Nook got the first hand-on review on Gizmodo. The review is fair and balanced, and goes in favor of nook even though some features couldn’t be tested. Here is what Gizmodo says about nook, specially with respect to touch screen which makes nook different from other devices:

Nook preserves the same pleasurable reading experience, but tucks in the capacitive-touch LCD screen for added control. In its 1.0 implementation, Nook is not as fast or as smooth as it could be, but already it’s showing that the second screen is not a gimmick. …the second screen is not a sudden and miraculous cure for what ails ebook readers. It may prove to be, but B&N’s current implementation is conservative. As yet, there are too few occasions on the Nook when I notice an LCD feature and say “Kindle can’t do that.” …the LCD was how nice its keyboard was. Unlike the Kindle, the Nook’s keyboard is only visible when you need it, and as an iPhone user, I found it natural and accurate. The capacitive touch is a real boon, especially on a screen so small.

• The little screen can display a directional pad for moving around text when highlighting or looking up words in the dictionary
• The LCD screen shows a search box and you can type notations;
• Music player pops up without leaving the page
• When the screen goes dark, you can make horizontal swipe gestures to turn the pages of the e-ink screen above (though response is little sluggish)
• The music player alphabetize all songs
• There is no physical volume button, but you can pull up a slider to adjust it, and another slider to jump around a song
• When you look up a word in the dictionary, the definition pops up on the e-ink screen, not the LCD
• Nook is little thicker than Kindle, but as a tradeoff, it’s a little smaller footprint
• LCD and other features mean less battery life than Kindle, but still adequate, “measured in days”

If I haven’t said much about reading books on the Nook itself, it’s because it feels very much like a Kindle, right down to the page-turn buttons. The screen is the same—there’s no discernible difference whatsoever. Aesthetically, the Nook is better looking, less busy, with a more proportionate bezel (and a wee bit more girth). I like the gray rubber backing as much as I loved in on the original Kindle—I still don’t know why Amazon abandoned that.

Kindle Wireless Reading Device (6” Display, Global Wireless, Latest Generation)Kindle DX Wireless Reading Device (9.7” Display, U.S. Wireless, Latest Generation)

Original Article