Steve isn’t a big adopter of shiny new technology, but he found the Nook Color really appealing, and bought himself one as an early Hanukkah present. Then he went book-shopping. One $2.99 title looked appealing, so tap, tap, he purchased it. And received a different book instead that cost three times as much. Getting B&N to take the unwanted book back was more difficult than he had anticipated. [More]
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Here’s Why Digital Rights Management Is Stupid And Anti-Consumer
By 11.26.12
Comparisons of downloadable books and music to their ancient, tangible predecessors are an old, old meme, but sometimes the comparison applies. For example: if reader Synimatik had bought a paperback book a few months ago and picked it up to read now, the book’s pages wouldn’t magically glue shut just because the credit card she normally uses at the bookstore has expired. That’s how it works when you want to read a book downloaded from Barnes & Noble, though. [More]
Funny Pictures: Not Always Funny On Second Glance
By 11.9.12
Reader Justin sent us this picture of a comically overpriced microSD card on the shelf at Best Buy. Oh, this storage device is overpriced by $310! Best Buy, you’re so silly! Only it’s not as silly as the casual observer might think, because this isn’t really an item for sale. [More]
Flooded With Nook Receipts, Never Bought A Nook
By 7.23.12
Anne Marie keeps getting notifications in her e-mail inbox about the content she just downloaded to her Nook. Which is weird, because she doesn’t have a Nook. Or a Barnes & Noble account. Stranger still, there’s no clear link between Anne Marie and the device’s owner. [More]
Barnes & Noble, Amazon Know Which Sections Of Fifty Shades Of Grey You’re Reading Over And Over
By 6.29.12
While anyone with a Kindle or Nook knows they can download e-books from the Internet, not everyone is mindful of the fact that they are also sending information back to Amazon or Barnes & Noble (or Google, or Apple). It’s not just so that you can switch between your e-reader, laptop, phone and tablet without losing your bookmarks and notes; it’s also so that these e-book sellers can share this information with the publishers of the books you’re reading. [More]
My Nook Color Has Outlived Its Cord
By 6.13.12
Terra’s Nook Color is still working just fine, but the device’s USB cable isn’t. It no longer works. She could buy an off-brand cable cheaply from a vendor on eBay or Amazon. She could buy one directly from Barnes & Noble, at a cost of $15-20. She didn’t think it was fair that she had to buy a new cable and that hers only lasted a year and a half, so she contacted Barnes & Noble to see if they could provide her with a replacement. They would not. [More]
Find-And-Replace Is Not A Good Idea When Porting Kindle Texts To Nook
By 6.1.12
As any thrifty e-book reader knows, there are a ton of cheap and free public domain titles available for download. But one War and Peace reader in North Carolina was confused about the new word he saw among the 1,100 or so pages of the classic Tolstoy novel. [More]
New Nook With Reading Light Is Probably Cheaper Than A Divorce Lawyer
By 4.13.12
Barnes & Noble has launched a new $139 version of its Nook Simple Touch e-reader with a lighted e-ink screen that promises you can read in bed without disturbing your sleeping spouse. [More]
Barnes & Noble Eyeing The Idea Of Breaking Up With Nook
By 1.5.12
Things with Barnes & Noble and its main squeeze Nook are a little frosty at the moment, as the company says it’s looking to separate from the costly e-book business. B&N didn’t do as well in the e-reader market this year, and keeping the relationship going would be more expensive than they’d like. [More]
While E-Readers Get Cheaper, E-Books Make Up For It With Rising Prices
By 12.16.11
Yay! E-readers are getting so affordable! But then, wait, boo, e-books are climbing in price, to the point where there’s just the tiniest gap between them and an honest to goodness real book. [More]
Where To Get Free Books For Your E-Reader
By 11.29.11
If you went out on Black Friday and snagged a cheap e-reader, it’s time to load it up with as many free e-books as it can hold. The amount of free stuff out there is astounding, ranging from public domain classics to new releases you can borrow from libraries. [More]
Nook Beats Kindle In Consumer Reports Ratings
By 6.17.11
For the first time ever, a Nook has beaten the Kindle in the Consumer Reports ratings. [More]
Barnes & Noble Wants Submissions For Nook Apps
By 4.8.11
Barnes & Noble is looking for help in making its Nook e-reader more versatile. The bookseller has opened itself to app submissions, allowing garage code-tinkerers everywhere to dream that their creations will be used by people who own the device. [More]
Microsoft Says Nook Infringed On Its Patents
By 3.22.11
Believing the Nook e-readers are ripping it off, Microsoft is suing Barnes & Noble and the manufacturers over the devices, which it says infringe on several patents. [More]
How To Choose The Right E-Reader
By 9.28.10
Sales of e-book readers, also known as e-readers, are way up and prices are dropping. Consumer Reports has tested a wide variety and has advice if you’re in the market for an ebook reader. [More]
Geek Squad Will Turn On Your Ebook Device For You For $29.99
By 8.4.10
The best way to understand Geek Squad is to realize that they will help you with anything if it means they can charge you a fee. Want batteries in your remote control? Having trouble putting a USB plug into its port? Need to know the time? OPTIMIZE IT WITH GEEK SQUAD. Those are just solid business ideas and not (yet) actual services, but Geek Squad’s real offerings are almost as absurd. For example, Nate from the-digital-reader.com snapped this photo of their newish “eBook Device Setup” service for your Nook or Sony Reader, which promises to turn it on (“provide a functionality check”) and show you how to read (“what to expect when you take the device home”). [More]
Amazon Now Selling More Kindle Books Than Hardcovers
By 7.20.10
Hardcover books have a lot going against them — they’re expensive, often unwieldy, easily damaged. And now Amazon.com, which first made its name by selling books at deep discounts online, says it sells significantly more titles for its Kindle e-reader than it does in hardcover. [More]
After Replacing My Broken Nook Four Times, Barnes & Noble Has Given Up
By 7.5.10
Lisa’s luck with the Nook e-reader is bad enough to make Xbox 360 owners weep. Since buying her first Nook in February, she’s had to warranty it out five times. On the first four occasions the customer service department was quick to replace the busted device, but the fifth go-round has been anything but charming. [More]
