Android and Me » nook

Android Market website now supporting unofficial devices

Edgar Cervantes — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 21:36:20 +0000

There are two things Android could not live without – development and the Android Market (among other things). There are those few manufacturers that chose not to get approved by Google, and their devices end up being released without the Android Market (or Google Apps, in general). Once developers get in the game, though, more than one can believe starts becoming possible.

For example, it is now possible to install the Android Market on most of these Google unapproved devices. So far, the Android Market on these builds has only worked via the Market application on the device itself, though.

For Google certified smartphones/tablets, it is possible to install apps directly from the web. Simply head to the Android Market website, select the app, click install, select your device, and boom. Next thing you know, your device already has the app in there. While we can get the Market to work on our non-Google Android devices, installing from the web has been impossible, until recently.

Reports have been attesting to the fact that the Android Market website is now supporting un-certified products that get the Android Market hacked in. Such are mostly tablets, and include the Kindle Fire, the Nook Color, Nook Tablet, older Archos tablets, etc. As you can see in the image to the left, the list of devices displayed includes 3 unofficial devices, even including the HP Touchpad.

This process seems to cause a small (but not massive) issue, though. Reports also claim that when using the Android Market app on one of these devices, there is a problem with the apps that were installed via the website. Apparently, the Android Market app can detect which apps were installed with the app itself, and upon trying to update the ones that were not, the process fails. Nothing that a re-install can’t fix, though.

If you feel like this process would be convenient to one of your hacked devices, go right on and try it out. Don’t forget to sound off in the comments to let us know how this is working for you. We would love to see if many of our readers are able to do this.

Rumor: Barnes and Noble Nook Color 2 to launch November 7th

Anthony Domanico — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 15:04:59 +0000

The Kindle Fire is about to get some pretty decent competition in the full-color ereader market. According to The Digital Reader, multiple sources have confirmed that the Barnes and Noble Nook Color 2 is set to launch on November 7th, a full 8 days sooner than the latest offering from Amazon.

The original Nook Color was a success particularly in the modding community, as the makeshift tablet proved easily hackable, allowing users to shed the heavily customized Barnes and Noble OS and install ROMs such as CyanogenMod, which greatly enhanced the capabilities of the tablet. Unlike the slew of Honeycomb tablets that were hitting the market at that time, the Nook Color was ultra-affordable at $250, and had specs found in then-current smartphones such as the Droid X.

It will be important for Barnes and Noble to find a way to differentiate the Nook Color from Amazon’s Kindle Fire if it hopes to put a dent in what has certainly been incredible sales numbers for Amazon’s 7″ ereader. As you may recall, the Kindle Fire has already become one of the top-selling Android tablets, and it hasn’t even been released yet.

No information was given as to the specs or really any other information about the Nook Color 2. We will certainly learn more about this device in coming weeks.

If you’re in the market for a full-color ereader tablet device, are you more excited for the Nook Color 2 or Amazon’s Kindle Fire?

Barnes & Noble announces new Nook, touchscreen E-Ink display, 2 month battery, and priced at $139

Alberto Vildosola — Tue, 24 May 2011 16:21:00 +0000

At a press event in NYC, Barnes and Noble just took the wraps off a shiny new Nook. The device it’s supposed to replace the first generation black-and-white Nook. According to Barnes and Noble, the new Nook is the easiest to use and read eReader on the market. With 37 less buttons than the Kindle 3, we tend to agree,

The device is 35 percent lighter and 15 percent thinner than the 1st-gen Nook, weighting just 7.48 ounces and measuring just 5 x 6.5-inches across and 0.47 inches of thickness. The back of the device is made out of soft-touch rubber surface, making it very easy to hold with just one hand.

Thanks to a brand new Pearl E-Ink screen, the new Nook has 50% more contrast than its predecessor. Those of you that found it annoying how the screen flashed when you turned the pages will be happy to know that the new screen on the Nook has “80-percent less flashing” during page turn.

