FOOD FOR THOUGHT Whats the value of buying the NT

[AnimaTechnica]

Just wanted to start this discussion to highlight the pros and cons of the nook as a tablet.

The nook color was ahead of its time. It was priced attractively when the only real alternatives were priced twice as much. This made ilfor a very attractive challenge for a number of devs who saw the value in rooting and developing custom ROMs for it.

Flash forward a year later and the nook tablet is released. however not only is the bootloader locked but a number of real alternatives exists - the kindle fire priced lower but like the NT have limited features, the playbook now priced at 199, the lenovo 7 inch also priced at 199, and the Acer A100 whic is priced as low as 250 but has more tablet features like front and rear cameras, GPS, and a similar hi res screen.

So i would argue that unfortunately there is not as much value in buying then rooting or getting a custom rom for the NT when the alternatives already start you off way ahead of the NT. So if i had $250 would i buy a NT then wait for the root or custom rom just to get it to a tablet like experience or buy an Acer for the same price that i can start using as a tablet out of the box?

Let the discussion begin....


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[J515OP]

There are a lot more options now which is a good thing and a lot of it will come to preference. Since you have thrown down the gauntlet at the NT's feet here are my take aways from the other tablets that might cause you to consider the NT.

Fire - 1/2 the RAM, 1/2 the storage, no SD card slot, no mic, missing a volume rocker, heavier, screen not as good as NT, locked down out of the box

Acer A100 - 1/2 the storage, less battery life, chunky "cheap looking" design, heavier, screen not as good as NT

Playbook - only $199 if you can find it, no SD card slot, heavier, not entirely hackable (possibly able to run CM7 but many issues to be worked out), poor reviews of the out of the box experience

Lenovo IdeaPad A1 - Single core processor, 1/2 the RAM, 1/2 the storage, less battery life

You make the assumption that the other tablets start you off way ahead of the NT. I would argue that is not the case. The NT out of the box can side load apps including other home launchers to get around the B&N interface and make it more "tablet" like and the Amazon app store for access to more apps. It is also easily rootable to complete the tablet transformation though you can't easily run CWR or custom ROMs on it due to the boot loader issue. Arguably the Fire and Playbook are less capable out of the box than the NT.

The biggest disadvantages of the NT are lack of cameras and GPS and for the moment (and possibly ever) the locked boot loader.

There is no perfect tablet at this price range (or maybe at any price) but there are a lot of good choices. It just depends on what you want. Why the NT? Good build, battery life, performance, screen and price.

2cents

JP

 

[amylyn1970]

There are a lot more options now which is a good thing and a lot of it will come to preference. Since you have thrown down the gauntlet at the NT's feet here are my take aways from the other tablets that might cause you to consider the NT.

Fire - 1/2 the RAM, 1/2 the storage, no SD card slot, no mic, missing a volume rocker, heavier, screen not as good as NT, locked down out of the box

Acer A100 - 1/2 the storage, less battery life, chunky "cheap looking" design, heavier, screen not as good as NT

Playbook - only $199 if you can find it, no SD card slot, heavier, not entirely hackable (possibly able to run CM7 but many issues to be worked out), poor reviews of the out of the box experience

Lenovo IdeaPad A1 - Single core processor, 1/2 the RAM, 1/2 the storage, less battery life

You make the assumption that the other tablets start you off way ahead of the NT. I would argue that is not the case. The NT out of the box can side load apps including other home launchers to get around the B&N interface and make it more "tablet" like and the Amazon app store for access to more apps. It is also easily rootable to complete the tablet transformation though you can't easily run CWR or custom ROMs on it due to the boot loader issue. Arguably the Fire and Playbook are less capable out of the box than the NT.

The biggest disadvantages of the NT are lack of cameras and GPS and for the moment (and possibly ever) the locked boot loader.

There is no perfect tablet at this price range (or maybe at any price) but there are a lot of good choices. It just depends on what you want. Why the NT? Good build, battery life, performance, screen and price.

2cents

JP

And these are the reasons I went with the NT. I don't care about it not having cameras. I have an iPad I don't use the cameras on it. They are not very good. I did root my NT, but I don't care about custom roms. Having different launchers is enough for me. My sister in law has the Kindle Fire. It's nice, but because it has less ram & no memory card slot it definitely was a no go for me. Also, I already have Netflix so no need for Amazon Prime. I'm am very happy with my NT.

 

[KaiserJeep]

The Nook Color is still the value leader in the inexpensive tablet market - and did not appear on your list. It does not have the NT boot loader limitations.

I for one will be checking out the December NC software update 1.4 very carefully to make sure that B&N is not looking to regain some control over the NC, and limit the ability to root the NC.

