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NookColor on sale today, cheaper alternative to mess with.

Goldinboy17

Goldinboy17

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jun 21, 2010
1,304
0
San Francisco, Ca
I know this is an Apple forum but I just wanted to to let people know that eBay/Barnes & Noble are having a sale on the Nook Color up until March 3rd 8 AM PT. It was extended for quiet a period after its apparent huge success. I ordered one Monday night and received it Tuesday, quiet a surprise considering shipping was free and it was shipped from New Jersey. Anyways the device is quiet interesting if you root it and install Android 3.0 HoneyComb. It was able to run the OS without a hitch and all of the apps work fine. For $199 it's not a bad deal, especially if you want to try out a decent Android tablet without spending a lot. I know it's truly not meant to be a true Android tablet but it's perfectly capable of doing so. It has 512MB's of RAM and a 800Mhz processor I believe. One can even make it recognize AdHoc networks to use with MyWi on your iPhone. This just a reccomendation for those who simply would like to mess around with an Android 'tablet' running off of 3.0 and completely affordable. The process to root it was extremely easy so I'm sure anyone can do it. I'll still be ordering the iPad 2 though, the Android Market truly isn't as refined as the App Store. It doesn't even have Netflix!!! Anyways, the deal was worth it and now I'm reading all of my purchased book from Kindle on my Nook :D
 
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I gave my wife a Nook Color for Christmas and she absolutely loves it. She uses it for browsing the web and email more than she does for reading books. I've played with it some and the web browsing is nice but not as friendly or fast as my iPad :). But for $200 the Nook Color would be a great choice for someone looking for a cheap tablet.
 
Thanks for the info, but one reason I opted for the iPad is because its a multi-tasker as opposed to the Nook or Kindle being a uni-tasker (fans of Good eats now what I'm talking about ;) ) Why spend so much money on a device that does a single task, when the iPad does many tasks well.

I've been quite impressed with the readability of the iPad is.

Plus I'm not sold that B&N has their act together. Borders is in bankruptcy, Barnes and Nobles brick and mortar stores are bleeding cash and they can't seem to catch up to amazon on anything.
 
I've been running my Nook Color with Honeycomb for a few weeks. Very nice little tablet, and I find it more comfortable ebook experience than the ipad.
 
Not sure what you mean by multi-task versus uni-task. Rooted, the Nook Color does just fine running Pandora in the background while surfing or whatever.

But as a former iPad owner and now a Nook Color (rooted) owner, I can attest to the fact that Rooting a Nook, while stupid-simple, doesn't create a true Android tablet. There are still plenty of workarounds required (softkeys being one of them) and the overall experience isn't that stable or complete as anything you'll get with an iPad.

As a book reader, however, the thing rocks. The size, screen, pixel density and form factor just blows the iPad out of the water for reading books. The rooted Android apps just are there for "playing around."

When and if Apple ever introduces a smaller iPad, I'll jump back in.
 
ReallyBigFeet said:
Not sure what you mean by multi-task versus uni-task. Rooted, the Nook Color does just fine running Pandora in the background while surfing or whatever.

But as a former iPad owner and now a Nook Color (rooted) owner, I can attest to the fact that Rooting a Nook, while stupid-simple, doesn't create a true Android tablet. There are still plenty of workarounds required (softkeys being one of them) and the overall experience isn't that stable or complete as anything you'll get with an iPad.

As a book reader, however, the thing rocks. The size, screen, pixel density and form factor just blows the iPad out of the water for reading books. The rooted Android apps just are there for "playing around."

When and if Apple ever introduces a smaller iPad, I'll jump back in.
Click to expand...

+1 I actually agree with everything you said here as it correlates exactly to my nook rooting experience.
 
ReallyBigFeet said:
Not sure what you mean by multi-task versus uni-task. Rooted, the Nook Color does just fine running Pandora in the background while surfing or whatever.
Click to expand...

He wasn't talking about OS multi-tasking, he was referring to the device being designed for one specific purpose (aka "uni-tasker") as compared to a device designed as a general purpose usage.

