CaraOnSugar

Today I am sluggish. At approximately 12:58 a.m., I got up from the guest bedroom (the room closest to my home office computer) and logged onto Apple.com which landed directly on the iPad 2 page. I selected ‘Buy Now’ button, just as I rehearsed it hours earlier, and chose a White 64 GB Wi-Fi version. I also added the apple-green Smart Cover. Then I took advantage of the free engraving and placed “Cara’s iPad 2, but Ken and Ashley can borrow.” I finished off the remaining mandatory fields like shipping and purchasing information, glanced at the overall tally, grimaced at the cost of sales tax, and pressed the last button that finalized the transaction. There. After almost a year of waiting I finally bought myself an iPad 2. And in less than a week I should have it in my hands.

It seems strange I should single out this buying experience considering I constantly purchase tons of items from the internet! But the iPad 2 is special. I have been extremely anxious to get my hands on Apple’s second generation tablet. I liked the first one, but I had reservations because I knew the next release would be a better buy. Not to say that I was never tempted. When I first held my friend’s iPad, it was hard to give it back. I love interfacing with my iPhone 3Gs, but with the iPad I felt double the satisfaction as I tested the apps and surfed on the bigger screen!

When it was decided I would get an iPad, I immediately acted on my self-imposed rule, ‘for any new gadget you have to give something up’. So I sold my Acer Aspire One netbook and 2nd generation iPod Touch, and used the proceeds to start my iPad fund. It would gradually increase with my book design and blogging earnings. By this time this innovative tablet pc was already in the market for several months. I knew Apple refreshed their products with new versions so it was an inevitable choice to wait for the 2nd generation iPad. The problem was I felt it was taking too long.

Similar to tech news watchers, I would read up on news, reviews, and rumors on the iPad and iPad 2 every week. I sided with Adobe when there was a raging word war between them and Apple due to the latter’s refusal to support Flash apps. I was disconcerted when the media hyped up HP and Microsoft’s prototype tablets yet these were scrapped in the product pipeline when either one could not compete with the iPad’s battery life. I laughed at the bizarre gossip that Apple would create a 7-inch version because the Samsung Galaxy Tab was releasing one. C’mon! A 7-inch isn’t much bigger than the iPhone. Why would Apple create one? True enough even Steve Jobs dispelled that ridiculous report.

For a brief time, Samsung was the only rival. But is it prudent to purchase the Galaxy Tab when its unlocked version is exorbitantly more expensive and its operating system is based on Android’s 2.2 Froyo, an operating system created by Google specifically for smart phones and NOT Tablet PCs. The appropriate Android OS for Tablets is the recently released Honeycomb, which Motorola Xoom uses. But even with this contender, one can easily question the high price or the bulk of its size compared to the iPad 2. And why hold my breath for the Blackberry Playbook, which has been constantly promoted for a period of time yet has no tangible developments on its date of release. Truth be told the recent unveiling of the iPad 2 has definitely set the bar much higher. Competitors have no choice but to go back to the drawing board and rething their design and engineering strategies. And while they do that, I am not waiting any longer.

I may be one of the fanatics that monitored the clock for the 1:00 a.m. buying gateway of Apple.com, but that is just fine. I am awarded with receiving my gadget much sooner than those who ordered at 6 a.m. and faced 2 to 3 weeks of shipping delays. Turns out the iPad 2 stock level is much less than what everyone anticipated. There is sure to be a buying frenzy at its retail and distributor stores. But thank goodness I do not have to be there. I can use the time to catch up on my sleep.

For the first time this past holiday my middle-schooler received monies and gift cards more than actual gifts. Her gift-givers probably figured that because she is in her tweens she would much prefer selecting her own treats. When she combined the amounts of a generous Barnes and Noble gift card with her Christmas stash, she realized that she could purchase an Ebook Reader, which she has been eyeing for quite some time.

We dropped in our local Barnes and Noble to check out their selection of e-readers. Her budget was a perfect for the original black and white Nook reader, however, she ended up playing with the newly released Nook Color. After fifteen minutes, my kid gave me a look that said, “Mom, I need more money for the Nook Color.” Her sad face told me she could not bear to wait for her birthday or any special event, but she was still hesitant to ask for additional funds.  I relented and said, “I suppose if I chip in you can get the Nook Color and we can share it.” She was ecstatic!!! And then quipped, “Mom, just remember I own 65% of it!”

