Nook Color

[Darkseider]

OK. Priced at $250, running the TI OMAP 3620 SoC at 720 Mhz. 7" IPS color display and unknown memory and running Android 2.0. Now this thing may become the darling of XDA once it gets rooted.

[Sponsors]

[azmon]

Android 2.0 at $250? I think this is a little expensive than my FS-805T Android 2.2
Here it is.

[crogs571]

with that 4:3 resistive screen? No thanks. That turns into what, a 6" 16:9 screen when watching movies and HD content? I'd rather get a good 7" that makes use of the whole screen. And it's actually 2.1, and when rooted will have the community working feverishly to get 2.2 on it.

[cutterjohn]

Yep, also OMAP36XX, IPS 1024x600, etc. v. Freescale and 800x600... plus you're likely to see sales on it before long given the time of year, and hopefully some price wars...

[greenman]

Yep, also OMAP36XX, IPS 1024x600, etc. v. Freescale and 800x600... plus you're likely to see sales on it before long given the time of year, and hopefully some price wars...

I have to agree. I've been doing some research after getting my wife's Christmas present (Nook color) and after a lot of research, I've come to realize I bought her an android tablet being marketed as a ereader. They told me at the store it will be able to be upgraded to 2.2 in January, including the android app store, etc. There is no microphone and no camera, as far as I can tell, so no skype for a rooted nook when android 2.2 becomes available for nook color.

[SenK9]

It looks like this product is really taking off in popularity, as it has been rooted over at XDA. Capacitive IPS screen, sleek design + relatively low price point is bound to be a winner.

[xaueious]

The process to root and install apps is a bit involved right now. It needs an AOSP port badly. It is quite popular right now. If they can port the Archos bits over, this thing will be such a beast.

Even at stock, for $250, I'd get this over any shanzhai alternative because of the return policy, build quality and screen.

[gadgetrants]

xaueious, quick favor to ask. Can you head over to:

A Non-Authoritative Android Tablet Buying List: What to Get, What to Avoid

and update the Manufacturer Link for the Nook so that it points...I dunno...not at the Viewsonic, I guess (unless I'm mistaken)? The hardware specs on the Nook are not easily available, but I'm not sure B&N is a good alternative (they're vague on the details). Maybe use nookdevs data?

http://nookdevs.com/NookColor

Thanks!

-Matt

[gadgetrants]

The process to root and install apps is a bit involved right now. It needs an AOSP port badly. It is quite popular right now. If they can port the Archos bits over, this thing will be such a beast.

Even at stock, for $250, I'd get this over any shanzhai alternative because of the return policy, build quality and screen.

Not sure if the process has improved recently, but here is an overview for "not-tech" folks (find the details at http://nookdevs.com/NookColor_Rooting):

There is also a nice how-to with screenshots here: How to root Nook Color, side load apps, review and gallery « Review Horizon

(1) Download a small file for updating the ROM
(2) Write the file to a microSD card (for Windows people, this involves downloading another file)
(3) Boot the Nook with the microSD card in it: voila your Nook is rooted

In this case "rooted" means you're almost ready to begin installing Android programs on the Nook. If you want to do that:

(4) Install/run ADB (Android Debug Bridge, part of the Android Software Development Kit)
(5) Set up your computer to accept USB connections with the Nook (some minor file modifications in the Android SDK)
(6) Access the Nook through ADB, and begin installing!

With a few additional modifications, you can also set the Nook up so you can drive the installation process from the Nook itself. So in my case, I would (1) select the apps I like on my Droid, (2) back them up on my microSD card, (3) put the card in the Nook, and (4) use a file manager like Astro to install the apps on the Nook!

-Matt