Nook Color

Story: Rooting a Nook Color: Is it Worth It?Total Replies: 6
Author Content
penguinist

Apr 04, 2011
7:39 PM EDT
I was happy to see someone write up an article on the Nook Color. As far as I'm concerned it is _the_ bargain tablet right now at under US$250. My Nook Color is rooted similarly to the author's, and I've found myself quite satisfied with it in its new role as tablet (except for the limited on-screen keyboard). With a small amount of additional work it is also possible to wifi tether it to your phone giving you a large screen tablet with network access wherever you go.

Terminal access lets you add scripting to tailor the device's behavior to suit your needs, and sshd can give you an easy file transfer capability as well as the convenience of dealing with a full size external keyboard if you find yourself needing it.

The size is perfect in my opinion. It easily slides into my pants pocket so it is always with me (not sure if a bigger 10" tablet would carry as conveniently) and the battery life is good enough for just about any of the uses I can put it to.

Maybe if I search more carefully I can find a better on-screen keyboard (one that supports control characters and the pipe character). Then I'll be 100% happy with my Nook Color.
JaseP

Apr 05, 2011
9:25 AM EDT
In terms of the keyboard, you can download the graffiti app to give it the shorthand "inking" capability of the old Palm Pilots. I use that on my Nationite MIDnite (re-branded WitsTech A81e).
devnet

Apr 07, 2011
4:34 PM EDT
too bad the battery life doesn't come close to the kindle and the color gets annoying on the eyes after a few hours. The kindle was much easier to read.

Also, the nook color is horrible when I'm reading on the porch in the sun...I have to get my kindle out for that.
azerthoth

Apr 07, 2011
5:28 PM EDT
An antiglare screen protector and inverted colors (dark screen and light letters) and I have been able to read it in the brightest light with my sunglasses on. As for battery life, running it inside with the brightness down I have been able to read it pretty much from the time I got up to the time I went to bed, and still had a substantial charge left. That and I'm fairly certain your not watching movies on your kindle either.

p.s. inverted colors extends battery life too.
devnet

Apr 07, 2011
8:38 PM EDT
I wouldn't want to watch movies on my kindle...it's an ereader. If I want to watch a movie I do it on my TV so I don't have to watch it on a tiny screen.

Kindle's battery life is one of the strong points for it...you can get a month charge out of a Kindle 2. Plus their screen is a bit different than standard ones using rounded and thus less stressful shapes to form letters...it really is easier on the eyes.

To each their own...just know that the best ereader out there is the kindle...nothing can match it currently. The best tablet/ereader might be the ipad/nook/xoom/streak/whatever...but I'm glad my kindle isn't trying to be all those things.

Plus it runs on Linux :) I like that too :D
JaseP

Apr 08, 2011
1:01 PM EDT
Keep in mind, a TV that is a room's length away will occupy the same visual field as a tablet at half an arm's length. Plus, you cannot lug your TV into another room or out. That said, the whole family/gang cannot crowd around a tablet.

Real books & paper vs. readers are worth mentioning too. A reader will never equal a real book for a visceral reading experience, or the ability to spot something elsewhere on the open pages (when doing research for example). Even the best reader screens don't equal real paper for clarity of the written word. But, a book cannot equal a reader for porting an entire library (or stack of textbooks). I am often envious that college students of today can go from class to class with a reader in hand, rather than a knapsack of books. We didn't have that 20+ years ago, when I was in college/grad school. Then again, I often bought used books (not so simple with a reader).

Different screens (or the lack of them, entirely) exist for a reason. Preferences aside, many or most will chose based on the price vs. performance difference.
penguinist

Apr 08, 2011
2:51 PM EDT
Field of view is exactly the right criteria to evaluate the practicality of movie viewing. On a recent trans-pacific flight, I really valued the convenience of movie watching on a tablet. If you have a good quality headset with you, the experience can be quite nice, nearly comparable to a large screen livingroom hdtv with the same field of view. The smartphone screen was too small to enjoy a movie because you can't get close enough to it the get a good field of view, at least for me, but the tablet is perfect in such situations. imho

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