Barnes & Noble Launches New e-Textbook App – Yuzu
Barnes & Noble quietly launched the beta version of a new digital textbook app earlier this month. It’s called Yuzu, and it is currently available for the iPad and for web browsers.
Yuzu is a digital education platform that Barnes & Noble says is going to "make the everyday learning experience remarkably gratifying". Few details are available at this time, but B&N says that the new platform will support "the collaborative, free flow of information between learners and educators".
When it officially launches this summer Yuzu is going to be B&N’s replacement for NookStudy, which according to the website has already been retired. At this point it looks like Yuzu is an entirely new platform, and it would appear that Yuzu does not share the same accounts as the Nook Store or NookStudy. In fact, one of the FAQs I found says that Yuzu is not compatible with NookStudy textbooks.
The app is currently only available for Internet Explorer and Safari 6.1/7 (but not Firefox), and for iPads running iOS7, and it is far from complete. While the app does run in IE, all I can do is play around with the set up process. I can create terms and add courses to a term, but I cannot actually read any content. There’s no option for uploading my own files, and Yuzu’s bookstore has not yet been enabled.
At this point we have little more to go on than B&N’s own description, and it makes Yuzu sound more like a digital textbook app like iBooks or Nook Study than an educational and academic app like iTunes U. Like its predecessor NookStudy, Yuzu offers students a next-generation reading and note-taking experience in a simple app, but it also improves on NookStudy by making it easier for educators to provide course materials.
In addition to launching the Yuzu platform, B&N is also tying in FacultyEnlight. This is a website where educators can assemble academic materials into course packs, and from what I can tell B&N launched it in 2011 (if not earlier). Educators can search for the textbooks and other academic material they need, and then build a required and recommended textbook list for a class.
FacultyEnlight is very much focused on the college market, so I would bet that it is also tied in to the 600 plus college bookstore websites run by B&N College. On a related note, the site also prompts educators to sell their original course materials via Nook Press, where they will end up in the Nook Store – and probably Yuzu as well.
Yuzu is only available for IE, Safari, and the iPad, but I have been told that B&N plans to have a Yuzu Android app and support for more web browsers by the time the platform launches this summer.
The Digital Reader was the first to report earlier this year that Barnes & Noble was turning their attention to the digital education market (I scooped the official announcement by about 3 weeks). At the time I was hopeful that this pivot could save B&N’s digital division, but now I am not so sure that it will.
Everything I have read today suggests that Barnes & Noble is pursuing a retail strategy where they will sell (or rent) digital textbooks to students. Given the general failure of the digital textbook market, this does not bode well for B&N.
Over the past six months we have seen several digital textbook providers go bankrupt, sell out to their competition, or pivot to serve a new market. Kno was acquired out of bankruptcy by Intel, Coursesmart was sold off to its competitor, and Inkling pivoted to a new business model based on licensing its tech to publishers.
I predicted about a month ago that the future of digital textbooks is in publishers selling to schools, not retail. If B&N is going to ignore that trend then I expect that Yuzu is even more doomed than the Nook platform.
On the other hand, B&N does have an advantage that none of the startups could claim; B&N runs over 600 college bookstores. This gives them a market presence that few other than Follett (which also runs college bookstores) can match.
And in any case, it is too early to say for sure how B&N will generate revenue; they might be planning to use a different model than selling digital textbooks to cash-strapped students. We shall have to wait and see.
- iTunes
- Yuzu website
- FacultyEnlight
Comments
Sturmund Drang April 20, 2014 um 9:44 pm
I abandoned B&N when they abandoned Windows XP and Windows 7 users. What they do any more pretty much doesn’t concern me.
Julez Brooks April 21, 2014 um 4:21 am
Sturmund Drang If I am not mistaken didn’t Mircrosoft just stop support for XP as well to move people over to Windows 8 and it is their software no need to blame BN for it, Also Nate do you think from seeing the photo that this could possibly be the new nook tablet they have been talking about that is coming? Looking at the photo closer on the nookstudy page I know some may say no its the ipad but last I remember the ipad’s bezels are not raised higher than the screen, This devices bezel is.
Nate Hoffelder April 21, 2014 um 6:16 am
That looks to me like an older iPad with an iffy photoshop job.
