The first versions of lots of devices can be less than compelling. Mossberg also criticized the original Kindle and Sony (NYSE: SNE) e-readers; both have improved considerably. But they also started with low barriers given the lack of competition. Nook came out of the blocks claiming to be better than Kindle and that’s a much higher hurdle to jump—and set the course for the reviews. Some excerpts:

Mossberg’s wave off was the kinder of the two: “During my tests, I found the Nook slower, more cumbersome to use and less polished than the Kindle. I ran into various crashes and bugs. And, while the Kindle’s navigation system isn’t exactly world class, it ran circles around the Nook’s, despite the great possibilities offered by the latter’s use of the touch screen. The Nook may be wonderful one day, but, as of today, it’s no match for the Kindle, despite advantages such as lending, because it’s more annoying to use. ... The good news for those who have ordered a Nook, which is currently sold out, is that its software can be updated, and Barnes & Noble is promising to fix the problems, starting with a wirelessly delivered patch next week that it says will improve the speed a bit, get you closer to the start of the book, and repair some of the bugs.”

Pogue on the color navigation strip: “Unfortunately, we, the salivating public, might be afflicted with a little holiday disease of our own: Sucker Syndrome. Every one of the Nook’s vaunted distinctions comes fraught with buzz kill footnotes. ... This screen is exclusively for navigation and controls. Sometimes it makes sense; when you’re viewing inch-tall book covers, for example, you can tap to open one. At other times, the color strip feels completely, awkwardly disconnected from what it’s supposed to control on the big screen above. Worse, the touch screen is balky and nonresponsive, even for the Nook product manager who demonstrated it for me. The only thing slower than the color strip is the main screen above it.”