Nook Color Software Update 1.4.4 Download UPDATED
Vonnie Wakefield
The Nook Color is a tablet computer/e-reader that was marketed by Barnes & Noble. A 7-inch (18 cm) tablet with multitouch touchscreen input,[2] it is the first device in the Nook line to feature a full-color screen. The device is designed for viewing of books, newspapers, magazines, and children's picture books. A limited number of the children's books available for the Nook Color include interactive animations and the option to have a professional voice actor read the story. It was announced on 26 October 2010 and shipped on 16 November 2010.[3] Nook Color became available at the introductory price of US$249. In December 2011, with the release of the Nook Tablet, it lowered to US$169. On 12 August 2012, the price lowered to US$149. On 4 November 2012, the price was further lowered to US$139. The tablet ran on Android.
The device was designed by Yves Behar from fuseproject. Its frame is graphite in color, with an angled lower corner intended to evoke a turned page. The soft back is designed to make holding the device more comfortable.[4]
The Nook color has a 7-inch (18 cm) 1024x600 resolution multi-touch touchscreen LCD display, presenting a very vivid image, as opposed to the original Nook's 3.5-inch (9 cm) secondary touchscreen. It does not feature an electronic paper display, making it a tablet computer and an e-reader. It has a customized display with color options, six font sizes, and Internet browsing over Wi-Fi, as well as a built-in media player that supports audio and video. The Nook Color allows installing applications approved by Barnes & Noble, with the company planning to provide tools for third-party software developers[5] and an app store.[6] Applications pre-loaded on the Nook Color include Chess, Sudoku, crossword puzzles, Pandora Radio, and a media gallery for viewing pictures and video.[citation needed]
Since launch, Nook Color received generally positive reviews, with PC Magazine declaring "Nook Color makes a perfectly amiable reading companion if you want to see your books in full color",[12] while Engadget says "if you're a hardcore reader with an appetite that extends beyond books to magazines and newspapers, the Color is the first viable option we've seen that can support your habit".[13]
On newer NOOK tablets (including color-screen devices like the NOOK 10" HD by Lenovo, NOOK Tablet 10.1", NOOK Tablet 7", and Samsung Galaxy Tab NOOKs),you can install the Libby app to borrow and enjoy ebooks and more from your library.
Back at the end of 2009, Barnes & Noble debuted an e-ink reader, the Nook, that differentiated itself from the Amazon Kindle by having a small color LCD at the bottom of the screen for navigation and keyboard entry, among other things. Now the company isn't messing around with a small strip of color and is instead betting the farm on a full-color e-reader that features a 7-inch touch-screen LCD, built-in Wi-Fi (but no 3G wireless), and has people asking: is it an e-reader or a tablet?
And what about the screen? Well, Barnes & Noble says it's a next-generation LED-backlit display (1,024x600-pixel resolution at 169 ppi, with more than 16 million colors) supplied by LG that is bright yet energy efficient. The product's designers added a special layer of laminate to the glass that covers the display to help cut down on glare and improve off-axis viewing. However, like any screen that has a layer of glass over it, it's not immune to glare and like the iPad's screen, it is a finger-print magnet and will potentially crack if dropped (we strongly suggest purchasing a case). That said, the touch mechanics are quite responsive and the device as a whole is satisfactorily zippy. It may not be quite as zippy as the iPad, but we didn't think the device was held back by any performance issues and we thought both text and images looked very good on the screen. Also, page turns were fast.
