been interesting. The improvement from Kindle 1 to Kindle 2 has been well received. However, Barnes & Noble’s e-book reader called Nook will make e-book readers more appealing.

First of all the Nook will feature 2 stacked color displays. The top display will be for reading, and the smaller bottom touch screen will be for searching. The best feature is the Nooks ability for users to share e-books (for 14 days at a time). E-book sharing can happen between Nook, iPhone, iPod touch, and other smart phones. The Nook will also play music, audio books, and pod casts. The nook will also have Wi-Fi and AT&T wireless connectivity. The Nook also has a Micro SD expansion slot where you can add a 16 GB card increasing your personal library to 17,500 e-books.

I personally never really considered e-book readers as a legitimate replacement for books, but after learning more about the Nook, I will be taking a closer look at the device. However, I still have some concerns.

First of all the price tag of $250.00 is a lot, especially if the Nook is not durable. The Nook would have to be able to take a trip down a flight of stairs into a pool of water and survive for me to be convinced it’s durable enough. Alright I know that’s asking a lot, but you get the point, I need to know the Nook can handle average bumps and bruises. My other concern, about the Nook, is will I love it enough that it will not end up in a drawer with all my other rejected gadgets…I just don’t know.

Personally my e-book reader has to be as valuable to me as my I-pod. I never leave the house without my i-Pod. I would never consider buying another MP3 player. When my i-Pod breaks, I will just go out and buy another i-Pod. Can the Nook or any e-book reader make me feel the way I feel about my i-pod?

The good thing about the Nook is Barnes & Nobles will have the Nook available for use in their retail stores. So people like me who are on the fence can experience the device and make a decision.