Powering the Nook is a “best-in-class” battery that will give you up to two whole months of use. According to Barnes & Noble, that’s twice as long as the leading eReader available on the market. You’ll be able to connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi, but sadly, a 3G model is not available — at least not yet. Powering the Nook is our good old friend Android 2.1 Eclair, a bit outdated version of Android, but it gets the job done flawlessly.

Barnes & Noble also took the opportunity to announce a new service called, NOOK Friends. With it, Nook users will be able to “Create your own group of NOOK Friends™ so you can easily swap books, get a friend’s take on a new bestseller, discover great new reads or see if someone’s enjoying their latest book.” Sounds alright by us.

The new Nook is available right now for pre-order from Nook.com with a price tag of $139. The company will start shipping the devices on June 10, so you can expect yours to arrive some time after that.

Gallery

Show Press Release

Barnes & Noble Introduces The All-New NOOK™,
The Simple Touch Reader™

Best Battery Life Ever – Up to an Incredible Two Months on a Single Charge

Ultra-Light and Compact for Optimal Portability, Lighter than a Paperback

Full Touchscreen with E Ink® Pearl Display Technology for Reading Anywhere

Optimized Display Performance Offers 80 Percent Less Flashing
than Any Other eReader for the Most Immersive Reading Experience

The Most Intuitive, Easy-to-Use eReader for Everyone

Barnes & Noble Expert Recommendations,
Plus the Most Social Reading Experience with NOOK Friends™

Pre-Order for $139 in Time for Father’s Day and Summer Reading

New York, New York – May 24, 2011 – Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world’s largest bookseller, today expanded its bestselling digital reading offering with the All-New NOOK, The Simple Touch Reader. With a full touchscreen, NOOK™ features record-setting, extra-long battery life on the easiest-to-use, ultra-light, portable 6-inch eReader with the most-advanced E Ink Pearl display, and the world’s largest bookstore available by Wi-Fi®. Now available for pre-order at www.nook.com and at Barnes & Noble stores for just $139, NOOK will begin shipping on or about June 10. Barnes & Noble adds the All-New NOOK, a significant leap forward in the dedicated eReader category, to a product line that includes the bestselling NOOK Color™, the only Reader’s Tablet™. Based on the success of the NOOK product line, combined with focus on the absolute best reading experience, Barnes & Noble now claims more than 25 percent of the digital book market – just 18 months after launching NOOK 1st Edition™.

Barnes & Noble has always recognized the simplicity and ease that the element of touch brings to its NOOK product line, and the All-New NOOK is no exception. With a simple tap to the 6-inch touchscreen, it’s intuitive and easy to navigate, shop and read. Customers can look up words, highlight passages, adjust the font size and style or search by typing on the responsive on-screen keyboard that appears only when a customer needs it. The paper-like E Ink display features crisp, clear text that’s great for reading anywhere, even in bright sunlight. The no-glare display offers 50 percent more contrast than NOOK 1st Edition.

At only 7.48 ounces (212 grams), the artfully designed All-New NOOK is lightweight and thin – 35 percent lighter and 15 percent thinner than NOOK Wi-Fi 1st Edition™. Lighter than a paperback, NOOK’s sleek but durable, compact design (6.5 inches high by 5 inches wide by 0.47 inches deep) makes it easy to fit in a jacket, pocket, purse or backpack, holding up to 1,000 digital books and more personal content using the expandable memory slot. Its ergonomic, contoured design with a soft-touch back makes it easy and comfortable to read, even with just one hand, and for extended periods of time. And thanks to best-in-class battery life, read for up to 2 months on a single charge with Wi-Fi off – that’s twice as long as the other leading eReader available.

Barnes & Noble’s use of the latest-generation E Ink screen and proprietary technology offers unmatched performance on the All-New NOOK, delivering a seamless and immersive reading experience. NOOK offers 80 percent less flashing than other eReaders – whether turning pages, browsing for books or scrolling through your library. Page turns are lightning fast, using the touchscreen or well-placed side buttons, and with the new Fast Page™ feature, just press and hold a side button to quickly scan through content and skip right to the desired section.

