Book Club and My nookColor

Friday night I had book club. Really we are just a bunch of ladies who get together, eat dinner and drink a little wine. Some of us actually read the books. I am included in the "some." In fact, I am the one who is known as "the one who reads the books." I find this awfully funny since I wasn't a reader until I was over 30. I seem to be a late bloomer in a lot of ways. I am sure my teachers would think it is funny that I am the one who is known as the one who always reads the books. My nook has made it even more convenient for me to read the books we choose as well as many more in between our meetings. In fact, I am reading books that I never would have read because of my nook and the Barnes and Noble Free Friday giveaways which gives me the opportunity to download a free nook book every Friday. Of course it is a book of their choosing, but it's free right? A few weeks ago, I actually downloaded Thirteen Envelopes by Maureen Johnson which I didn't realize was adolescent lit until I started reading it. It was actually pretty cute and was a fun read. It was probably a pretty good move on Barnes & Noble's part too because now I want to read the sequel.

Thank goodness, my book club's been choosing books that I can actually download although I have had to pay for them. I am still having issues as many are with the cost of e-books. One would think it would be less expensive to download a book than to to buy a paper copy, but it is awfully convenient and I like that. You can't use coupons either which is a bummer. I guess I should see if the books are on my local library system for download so I can save money.

On Friday we discussed our most recent book, The Necklace, Thirteen Women and the Experiment that Transformed Their Lives by Cheryl Jarvis. It was a good read for a book club because it is a book that you need to discuss. I don't know that I would have read it on my own. It was a story about some women in California who went together and bought a very expensive diamond necklace. It was really about women who come together, social dynamics, sharing, and philanthropy. I don't know that I would recommend it just to read, but I would recommend it to a group of women to read and discuss.

Next month, we are reading The Next Thing on My List by Jill Smolinski What I love about my nook is that I was able to come home and download the next book immediately so you know what I will be reading this week.

Who Should Buy the iPad 2?

If you are thinking about buying the iPad 2, you should read this article. It is short and to the point which is always good. It does a great job of listing who should buy the iPad 2 and why someone may not want purchase one.

Personally, I could get caught up in the hype and fantasize about owning this shiny new "cutting edge" device. I am a gadget girl after all. Who doesn't like to have the latest and greatest as well as have the new challenge of mastering yet another device? There are a number of reasons why I won't own one and a couple of them are in this article. One of the main reasons though is the cost of the device and the cost of the data plans. I am already paying a hefty fee to my carrier for my Droid's data plan. With the iPad I could just tack another $40 onto that bill. My current plan is what they call the "unlimited" data plan which is really 5 gigabytes if you read the fine print. No one who carries any of these new devices really has unlimited data. 5 GB doesn't go very far in the video arena which is one of the key reasons to own an iPad. I can't watch videos on my current device due to the data limitations so how am I going to do it with an iPad? Let's imagine the data overages if I used it for Skype! I don't think people take that all into account especially those who see it as an entertainment device for the kiddos. I know several people who have purchased the original iPad for their kids. My kids know better to think the iPad is in their future unless they plan to pay for it and the data plan. At that point, I think they will be off my mobile phone plan. They would love to have a smart device and that isn't happening in the near future just because I don't want deal with the extra cost or any overages. They don't remember the day we had AOL 15 hour a month limitations so how can we expect them to understand 5 GB limitations? Until we get the bandwidth costs down for mobile devices as well as limitaions, I don't see myself owning an iPad. Plus, I am a bit of an open standard's girl.

Motorola Xoom vs iPad 2: Let the Dueling Begin

I haven't had my hands on either one of these nifty little devices and if someone wanted to give me one, I wouldn't whine about either one. Both the iPad2 and the Xoom look like great devices. They don't replace the laptop, but they seem to be on their way. Personally, if I was planning to buy one, I would probably go with the Xoom just because I am such a big fan of my Droid and the Android platform and the open market. The only drawbacks are right now is the inability to load my iTunes library, view Hulu and watch Netflix. All that really means is that I am carrying two devices so I can listen to music and downloaded videos and if I want to watch streamed content I wait to use my computer or my Roku box. That really doesn't even bother me since I don't want to charge my Droid constantly and if I really want music, I do have Pandora. There are a couple of great blog entries reviewing the iPad2 and the Xoom at Computer World where their finding is that the Xoom is the winner in this duel. Personally, it may just be a matter of taste, but you be the judge.

8 Reasons the Motorola Xoom Beats the iPad

Motorola Xoom verses the iPad2