I was holding out as long as I could before I bought my iPad. I had a nook color, which helped me to triple my reading volume over the last year. I loved reading books on that thing. I was downing Fiction, non-Fiction, and Genres I never thought I could like at a faster pace than I have ever read.
Then, Barnes and Noble opened their nook app store.
Big mistake.
They turned my awesome reader into a tablet wannabe.
I loved my nook color, and I so much wanted to believe that my innovative little ereader from the big box bookstore had become a true tablet. I downloaded Angry Birds and a couple overpriced apps, but to my frustration, I never really found anything fun or useful. I knew, though, that I needed more apps. I went as far as pseudo transforming my nook color into a junior Android tablet using an n2a (nook2android) card. That made my once beloved nook color into a desperate attempt at joing the world of tablets. I now had access to a whole new world of apps that consistently crashed my poor inadequate tablet.
I wasn’t sure if android just had way too many configuration options, if the nook just wasn’t powerful enough to handle an unleashed android platform, or a little bit of both, but I did know that the iPad “grass” looked a whole lot greener.
Now that I’ve had my iPad for about a month, I’m ready to go out on a limb and declare it “amazing,” “revolutionary,” and (even) “productive.” AwesomeNote is just about awesome; zite is a beautiful and intelligent way to read my news; my email is delivered without a hitch. My bluetooth keyboard, has in effect, turned my iPad into a computer. Here’s the clincher: I’ve been on my iPad all day, it’s 10:00 at night, and I have only used 40% of the battery. WOW! It’s the best piece of hardware I’ve ever owned.
So, why do I miss my nook color? Well, I haven’t read one complete book since I bought my iPad. It’s too big and bright. I find that I can’t fall asleep after reading a couple chapters from a novel. I’ve tried turning on the black background and dimming the display, but it’s just too uncomfortable for me. So, althought I love my iPad and do not regret purchasing it, it is not a replacement for a good ereader.
I’m interested to see how the Kindle Fire is able to stand up to the iPad. If it’s a great ereader and a more fully baked tablet than the nook color, the iPad may no longer be king.
