I have a Nook Color. I’m basically happy with it, it’s a “walled garden” Android Tablet. That means I can get apps for it, but only at the Nook App store. They do need to be recharged every few days, especially if you’re using the built-in WiFi a lot.
If you buy an ebook at Barnes and Noble, AND have your Nook registered to the same account, it will download automatically to your Nook next time it’s in wifi range (and at any Barnes and Noble bookstore)
There are less expensive versions, black and white with “E-paper” displays that positively SIP power, I had an e-paper Kobo that I literally charged every other month for 6 hours, and was good to go.
You can also load books via the USB cable that comes with the Nook, and in any case I highly recommend you get the free “Calibre” library manager software, to manage all your ebooks, on and off your reader. It also allows you to convert between formats: default for a Nook is the open-specification EPUB format: if you buy a Kindle, the default format is the Amazon-proprietary Kindle MZW format, and often has Digital Right Management in it. DRM means they can remotely delete your book. The Calibre software CAN remove the DRM and convert to the open EPUB format.
Calibre can be downloaded from:
Excellent post, Salgak. Thank you.