Nook Simple Touch GlowLight review

The Nook Simple Touch GlowLight comes at a time when e-readers with backlights are just taking off. The Amazon Kindle Paperwhite and Kobo Glo are excellent devices from better-known brands in the UK, but the wide availability of the Nook may serve it well if people only take a gamble on it.

We liked

The book store is extensive, with everything we searched for coming up, and with a great choice of special price offers.

The screen is comfortable to read and text is easy to adjust for your eyesight and reading style, while the backlight and anti-glare screen make it incredibly versatile.

We disliked

Getting our files onto the device didn't work every time, with the Nook refusing our image files - even the tiny ones. It's also a shame that you need to use the cable or microSD card to transfer items onto it, but then this isn't the most expensive e-reader available, so it doesn't try to do everything. We didn't like the dissolving transition between pages, or the flashing refresh every seven pages.

Final verdict

The Nook Simple Touch GlowLight is extremely light and comfortable to hold, actually making you want to stroke it. The backlight is even and beautiful, and the anti-glare screen is extremely useful.

It's easier to read than a book, lasts for ages between charges, and does so much more - it's 1,000 books, a dictionary and book store in one. The dominance of Amazon in the e-reader market will cap its success, but its price and features offer more than the Kobo Glo.

The Nook Simple Touch GlowLight offers one of the best e-book experiences around, but it's a poorer cousin to its Amazon Kindle Paperwhite brethren, with a wider range of titles and a smoother backlight experience.

While navigation on the touchscreen could be a little smoother and a few issues need solving, we believe this is simple and convenient enough to convince technophobes everywhere of the huge benefits of e-readers.