 

[AnimaTechnica]

The Nook Color is still the value leader in the inexpensive tablet market - and did not appear on your list. It does not have the NT boot loader limitations.

I for one will be checking out the December NC software update 1.4 very carefully to make sure that B&N is not looking to regain some control over the NC, and limit the ability to root the NC.

I didnt include the nook color as i already use it and know its capabilities. For the same price one can get a lenovo tablet same screen and single core processor but with all the other attributes of a tablet. i am speaking more about a new purchase for current generation device - basically i need to give advice to a friend about where to spend his money

Cameras - the NT has no camera and was pointed out as unnecesary - for a reader yes but for a device i like to carry around this makes it very convenient to have on the device not necesarily for taking pictures but for shopping using google goggles to price compare, also convenient for video calls so a tab priced the same as a NT would have this advantage plus i dont need to carry another device (camera)

Gps - not always necessary but an additional convenience especialy with apps like geodelic so help one find the nearest atm, gas station, restaurant, and with google map 6, floorplans of shopping malls

Sideloading apps yes you can do it with the NT but it is an extra step you need to take while a real tablet gets you going right away

To me the nook color was the perfect solution in the world of $500 tablets. But now with real alternatives at similar price the value of a nook tablet is much reduced - it feels like a device with one hand tied behind its back but priced the same as real tablets. The kindle fire has price going for it, i think BN may have miscalculated pricing its tab at a relative premium.

So this is my opinion but am glad to see other opinions as well. In the long run, it would be interesting to see how many devs jump on the development track for the NT or would they converge on the kindle fire

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[AnimaTechnica]

Forgot to add JP raised one big advantage and that is battery life on the NT

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[J515OP]

Forgot to add JP raised one big advantage and that is battery life on the NT

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Although I haven't compared all of them side by side by side, the Nooks are supposed to have the best screens even though the specs may be the same. Might have something to do with the anti-glare coating they are using.

On your other point about having to "side load" on the NT, that isn't actually the case. You might have to do that for some apps but once you have the Amazon Market you can just use the app store and "side loading" really means getting apps that aren't in B&N's store. You can also get the Google Market but I believe that requires root which is why I left it out. Once rooted though the "side loading" of apps through Market is the same thing really meaning you are just using a market besides B&N to download and install the apps.

I'm not sure you can go too wrong with any of these for under $300. It will be interesting to see what the devs do. That might be the one x-factor that makes the difference particularly for those that want more out of any of these tablets than they offer out of the box.

 

[jpconard]

I got the NC in March, but when the Acer A100 came out I got that and because of a Walmart screw up selling me a demo model A500, I got to keep the $100 gift card from that model. A100 cost $228 and it is light years ahead of the NC. I like the NC, but got tired of the CM updates, stability, etc. Yes the A100 doesn't have the best battery, doesn't have an IPS screen. But for me the other extras have been useful, Honeycomb is nice, GPS is nice, cameras are nice, HDMI output is nice, bluetooth is nice - NC had this too. I can get through a day of use on mine (most of time in stand-by but with Wifi on). Really long days - WIFI off, this is with it not being used too much during the day, then using it several hours when I get home. Charge it nightly.

Improve the battery slightly and the A100 is tops. $250 is a fair price point for the A100.

My NC got dropped or something recently and the loop thing (frame) is cracked. Is the one on the NT now metal? It looks like this one is plastic on NC. Anybody know where I can buy parts to fix it?

 

[bobstro]

[...] Gps - not always necessary but an additional convenience especialy with apps like geodelic so help one find the nearest atm, gas station, restaurant, and with google map 6, floorplans of shopping malls

I have to qualify GPS as a plus if you don't have a mobile data plan. If you're tied to wifi (e.g. google maps) then it's not useful with a lot of apps on the move. So far as I know, geodelic requires a data connection.

Bluetooth would make me consider dumping the Nook family, but I will want the great Nook battery life and IPS quality screen along with it. The Nook is my long-haul travel tool. Add bluetooth, and I can use my GPS+data enabled smart phone for GPS, taking advantage of the larger screen. Which brings up another consideration: Do you already have a data-enable smart phone? If so, some of the tablet priorities change.

 

[AnimaTechnica]

you can pre cache google maps so you can use it even outside of wifi connection- yes true geodelic may not work but navigation can

so the nook tablet does not have bluetooth?

I have to qualify GPS as a plus if you don't have a mobile data plan. If you're tied to wifi (e.g. google maps) then it's not useful with a lot of apps on the move. So far as I know, geodelic requires a data connection.

Bluetooth would make me consider dumping the Nook family, but I will want the great Nook battery life and IPS quality screen along with it. The Nook is my long-haul travel tool. Add bluetooth, and I can use my GPS+data enabled smart phone for GPS, taking advantage of the larger screen. Which brings up another consideration: Do you already have a data-enable smart phone? If so, some of the tablet priorities change.

