NookColor - Is this the future of Ebooks for Gaming?

[Retreater]

Publishers including Paizo have said that the black and white screen resolution of the Kindle and other similar devices have prevented them from releasing books in that format. Now with the announcement of the NookColor, might this change? Could you see yourself at your game looking up a module or rulebook on this device?

Retreater
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nookcolor/?cds2Pid=35700

 

[Aeolius]

On a Nook, no. On an iPad, absolutely.

Using an iPad I can not only read a PDF or ePub document, but I can write, sketch, roll dice, chat online, look over the d20 SRD, listen to some background music, or watch a topical documentary. (And starting next month, multitasking is enabled)

Back to the topic at hand, the ease of use is superb with my iPad. I just drag a PDF's icon onto the iTunes app and it automatically shows up on my iBooks shelf. Should a publisher wish to have their content in the iBookstore in ePub format, that option is available as well.

 

[Alan Shutko]

Multitasking on an iPad is great. I can't say how great, I'm under an NDA. But just imagine unicorns flying through the skies on rainbows.

But even without it, there's a lot of value in having a color eBook reader. The Pathfinder book is BIG. The full set of 4e books are BIG. Swapping a device with copious hyperlinking for the full books is a great win at the table. Half my Pathfinder group have iPads that we use for rules lookups at the table. A color nook would work just as well.

The iPad has some advantages... when I was in a 1e game I used AirDisplay to show the map I was creating on my laptop, but that's a little niche. Even without that, a Nook could be handy in allowing search and reducing the volume of game books at the table.

The big question would be how many people would buy the volumes they're showing on the Nook. All the PDFs and eBooks I have on my iPad have been purchased, but a poll of the extended gaming circle shows that is not universal.

 

[IronWolf]

Publishers including Paizo have said that the black and white screen resolution of the Kindle and other similar devices have prevented them from releasing books in that format. Now with the announcement of the NookColor, might this change? Could you see yourself at your game looking up a module or rulebook on this device?

NOOKcolor - The Ultimate Reading Experience - Barnes&Noble

I like the looks of this device, though the battery life seems a little low for the way one would use one. I think the price point is good, wish the screen was a little bigger.

While reading the comments I did stumble across this by Archos:

ARCHOS - 101 Internet Tablet

Nice price, good sized screen. Looks promising.

Tech aside, I can certainly see myself using one of these types of devices for gaming and such. PDFs, epub books, web access for SRD stuff, etc.

 

[Asmor]

Doesn't appear to be using e-ink, which makes it a non-starter for me.

Between the battery life and the ease on the eyes, no conventional display can hold a candle to an e-ink display with respect to reading.

I'm not saying e-ink is better than conventional displays in general. In fact, just the opposite, in the vast majority of use cases, e-ink is a terrible display technology. But for this one niche, it blows regular displays out of the water.

 

[CarlZog]

I like the looks of this device, though the battery life seems a little low for the way one would use one.

That's because it uses the same backlit screen as the ipad. This has been one of the dealbreakers for me in buying an ebook reader. The other has been size and ability to handle pdfs in native format.

When I can get an 8.5"x11" color screen that uses ambient light, shows full size pages of all my gaming and work pdfs, and has a couple days worth battery life in use, I'll be ready to buy an ebook reader.

The tablet market is currently fixated on internet, video and gaming features, which would certainly be a nice add-on for me, but not at the expense of battery life and an ambient-lit screen.


Carl

 

[Khairn]

When I can get an 8.5"x11" color screen that uses ambient light, shows full size pages of all my gaming and work pdfs, and has a couple days worth battery life in use, I'll be ready to buy an ebook reader.

Agreed. Until that happens, I prefer using my laptop. Besides, with my big fingers, I found the iPad keyboard a little problematic.

 

[Canor Morum]

This would be nice for reading paperback novels or even the Essentials digest-size format. For a magazine or full-size hardback I would prefer a larger screen.

I've been tempted to buy an e-reader but I just can't let go of my books. The whole kinetic feel of a book just can't be replicated with a device like this and I would miss my bookshelves.

 

[Stormonu]

That nook certainly looks good, and a whole hunk cheaper than my ipad. However, the iPad so far wins for the awesome gaming (and other apps) it has available. When the nook can roll dice, handle battle maps and store campaign information, i'll switch from iPad.

 

[falcarrion]

Sorry but the Ipad and the gaming apps you can get wins hands down. My Kindle dx is gathering dust compared to my Ipad. There is so much more you can do on an Ipad compared to any e-reader on the market. Zooming in and out with ease is a deal breaker for most e-readers. For books designed for the e-reader, the e-reader works quite well. But the books work just as well on the Ipad. As for Pdfs, the Ipad is just superior to an e-reader in all ways. If all you want to do is read books then the e-reader is for you. But ipad can do what an e-reader can do and so much more. Save your cash and get an ipad, you will be glad you did.

300,000 apps and growing.