If you know me, you know that I’m something of a tech junkie. I’m an Apple user (though somewhat begrudgingly now, especially after observing the freedom associated with the Android platform), and and Nook fan.
My decision to purchase the Nook instead of the Kindle 3 had less to do with the strength of the device and more to do with loyalty to a brand.
Granted, if the Nook were vastly inferior to the Kindle 3, I’d have gone with the latter. But while the Kindle 3 is certainly a better device than the Nook, the differences were negligible in my estimation and for my uses.
But I love Barnes & Noble Booksellers. I’ve always loved reading, and while I was a child that store was my absolute favorite. The first time I ever set foot in a Barnes & Noble I was struck by just how big the store was. I was a little reader, and I remember loving little bookshops like Waldenbooks and B. Dalton Booksellers. But Barnes & Noble just had so many books!
I used to get lost in the aisles, looking for the latest Star Wars or Star Trek novel or a new Help! I’m Trapped In. . . book.
(Sure, I had a short-lived love affair with Borders Books & Music, but I soon went back to Barnes & Noble.)
I started getting into e-reading when Apple’s new iBooks app showed up on the iPhone. Sadly, the screen was far too small for me to enjoy the experience. So I quickly canned the idea of e-reading.
E-reading became more appealing after I got an iPad for work. I downloaded the Nook app for iPad, and began e-reading once again. Unfortunately, I was met with a new problem. Trying to read on an LED screen was giving me a headache. I almost gave up on e-reading again, but I weighed the benefits. E-books are often much cheaper than paper books. I can carry thousands of books on one device. With a wi-fi e-reader, I can read a new book instantly.
So I started looking into purchasing an E-Ink device.
The Amazon Kindle was widely used and very popular, but for some reason I was really drawn to the Nook. Perhaps it was the touchscreen nav tool. Perhaps it was the ability to use multiple e-book formats including epub. Perhaps it was the free coffee I could get if I used my Nook at a Barnes & Noble location.
Whatever it was, I jumped onto the Nook bandwagon. I’m perfectly happy with my decision, but like my love for Apple tempered by thoughts of Android, there was just a little bit of jealousy for the elegance of the Kindle, it’s outstanding battery life, and the E-Ink Pearl display.
That jealousy will soon disappear. . .
(Read pt. 2 here.)
