Kindle Review – Kindle Fire Review, Kindle 4 Review

Update: The page with the Nook eReader sluggishness information and photos has been removed from Engadget. The copy of the page in Google’s cache has also been changed – not sure how. You can still find it in the caches of other search engines.

Original Version: So Engadget have some photos (which are nothing special – just the Nook front and back) and some valuable information on the Nook from a tipster.

The Big Tip – Nook’s supposed dual-screen advantage over the Kindle might be a disadvantage. 

Here’s what Engadget’s tipster says –  

1. Laggy Android Interface. 
2. In store WiFi browsing will come in 2010. 
3. In B&N stores you can browse free ebooks for one hour – it’s not unlimited. Once again B&N overpromise and underdeliver. 

The key takeaway seems to be that the ‘eInk for reading and LCD touchscreen for controlling’ model doesn’t work well -

The thing lags so much between the e-ink display and the Android touchscreen. All I want to do is use the e-ink display as touchscreen. It’s nice to see the real book art, but it’s so tiny and laggy that I simply want to leave that screen as soon as I can

If the thing really lags a lot between the two screens – and it’s not inconceivable given that one screen refreshes at LCD speed and the other refreshes at eInk speed – then it’s going to make the dual screen UI a pain to use.

Does the LCD screen highlight the slowness of eInk?

Consider this video –

With the Kindle you know there’s time for a page turn and for any sort of page refresh – However, you don’t really have anything immediate to compare it to.

• Perhaps with the Nook the LCD screen being right there makes the eInk seem super slow in comparison.
• Perhaps there really is something wrong with the Android implementation.
• Perhaps this is just a faulty unit and the first full nook review will ease concerns.
• Perhaps the processor can’t handle the LCD and the eInk screens fast enough.

Nook eReader and the Law of Unintended Consequences

If the Nook really is slow or sluggish that would be really bad for sales. It would be the equivalent of Sony’s mistake.

• Sony added a touch-screen and a byproduct was that the readability was hammered due to glare off of the touchscreen layer.
• Did Nook just do the same thing? Does adding the LCD screen highlight that eInk page turns take time.

Think about it – If you’re touching the LCD screen which instantly changes, and then it takes .5 or .8 second for the eInk to refresh it’s a usability nightmare.

The reviewer/tipster even says that he’d rather use one screen – ‘all i want to do is use the e-ink display as touchscreen’.

However, even with eInk touchscreens the lag is a pain – with the Sony it takes .5 second or so for what you’re writing to show up.   

Dissecting Nook’s supposed sluggishness

If the Nook really is sluggish (the first few nook reviews will answer that question) then the sluggishness is probably -

1. 6 parts eInk refresh speed (or lack thereof). 
2. 3 parts the contrast of LCD and eInk.
3. 1 part – touching one screen to control another. 

Nook has probably followed in Sony’s footsteps and demonstrated the law of unintended consequences – which should make for an even happier Christmas for the Kindle and Amazon.

Filed under: Barnes Noble Nook Tagged: | nook ereader, nook review