A lot of people wondered whether this would be classified as an Android tablet, and the answer at first was "not quite" unless you were willing to "root" the device with custom firmware that could be found on the web (modifying your Nook Color's firmware unlocks the device and turns it into an Android tablet but you lose Barnes & Noble's interface and tight integration with its e-bookstore). However, now that Barnes & Noble has upgraded the Nook Color with Android 2.2 software and added Flash support for Web browsing and the ability to download apps to the device, the Nook Color has become more of a full-fledged tablet. To be clear, this is not a truly open app store along the lines of the Android Market but one curated by Barnes & Noble. At launch, there were over 125 apps offered, including several games, but that list is growing, so you can expect a wider selection in the months to come.As part of the version 1.2 upgrade, Barnes now includes a free integrated e-mail app and something called Nook Friends, which is currently labeled with the "beta" tag.Barnes & Noble is calling Nook Friends the "go-to social network for people who love to read." It says that Nook Color users can create a group of Nook Friends to "easily swap books, get a friend's take on a new best seller, discover great new reads, or see if someone's enjoying a book they recommended on the Friend's Activity tab." You can also view your Nook Friends' content ratings and reviews, shared quotes, recommendations, and how they're progressing on their latest books. You could call this Barnes & Noble's take on the digital book club, and it will be interesting to see users' response to it.(For a more complete rundown of the additions that are a part of the Nook Color firmware 1.2 upgrage, go to this post)As far as the user experience goes, the Nook Color's interface might not quite reach an Apple-level of user friendliness, we were generally impressed with how elegant the UI is and how easy the Nook Color is to operate and navigate. Anyone who didn't like the interaction between the touch-screen color strip and the e-ink screen on the standard Nook will find the full touch-screen interface a breath of fresh air. We also liked that the designers included a physical home button--it's the "N" at the bottom of the device--rather than a virtual one. The hard button makes going back to the home screen easier and it's well placed.
Along with its large selection of e-books (Barnes & Noble says it offers 2 million titles in its "newly expanded" Nookbook Store), the company is making a bigger push into kids' content with its new Nook kids brand that features hundreds of "digital picture books" designed to take advantage of such color devices as the Nook Color and the iPad. At the same time, the company is highlighting how well the Nook Color handles periodical content, particularly magazines (one of the featured partners is National Geographic, but Barnes & Noble is also offering subscriptions for plenty of other titles).
In that sense, you could argue that it splits the difference between the iPad and the Kindle pretty well, offering the color touch-screen--neither "color" nor "touch screen" is available on the Kindle--at a price and size that's half that of the iPad. If you're not sold on e-ink and you don't want something as pricey and as heavy as the iPad, the Nook Color is your best bet.
I did a better fix-- I opened up my Nook and replaced the connector on the PC board with a conventional micro USB connector. I now can use any standard micro USB (even the cheap retractable kind! Another option if you are not comfortable performing surgery on your Nook is the eForCity Micro USB OTG to USB 2.0 Adapter/dongle available from Best Buy. It will allow you to use a standard full-size USB cable of any length to charge your Nook without worrying about bending and trashing your straight nook charging cable. Linky: -micro-usb-otg-to-usb-2-0-adapter-compatible-with-samsung-galaxy-s3-black-black/1304921534.p?id=mp1304921534&skuId=1304921534
So, I opened up the connector on the Nook end (with the "N") and reconnected with solder the two broken leads. This was tricky since the circuit board there is only about 5/16 inch square! There are four conductors: red, green, black and white insulation colors in the cord. Both the black and the white leads were broken off.
My problem is not in the cable but in the nook. Looking inside the plug port it appeared at first that some of the male pins were bent, then in time just not there. I called the help line and they said it was non repairable. And of course would give me credited on a new nook. Which amounted to more than just going to Amazon and buying one.
We were considering a Nook for our daughter so I wrote B&N tech support. Not only are there no parental controls, their tech support is worthless. I wrote about my experience here:
-noble-nook-support-making-the-case-for-the-kindle/
Of course, the Kindle doesn't have parental controls either but I've found Amazon's tech support to be more competent.
Our router (from Verizon) allows me to set parental controls for devices (though I'd have to create my own list of keywords and sites, a true chore I'm sure) but that doesn't solve the problem of public wi-fi hotspots, such as at the library.
Maybe B&N will get the message that they're losing sales because of this, and they would have a true competitive advantage over Amazon and Sony if they included parental controls.
You must not have called the right people then! My nookcolor is locked at all times. I have a code to keep people out of my nook AND a code to prevent purchases. No there isn't a parental control yet but be patient! They take customer comments very seriously and I wouldn't be surprised if they had it by the next few months. And I've tried Amazon's tech guys too and I'd rather NOT chance getting an outsourced guy from another country who can't even understand me. B&N keeps their tech support here where it should be. Kindle is garbage anyway. You're stuck buying from amazon the whole time. I check out library books as well as shop several other stores other than b&n on my nook. So please give it a chance!
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