Tuesday 16 August 2011

NOOK – Don't look back Readaholics, it's time to take the plunge

Which is the best application for a bookaholic and readaholic? Of course, one that lets one read without going bankrupt, which is one of the biggest risks of being a readaholic. Though I manage to control my urge to buy books most of the time, I inevitably end up buying several while traveling. That's one of my biggest weaknesses (I think).

Recently I discovered an Intel application – Nook by Barnes and Noble – that made me really feel on top of the world. I can read as much as I want... including several classics at very low rates. And then there are so many free e-books that I can choose from.
I loved the fact that I could adjust the page and font size to avoid getting too tired. I only see the page I'm reading but a simple click helps open the left menu. I can bookmark, annotate, highlight text... do everything that I can do with a real book. And simply by selecting words I can actually highlight the selected text, add notes, and look up the word on dictionary.com (a monolingual on-line dictionary site) as well as on wikipedia.

Here is a comparative list of advantages and disadvantages of NOOK:



Advantages


Disadvantages


1000s of books at your
fingertips.


You can't feel the book in
your hands.


Free application and several
free and inexpensive books.


Strain on eyes.


These days solar chargers are
available for laptops and cell-phones; therefore, one can limit the impact
on environment and still recharge these tools.


One needs electricity to
operate/ charge notebook, laptop, and mobile phone.  What if there's a power
failure? 


 Ecological: Paper-less so
helps save trees.


Though the application per
se is free and one can get lots of books for free or at a very low rate but
one has to make a one time investment on one or more tools such as PC,
laptop, notebook, IPhone, etc.


No need to re-read the whole
book if you forget where a sentence/ phrase is.  Simple search feature.


You have to give your credit
card number even if you download a free book.


One can change font,
font-size, display area, etc. and thus limit the strain on eyes.


 


Portability: How many books
can one carry if one is traveling?  With NOOK you can have as many as you
want.


 


Your credit card isn't
charged for Free books and you get receipts by e-mail.


 


From a readaholic's point of view, the advantages largely outshine the disadvantages. So in short, I think that it is an excellent application or readaholics, bookworms, students, researchers as well as everyone else. Want to read a book on the move? No need to carry heavy suitcases. Now you can do so on your laptop as well as on your phone! What else can a readaholic ask for?

Guess, there's one more thing that a readaholic can ask for: more books for free... So here's the icing on the cake: the unique LendMe(TM) Technology helps one exchange books with friends and family.

I can talk about it for hours but am busy reading a new book today. So check it out for yourself and happy reading! :-)







If you like this post then please go and vote for it on indiblogger.

This blog is an entry to the "My Favorite PC App" contest. Check out numerous apps for PC/Netbooks available at the Intel AppUp Center. If you are looking for an opportunity to build and monetize your applications, check out the Intel® Atom™ Developer Program.

6 comments:

  1. Wonderful review of your Intel App :)

    Here is my post to create mobile apps in seconds : http://www.indiblogger.in/indipost.php?post=72343

    Hope you like it :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. would be nice to hear more about books you are reading on the app.

    The feel of a 'real' book - now that's an experience!

    ReplyDelete
  3. This post was basically about the applicaiton but as you asked, I just read a book called Soul Identity by Dennis Batchelder. I'm reading the Time Machine by H. G. Wells right now :-)

    What sort of books do you read?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Well-written insightful post. Good luck for the contest! :)

    You can read and promote my post if you like it at:
    indiblogger

    Awareness empowers , increase your awareness about Money
    To go from Beware Money to Be Money Aware visit
    bemoneyaware.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. Good choice of app and well written.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks bmoneyaware and Jose. I'm glad that you like it :-)

    ReplyDelete