View From the Phlipside - Nook Color

My name is Jay Phillippi and I've spent my life in and around the media.  TV, radio, the movies and more.  I love them, and I hate them and I always have an opinion.  Call this the View from the Phlipside.
Two weeks ago I took the plunge into a new realm of media.  One that I wasn't sure I was ever going to be ready for or want to make a part of my life.  But I pulled together some Christmas money and few extra bucks and decided to jump in.  I bought an e-book reader.

I love books.  I love the feel of them, I love exploring the stacks at the library searching for an author I've never read before.  There's a wonderful tactile experience that goes along with the experience of the reading itself.  When I first saw the e-readers I couldn't imagine that they could ever offer the same experience.

On the other hand like my father before me I love gadgets.  Technology is just fun as far as I'm concerned.  I enjoy the challenge of learning to use new technology and finding ways to use it in my life.

The two loves collided in my new Nook Color.  The first thing you need to deal with when you move into this new world is the borderline fanaticism engendered by the various models.  At the top of the heap is the Kindle from Amazon.  The Nook is from Barnes and Noble.  The Borders chains, including Walden books, have their own the Kobo, then there's the Sony versions as well.  Prices start below $100 and go beyond $300.  Each have their fans and it can be as parochial as the old days of PC vs Mac.

I did a lot of research and decided on the Nook Color because it offered more options as far as magazine and newspaper reading.  The biggest factor was that it works very well with e-books from our local library.  The Kindle falls down in that area quite badly.  And yes our local library, the Prendergast Library, does indeed offer a growing collection of electronic books.  I'm telling you, we have a REALLY GOOD local library.

So how's it going?  I must admit mostly quite well.  The experience of reading hasn't been effected at all.  I added a leather cover to the Nook and now it rather looks and feels like a real book.  The range of books available for free is pretty impressive and I've checked out several books from the library as well.  The process you have to through to get your library book onto your e-reader is a few more steps than I wish but it's not hard.  And that's not the libraries problem but the system required by the publishers.  I'm still just feeling my way along.  I'll check back in a couple months and let you know how it's going.

Still lots of reading to do, both virtually and in real life.

Call that the View From the Phlipside.

"The View From the Phlipside" airs on WRFA-LP Jamestown NY.  You can listen to WRFA online HERE
Copyright - Jay Phillippi 2010