14 DAY TRIAL // Netbooks might have been the fastest growing market during 2009, but, now, their growth seems to have somewhat slowed down. This means that the market has begun to shift its focus away from this entry-level PC segment, thus giving other types of products the attention they are due. Among them is the now-established field of e-book readers, whose main representative, Amazon's Kindle, may have a tighter battle on its hands, now that the Nook has received an upgrade.
The Nook is the proprietary e-reader of Barnes and Noble and offers buyers complete access to any e-book owned by the bookstore chain, provided they are willing to pay for it, of course. The Nook has been under scrutiny ever since it came out, mostly because it uses not one but two displays, namely a greyscale e-ink screen, used for displaying books, and a color panel employed for navigation.
Most recently, B&N decided that it was time to enhance the experience provided by its device and, as such, released the version 1.3 firmware. Unlike previous updates, which were mostly meant to fix bugs and boost performance, the 1.3 one actually adds extra functionality, though most new capabilities are still in beta stage.
One new beta feature is known as Read in Store. Simply put, this feature lets any owner of the Nook read complete e-books when inside B&N stores. The firmware also enhances WiFi hotspot support and refines the home screen, for better access to content. The most important addition, however, is a basic (beta) web browser that allows the e-ink display to be used for displaying Internet content. This means that the color touchscreen will be employed only for navigation and typing.
The final addition to the Nook's feature set is a pair of games (Chess and Sudoku) that can help kill time or enjoy a break when the reading attention span is at its limit. The firmware can be downloaded via WiFi or manually, from the official website.