“We set out to design the easiest-to-use, most optimized, dedicated reading device ever created and accomplished it with the All-New NOOK,” said William Lynch, Chief Executive Officer of Barnes & Noble. “Touch makes it simple to use, and the beautifully compact design makes it the most portable eReader in its class. Add to that an unmatched battery life, the most advanced paper-like touch display on the market and wireless access to the world’s largest digital bookstore, and we believe that for readers of all ages, the All-New NOOK is the best eReader on the market, and a great value at $139.”

The World’s Largest Bookstore in Your Pocket

With the All-New NOOK, customers can enjoy a wide variety of digital content, all at their fingertips. Shop for everything from new releases and current bestsellers to classics and more, all in a single search. The NOOK Bookstore™ offers one of the most expansive digital catalogs of more than two million books, magazines and newspapers. Enjoy helpful recommendations from Barnes & Noble’s experts, personalized based on customers’ favored authors and genres, to decide what to read next. Have more than 80 popular national and local market newspapers and magazines from the NOOK Newsstand™ automatically delivered to NOOK the moment they’re released, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and USA TODAY, as well as Forbes, Reader’s Digest, Discover, Fast Company and New York magazine. All periodicals are available for subscription with a 14-day free trial or via single copies.

Most NOOK Books™ are $9.99 or less, including most of The New York Times Bestsellers, plus there’s over a million free classics. Enjoy more than 100,000 titles from independent publishers and self-publishing authors using Barnes & Noble’s PubIt!™ digital publishing platform. Young readers will find more than 12,000 NOOK Kids™ chapter books in Barnes & Noble’s world’s largest collection of digital children’s content. Sample NOOK Book titles for free and download all content wirelessly over a Wi-Fi connection in just seconds.

When customers visit Barnes & Noble stores with their All-New NOOK, the shopping and reading experience gets even better. Connect to free and fast Wi-Fi and browse complete NOOK Books for free through the company’s innovative Read In Store™ program and get exclusive content and special promotions through the More In Store™ program. NOOK customers receive access at more than 24,000 AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots, as well as other personal and public hotspots to browse, buy and download new content wirelessly.

Get Social with NOOK Friends

Another way NOOK customers can learn more about great books is through NOOK Friends, an exciting social experience previously available only to NOOK Color customers. From the home page, customers can see book recommendations from friends. See what your friends have posted about their current read, swap recommendations, share reading status, favorite quotes, and much more. Through Twitter® and Facebook® integrations, right from their current book, customers can tweet the title they’re reading, post on their Facebook wall and see what their NOOK Friends “like” on Facebook. With Barnes & Noble’s exclusive LendMe® technology, you can also lend eligible books to your friends at no cost for 14 days, and see and request to borrow friends’ LendMe books.

And coming in the next few weeks, Barnes & Noble will offer a new custom website, mynook.com, where customers can get recommendations from Barnes & Noble expert booksellers and NOOK Friends, access their NOOK Library™, and manage their device.

Read Your Way

Customers can customize their All-New NOOK and reading experience to their liking. Choose from 7 font sizes and 6 font styles. NOOK owners can personalize their device with one of Barnes & Noble’s screen savers or transfer personal photos (JPG, PNG, BMP and GIF) to make NOOK their own, and choose from a complete line of exclusive, new NOOK accessories (www.nook.com/accessories) to show their style wherever they go. They can also create personalized My Shelves to organize their NOOK Library and group reading content similar to their bookcase.

Read Everywhere
A customer’s entire NOOK Library follows them wherever they go. They can also easily transfer personal EPUB and PDF files to their All-New NOOK device to read documents on the go using the 2GB internal memory or a microSD™ card. Since the All-New NOOK is built on Android™ Operating System 2.1 and uses Adobe technology, device owners can also borrow digital books from their local library, a feature Barnes & Noble has always offered to NOOK device customers. Customers can also read seamlessly, accessing their NOOK Library and sync the last page read across their NOOK devices and their favorite mobile and computing devices using Barnes & Noble’s free line of eReading software (www.bn.com/freenookapps).

