Key Features:

  • 6in E-Ink illuminated touchscreen
  • 197g
  • 2GB in-built storage (1,000 books); expandable via microSD card up to 32GB
  • Wi-Fi
  • Two month battery life; one month with GlowLight on
  • Supports ePub, PDF, JPG, PNG
  • Price as reviewed: £109

Introduction

There have been only a few changes to the ereader since it became popular in 2007 with the launch of the first Amazon Kindle. Since then we've seen the introduction (and removal) of physical keyboards and the use of touchscreens to replace physical buttons.

The latest change to the portable digital book reader is the addition of an illuminated screen with Amazon, Kobo and Barnes and Noble all introducing models with this feature. We've already looked at the Kobo Glo, and Amazon has finally confirmed the Kindle Paperwhite will be coming to the UK this week.

Barnes and Noble (B&N) is a new comer to the UK, having previously sold its Nook range of ereaders and tablets in the US only. Along with a couple of tablets, B&N is launching two ereaders in the UK - the Nook Simple Touch and Nook Simple Touch GlowLight - the latter of which I am looking at here.

Nook Simple Touch GlowLight: Design and Feel

A lot like the Android tablet market, differentiating oneself in the ereader market can be difficult. On first viewing the Nook Simple Touch GlowLight [from here on out to be referred to simply as GlowLight] looks very much like the Kindle range of ereaders, with oceans of soft-touch grey plastic and a central 6in E-Ink display.

One main difference between the Kindle range and the Nook is that the B&N ereader is a little more squat than its better known competitor. At 127mm wide and 165mm tall, the GlowLight is squarer than other ereaders and that extra width did take some getting used to.

One of the reasons for that extra width is the inclusion of physical navigation buttons on the left and right bezels, something Amazon has eschewed completely in its latest touchscreen Kindle models.

On each side the top button turns a page forward while the bottom button turns back a page. They work perfectly well, but with touchscreen navigation so much easier, we found ourselves never using them, and leaving them out wouldn't have been a problem.

The only other button on the front of the device is the subtle lower case n-shaped home button below the screen, which brings up a list of on-screen shortcuts for access to the library, home screen, B&N shop, search, GlowLight controls and settings.

The rear of the device is again all grey soft-touch plastic and feels comfortable, even during bouts of extended reading. The contoured back is meant to make it feel more like holding a paperback, though we're not really sure what B&N means by this.

The rear is also home to the screen lock/unlock button, though the location in the top middle of the rear casing took some getting used to.

Nook Simple Touch GlowLight: Hardware and Navigation

The main benefit of using an ereader over a traditional book, is the ability to carry copious amounts of books, newspapers and documents with you wherever you go. To this end, like the Kobo and Amazon models, B&N gives you 2GB of storage, though only 1GB of this is user accessible.

This, according to the manufacturer, is enough for around 1,000, which should be enough for most readers. However, if you like the idea of carrying the equivalent of the New York Public Library around in your handbag, then you can boost the available space by up to 32GB via a microSD card slot on the side.

There is no 3G version available, so in order to connect to the Nook shop and download the latest 50 Shades of Grey instalment you'll need a Wi-Fi connection.

Rousing the Nook from sleep is a simple matter of pressing the home button or the screen lock button on the rear. You'll then need to swipe from left to right along the bottom of the screen to get into the home screen.

The home screen shows the book you are currently reading, recently updated books or newspapers as well as a selection of titles from the Nook shop. Everything is laid out in a straight-forward manner, and everything is where you might expect it to be.

Tapping the book cover brings you to the last read page and as well as being able to turn the pages using the physical buttons, a swipe to the left or right turns pages forward or backwards respectively.

Tap the page in the middle (or on an arrow above the page number) and a menu featuring shortcuts to contents, search, 'go to' and changing text size pops up.

Indicators along the top show remaining battery life and the time, and there is also a bookmark icon, which turns dark when pressed and automatically stores the page bookmarked.

Pressing and holding a particular word on the page will bring up the option to highlight it, add a note, share it or look up a definition in the in-built Merriam-Webster's Dictionary. While the dictionary seems relatively comprehensive, the inability to look up another word within the definition can be a little bit annoying.

In use, the Nook Simple touch lives up to its name, and is intuitive, without the need to learn how to navigate any fiddly menus or swiping gestures.

Nook Simple Touch GlowLight: Screen and Glowlight

The selling point of the GlowLight, like the Paperwhite and the Glo, is the illuminated screen. B&N wouldn't give us too many details of how the illumination worked, suffice to say it took them a long time to figure out how to implement it without hindering the touch matrix of the screen.

The GlowLight feature works well. It allows you to read in the dark without inflicting harsh LCD light on your eyes, as you get from emmissive tablets like the iPad. The brightness of the GlowLight is adjustable via an onscreen slider and we found that we never needed to go above the halfway mark, which will help the battery life of the ereader.

B&N says that using the GlowLight will allow you to read in bed without disturbing your sleeping partner(s), but I found that, although much better than having a lamp turned on, the GlowLight was still intrusive.

Another issue is that the lighting is not uniform, despite what B&N told us at a briefing. The screen is clearly brighter around the edges, which can be a distraction while reading.

The screen itself is your typical E-Ink screen, though B&N has given it a slightly granular coating in order to give readers the authentic feeling of turning a page.

Turning pages, as with all E-Ink screens, means a slight on-screen judder, with the screen going blank before moving onto the next screen. Once you get used to it, you barely notice it, and the GlowLight is one of the faster ereaders I have used, bettering the Kindle Touch, though I have yet to test it against the Kindle Paperwhite.

B&N has also implemented what it calls Best-Text Technology which promises to make words crisper and clearer, with the light on or off. And it works; the screen is sharp and clear and a joy to read on.

In terms of battery life, I've been using the Nook Simple Touch GlowLight for about a month now and I have already had to charge it. That said, I was reading a lot as I was on holiday and using it with the light turned on.

B&N's purported two month battery life is based on reading for just 30 minutes a day, and with the light off, but I would have hoped for a better battery life than we experienced during our testing.

Nook Simple Touch GlowLight: Verdict

At £109, the Barnes and Noble Nook Simple Touch GlowLight is the same price as the Kindle Paperwhite and £10 more expensive than the Kobo Glo. Whether or not you think one is better than the other, the GlowLight represents superb value for money.

With great build quality, a quality feel and an impressive front-lit touchscreen, the Nook Simple Touch GlowLight is one of the best ereaders we have ever used.

Add to that better file format support than the Kindle, as well as the ability to borrow ebooks from UK libraries, and the Barnes & Noble devices is certainly putting it up to Amazon's dominant ereader.

On the downside is the less than even lighting of the screen and questionable battery life, but in truth these were minor quibbles and we found the Nook SImple Touch GlowLight to be a joy to use - day or night.

[Note: Barnes and Noble were unable to give us an exact release date for the Nook Simple Touch GlowLight beyond "within the next few weeks, certainly before Christmas."]

Scores

  • Design 8/10
  • Value 9/10
  • Screen 9/10
  • Build Quality 9/10
  • Overall 9/10

The Good

  • Good build quality
  • Illuminated screen
  • Great value for money

The Bad

  • Questionable battery life
  • Uneven screen lighting