Skin Style: “Aqua Tranquility”, Reviewer Jiselle Jude

As new gadgets make it into the market, I noticed that the need for protective/stylish skins has become important for the lifetime of those devices. That is where a company known as DecalGirl comes in. Just recently, I acquired some cool accessories for my Nook. One of which is a DecalGirl skin kit. Below is my review of the impressions I got from my skin kit.

I have only had experience with applying a skin kit to a device only once, and it was with my netbook. The skin kit for the Nook does present its challenges. I think the main challenge is making sure the front cover skin lines up with the screen, since the skin itself has cut outs for both the touch screen and reading pane. The skin itself can be peeled up if you happened to place it wrong, but I think the longer you have it on your device, the harder it is to get it off. A tip is to place the skin on the Nook without pressing down completely in order to make sure you place it right before you set it. The cut out for the touch screen is a bit smaller than the touch screen itself. I don’t know if that was a design choice or not, but either way, it means the device is very much sealed with this skin kit. The face skin covers the front face of the Nook, but it does not flow over the edges too much. There is a back skin as well. There is an aspect of a free screen saver included with the purchase of the DecalGirl skin kit. I think that is my favorite aspect of this product. The kit includes a link and a download code to get a specially designed screen saver that continues the same design as the rest of the skin, which I think is very nice.

Overall, I think it’s a very good product to use with your Nook if you want something to protect it from smudges/fingerprints. There are so many styles to choose from. The biggest recommendation I have is to make sure that if you have any protective screen kits for your Nook, apply those first before placing the skin on it. I’ve got a protective screen kit as well, and because the touch screen cut out on the skin kit is a bit smaller, it won’t work well to place the protective screen over it all. Put any protective screens on first before placing the skin kit. I hope this review was helpful.

Find nook skins on the Decal Girl website!

Thanks Jiselle for your review!

You still want a nook, not an iPad... or do you? I think the iPad in incredibly appealing device. With five iPhones in my house I can assure you the "drool factor" is high! Get rid of the laptop, the nook, and go with an iPad right?

The iPad can do almost everything. The iBook application provides a very nice backlit reading experience. Now you can even use the new B&N app for the iPad. Send twitter messages, do email, watch movies, the sky is the limit! No worries about if B&N will open up the nook for apps on it's slow 6" e-Ink screen - you'll have 10" of Apple-screen-goodness with hundreds of thousands of apps ready to go! Ok, anyone want to buy MY nook??

Ok, wait a second. Do I see myself easily taking the iPad everywhere with me like my nook? Could I hold a device that weighs twice as much as a nook for a 2-hour reading session? Do I want another device I have to plug in every night? After staring at a computer all day do I want to look at another backlit screen? Do I want to be interrupted by tweets, news, email, and more while I read books? Wait a second... Why did I buy a nook?

Why I bought a nook

I bought a nook because I love books and wanted to be able to read more easily (larger font) and have my books always around. I wanted something I could charge once a week and know it was always "ready to go". The nook is almost too big and heavy for me, but it's good enough. I like the fact when I steal away to read on my nook nobody bugs me (except my kids). So maybe there are two different devices for different users. I put this list together to help my wife decide whether to cancel her nook order or not.

How to Choose

You want a device that...

• Could replace a laptop or netbook
• Has tons of great apps
• Large multimedia screen
• Can do multimedia in style
• Has e-reader software, but not the primary function
• Want to view PDF docs full size with zoom in/out and no "reflow"
• Syncs with Apple content you already own and works with your Mac perfectly
• Use multiple bookstore applications ON ONE device (B&N, Kobo, etc already announced iPad apps)
• Plays games!

First of all, congratulations! You've bought the latest e-reader on the market that's a lot of fun to use. Just like any device, there are some tricks to learn. I've put together some "new user" items for you to consider.

Name your nook

You've probably heard people talk about naming their nook and wondered what that is about. You can assign a "name" for your new e-reader in the settings panel as well as put in your owner name. That name appears on the screen when you aren't reading a book, and it's just pure fun. I named mine "Clive" - just for fun.