Availability
The All-New NOOK can be pre-ordered for $139 today and is expected to begin shipping on or about June 10, making it the perfect gift for dads and grads, and a great addition for every book lover’s summer reading wish list. Experience the All-New NOOK at www.nook.com or at the NOOK Boutiques™ and displays in one of Barnes & Noble’s more than 700 bookstores. With The Barnes & Noble Promise™, the company offers unmatched customer support in neighborhood Barnes & Noble bookstores, as more than 40,000 booksellers across the country are ready to assist customers with setting up their NOOKs or choosing their next great read. The company also continues to provide award-winning customer service support via phone and email. The All-New NOOK will also be available beginning next month at Best Buy, Walmart, Staples and Books-A-Million, along with NOOK Color.

NOOK for Android gets a tablet-friendly update

Anthony Domanico — Fri, 13 May 2011 16:24:11 +0000

The official Barnes and Noble NOOK application has received an update today, with full support for 7+ inch tablets. NOOK for Android now features an optimized library grid view as well as enhancements to margins and spacings to provide a more-enjoyable reading experience for large, higher-resolution devices.

In addition to full-color magazine articles, the updated application for tablets also features ArticleView, which features text-only versions of stories when you don’t want to get distracted by the different pictures and the like. ArticleView allows you to select different ways to view text articles for a customized reading experience.

With this release, Barnes and Noble has expanded the availability of their application to more than just the Android market. You can now download NOOK for Android from the following outlets:

Android Market (duh)
VCast App Store
Samsung Apps
GetJar
AppsLib

So if you love to read, head on over to any of these app venues and download the new tablet-friendly NOOK for Android application. The free application is available on all Android 2.1+ devices.

Hit the source link below (or check out the press release) for more info.

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NOOK for Android by B&N Barnes and Noble PLAY QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

Show Press Release

Barnes & Noble Updates NOOK™ for Android™ App, Gives Tablet Users Access to Largest Digital Periodical Offering on Android

More than 140 NOOK Newsstand™ Titles Including Interactive Magazines

with Exclusive ArticleView™ Now Available to Android Tablet Customers

Optimized Reading Experience for Most 7-Inch and Larger Tablets

Including Honeycomb

Free App Now Available in Android Market, V CAST Apps,

Samsung Apps, GetJar, and AppsLib

New York, New York – May 12, 2011 – Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world’s largest bookseller, today announced an updated version of its popular, free NOOK for Android eReading application that brings the most comprehensive selection of digital periodicals to customers with Android™ tablets including more than 140 top magazine and newspaper brands from ESPN The Magazine and The Economistto Food & Wine and Us Weekly. To take advantage of large and extra large, high-resolution Android tablet screens, NOOK for Android now offers customers an optimized library grid view and reading experience with enhanced book margins and line spacing, as well as an improved shopping experience and more. The new app features are available for popular 7-inch and larger tablets using Android OS 2.1 and higher (Honeycomb).

Today’s announcement marks the largest digital newsstand offering for Android tablet customers to date, with more than 140 of the best daily, weekly and monthly periodicals, all optimized for high-resolution displays in rich color. Barnes & Noble’s interactive NOOK Magazine™ experience, previously available only to NOOK Color™ Reader’s Tablet™ customers, is now available to the Android tablet community, featuring more than 120 popular titles such as Esquire, Maxim, Men’s Health, Rolling Stone, Newsweek, Popular Science, PC Magazine, Elle, O, The Oprah Magazine, Travel + Leisure and many more. NOOK for Android customers with large tablets can also enjoy favorite NOOK Newspapers™ including USA Today, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post and The Chicago Tribune. All can be enjoyed with a 14-day free trial, via subscription or purchased in single issue form.

With NOOK for Android on larger tablets, magazine reading is easy and engaging with full-color pages in landscape and portrait mode, and Barnes & Noble’s exclusive ArticleView technology (formerly available only on NOOK Color) which features only the article’s text, customized to the reader’s favorite style, on a central panel on the display. NOOK Magazines also feature a universal, easy-to-use reading experience with a slider to jump to the desired page, pinch and zoom to enlarge images and more.

