Random Musings..

I recently switched from Blogspot to WordPress as my preferred blogging platform. My last post on my previous blog was about the iPad and how it had the potential to alter the market. Fast forward a year and we are already playing with iPad2, which on all counts is a much superior product and a must buy if you are willing to cough up the  money. I played with the iPad2 for a few days and as wonderful as it is..it does have some limitations and ergo I am a fence sitter.

– Retina screen : Apple is a victim of its own excellence. After using the retina screen on my iPhone 4, I cannot go back to a lower resolution screen.

– Price to pay : While the price of the iPad might be magical at $500 (and considering how refined the product it..I think $500 is a reasonable price to pay), the cost of the device coupled with supplements (case, stylus for drawing, high-priced apps, etc), creeps dangerously close to the price of a full-fledged laptop. I know comparing laptops to iPads is like comparing apples to caviar. But think about this, if you had an iPhone 4 and had between $800 – $1000 to spend on your next device, would you buy an iPad or a 11″ Macbook Air/ Thinkpad X201?? Tough decision right?? I am currently in the market for a computer and I am not sure which way to go.

– Size : While El-Jobso might tout the iPad screen size as perfect balance between portability and ability to immerse you  in content, I humbly disagree. I love to read books in the digital format and for me the iPad is waaaay too bulky for reading books, especially when you want to curl into bed at the end of the day with a nice digital book, it just is a clumsy affair.

So, whats the solution?? Well it would be arrogant to say I have one, but I will venture to say that I might have found a compromise which works for me for the time being.

Enter, the Barnes and Noble Nook Color. Costs $250, has a 7″ screen instead of a 10″ screen and weighs about the same as an iPad 2. It’s a device which is built to be an eReader. However, underneath the shell it is a different story. 800 MHz ARM processor (over clockable to 1.1Gig), 512 MB RAM, 7″ IPS screen and an Android platform. It needs to be hacked/ rooted to unlock its full potential (this will invalidate the warranty, mind you). It’s a very easy process which is nicely outlined in this thread (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=997034). It took me 2 hours to do it and voila!! You have a decent tablet which is an excellent eBook reader. It has full access to the Android marketplace, so you can download any and every application that’s available. Since it’s the Android platform you can get most apps for free.

Upsides??

– Well for starters you are getting a tablet for $250 which is 95% as capable as the iPad

– The battery life beats the iPad

– 7″ IPS screen is gorgeous

– The size is perfect for reading eBooks (couple it with a BN Moleskine case and it feels exactly like a paperback)

– It’s infinitely customizable..in a way that the iDevices can only dream of

Downsides??

– Well it isn’t the iPad..the user experience is not going to be works-out-of-the-box streamlined.

– No camera, no frills

– If you don’t over clock the processor then the touch screen can be a tad jerky. But I think it’s a small price to pay for the small price you paid 😀

Who is it for??

1. Guys who like me are still fence-sitting on the tablet revolution and undecided on their platform allegiances

2. Folks who are stingy to pay for apps

3. Students who would like to have a cheap tablet for quick browsing, mail check, FB and Twitter updates etc

4. Folks who love reading eBooks but hate the iPads unwieldy size

In conclusion,the Nook Color is a device I definitely recommend for the slightly tech savvy person (a person who can install their own programs and is comfortable with the occasional command line detour). It definitely helps you get warmed up to the tablet experience.