Within minutes of purchase we brought our Nook Color in the store’s cafe and my daughter was testing the Read In Store technology, a feature that allows her to read any book she wants for one hour. When that hour was up, she started browsing the web using B&N’s free WiFi. I was a bit anxious to try it out too, but I knew that if I waited until we got home she would be distracted by either the TV or her netbook. And I was right!

Because my daughter was busy with homework, this past week saw me utilizing the Nook Color a lot more. I am not apt for e-readers (as you would recall my blog on the Amazon Kindle), but day by day I was charmed by the Barnes and Noble device. It is a pretty little thing that should not be classified as just an ereader. Instead, I would call it a e-book tablet.

Here’s a rundown why the Nook Color is so nifty:
1. Touchscreen technology is incredibly responsive on the colored LCD. It isn’t a seamless experience as navigating an iPhone, but it comes really really close. Scrolling windows is very easy. The pinch and zoom is only available on books, but tapping the screen on the web browser shows an auto enlargement of the pages. Paragraphs automatically adjust to the window size for easier reading.

2. Book reading is incredibly fun (yes! I have been converted!)! I prefer the Portrait mode in big text (so I can relish each word), but the Landscape view is pretty cool too. The Dictionary tool is a delight, with options to also use ‘Google’ or ‘Wikipedia’. Bookmarks, highlights, and typing notes are so useful, particularly when remembering quotations or scribbling anecdotes for a book review. The ‘Alive Touch Technology’ of featured children’s books is incredible. This is interactive feature is comparable to other beginner reader’s devices that helps a child immerse themselves in the book.

3. Once you have seen Color, how could you go back to black and white? Contrary to those partial to the E-ink technology that the Amazon Kindle is famous for, I much prefer the striking color display of the Nook Color. Even though the Nook does show a screen glare when reading in direct sunlight (a situation I almost never find myself in), I find the back-lit feature an incredible feature because I can read at night without the use of any reading lamp! The brightness of the Nook screen could also be adjusted to prevent or reduce any eye strain.

4. Surfing the Web is adequately sufficient. Barnes and Noble has a short blurb on this feature, which I suspect is intentional because they are marketing this device to compete with other electronic book readers and not the tablet pcs, such as the iPad. After using the web browser, I find it as sufficient as surfing the sites on my iPhone. The Nook Color can play YouTube videos in a lower resolution, and HTML5 videos show quite nicely (check it out with Vimeo videos). Checking email, logging onto Facebook, or tweeting on Twitter is easy. However, there are challenges when typing. To write an email you must use the application in HTML so that the Nook keyboard appears. Editing is also difficult because moving the cursor is a hit or miss with no tiny periscope to tell you if you are close to the letter you are fixing. Using the keyboard is a breeze when thumb-typing in portrait mode, however, I do not recommend using it for direct blogging, but rather just for brainstorming or writing drafts.

5. Reading a variety of file formats is one up over the Kindle! The Nook Color allows you to read files with the following file extensions: EPUB, XLS, DOC, PPT, PPS, TXT, DOCM, XLSM, PPTM, PPSX, PPSM, DOCX, XLX, and PPTX. It also reads PDF files, which unfortunately is the only third-party file a Kindle will support.

6. The Nook Color supports graphics, audio, and video. With these features, I can use this device for photo-showing, access my music (or use the Pandora App included in the device), and play my MP4 videos. Using a pair of headphones is easy too with the universal 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack.

7. The MicroSD memory card slot means storage of upto 40 GB (including the 8GB of built-in memory) of files. I can hardly believe running out of space for my multi-media data!

8. LendMe Technology, Sampling of Books, and Free Book Fridays from the Nook Color Blog ‘Unbound’ is simply terrific! Replicating the concept of lending is now made possible electronically with LendMe technology. I can request to borrow novels from my circle of Barnes and Noble Nook Friends and I can lend out my books one at a time. Sampling the books is nice to have, particularly when I am intrigued by a read that received great reviews. And Free Book Fridays is another reason to look forward to the end of the work week! The first free ebook I downloaded was Septimus Heap, Book One: Magyk, which my kid will definitely enjoy!

9. The Nook Color enables Magazine and Newspaper reading through its ‘article view’ feature, wherein a single touch open a reading window. I have tested this with a trials to Inc., Martha Stewart Living, and Elle Magazines. Although it did not give me the same level of enjoyment as I would when I peruse the pages of the real hardcopy, I appreciated that the Nook Color shows the layout and graphics quite nicely too, specially when the screen is in landscape.

The only caveat I did deduce is the lack of applications. I would have liked to download RSS feeds from blogs, which I can later read without the need for WiFi access. I would also prefer basic task management tools, such as a calendar, to-do list, and the like.

