Nook Mania

My earlier entries have indicated that I've been all about the preservation of books despite technology's desperate attempt to make anything and everything completely digital. However, a recent article was distributed in my Communications class, and my opinion drastically changed. Created to compete with Amazon's 'Kindle', the 'Nook' was thought up by Barnes & Noble. Some general information was learned when reading this article, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/21/technology/21nook.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=nook&st=cse, but the article doesn't do this amazing new product any justice. Reading the article, I automatically assimilated the Nook with other electronic readers that are out there already. But when I saw the advertisement on a YouTube clip, my mind was changed forever.

Sure, this new contraption doesn't exactly help in the area of preserving books, but it's the new frontier of reading. It contains millions of texts and publications to choose from and allows readers to make text larger, book mark pages, and even annotate with notes on the pages. And with one charge, the battery life of a Nook lasts for 10 days! Fashionable covers are also available for separate purchase, and pictures can be downloaded to make the Nook more personal.
Ok, so how did I go from fighting for preservation of books in class to rooting for the Nook? The answer is simple, and I cant honestly say that college life has deeply affected my change in opinion. I keep thinking how inconvenient it is when I leave one of my books all the way in Brookhaven, and how much easier it would be if all my books were in the same place. Being the owner of the Apple iPhone, I'm used to having multiple technology outlets available to me whenever I need them, so I think I could quickly get used to everything the Nook has to offer. The one issue I had initially was that I love highlighting texts and annotating all over the margins, but then I found out that this was able to be done on the Nook as well.
The way I see it, we can either fight this new wave of exceptional technology or we can embrace it. A recent site I found, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/25/nook-review-8-reasons-you_n_333048.html, is discussing different people's views on what will be successful and what won't, and the Nook seems to be doing pretty well in comparison to other existing e-readers out there.
Personally, the Nook changed my views on electronic reading. Instead of cramming valuable texts into a database on a computer, the Nook seems to have personalized electronic reading to a point where I am convinced it is going to be successful. For Christmas this year, the first thing on my list to Santa is a Nook. Is it on your list?