Congratulation on your new Nook.
I won't get Nook or Kindle because I'm consider to get iPad 2.
Speaking as a veteran user of digital/e-book readers (has been using many different kind of digital readers since
Cybook Gen1 came out), in contrast to what StSapphire've said above, you made a smart decision.
I owned Sony's, Amazon's, PocketBook's and others' e-book devices before I finally gave in to iPad's flexible and superior features after criticizing it for many months. I absolutely have no problem with reading iPad or any digital readers in the sun. Turned up the brightness in iPad usually solved the "can't read iPad in the sun!" problem. But of course, it is not a permanent nor be-all end-all solution because of a few issues like sun glare. Someone mentioned about iPad's battery-draining issue, it isn't that bad. Turned off 3G, data and a few more, the battery holds up a bit longer. Jobs made a good point tho with the comment he made to Mossberg a year ago or so, "You’re not going to read for 10 hours". He's right though. It's nearly unheard of for people to read the book for 10 hours outside or public places. If you're at home or in car, just...plug in and read. I know it's rather shocking to hear, but that's what the input for. Either e-ink or backlit do not bother my eyes at all. Kindle, anti-iPad and e-ink reader users soon will run out of excuse why e-ink reader is better than backlit-LCD devices like iPad because Apple is working on
e-ink and LCD hybrid display which will give us the ability to read the book anywhere. Ian replied to that hybrid technology:
"If Apple's new display ever comes to fruition it has the potential to kill off single function e-readers such as the Amazon Kindle and Sony's Reader line. Why carry around both an e-reader and a multifunction device such as a tablet when you can have the best of both worlds in the same device?"
iPad can do many, many things that Kindle, Sony Reader and others couldn't do. For a few examples, I've installed Kindle, Stanza, Kobo, Google Books, Nook and txtr/Bluefire on only one device, iPad, which give me the ability to read any kind of DRM-protected books. If you don't like their page-turning features, get iFlow Reader to read it by scroll it and it also offers auto-scroll for speedy readers. iPad is a nearly 100% library-compatible device. Well, at least, in my local area. You also can read comics and graphics-intensive magazines/books on it. I tried them on Kindle and Nook, they killed the non-iPad devices altogether. Apple and others offer interactive books for children to read and to play with. As far as I know, Kindle and non-color Nook do not come with such features for interactive books. Correct me if I'm wrong. Heck, children can even draw on coloring books on iPad. Kindle and Nook? Dry Markers? Good luck with that.
Although, I have to honest with you, I've circumvented DRM'ed books so I can transfer from my old devices to my iPad. As a former mod of MobileRead, I second StSapphire's suggestion regarding calibre. It can do many things like converting, DeDRMing (NOT supported by its developer), managing and transferring many different formats of books into different devices. And it's FREE and multi-OS support. You can even set up the server with it for you and your friends to download into the digital books wirelessly. I have a bit more than 7,700 books on it. No duplicates. Still working on adding more books into calibre.
Ever since circumventing the DRM'ed books becomes a headache for me to handle, I've decided to buy the DRM-free books as much as I could.
The Top 13 DRM-free eBook Sites,
List of DRM-free publishers and MobileRead's
free E-Book Uploads.