“With our free, updated NOOK for Android application, we’re delivering customers with Android tablets a great optimized reading experience and access to the largest ever collection of interactive magazines, as well as top newspapers, all optimized for high-resolution displays,” said Jamie Iannone, President of Digital Products at Barnes & Noble. “Using their Android tablets, customers can enjoy our collection of more than two million digital books, as well as their morning paper and latest magazines, delivered right to their device through their NOOK for Android app, for an amazing periodical experience which includes our innovative ArticleView feature.”

NOOK Newsstand and the optimized book reading experience on NOOK for Android will be available for customers using 7-inch and larger Android OS 2.1 and higher (Honeycomb) tablets with 800 x 480 (160 DPI or less) or higher screen resolution, and include Samsung Galaxy Tab™, Motorola XOOM™, LG G-Slate™ and ARCHOS internet tablets, among others. NOOK for Android customers on smartphones will also enjoy minor performance enhancements.

NOOK for Android gives customers with Android smartphones and tablets access to Barnes & Noble’s expansive NOOK Bookstore™, one of the world’s largest digital content catalogs, with the most NOOK Books™ priced at $9.99 or less. As part of Barnes & Noble’s promise to “Read What You Love, Anywhere You Like™,” customers can enjoy NOOK Books from their Barnes & Noble digital library on their NOOK Color, NOOK eReader devices and mobile and computing devices using free NOOK eReading software or apps.

Expanded App Availability

To make it easy for Android smartphone and tablet customers to find and download the free NOOK for Android app, Barnes & Noble has expanded availability for the free app to include Android Market, V CAST Apps from Verizon Wireless, Samsung Apps, GetJar, and AppsLib, with more to come. NOOK for Android will also be pre-loaded or made available in future firmware upgrades for some of the current leading and highly anticipated Android tablets coming to market. Customers can learn more about NOOK for Android v2.6.1 at www.bn.com/nookforandroid.

About NOOK^™ from Barnes & Noble

Barnes & Noble’s NOOK brand of eReading products makes it easy to read what you love, anywhere you like with a fun, easy-to-use and immersive digital reading experience. With NOOK, customers gain access to Barnes & Noble’s expansive NOOK Bookstore^™ of more than two million digital titles, and the ability to enjoy content across a wide array of popular devices. NOOK products are the most full-featured, dedicated eReading devices on the market. The award-winning NOOK Color Reader’s Tablet, the best-value on the tablet market ($249), features a stunning 7-inch VividView^™Color Touchscreen to read all of the content you love, shop popular apps, connect via email, browse the Web and more. For book lovers, NOOK 3G ($199) and NOOK Wi-Fi^® ($149) offer a paper-like reading experience with a color touch screen for navigation. In Barnes & Noble stores, NOOK owners can access free Wi-Fi connectivity, enjoy the Read In Store^™ feature to read NOOK Books™ for free, and the More In Store^™ program, which offers free, exclusive content and special promotions. Barnes & Noble was the first company to offer digital lending for a wide selection of books through its LendMe^™ technology, available through NOOK eReading products. Find NOOK devices in Barnes & Noble stores and online at www.BN.com, as well as at Best Buy, Walmart, Staples and Books-A-Million.

In addition to NOOK devices, Barnes & Noble makes it easy for customers to enjoy any book, anytime, anywhere with its free line of NOOK software, available at www.bn.com/nookapps. Customers can use Barnes & Noble’s free eReading software to access and read books from their personal Barnes & Noble digital library on devices including iPad^™, iPhone^®, iPod touch^®, Android^™, BlackBerry^® and other smartphones, PC and Mac^®. Lifetime Library™ helps ensure that Barnes & Noble customers will always be able to access their digital libraries on NOOK products and software-enabled devices and BN.com. Barnes & Noble also offers NOOK Study^™ (www.nookstudy.com), an innovative study platform and software solution for higher education, NOOK Kids™ (www.nookkids.com), a collection of digital picture and chapter books for children, and NOOK Books en español^™ (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/ebooksenespanol), the first-ever Spanish language digital bookstore in the United States.

