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  • The Nook: Should You Add This to Your Holiday List?
Technology Articles > Gadgets > eReaders > The Nook: Should You Add This to Your Holiday List?

The holidays are quickly approaching, and you know what that means...spending lots of money on people you may, or may not, be fond of. ‘˜Tis the season for shopping, and if you have a tech-savvy person on your list, ‘˜tis the season for buying expensive tech devices. This year, there are quite a few fun devices to select from. At the lower end of the cost spectrum are e-readers. If you don’t want to fork over the cash for a tablet (understandable, by the way), but you still want to give that person on your list a nifty reading device, you might be inclined to look at the Kindle Fire.

The Fire has gained a lot of praise over the last few months, but it is not the only reader on the market. The Barnes and Noble Nook is (believe it or not) a good buy as well. I’m not saying that there aren’t definite drawbacks to the Nook, but there are drawbacks to ever reader out there. What I am saying that the Nook can be purchased for around $250, and it’s still a decent purchase that the reader in your family will enjoy.

Nook Attributes

Alright, the Nook isn’t an iPad, but it’s not really trying to be an iPad either. The Nook comes with 16GB of storage, a 17-inch screen, built in WiFi, and access to lots and lots of apps that can be purchased through the Nook store. You can also use Hulu Plus and Netflix with the Nook – let’s not forget too that you can more books than you’ll ever read with the Nook.

Of course, the Fire will allow you one free book rental monthly through the massive Amazon network, but the Nook is still a fair competitor.
So, now that you know what the Nook’s got, you can see that the recipient of this toy will be able to happily download books, apps, and use WiFi to their heart’s content. With the good comes bad though, and Nook does have some bad points. If you’re wondering why you shouldn’t buy a Nook, consider these drawbacks.

Some Bad Aspects

First and foremost (simply because this is the number one complain of consumers/sales pitch from electronics employees), the Nook doesn’t have a camera. This might seem like a huge drawback, but think about it. Are you really going to aim a 17-inch reader at an object, so that you can snap a photo? Not likely – that’s what smartphones are for. Alright, camera exclusions aside, there are some other things to consider.

The Nook doesn’t have a GPS or Bluteooth abilities, but, again, big deal. What is a big deal is the lack of content coming from the Nook. You can’t access the Android market with a Nook. Nook doesn’t have as much content as Amazon does. Is this enough to ignore the Nook outright? That depends on how many apps you want to download and how much you read.

I wouldn’t let this deter me from buying a Nook, but it might turn off some people. The major difference between the Nook and the Kindle Fire is the price. The Fire starts at $199 while the Nook starts at $250. Sure, it’s a $50 difference, but that might mean a lot to you during the holiday season. All in all, the Nook is a good buy for anyone looking to purchase an e-reader this year.