However, there appears to be something in the works in the near future. With the Nook Color built on Android operating system, Barnes and Noble has confirmed that that in February their gadget will receive an upgrade to Android 2.2. This means the Nook Color will have the ability to play Adobe flash videos, online games, and have more touchscreen features (such as pinch and zoom when web browsing). Furthermore, Barnes and Noble will launch a specialized B&N Android App store, which will contain more applications and tools that can give the web experience an additional boost. The software update to Android 2.2 is automatic, thus existing Nook Color users will immediately have it once it is available. This makes the Nook’s $249 (w/o tax) price a lot more appealing to those who are not willing to fork $400 to $500+ for a Samsung Galaxy Tab or an Apple iPAD.

Looks like my kid (and me) made a great buy with the Nook Color. A few months from now when I indulged with the next generation iPAD, I wouldn’t mind a swap from time to time with her Ereader. But who knows, maybe with my constant use of this e-book tablet and with the Android 2.2 update in the works, I just might forgo with the iPAD purchase altogether and instead cough up more funds so we can co-own the Nook Color fair and square!

A few nights ago my former college roommate, Ruth, came for a visit at my home with her two lovely daughters. Even though she lives a mere twenty minutes away it was the first time in months that we were finally able to set a time to catch up with each other’s stories! In fact, I still had her January birthday present in the trunk of my car!

During our conversation she asks me about my recent fascination with young adult urban fantasy novels, which was, of course, spurned by the Twilight series. I glanced at the bookshelf over at my small library and pointed to her my miniature collection. I have become an avid reader of that genre finishing eleven books in a span of eight weeks. Ruth loves to read too, but tells me she only finds the time to catch up on her reading at night before bedtime, or when she's waiting at an airport lounge and on a plane ride during a business trip. She said she was thinking of purchasing a Kindle since one of our college friends has been raving about it.

Now who wouldn't be familiar with the Amazon Kindle? This e-book gadget is the front runner in the market, surprisingly beating out Sony, a more well-known hardware technology company. In fact, it's even safe to say that Kindle’s popularity has spurned a new verb synonymous to electronic reading. Don’t be surprised is someone asks you, “Do you Kindle?

My own response would be…well, I have been tempted many times! I read about the Kindle and its reviews from reputable hardware critics. It is a really cool tool. It can download an e-book in sixty seconds. Wi-fi access would be free. The battery power can last up to four days. It is so thin and light! And I was so impressed after reading a recent article on Amazon's CEO, Jeff Bezos, and his introduction of the newest Kindle DX release. So why hesitate? Why not go ahead and put some damage in my wallet? Well, the more I visualize using a Kindle the more I could not see myself using it. I love technology and my mouth waters at gadgets, but this is one savvy tool I would gladly pass up.

Why? It's really simple. It will take away the joy from my reading. My definition of leisure in this activity lies in the complete experience of touching a book, flipping the pages, going back to favorite scenes, closing my eyes as I visualize, and putting a favorite bookmark (which happens to be my Boo Publication postcard!) on the page where I stopped. I also love seeing a book on top of my bedside table, tempting me to continue where I left off, and sometimes feeling its weight just below my chin where it sits just seconds before I fall asleep.

And while I'm not big on clutter, I can't help but love that I have a small library in my home cradling my family's favorite books. It’s a favorite spot where all of us go to every day, running our index fingers over the titles as we decide on our selection. If that special place could talk it would recount the numerous experiences I read to my daughter during her adolescent years when she would sit on my lap and reach out to touch the pages and point to the pictures and words. And in recent years now that she is older, she would select a book from her own little library in her room and dwell on my bed as my husband and I are engrossed in our own respective novels. We would all read together in silence, with only the whisper of pages turning. All of this brings joy to my reading experience. If I use a Kindle, it just would not be the same.

However, I do acknowledge that the Kindle is a nifty tool for those who do not define leisure reading as I do. They do not mind missing the trips to the library, book events, author readings, and signing at their favorite independent booksellers, or hanging out at Borders or Barnes and Noble. It can be very useful for students who could do without the heavy textbooks, although, my opinion on that matter really falls on e-formats of textbooks should be available in PDF files at a much, much lower price! And the Kindle does save printing costs, which is a very healthy effort for our environment. There are a lot more positive aspects of this device and it would be enjoyed by many, but not me. The Kindle simply does not deliver what the Ipod Touch did to my music listening or my video watching. I would very much prefer holding a hard copy book, with its glossy cover, book binding, and acid free paper.