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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