The term maflynn used comes from the Alton Brown television show "Good Eats" on the Food network. See http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/feb/05/change-your-life-unitasking-burkeman for a little more info.

Can you hack a nook to do other stuff? Sure. Majority of the consumer market isn't going to do that and will use the device as it ships.
 
maflynn said:
Plus I'm not sold that B&N has their act together. Borders is in bankruptcy, Barnes and Nobles brick and mortar stores are bleeding cash and they can't seem to catch up to amazon on anything.
Click to expand...

I also meant to throw this out there for would-be purchasers.

B&N's support for the Nook is, in a word, horrible. They try to take a little bit of the "genius bar" approach but the one time we had an issue with ours (pre-rooted) it was like the Spanish Inquisition to even get them to talk to you at the store (USB charger issue). And, just like with jailbreaking, once rooted you need to go back to stock to get any help at all.

So you can actually take B&N's shaky financial position as good or bad. Its an Android device. You are buying it to root it. Your "support" will be from the development community once you go down that path. You aren't ever going to get decent support from B&N regardless of the problem. Their support forums are riddled with complaints about this as well.

Apple has its flaws but personally my Genius bar experiences have all been exceptionally top-notch. For a tech neophyte, that alone should be enough to steer you towards Apple products. The Nook Color, rooted, is a hobbyist device. I love mine, but it won't be for everyone.

deeddawg said:
He wasn't talking about OS multi-tasking, he was referring to the device being designed for one specific purpose (aka "uni-tasker") as compared to a device designed as a general purpose usage.

The term maflynn used comes from the Alton Brown television show "Good Eats" on the Food network. See http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/feb/05/change-your-life-unitasking-burkeman for a little more info.

Can you hack a nook to do other stuff? Sure. Majority of the consumer market isn't going to do that and will use the device as it ships.
Click to expand...

OK, thanks for the clarification. Still an inaccurate representation of the device once rooted. It can do virtually anything an iPad can do, making it clearly not a uni-tasker.

Even un-rooted, it has a serviceable browser, movie and picture viewer. Out of the box, its still more than a uni-tasker.
 
ReallyBigFeet said:
I also meant to throw this out there for would-be purchasers.

B&N's support for the Nook is, in a word, horrible. They try to take a little bit of the "genius bar" approach but the one time we had an issue with ours (pre-rooted) it was like the Spanish Inquisition to even get them to talk to you at the store (USB charger issue). And, just like with jailbreaking, once rooted you need to go back to stock to get any help at all.

So you can actually take B&N's shaky financial position as good or bad. Its an Android device. You are buying it to root it. Your "support" will be from the development community once you go down that path. You aren't ever going to get decent support from B&N regardless of the problem. Their support forums are riddled with complaints about this as well.

Apple has its flaws but personally my Genius bar experiences have all been exceptionally top-notch. For a tech neophyte, that alone should be enough to steer you towards Apple products. The Nook Color, rooted, is a hobbyist device. I love mine, but it won't be for everyone.



OK, thanks for the clarification. Still an inaccurate representation of the device once rooted. It can do virtually anything an iPad can do, making it clearly not a uni-tasker.

Even un-rooted, it has a serviceable browser, movie and picture viewer. Out of the box, its still more than a uni-tasker.
Click to expand...

I agree I rooted my NC for one reason , so I can use it for both B&N and Kindle purches thru the Kindle App and it works great for that, but its no Ipad
 
There's no need for another iOS vs Android discussion. Plenty of those going already.

I thought the OP made it clear that this was an idea just for savvy hobbyists who want to try out Honeycomb in a less expensive way, while getting a reader as well.

OP: do you have a link to eBay selling it for $199? I can't seem to find it.

Thanks!
 
deeddawg said:
He wasn't talking about OS multi-tasking, he was referring to the device being designed for one specific purpose (aka "uni-tasker") as compared to a device designed as a general purpose usage.

The term maflynn used comes from the Alton Brown television show "Good Eats" on the Food network. See http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/feb/05/change-your-life-unitasking-burkeman for a little more info.