For more information on NOOK devices and eReading software, updates, new NOOK Book releases, Free Friday™ NOOK Books and more, follow us on www.twitter.com/ebooksbn and www.facebook.com/nookbn.

ABOUT BARNES & NOBLE, INC.

Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE:BKS), the world’s largest bookseller and a Fortune 500 company, operates 705 bookstores in 50 states. Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, also operates 636 college bookstores serving nearly 4 million students and faculty members at colleges and universities across the United States. Barnes & Noble conducts its online business through Barnes & Noble.com (www.bn.com), one of the Web’s largest e-commerce sites, which also features more than two million titles in its NOOK Bookstore^™ (www.bn.com/ebooks). Through Barnes & Noble’s NOOK^™ eReading product offering, customers can buy and read eBooks on the widest range of platforms, including NOOK eBook Readers, devices from partner companies, and hundreds of the most popular mobile and computing devices using free NOOK software.

General information on Barnes & Noble, Inc. can be obtained via the Internet by visiting the company’s corporate website:www.barnesandnobleinc.com.

NOOK^™, NOOK Color^™, Reader’s Tablet^™, NOOK Books^™, NOOK Bookstore^™, NOOK Newsstand^™, LendMe^™, ArticleView^™, Read In Store^™, More In Store™, Free Friday^™, Lifetime Library^™ and Read What You Love. Anywhere You Like^™ are trademarks of Barnes & Noble, Inc. Other trademarks referenced in this release are the property of their respective owners.

Follow Barnes & Noble on Twitter (www.bn.com/twitter), Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/barnesandnoble) and YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/bnstudio).

TI OMAP3 powers the NOOKcolor

Taylor Wimberly — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 17:33:04 +0000

When we first learned of the NOOKcolor, technical details were limited, but we are starting to learn more about what powers this unique e-reader hybrid. Barnes & Noble needed a powerful processor to power applications and video on the NOOKcolor’s high-resolution display so they teamed up with Texas Instruments to implement their eBook Development Platform and Android software architecture.

TI’s eBook Platform is based around the OMAP3621 processor. Yup, that’s from the same OMAP3 family that’s inside high-end phones like the Droid 2 and Droid X. The OMAP3621 features a ARM Cortex-A8 CPU integrated with Imagination Technologie’s PowerVR 3D graphics acceleration and it was built with a 45-nm process to offer the highest levels of processor performance at the lowest power consumption.

The first NOOK was powered by a rather underwhelming Samsung processor (S3C6410), which really struggled to run the web browser that was included with the last NOOK update. Thanks to the power of TI’s OMAP3, that should no longer be a problem.

If you are interested in picking up a NOOKcolor, they are currently available for pre-order and should ship around November 19th.

I’m not sure if I will pick one up yet, but I can’t wait to see what developers create when the NOOK Developer program releases their SDK.

Meet NOOKcolor, coming to Barnes & Noble on Nov. 19

Taylor Wimberly — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 21:03:57 +0000

It’s an e-reader. It’s a tablet. Meet the NOOKcolor by Barnes & Noble.

Barnes & Noble just unveiled the successor to the original NOOK, which is a 7 inch Android-powered tablet that claims to be “The ultimate reading experience”. The NOOKcolor is already available for pre-order on bn.com at $249 and is expected to ship around November 19th.

Considering that the NOOKcolor is targeted at moms, kids, and families I expect it will be one of the hottest gifts this Christmas season. The original NOOK pre-order exceeded all expectation and orders were heavily delayed, so if you are considering getting one then order early. Hopefully B&N will be ready this year to keep up with demand.

Details on the actual tech specs are limited at this point, but we know NOOKcolor is based off Android 2.1. We know the “VividView” display is made by LG and features 16 million colors at a 1024×600 resolution. Internal storage is set at 8 GB which can hold six thousand books out of the box. If that’s not enough, a microSD slot allows for expanded storage. The NOOKcolor also features built-in WiFi, but there is no 3G support this time around.