Sturmund Drang April 21, 2014 um 10:09 pm
Firstly, Microsoft stopped sending out patches to Windows XP. That doesn’t mean you can’t buy Microsoft Office or Microsoft Flight Simulator, or Quicken or anyone of an hundred thousand other packages to run on your XP. But B&N no longer offers (obviously) Nook for PC for Windows XP.
Secondly Microsoft still fully supports Windows 7. B&N doesn’t.
Also, I haven’t cared enough to check out recent numbers but I think XP+Windows7 runs on about 75% of the PCs out there. So B&N has abandoned 75% of the PC universe. That’s so odd as to be nearly inexplicable.
Actually you can find Windows for PC that runs on XP and Windows 7 on B&N’s site. But you have to use Google to find it. B&N doesn’t want to advertise that fact. That’s why I said "(obviously)" before.
I run linux. And it irks me that vendors don’t support linux. Okay, you might say linux runs on 1% of the desktops, and you’d be right. But Nook and Kindle and Apple and Google (Android) only exist because of all the work linux, gnu, and BSD devs have given away free. I don’t think it’s unfair to expect those companies that make millions and billions of profits on the back of the OSS devs might return something. (Although I understand the crappyright issues invloved too).
But since I don’t understand why B&N would abandon 75% of the PC world I have to assume they’re either, stupid, evil, or dying. If you can think of another logical explanation I’d like to hear it.
flyingtoastr April 21, 2014 um 11:53 pm
You mean this NOOK for PC that can still be downloaded from BN’s website?
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/nook-for-pc/379003591/
Womp womp.
Nate Hoffelder April 22, 2014 um 6:39 am
Like Sturmand Drang said, you had to have used a bookmark (or Google) to find that page, because it is not linked to from the rest of the website.
flyingtoastr April 22, 2014 um 9:14 am
To quote him directly:
"But B&N no longer offers (obviously) Nook for PC for Windows XP."
He said that they flat out didn’t offer it any more. Sure, it requires you to type in "NOOK for PC" into Google (and then click the first result), but the file is still there and able to be downloaded, which is far different than actually removing it. Yes, BN’s website blows, and you won’t get any argument from me, but he didn’t just state that it wasn’t easy to find.
And there are direct links to NOOK for Web (which works fine on his 13 year old obsolete operating system) and NOOK Study (on the Yuzu website), which will both also open his BN books.
Nate Hoffelder April 22, 2014 um 10:17 am
And apparently you missed the fact that he acknowledged that the app can be found via Google.
But since it cannot be found vie the B&N website I would agree that B&N no longer offers it.
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Laura June 3, 2014 um 1:50 am
I give up. I have Windows 8 with a touch screen on my computer, but Yuzu has been completely unpredictable. I used Nook Textbook a couple years ago, and found it delightfully helpful. I was actually looking forward to this class because I thought I would be using Nook Textbook again. However, Yuzu has been a great disappointment. I’m spending far too much time just trying to turn pages, and trying to figure out how to see the tiny, blurry map illustrations in the book without pulling out a regular hand magnifying glass. The last straw was when I tried to analyze a map of the distribution of a clothing manufacturer, on which Yuzu has stamped an icon asking if I want to use a marker– completely covering India. No matter how I try enlarging or moving the image or the map, India is obliterated. On other pages the same icon covers important lines in the text. What? Is there no where else Yuzu can find to stick their icon than right in the middle of every page? What a waste of money and time. Now I’m going to have to spend more money to order a regular book, and wait for it to be mailed to me before I can finish this assignment. Never again, Yuzu.
Beth November 5, 2014 um 1:50 pm
Laura, I know that this response comes very late, but the fix to the highlighting tool is to press and hold (either with your finger or the mouse) wait for it to get a little bigger, than move it over. I hope that helps. In my school, this is the reader that’s available. I can get the books, mostly, on Chegg but that means I have to lay out money where with the school I can use my financial aid or student loans to pay for the books. I wonder how much the school admins are paid to offer only this option?
mel January 21, 2015 um 7:23 pm
Yuzu is horrible. I wish I would have gotten the hard textbook because it takes twice as long to read the digital book. It is hard to turn the pages, every time you touch the screen the note tab pops up, so you have to close it. Very irritating. It is hard to navigate, not intuitive at all. It also freezes up frequently, so you have to reload it all the time. Do not use yuzu!
Bob July 20, 2015 um 10:53 pm
You took the words right out of my mouth. Yuzu is the worst! Do not use yuzu!!!
