Out of the box, the Nook Simple Touch Reader appears to be smaller than a Kindle, however, once you realize that the keyboard that is used on the Amazon Kindle is what’s “missing,” then you realize that the screen is exactly the same size, it’s just that the Nook Simple Touch Reader uses touchscreen technology to navigate their eReader. And, the touch screen is amazingly easy to use. You simply tap lightly on the screen and you can shop for the latest in books, magazines, and newspapers. You also use a light tap to turn the page, adjust font and style sizes….essentially everything is done with just the gentle touch of a finger…or even, the swipe of your finger across the screen (just like turning the page of a “real” book). If you prefer, you can also use the physical buttons that are built into the frame. Page through your books quickly by holding down on the page turning button.
Look up the definition of a word by simply touching and holding the word you want to look up. The dictionary pops right up.
Other users have described the user interface as resembling that of an iPhone or iPad, with the icons, virtual keyboard and the physical home button. The Nook Simple Touch Reader even has the “slide to unlock” feature, just like the iPhone.
There have been some customers who had issues with the touchscreen becoming slow to respond, and even ceasing to respond altogether, however, in most cases this was remedied with a power cycle, or on occasion, exchanging the device. This seems to be a rare occurence, however, and would be no more likely to happen than any other malfunction in any electronic device purchased, so we do not recommend overlooking the Nook Simple Touch Reader simply because a few users reported the issue.
The Nook Simple Touch Reader comes with a high contrast 6″ touchscreen display, that gives you the same clean text that you’ll find on a printed page, plus with 50% more contrast (and NO backlighting), you can read in direct sunlight. And, the advanced E Ink® Pearl technology results in less eyestrain than many other readers. Plus, you can adjust the font size…so, you can toss those reading glasses aside!
As for the actual weight of the device, since the Nook Simple Touch Reader is smaller than most eReaders, it also weighs less than most. At only about 8 ounces, the Nook Simple Touch Reader is lighter than a paperback and super thin, yet it holds up to 1,000 books, magazines and newspapers. And, with access to over 2 million books through the Barnes & Noble store, it’s easy to take your entire library with you anywhere, and download thousands of free titles, or buy books at any WIFI hotspot! (For those of you who don’t already own an eReader…even new releases typically run $9.99 or less. And, that’s FAR LESS than the cost of an average hardcover release.)
The other thing that we really like about the Nook Simple Touch Reader is the ease with which we could borrow books from most local libraries, and how easily it adapted to different document formats.
Finally, the Nook Simple Touch Reader has the longest battery life of any device we’ve seen…you can go up to two months on a single charge. Frankly, to me this is not such a huge feature, as I am never away from electricity for that long! :)
Should you get a Nook Simple Touch Reader? Honestly, the answer is pretty simple…if you prefer to shop for your books at Barnes & Noble, get the Nook Simple Touch Reader. If you prefer to shop for your books at Amazon.com, then get a Kindle. Neither device will disappoint you.
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