The iPad was purportedly inspired by the Star Trek P.A.D.D. or Personal Access Display Device. Those fictional devices had character. As much as I love my iPad, it is to some degree mundane in its elegance, and most of the other manufacturers have chosen to follow the path of exposed glass displays with smooth backs, nearly hidden buttons and submerged speakers.
Unlike the competition, the Nook Tablet (not to be confused with the older, slower, but very similar Nook Color) has character. It looks more like a P.A.D.D. than any other device. It feels like a working tool, something meant to be used, latched onto a belt or bag, tossed on a table. I don’t suggest taking those actions, but the hardware makes, at least me, think of the device in a much more rugged way than might be imagined with thinner, or more fragile tablet devices. The Nook feels like a real science fiction prop that just happens to work, if that means anything. For us nerds, that means something.
The Barnes and Nobel Nook is a 7″ tablet that was designed for reading. That is the lens through which this device must be seen. With an outstanding 1024 x 600 pixel display and a wide range of content, it offers a solid reading experience, if not a superior tablet experience. Yes, it plays movies and lets you shoot pigs with birds, but it isn’t designed as a content creation device. The Nook has no aspirations to replace your notebook computer, just supplement your reading and offer a few distractions along the way.
Read the entire post at Pen Computing: Barnes & Noble NOOK Tablet — A tablet with character, but where will it go?
Leave a Reply