So I’ve been reading on my ebay-bought nook. It’s got issues.

The weirdest issue: page skipping. Closely related: there’s no “go to page number” function. You can “go to” a chapter, but not to a page. Why, oh why?
I was galloping along, despite the slow page turning function, and my nook went from page 49 to page 61. No matter how I tried, it would not go to page 50.
And there’s no “go to page number” function, so there was no way to input page 50.
The on-line nook help boards helped. Change the font size, and the pages re-appear. Okay, I changed the font from medium to small, and voila! The pages reappeared! With one rather large problem: they are no longer numbered. The novel becomes one long stream of consciousness event. I don’t know about other people, but I like to see page numbers.
But I was luckier than many: a good number of readers are having problems with purchased books having blank pages. That’s right, they pay good money for an ebook, and when it arrives on their ereader, the pages are empty. Not cool.
Moreover, a number of nook owners are reporting android system failures. Others are reporting that the nook wafts out into outer space with “formatting” that never goes away. Their nook screens are locked on that one word, and the ebook never appears.
It’s clear from the nook boards that the nook engineers are working on the problems. My question is, why are they playing this lame game of catch up? Because B&N wanted a big cash windfall, so they went out with more marketing fanfare than technical integrity, and then released–late–a product that was seriously flawed?
Why would a reputable company make such a venal decision? I think B&N will lose some good will over this fiasco.
Perhaps the promised software update will resolve some of these issues. It remains to be seen whether this nook will live up to its promise or become an expensive paperweight. I bet Apple comes in with an ereader that leaves the nook in the dust. Hey Apple: price your ereader competitively, and even fools like me who bought the nook will buy yours.
In summary: the nook is a good idea that fails.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

One Comment

  1. Just noticed this in my copy of Neuromancer! It skips from page 33-55 (chapter 2) every single time — tried power-cycling — no change. When I hit the back button once (from page 55) nothing visible happens, then the second time it sends me back to page 12 or page 18.
    Truly bizarre!