After my previous experiences with crummy e-readers, I was hesitant to try something else. The iPad (at $429+) was well out of my price range ($250 or less), in addition to being too big (10") and too heavy (1.5 lbs). The same was true of most Android tablets; they were too expensive (e.g. Galaxy Tab at $499; Viewsonic G Tablet at $350), or they wouldn't be released for several more months.
But I had begun to hear good things about Barnes and Noble's Nook Color. Obviously with an LCD screen, there were drawbacks compared to the Kindle, including glare in sunlight, shorter battery life, and weight of 16oz, rather than the 8oz of the Kindle. But the Nook Color also had many advantages, including an 1024x600 IPS screen that reviewers praised as bright and crisp, a reasonable price of $250, and the probability of upgrades from the current Android OS 2.1 software, either from B&N or the third-party developers who were busy unlocking functionality of the tablet.
I went to the store to check it out. Three times, in fact. The text was certainly crisp, not quite as good as the iPod Touch, but surprisingly good for a screen three to four times as large. Although moderately heavy, the 16oz device was also ergonomic and well-built. And the price was certainly tempting. On the third visit, I bought the Nook Color.
I had a minor issue with an e-gift card that I had purchased to use toward the Nook Color; the online ordering system had a two-day backup so my "instant" e-gift card didn't come for two days. But the local B&N customer service was great in allowing me to apply it retroactively to my Nook Color purchase.
After taking it home and installing the latest update from Barnes & Noble, I decided to see how hard it would be to unlock the tablet to install other programs. Twenty minutes later, after following lengthy but detailed instructions, I had the Kindle app and various other programs installed and working great, as well as software in place to simulate physical Android tablet buttons (Home, Back, Menu). After making a few additional adjustments over the next few days, the battery life is outstanding (projection: 8+ hours), I have access to downloading apps from the Android Market, and the text is clear enough not to bother my eyes for extended reading sessions. Plus I don't need an extra light to read at night.
The Nook Color is by far the best value in the sub-$300 bracket of Android devices. I'm sure faster and more-featured devices will come out in the next few months, but I doubt any will approach this price-point/feature balance. Could I use a camera, Bluetooth, or GPS? Sure. But for reading books and using basic Android apps, the Nook Color is great.
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