Turning Your B&N NookColor into a Full-blown Android Tablet
If you recently scored yourself a Barnes & Noble’s new NookColor Android tablet and digital reader device, you already know what a great media tablet it is for the relatively affordable sum of $249(WiFi-only). Of course, you also know that B&N has not yet launched their curated apps marketplace (coming very soon, though, I understand), so apps are a bit limited. Now, if you can’t wait and are adventurous, someone has already figured out the “rooting” process and have kindly documented the relatively simple process for you.
While the original objective of the exercise was to be to able to read Kindle books on the NookColor (something that surely would worry B&N but really shouldn’t), you can follow the same Android rooting process and end up with an inexpensive, full-blown Android tablet that can access the Android Market. Why bother with the Samsung Galaxy Tab at $599 (or thereabouts), unless you want/ need 3G service, when you can have a similar media tablet for less than half the price?
I’ll admit that I don’t know if this rooting of the Nook Color is against warranty terms, but the author of the article suggests making sure your device is registered with B&N first. Me, I’m going to wait until I get another NookColor and then give it a shot, if only because I’m not sure if the device would be able to access B&N’s own upcoming app market — which is the reason I bought my NookColor in the first place. Of course, if it works, I’d do the same to the first and have two NookColor Android tablets for less than one Samsung Galaxy Tab.
Anyone out there tried this yet? Any tips to report?
via: CrunchGear.
Apps Tally: Google Android=200K, Apple iOS=400K
Food for thought: The Apple Apps Store was recently estimated [Aysmco] at nearly 400,000 apps (iPhone, iPad-only, and universal), whereas another estimate now puts the Google Android Market at 200,000 apps[Pocket-lint].
Is it me or did Android catch up fast? According to Pocket-lint, the Android Market doubled in two months There are other estimates that say the Android Market will hit 400,000 apps around mid-2011. Part of that will probably be due to the Android tablets that are expected to appear in 2011. However, with or without new versions of Apple’s iPad due out soon, the App Store is going to continue to grow.
Whether or not the Android Market will ever catch up to or pass the App Store is hard to tell at this point, but I do know from talking to recruiters looking for mobile developers that need for Android apps development skills are now at the point where are a few companies are paying a higher rate per hour than for iPhone dev skills, and at less experience.
What do you think? Will Android surpass iOS? Do you think an apps market with nearly half-a-million apps is a good or bad thing, i.e., for finding what you really want?
Links: Asymco, Pocket-Lint.
Loving Android, Motorola Droid X and the Barnes&Noble NookColor; Warming to Java
In the post Is Google’s Android Mobile OS in Danger?, I wrote that I’ve never been a fan of Java. However, I am a fan of Android. In the past couple of months, for development purposes, I’ve purchased a Motorola Droid X smartphone and a Barnes & Noble Color tablet — both of which run on the Android mobile OS. Because of both of these devices, I’m planning to get up to speed with Android and Java so that I can develop apps.
My in-a-nutshell impression is that I’m loving Android on the Droid X, thanks to the widgets and the fairly easy app installs. It also doesn’t hurt that the Droid X’s screen is so large — 4.3″, if I’m not mistaken (480 x 854 pixels) . And then there’s Barnes & Noble’s 7″ Nook Color tablet (600×1024). No, it’s not an iPad and the B&N curated Android apps marketplace hasn’t opened yet, but I’m loving this device. At only $249, I think I’ve made a good investment and picked it over the $599 Samsung Galaxy Tab. That’s just based on my needs as a mobile developer, and in fairness, I have not used the Galaxy Tab as extensively as I have the Nook Color. (Note: The Tab is a 3G+WiFi device, whereas the NookColor is WiFi-only.)
The Nook Color is great for reading digital versions of magazines and books, and there’s even a web browser and a number of game apps, as well as Pandora. (So you can read and listen to music simultaneously, either with Pandora or the built-in music player.) In fact, I’m loving the Nook Color tablet so much that I’m planning to Android versions of some of future iPad apps for the device. This includes my PostScribe book engine, now creeping out of the design phase and into coding.
Of course this means I have to give up watching reruns of Entourage to find the time to learn as much Android as I can and to refresh my Java knowledge, but I think it’ll be more than worth it. I truly believe that if B&N markets the Nook Color well that it’ll be worthwhile to Android developers, especially the digital book & educational apps arena.
By the way, if you’re interested in developing for the BN Nook Color, check out the details of their NOOKdeveloper program.
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