Pros & Cons
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- Huge library of titles.
- Cross-platform support.
- Excellent iPhone reader.
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- Books can't be purchased within app.
- Bare-bones Mac version.
Barnes & Noble eReader Specs
| OS Compatibility: | Mac OS |
| OS Compatibility: | Windows Vista |
| OS Compatibility: | Windows XP |
| Type: | Personal |
Barnes & Noble is taking a different approach from Amazon and its pricey standalone e-book reader, the
The result of
Setup and Signup
The reader is free on every platform, but you'll need a Barnes & Noble online account to do anything. The PC installer, a 9MB download, includes a confusing "Disk Cost" button (for analyzing disk space requirements) that I recommend ignoring—just install the app to your main drive. Otherwise, setup is as straightforward as it gets on all platforms.
Once you log in, the Windows app checks for recent purchases. Since I'd bought no e-books yet, my library contained just five free classic novels (typical public domain fare including Dracula and The Last of the Mohicans) and Merriam-Webster's Pocket Dictionary. The library view shows a grid of your titles, with the selected book's cover appearing in a side panel.—
Getting Books
Unfortunately, you can't purchase e-books from within the app—you have to open a Web browser. (On the iPhone, Safari automatically opens a Barnes & Noble mobile Web site when you choose to buy a book.) It's not a big drawback, and it's one shared by
Reading E-books
To start reading an e-book in Windows, select it in your Library and hit the small "Read" button at top left or type Ctrl-O, or just double-click the book entry. You can either read a book within the full interface, or (preferably) in a single- or double-page view showing only the text. The double page looks most like a book, with shading for the center "spine."
Bookmarks and notes are easy to attach to any page, using self-evident controls on the reader; you can also highlight text in a number of colors, copy it to quote it, or display a word's definition in the included dictionary—a nice touch. An auto-scroll feature saves you from hitting the right arrow to turn a page, and you can optionally set a mouse click to turn your pages, but I wish this also let you turn pages back. I also miss having realistic page-turning animation like that offered by the iPhone apps
You have lots of choices for page appearance, with "parchment," "papyrus," and "molten lava" among the 19 viewing themes. You can change the font to any typeface on your PC, in any size you like. And I approve of how, when you restart the app after closing it, the last book and page you were reading appear automatically, so you don't have to choose it again from your library.—
Barnes & Noble on the iPhone
Disappointing Mac Version
Mac users are the losers when it comes to the Barnes & Noble eReader. Both the PC and iPhone versions make purchasing, library management, and reading a smooth process, but the Mac version is little more than a viewer for PDB files (the venerable Palm format used for the e-books). There's no library capability in it—you have to know the location to which you downloaded the file and choose File > Open.
Plastic Logic
The real test of Barnes & Noble's e-book strategy will come early next year, when the dedicated Plastic Logic eReader comes out. In the meantime, I'm pleased that the company doesn't require you to purchase an expensive device to read e-books. The PC app is adequate and the iPhone app excellent, but the Mac client needs to offer a smoother way for the user to acquire and manage downloaded titles. Since the iPhone is the closest thing to an e-book reader among the service's currently supported devices, however, I applaud the care taken in delivering a superb app for it.
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Final Thoughts
Barnes & Noble eReader
Barnes & Noble joins the e-book fray but, unlike Amazon, doesn't make you buy an expensive reader. The Windows software is serviceable and the iPhone version outstanding, but the Mac version could stand beefing up.