Adding Memory to the nook

The nook is very expandable. You can add a large MicroSD card to the device to boost the amount of space you have for books, music, and pictures. I choose to add an eight gigabyte card. I might be able to save you some money here. The nook stores probably over 1000 books with the internal memory. If you don't plan on putting a lot of pictures or music on the nook you probably don't need a memory card.

Read my "How-To" article on Why and How to add Memory to nook

Books beyond Barnes & Noble

My recommendation is to start with B&N and enjoy a few books first. B&N has put the Google books collection in their store so there is plenty of free material to choose from. NOTE: Google books are great for search, but often are poor quality with a lot of errors since they are scanned books. Once you've gotten to know your nook there are a few other sources of material to consider.

• Free Books. You can just copy your downloaded ePub files into the "My Documents" directory on your nook. Where do you find these ePub files? Well my favorite site is ManyBooks.net, but I've got a list of eBook resources for you (nookTalk eBook Resources)
• Copy-Protected Books. You can get these from your local library or other online bookstores like KoboBooks or Fictionwise. Using these requires you install Adobe Digital Editions. Watch the nookTalk ADE HOW-TO Video to get started.
• News and Website Content. Using tools like Instapaper or Calibre you can grab content from the internet and store it in an ePub file on your nook. Watch the nookTalk Instapaper Video Tutorial for an idea of how to do this.

Checkout our e-book resources page

Buy a case or bag!

You probably want something to store your nook in. I use the JAVOedge sleeve (see my review) but it's advisable to keep the nook in something to protect it from scratches, spills, etc.

There are also clip-on book lights, e-book holders/stands, and more.

• Check out the nookTalk Accessory Listings and our nookTalk Amazon Store
• Read the JAVOedge Sleeve Review
• Read the Oberon Case Review - the coolest case ever

Find Help for your nook

You'll need help. Something won't work right, or you'll not find something where you expect it. Here are some ways to get help.

• Read the MANUAL! It's not great but most of the answers for basic stuff is there! Save the other resources for the tough questions.
• Ask Questions in our Forum. We have hundreds of users, some very experienced troubleshooting the nook.
• Read our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Listing. We try to find the latest issues and document them there to make your search easier. Why troll through dozens of pages in a forum when you can read a simple organized FAQ right?
• B&N Support. Don't discount the B&N Customer Support. You can contact them via email or phone.  Prepare to wait...

Tools

There are a few tools you'll want to install. Each of these has a different use.

• Adobe Digital Editions (ADE). This tools is required to load books purchased from non B&N stores or to get library e-books on your nook. 
  • Watch the nookTalk ADE HOW-TO Video to get started.
• Calibre. This is a top-notch tool to manage e-books as well as grab news content off the internet and store it on your nook! 
  • Watch the Calibre Overview Video.

Rooting your nook?

The superuser on the Android system is called "root" and "rooting" is taking control over your root so you can modify the system and install other software on it. This may void your warranty and could destroy the normal operation of your nook.  On the other hand, it could be a ton of fun and let you use a web browser and other things on your nook.  My advice is to wait for B&N to let you add programs to your nook, but many of you will want to try it.  I'd watch this 10 minute video to help you make that decision.

If you root your nook you will gain a few significant features

• Ability to add fonts
• A superior book management application called "My Books" that merges your B&N and non B&N books into one view with better organization options.
• Trok. Let's you browse news feeds and download books from free sites all over the internet.

Usage Tips

• Page Swipe. You can actually change pages by quickly (and lightly) swiped the LCD panel when it's off. It takes a bit of practice but works great (my preferred way to change pages)
• If you plug the nook into your computer be sure to eject the drives safely before you unplug it. If you forget and have problems just reboot your nook by holding down the power button for several seconds.
• Make sure to turn ON airplane mode. This will disable your Wi-FI and 3G radios and will improve battery life
• Deleting material must be done online. Archiving books is the best approach and removes them from your look but not the B&N Library.
• Nook locked up and screen frozen? Yup, it happens. Read our Forum Solution!

We'd love to hear what you think of your new nook!