Okay, so maybe you haven't bought an ereader yet. Maybe you've been waiting for just the right model or edition, or maybe you've been waiting for those prices to come down yet again. Barnes and Noble has announced they have an additional NOOK model coming to market soon.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nook/
The expected shipping date for orders placed now is 19 November.
Will I be asking for one for Christmas? I don't think so. I just spent some time going through comparisons of both models. You can also do that, here:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/nook-what-type-of-reader-are-you/379002498/
It looks to me as if the color screen would mostly benefit those users who look at a lot of magazines or cookbooks, and probably young children reading illustrated books. The final reason is the only one that draws my attention. I could see our youngest child, and possibly our two pre-teen boys enjoying the use of it for such things. Of course then it wouldln't be available to me, would it? Besides, then I'd need to purchase lots of kids' titles or see if I could get them through the library lending service I use. If I knew I could get them from the library I'd be a lot more interested. My book expenses are already high. And there are several ereaders being marketed to children this season. So far our favorite appears to be Vtech's version. (I'll have to do a review of that as soon as I am able.)
This page can help you determine which NOOK might suit you best:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/nook-what-type-of-reader-are-you/379002498/
This page can further assist you in making that decision:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nook/compare/index.asp?cds2Pid=35878
The new NOOKcolor will be able to do crossword puzzles. (I am not clear whether they will be pre-loaded or only purchasable.) It will also stream Pandora radio. I love Pandora radio but I have found that when I am reading with music playing I pay a lot of attention to the song and am much more distracted by it than I ever expected. I loaded a few songs onto my NOOK to see if I liked that feature or not; it's just not for me. I can always use my iPod for that. I find that I like specialized products that are meant to do one or two things, and do them well.
I do have a few photos on my NOOK as screensavers/wallpaper. I chose at least one photo of every member of our nuclear and extended family. The NOOK just cycles through each of them each time it is shut off. It takes a lot of memory to hold them though. That is the only reason I would like a memory card for mine. The new NOOKcolor would be lovely with self-loaded photos. But that just isn't why I purchased an ereader really. We have several digital photo frames that we need to load photos onto and place around our house (I need to get on that.)
The NOOKcolor will have more memory inherently and will, therefore, hold more books. The original NOOK still holds more books than most people will need it to. And both versions have upgradable memory.
I just noticed that the NOOKcolor will have free Wi-Fi in B&N stores but not at ATT hotspots as the NOOK wi-fi and NOOK wi-fi +3G do. Hmmm, that's odd; I wonder why.
I am confused by only one ability on the new NOOKcolor. It is noted that it has "borrowing" capability. All three NOOKs have the LendMe feature so it didn't change that. I do not know what "borrowing" means but aim to find out. When I am able to determine what that feature does I will report back.
The NOOKcolor is going to run on the ANDROID system which I think will please many users.
There is a drawback to the NOOKcolor people. It doesn't use eInk technology. That feature is part of what drew me to ereaders. The use of eInk means that an ereader is as easy on your eyes as the pages of a book. Bright, lit computer screens are very hard on the eyes. My eyes never tire from using my NOOK. Granted, the NOOKcolor can be seen at night. But I use my LightWedge reading light, just as I always have with regular paged books.
http://www.lightwedge.com/prod_paperback.html
(I gave a link to the direct site but it can be purchased for a great price through Amazon and if you visit Amazon from a link on my page I am credited for having sent you there. Amazon is where I purchased our most recent LightWedge.)
Apps are being created now for use on the new NOOKcolor.
I will be interested in seeing one of these. I will be out today; perhaps we will stop by a large B&N store to see if they have one on hand yet. If any readers of my site have the chance to try one out please let us know.
To recap, I think I am going to stick with my eInk NOOK wi-fi+3G. I love it. Maybe I will ask for an additional cover for Christmas, and maybe a memory card...and of course a gift card for more ebooks!
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Edited to add:
The Nook is now also available at Best Buy and Walmart and soon Books-A-Million stores, along with Barnes & Noble stores. This means that you have more places at which you may actually see and use the product before buying; always a good thing.
