Barnes & Noble Nook e-reader

This thing's ******* cool. Makes the Kindle look like an obselete piece of trash: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nook/features/ No backlight though Anyone going to get one?

Thanks for the link, I wasn't aware of this ebook reader, I'll be sure pass it along to my colleagues. Just last night, my employer had a launch party of sorts for our system of linking ebook readers, publishers, libraries, device makers, etc.

One question I have about the B&N device is if it's going to be a closed sales terminal which only allows you to buy from B&N, or if you'll be able to use it to access many eBook providers...

BTW, a large portion our 1.6 million digitized books are freely available in ePub format, and we demoed d/l'ing a book straight to a Kindle, Sony eBook-reader, OLPC, etc from a variety of sources: our site, library, and a commercial vendor.

And lastly, and in a spirit of "social justice" (I can already hear the CEsspool exploding), people who are print-disabled--primarily the blind and severely dyslexic--have a special exemption in the monopoly granted by US copyright law. Those certified as print-disabled, which is an onerous process, are granted free access to digitized copies of published works regardless of copyrights. So, last night we did pat ourselves on the back over making over 1,000,000 digitized books available to the print-disabled in one fell swoop; easily quadrupling the number made available by publishers in the last 50 years. And all these books are marked up in a format to be downloaded directly into the bookreader devices used by the print-disabled community.

Alright...I'll get off my soapbox now.

I like the design, but I'm still a paper reader (for now).

Originally Posted by binge

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So, last night we did pat ourselves on the back over making over 1,000,000 digitized books available to the print-disabled in one fell swoop; easily quadrupling the number made available by publishers in the last 50 years.

That sounds awesome. Nice work, binge.

On the book-reader/cool-technology front, Mary Lou Jepsen showed off a Pixel Qi screen prototype that is leaps and bounds above everything else out on the market today. The adaptation from the indoor lighting to outdoor sunlight was quite remarkable. Way beyond what you see in laptops and book readers currently. Once vendors start integrating their screens, I think people will really start to see eBook-readers as viable alternatives to printed books.

Yes, but can one show off e-readers on the booksheleves like one can with unread copies of the Great Classics?

Originally Posted by LabelKing

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Yes, but can one show off e-readers on the booksheleves like one can with unread copies of the Great Classics?

There's no reason to do so. Since the media is all digital, so is the arena in which is is displayed (for the jealously of peers). People don't visit your domicile and see your books on the shelves any more; rather they visit your LibraryThing page and be envious of your virtual bookshelf.

BTW, take a Wednesday afternoon and visit the Prelinger Library sometime. Their collection is geo-spatially organized, starting in California and ending up in outer space.

Originally Posted by binge

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One question I have about the B&N device is if it's going to be a closed sales terminal which only allows you to buy from B&N, or if you'll be able to use it to access many eBook providers...

That was one of my first thoughts too. They list epub, ereader, and pdfs. No talk about what DRM is supported though which is rather important.

Originally Posted by DMcG

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That was one of my first thoughts too. They list epub, ereader, and pdfs. No talk about what DRM is supported though which is rather important.

My cynical side says that their device will be a B&N-only reader; but it would be great if they went the OPDS route allowing device owners to get ebooks from many different sources.

Originally Posted by LabelKing

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Yes, but can one show off e-readers on the booksheleves like one can with unread copies of the Great Classics?

No, but as someone with about a 1000 volumes, I'd love the space back. I've also had shelves collapse after years of supporting the books. All I'd keep shelved is my Modern Library run and the art and car books. That would still be enough to keep guest entertained by browsing/snooping. I always know when they are, as I hear a laugh when they get to the small sign on one of the shelves: Yes, I've read all of these. (The second most common remark is "Woody Allen writes books?")

What I'd really love is e-periodicals. I currently keep back-issues of several car magazines and I'm limited to a 5-year archive of each title by shelf-space; I'd love the mags to be digital, even more than the books.

Meh. I prefer the new Penthouse reader, Nookie.

Originally Posted by DMcG

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That was one of my first thoughts too. They list epub, ereader, and pdfs. No talk about what DRM is supported though which is rather important.

Originally Posted by binge

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My cynical side says that their device will be a B&N-only reader; but it would be great if they went the OPDS route allowing device owners to get ebooks from many different sources.
I can't imagine them allowing anything other than B&N books at first. Maybe once the market opens up. The real game changer is the Android system which, I'm betting good money on, will be hacked within a few months. At that point, you should be able to screw with all the settings and do a number of things you can't on the stock unit. Also, with the inclusion of USB you can upload your own eBooks. That's huge. If it only had a backlight I'd be all over it.

^ ePub is an open format; there're already 1,000,000 domain-free titles available.

From a hardware standpoint, the Nook looks much better than the Kindle. But so does the Sony Reader. What it comes down to is user interface / connectivity / availability of content. On that front, B&N already has some haters.

Not sure if the much-hyped Apple tablet device peruses eInk or a compatible display technology; if Steve Jobs still has it, watch out...

Originally Posted by whacked

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^ ePub is an open format; there're already 1,000,000 domain-free titles available. From a hardware standpoint, the Nook looks much better than the Kindle. But so does the Sony Reader. What it comes down to is user interface / connectivity / availability of content. On that front, B&N already has some haters. Not sure if the much-hyped Apple tablet device peruses eInk or a compatible display technology; if Steve Jobs still has it, watch out...
I meant from a purchasing standpoint. I can't imagine the B&N reader being compatible with purchasing over 3G/wifi via Amazon, etc.. This thing eats the Kindle's lunch. The Apple device, if it turns out to be real, will be a full computer style tablet, not just a reader. Basically, a giant iPhone.

I love the Kindle for books that are only available in ****** mass-market paperback form (I had an itch to read some Stephen King a couple of months back), but compared to reading a good trade paperback, e-ink has a ways to go.

The much speculated decimation of the publishing industry would be a bad thing IMHO, yet inevitable if it went massively down the electronic path.
Also, one which I can't see: when/if ebooks become hugely popular, won't the publishing industry suffer from illegal download sites, just as the recording industry has with Pirate Bay et al?
I'm sure the storage capacities and novelty of e-readers is enticing, but who wouldn't prefer a durable, 'living' paperback?