LarryG June 17, 2014 um 11:30 am
Nate, why do you think publishers selling directly to schools will fly?, schools as it is have their own financial challenges; having to increase school fees to meet their operating budgets. Moreover, with the open textbook providing more attractive option to both students and schools, I don’t see your model hypothesis solving the publishers dilemma.
Nate Hoffelder June 17, 2014 um 11:37 am
A few weeks before I wrote this post I attended an edtech conference in DC. I sat in any number of sessions from school districts which had adopted 1 to 1 programs with Chromebooks, iPads, or other hardware. Many had also switched over to digital textbooks and were buying the textbooks in volume. Also, most of the 1 to 1 programs I heard about are now being funded from the textbook budget.
I don’t know that digital textbooks have a future but if they do then it will not be selling to students. That doesn’t work. The only thing left is selling to schools and giving the textbooks away. Since there is no market in the latter I am assuming that publishers will go for the former.
Faith September 6, 2014 um 9:46 pm
Is it possible to print actual pages from an etext through Yuzu using 7.0? If so, please explain how?
Nate Hoffelder September 6, 2014 um 10:20 pm
I couldn’t find anything in the help pages, no.
Kevin J September 7, 2014 um 11:22 am
So I purchased an Surface 2 so I would have everything in one place, and not have to carry around heavy books, and notebooks for school this year. My school has changed over to Barnes & Noble for their books online. I rented the Chem book online, and downloaded it for about $75.00 + tax. Trying to use Yuzu is a pain in the butt, it jumps all over the screen, the page turn is hard to find. Finally, I went to go use the online chemistry tests and help that come with the hardcover book, and it won’t work. I went to the Yuzu site, and went to online help, and was disconnected three times after waiting 30 minutes each time. Finally, I sent an email, and got a response about 3 hours later, and was told that the online functionality of an E-BOOK, costs an additional $75.00 putting me over the cost of a hardcover book with tax. I am not using this platform again, it has been a cluster from the very beginning, and has taken me many hours to get accurate information. GOOD BYE YUZU!
Faith September 7, 2014 um 5:18 pm
Thank you Nate for trying to help. The best I could do was take screen shots of a half page at a time then physically cut and paste the papers together. If I wanted to go old-school I would have purchased the hard cover book and saved myself a lot of time and aggravation.
I agree with you Kevin. What a waste of money ($82.00+tax) in my case and way too much time!
Gina September 12, 2014 um 5:03 pm
Yuzu is just terrible. I constantly have to fix the format whereas Nook Study would remember it. Also it takes a bit for it to go to the next page, the highlight system works okay but it disappears, and there is no search bar. I do not think I will be getting anymore e-textbooks after this semester.
John October 20, 2014 um 10:41 pm
I am so sorry that I stuck myself with this "e-reader". Among the biggest disappointment was the inability to simply turn a page without a several second delay, even when viewing on a PC (even longer delay on my iPad). I tried to use bookmarks to help my page navigation speed, but after trying to find online help, searching the web, and reviewing user forums, I have yet to be able to figure out how to retrieve any of the bookmarks, worthless. Oh, if you cannot see fine print, you will need a magnifying glass. Zooming in this application does nothing but blur the text page. Consider yourself warned about this high-school project software.
Beth November 5, 2014 um 1:46 pm
I just wanted to say that I’ve been using this reader for a couple of months. 1. It’s not supported on a phone or any android device. That is a huge negative considering there are more android users out there than Apple. 2. The customer service is terrible. They are nice enough, but not remotely intelligent enough to read emails and respond properly. 3. The textbooks themselves are ridden with errors, most likely on the code level. 4. The set up of the books themselves are not user friendly. They’re designed to be used on a touchscreen and if you attempt to read on the computer, you are inundated with issues.
In conclusion, this book reader has a LOOOOOONG way to go. It wasn’t ready for release and should be available on the android platform as well as compatible with a desk or laptop computer as well as a tablet.
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WineGrrl November 25, 2014 um 9:49 am
Yuzu is a terrible reader. I am so sorry that I bought a textbook that uses Yuzu. I used NookStudy up until last semester, and it was great. I can’t search in Yuzu, and that’s the primary drawback for me. It takes forever to turn pages no matter what device I use. The markup icon is a pain, too… it covers the bottom part of the text and has to be moved every time. Highlighting is so tricky that I no longer use it. As long as B&N utilizes Yuzu, I will never buy another eTextbook from them.
