Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Wondering on Wednesday: Nook Color Update

As you all know, on November 18th the Nook Tablet came out with a sleeker look and added features. (Click here to see our post on the Nook Tablet).  But many people, such as myself, only just recently bought the Nook Color.  But do not fret my fellow Nook Color fans, because at some point in December, Barnes and Noble will be launching update 1.4 for those with the Color.  With the update to 1.4, you’ll be able to access Netflix, Hulu Plus, Rhapsody, Nook Comics, and much more.
But my big question is, if they’re allowing those with the Nook Color to eventually have the same features as the Nook Tablet, then what’s the point in upgrading?  Although it does have some new features, such as being lighter and having more internal space, it really isn't too much different.  As for those that don’t have a Nook Color, in my personal opinion, the Nook Tablet would be the better buy/upgrade.

So what do you guys think? Has anyone gotten the Nook Tablet?  Let us know!

4 comments:

BruceMcF said...

Aside from the wait, Netflix on the NookTablet uses the HD stream (if bandwidth allows) to give a sharper, smoother display ~ on the NookColor it will be limited to 480p streams. Similar for Hulu+. A 600p display downscaled from 720p just looks sharper than a 600p display upscaled from 480p.

And with the faster, dual core processor, the web browser is reportedly a smoother experience on the Nook Tablet.

For years I happily watched DVD's on a 7" portable player, so I personally do not much mind whether the movie on a 7" screen streams as 480p or 720p ...
... so I took advantage of the Nook Tablet introduction to get a reconditioned Nook Color at $150. For the $100 saved, I'm willing to wait about a month for Netflix and maybe 2 months for Hulu+.

Jordan Butcher said...

Thanks for the imput Bruce, it's very appreciated.

M has the Nook Color and I can see where she's coming from with the aspect of, if you just bought the Nook Color in the last year, it's very understandable why you wouldn't necessarily want to dish out the money for the new Nook Tablet. But if you don't have either (and you are set on the Nook) then I would definitely look into the Tablet over the Color.

I myself, am a Kindle Fire girl. :)

-J

BruceMcF said...

After trying it out over a week now, if I was using it heavily to browse to sites that bog down the nColor, I'd really rather have the nTablet. But I still have my netbook as my primary web browsing device ~ for one thing, no way I am using a touchscreen keyboard for discussion forums. And given our internet bandwidth, I stream video at 480p or less anyway, to avoid buffering.

So after trying it out, the ebook, Pandora, and video web streaming on the Nook Color is plenty good enough for me as an ebook reader and media tablet. Including manga, since it turns out that the Nook Color web browser works well enough at JManga in guided view mode.

As far as the Kindle Tablet, if I was interested in buying Kindle formatted ebooks or subscribing to Amazon Prime, it'd be compelling. But I'm not, so horses for courses.

Anonymous said...

Huh, i didnt know ab all of that streaming stuff siince my tech skills are pretty basic. But on my nook color I've had no trouble with the internet or video viewing via youtube.
I completely agree with Bruce ab nook color being a better bang for your buck considering within a month it'll have the same stuff as the nook tablet. And like I've said a million times the nook color was titled "the readers tablet". So although i think the new nook is cool it is kind of pointless to spend the extra money unless you just have to have the newest thing.
--M