 

[J515OP]

you can pre cache google maps so you can use it even outside of wifi connection- yes true geodelic may not work but navigation can

so the nook tablet does not have bluetooth?

Nook Tablet has the same wifi/bluetooth chip and as the Nook Color. Meaning it is there and accessible over short distances. I can live without the camera and the data but a gps chip would be really nice, so that you didn't have to BT to a receiver and could cache the maps for navigation. As it is BT to a receiver still allows for a nice gps setup in the car.

 

[sjbenes]

I think the price range it's in is still a huge draw for a lot of people. That price allows accessibility by people who can't or just won't, spend $500+ on the fastest and most elaborate tablet out there. Especially if their new to Android (like me). Of course, the fatal mistakes B&N made were locking down the bootloader, restricting the memory usage, and not including bluetooth (which is probably in there, just not turned on). But all in all, the NT is a great device that goes well beyond the eReader category, and is making a lot of the big names in the business start to think about what people would really like to see for a lower price. Even the iPad's don't give you an sd card slot, and if you want 3G, you're going to have to pay a ridiculously high price to get it.

If you want to use it for business, etc., then yes, this is probably not the device for you, but for most of us casual users, this will suffice. And if/when the bootloader is unlocked (or B&N realizes what a marketing blunder they made by locking it), then this will have all the potential of the dual bootable NC, but with better hardware specs. And let's not forget that it will allow side loading apps right out of the box. A camera, well it might be nice if it was actually up around 8Mpx, but other than that, I wouldn't use it anyway, so I don't see that as a must have option.

Bottom line is that for the price, it's a solid device with really great potential.

 

[tonyp]

If you want to use it for business, etc., then yes, this is probably not the device for you, but for most of us casual users, this will suffice. And if/when the bootloader is unlocked (or B&N realizes what a marketing blunder they made by locking it), then this will have all the potential of the dual bootable NC, but with better hardware specs. And let's not forget that it will allow side loading apps right out of the box. A camera, well it might be nice if it was actually up around 8Mpx, but other than that, I wouldn't use it anyway, so I don't see that as a must have option.

Bottom line is that for the price, it's a solid device with really great potential.

I definitely agree with your last point, sjbenes, but IMO B&N will not remove the locked bootloader. One of the thoughts out there is that this was implemented so that B&N could offer Netflix HD on the NT, which no one else can offer in this price range. Assumption is that B&N went to a locked bootloader as a condition to being able to offer HD content. For the general public, I'm afraid "HD content" rings more of a bell than "unlocked bootloader".

I have no evidence to back this up, but it smells like a legitimate (marketing) reason why the bootloader will stay the way it is.

 

[J515OP]

I definitely agree with your last point, sjbenes, but IMO B&N will not remove the locked bootloader. One of the thoughts out there is that this was implemented so that B&N could offer Netflix HD on the NT, which no one else can offer in this price range. Assumption is that B&N went to a locked bootloader as a condition to being able to offer HD content. For the general public, I'm afraid "HD content" rings more of a bell than "unlocked bootloader".

I have no evidence to back this up, but it smells like a legitimate (marketing) reason why the bootloader will stay the way it is.

Yes, what I have heard also. I think there is evidence to back it up just not from the mouth of B&N. One of the requirements on Netfilx end, most likely because it is in their agreements with the content providers, is to have the security. The reasoning goes that because of this B&N complied in order to have Netflix. Of course nobody knows what is in the contract between the two other than B&N and Netflix, but it stands to reason.

If you want to blame anybody for the locked boot loader your best bet is to blame the movie studios, who like the music industry, just doesn't get it. Then for mass consumption marketing reasons B&N must comply with Netflix requirements handed down by the studios. It really is in B&N's corporate interest to cater to the general public and offer a device that has the "competitive advantage" of offering Netflix.

 

[sjbenes]

JP and tonyp,

I had heard this about a Netflix contract stipulation as well, and actually, that's what started my post about v1.4.1 in the nook color section. That particular version now offers Netflix on the NC too. That's why I wondered if they could lock the bootloader with a software update, thereby satisfying Netflix's rumored contract stipulations. But since it doesn't seem that anyone is screaming about it not dual booting anymore and because JP explained it doesn't work that way, it looks like everything is still working the same way it used to on the NC. So maybe the Netflix contract/locked bootloader rumor, is just that, a rumor.

It's also possible that B&N will allow us all our fun with the NC, but prefers to lock down their new flagship device a little more, in an effort to eek out a bit more profit with their own apps. Cover all the bases so to speak.

Scott