Probably the most exciting thing announced for the Android community is NOOK Developer. Developers will be able to create their own apps for the NOOKcolor and then sell them to millions of users through Barnes & Noble’s own app store. The NOOKcolor SDK will be available in the coming weeks and will allow you to quickly and easily optimize your application for our e-reading platform.

In addition to being sold at Barnes & Noble, look for the NOOKcolor (along with NOOK 3G and NOOK Wi-Fi) at your local Best Buy, Walmart, and Books-A-Million in late November.

For a full run down of all the reasons the NOOKcolor could be the ultimate reading experience, check out the official Barnes & Noble blog.

Highlights of the NOOKcolor include:

Stunning 7-inch VividView Color Touchscreen and a thin, beautiful and highly portable design
The first full-color touch device dedicated to reading everything and built on Android
Access to the largest bookstore with an unprecedented selection of over two million digital titles a single search away
Read bestsellers to favorite magazines in full color, and interactive children’s picture books and enhanced cookbooks
Easy and fast book downloads in seconds over Wi-Fi
The most social reading device ever built; you’re only touches away from sharing with friends via Facebook, Twitter and email.
The new LendMe App, which enables NOOKcolor users to view LendMe books in their friends’ Barnes & Noble digital libraries and request to borrow a title they’ve been meaning to read
8GB of space plus expandable memory to store it all your digital books, magazines, newspapers and children’s books

Barnes & Noble officially launches Nook for Android app

Anthony Domanico — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 13:19:49 +0000

As we promised earlier this week, Barnes and Noble this morning officially launched their Nook-branded e-reader application for the Android market.

nook for Android will allow users to access their ebook library and shop for over a million ebooks from the nook store right from their Android device. nook has all the conveniences you’d come to expect from ereader applications, such as automatic sync of your last page read and bookmark information, customizable reading experience that allows you to choose from 8 different fonts and 5 text sizes, and the ability to turn pages with the flick of your finger.

The nook for Android application brings us a new feature that we haven’t seen before on ereader applications: the ability to share ebooks with your friends for free by “lending” them your copy of the purchased ebook. Only one copy of the ebook will likely be able to be used at any given time, so I’d advise you not to go out and buy and ebook and immediately share it with 500 of your closest friends, but it is a great way to share a book with someone who you think would enjoy it as much as you did.

As I’ve stated before, I’m a big fan of choice when it comes to ereader applications. The more we have, the more access we have to as many books as we could ever want, and the ability to select based on price when a book is offered from multiple sources. I personally have all of the ereader applications installed on my phone, while others like to have only one application hogging their phone’s precious internal memory. Whichever camp you belong to, the Barnes and Noble nook for Android application is a very worthy addition to the increasingly crowded Android ereader app repertoire, and I’d encourage you to head over to the Android market and download nook for Android to try it for yourself today.

nook for Android requires Android 1.6 and above.

New to Nook: Apps, browser, Read in Store

Taylor Wimberly — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 20:11:27 +0000

Barnes & Noble released their first major software update (v1.3) for the Nook which added several exciting features for e-reader fans. Read in Store, a feature announced back at launch, is now available when inside a Barnes & Noble store. Users can read any section of any e-book for free (but only 1 hour per day).

The Nook also received its first Android apps. A new games section includes versions of sudoku and chess. Neither game was that impressive to me, but what do you expect on an e-ink display? At least B&N is developing some games and should expand the lineup in the future.

Finally a beta web browser was added which lets users visit their favorite sites and read email. The touch screen at the bottom of the Nook is used for scrolling and zooming, while the e-ink display shows a larger view of the site. Performance was a little sluggish and features were limited, but it’s a nice bonus for existing Nook owners.

Other enhancements included an overall performance boost, faster page turns, touch screen improvements, and easier navigation. The main UI received a refresh and shortcuts were added to the audio player and WiFi settings.