Nate Hoffelder November 25, 2014 um 10:44 am
Yep. I wish they had never launched it.
AnnaJay December 5, 2014 um 5:09 pm
As of right now, the web app is pretty crappy. Book is tiny on the screen, showing one page at a time, and zoom functions are complicated. There are 3 different ways to turn the page, but each time you turn a page you have to mess with the zoom all over again. Tools show and disappear when you move your mouse near/away from the edge of the window but are very slow to respond. Pretty lame. I’m not sure I see any improvements over using the Nook Study app. That was really lame too. About to check out the iPad app…hopefully it’s better or I just wasted $40 and will have to buy another copy of my textbook elsewhere.
S.B. December 15, 2014 um 3:38 pm
This is the worst app for etextbooks I have ever used. I spend hours on reading a chapter that should take 45 minutes due to having to reload the book, reload the page, and even sometimes back out of the entire website in general. I would highly recommend getting an old fashion textbook where you can read, highlight and turn your own pages. At times the book is not even available under the class that it is posted in. I have to redownload it and reassign it to that specific class. It is a complete waste of time and money. On top of that when at B&N the sales rep stated I was able to print pages and had a printing limit per login. That was also a lie. There is no way to print from this app and no way to use it in any way other then a headache. I will never by an etextbook through yuzu again.
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Toni January 13, 2015 um 6:09 pm
Posting this as a word of caution to any students considering purchasing an e-book on the YUZU platform. I am using the webapp organic chemistry e-textbook I purchased for a class and will never do this again. This would have been fine for a casual read, but there are several issues in functionality that make this almost useless for a class text book. (The price difference was not that significant either, compared with the hardcopy).
My biggest complaints: The pages appear to be protected such that you cannot print. Since turning a page takes about 5 seconds (each…turn….), I tried to print out the end of chapter questions so that I can work on them while referring to the text. What I got was a blank page. NO PRINTING!
My comment posted on the YUZU customer care forum is linked below if anyone is interested. A bunch of comments are logging the same complaints and all the responses are politely worded (to paraphrase) "thanks for your input, we are working on it".
https://customercare.yuzu.com/hc/communities/public/questions/201928440-No-ability-to-print-minimum-of-5-seconds-to-turn-a-page-annoying-sticky-notes-no-way-to-remove-highlight-
VCart January 22, 2015 um 6:32 am
I just rented my first e-book for school and of course it’s Yuzu. I hate hate hate it.
The text is tiny and you can’t enlarge the whole page. Highlighter feature seems useless to me. No, you cannot print and I even tried sending to onenote to enlarge it there, but it didn’t work. I so regret the $73 I had to spend for this and hope they get enough of the same feedback to stop using this affiliation for textbooks. I would have been so happy if I could have read on another platform…sigh.
Nate Hoffelder January 22, 2015 um 8:16 am
Alas, B&N owns Yuzu (and I’m guessing they probably run your college bookstore). They are unfortunately committed to using this horrible platform.
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Valerie February 9, 2015 um 3:37 pm
I am so sickened by this new move by Barnes and Noble. Firstly, teaming up with iShit brands makes this impossible for regular PC users. My nook is basically obsolete (which I used to use for all my schoolwork). This crap is ridiculous. It says it’s moving ahead and trying to be top tier for school and textbook tech, but this is a step backwards. The user interface is TERRIBLE, the highlighting is nothing but a pain and it’s as fast as my grandma.. and she’s fuckin dead. This is absolute garbage and fuck you B&N, I’m tossing your products and getting a Kindle.
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Rodrigo September 2, 2015 um 10:04 pm
Yuzu is garbage..
Search feature doesn’t tell anyone where the word is inside the page. This makes you read the entire page until you find the word in the paragraphs.
AJ September 30, 2016 um 1:20 pm
So far…so bad. Definitely not a fan of YUZU. I’m on a surface so unless I have WiFi I can not access any books. So, unless I’m on campus, I’m pretty much SOL on accessing my book. Plus all the other horrible reviews… I will definitely avoid YUZU in the future.
Nate Hoffelder September 30, 2016 um 1:25 pm
My god, is that thing still in operation?
It was supposed to have been turned off by now.
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