Can you hack a nook to do other stuff? Sure. Majority of the consumer market isn't going to do that and will use the device as it ships.
Click to expand...

Exactly, the Nook AFAIK, is a just a ebook reader, where as the iPad is a tablet computer able to perform a multitude of tasks
 
maflynn said:
Exactly, the Nook AFAIK, is a just a ebook reader, where as the iPad is a tablet computer able to perform a multitude of tasks
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say it's just a ebook reader but methinks it's not really entirely comparable to the iPad just as you cannot compare the Nook Color to the iPod Touch. The size difference creates slight yet significant differences in actual usage that they serve different purposes best.
 
kdarling said:
There's no need for another iOS vs Android discussion. Plenty of those going already.

I thought the OP made it clear that this was an idea just for savvy hobbyists who want to try out Honeycomb in a less expensive way, while getting a reader as well.

OP: do you have a link to eBay selling it for $199? I can't seem to find it.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Here you go, http://cgi.ebay.com/$50-Coupon-on-B...29095?_trksid=p1468660.m2000036#ht_2336wt_979
It's not going to be an amazing tablet so please don't jump on board thinking it'll be a Motorola Xoom. The Nook actually performs very well with 3.0 and can rub any app without encountering issues. I don't regret the purchase at all honestly, I just need Netflix to release an Android App.
 
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Thanks, all ! Got one with the instant coupon, just had to pay state tax.

I needed a reader anyway as a gift to my father. Being able to play with Honeycomb on it first is just a nice free extra for me :)

Plus I can pass over the Xoom for now, and wait happily for the HTC Flyer with its active pen.
 
I might just have to check this out too. How is the web browsing? Is it slow like on the ipad, ie: loading and scrolling? Can you have multiple tabs open? Will flash run in honeycomb?
 
I still think dedicated ereaders will be long gone soon. How will they be able to catch up to the tablet market with such limited functionality? Not many people will buy an ereader just to root it with android or any other operating system.
 
So I contacted Barnes & Noble about adding their premier warranty (covers any damage done to the Nook). Amusingly enough they were very keen on pointing out the fact their warranties only cover physical damage. They do NOT cover anything software related - amusing because I'm sure they've realized a helluva lot of people are attempting to root the device. Either way the process isn't going to brick it. Anyways I'm still enjoying it and it will definitely suffice until the 11th!
 
Nook already came and is sweeter with honey

Wow. That was fast! Ordered on eBay yesterday with that $50 coupon and a new Nook Color arrived via UPS today. (I must live close to a warehouse.)

  • Plugged it into a USB charger,
  • grabbed a 4GB uSD card I had laying around,
  • used instructions on the web to install a boot image on the card,
  • plugged it in and booted the Nook to Honeycomb.
  • Next up: add the market and some more apps.
The cool thing is, just remove the SD card and it boots normally again. That's right, no rooting needed.

After I play with it for a while, and try some of my own Android code on it, I'll be sending it to my father simply as an eReader. It's a nice one, too.

Thanks for the help, guys! It's not the fastest Android 3.0 tablet around, but this beats paying $800 to try out a Xoom :)
 
kdarling said:
Wow. That was fast! Ordered on eBay yesterday with that $50 coupon and a new Nook Color arrived via UPS today. (I must live close to a warehouse.)

  • Plugged it into a USB charger,
  • grabbed a 4GB uSD card I had laying around,
  • used instructions on the web to install a boot image on the card,
  • plugged it in and booted the Nook to Honeycomb.
  • Next up: add the market and some more apps.
The cool thing is, just remove the SD card and it boots normally again. That's right, no rooting needed.

After I play with it for a while, and try some of my own Android code on it, I'll be sending it to my father simply as an eReader. It's a nice one, too.

Thanks for the help, guys! It's not the fastest Android 3.0 tablet around, but this beats paying $800 to try out a Xoom :)
Click to expand...

I agree it's not at all that bad. Now if I could only figure out the instructions on how to make it recognize the iPhones Adhoc hotspot :mad:
 
I missed this sale, which just expired. What are the chances of it (or something similar) happening again in the next couple of months?
 
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