Overall, I was really impressed with the update. It took around five minutes to install and I’ve experienced no problems at all. Several of the new features are clearly marked beta, which is a good sign more updates are coming. I would really love to see B&N release a Nook SDK so the community can begin to build some apps and then think about an app store.

YouTuber weggingt uploaded a video walk-through of the new features.

Highlights of the software upgrade include:

The breakthrough Read In Store experience, now in beta, which allows you to read complete eBooks in Barnes & Noble stores.
Sudoku and Chess
Wi-Fi® connectivity in more hotspots and a beta basic Web browser. Plus, additional reading and performance improvements, such as faster page turns and an enhanced home screen.

Android eReader updates: Alex, eDGE, Nook

Taylor Wimberly — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 19:37:01 +0000

Are you in the market for an Android-powered eReader? The Nook has been available since last year and two new devices are about to be launched. I gave into the hype and actually pre-ordered a Nook, which I have been very happy with (see unboxing and initial thoughts). We also got to play with the upcoming Alex and eDGe at during CES and I chose the Alex as the Best eReader of CES.

A few notes about upcoming Android eReaders:

Spring Design’s Alex pushed to first week of March: The Alex was supposed to launch February 22nd, but it got pushed back to March. Pricing has been lowered from $399 to $359, but you cannot order the device yet. For those who missed it, the Alex will include an e-bookstore powered by Borders.
Entourage eDGe early preorders shipping now; everyone else can wait until March: A new report from Entourage says that anyone who pre-ordered the eDGe before January 12th will have their unit shipped this week. The eDGe offers a unique dual-book design, but it sells for $499 (which puts it in the range of the iPad).
B&N: Nook “Single Best-Selling Product”: No surprise here. Barnes & Noble was overwhelmed with the demand for the Nook and was unable to keep up with orders during the holiday season. Production has finally ramped up and the Nook is in stock again. At only $259, the Nook is the most affordable Android-powered eReader. Barnes & Noble is also working on a native Android application.

None of these devices have support for the official Android Market, but the Alex and eDGE can run standard Android applications. The Nook can also load Android apps, but it requires a little bit of hacking.

If you are buying a device solely to read books I would suggest the Nook, but keep an eye on the Alex when it is finally released next month.

Good Morning Andy: 2.22.10

Taylor Wimberly — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:41:45 +0000

This is an experiment. I’m going to attempt to write a daily column Monday-Friday that covers early morning news and stories that broke overnight. There are so many stories that we pass over so each morning I will choose 3-5 items that might not deserve a full post, but they are still interesting.

T-Mobile exec talks Nexus One issues, Android OS updates – Cole Brodman was talking at Mobile World Congress last week and he shared a few details about Android updates. He said the G1 and myTouch 3G would receive updates together (2.1?), while other devices would follow a less regular schedule. Devices like the Motorola CLIQ will till longer to receive updates because of “integration issues” caused by the manufacturer-specific interface Motoblur.
Android Developer (Java) at Barnes & Noble.com – Barnes & Noble new mantra is: “any book, any time, anywhere”. This includes devices like the Nook and now an eReader application for Android. The company is now looking for an Android developer to help build the best eReader for Android devices.
Hands-on and under the hood: Ars tests Firefox on Android – Remember the sneak peek of Firefox running on the Nexus One? The guys from Ars have compiled the desktop Firefox using the Android NDK for a closer look. If you want to attempt building your own browser (or just see their results) head over for a detailed report.
Video hands-on: New HTC Sense ported to the Nexus One – with Flash 10.1! – Phil Nickinson from Android Central took the leaked Desire ROM and flashed it on a Nexus One. He has an 8 minute video up that gives a nice walkthrough of the new Sense UI. The leaked ROM is said to include a version of Flash, but some of the other components (like Maps) are older than ones found on the N1.

Today’s Android Events

AndroidGuys Podcast – Every Monday night is the AndroidGuys podcast hosted by Scott Webster. Tune in live and come join the chat room. If you can’t make the show, be sure to subscribe using Google Listen or your favorite podcast application.