Database Users

[Q] Rooted Nook Color Vs Nook Tablet

So I have had my Nook Color for about a year now. My wife had one and I decided I wanted one to root. I have been running with it rooted and got rather comfortable with it, I am stuck on Android I admit. Of course now I am having issues with the latest rooting so I am thinking "Hmm new Nook out maybe I should consider it"
So I am asking the community what is the real differences?
I know I could go online and read through 100 reviews all by different people who spend all their days with gadgets and I have no clue if they play with it the same way I do, and I am fairly certain they aren't going to hack it like I am.
So what do you think? Is it just a slightly updated Nook Color or is there more? What is making you excited that you couldn't nicely do with a rooted Nook Color? What do think will be lost in the transition? Also how long do you think it will take until there is a simple rooting solution?

Totally based on specs, the big differences are more internal memory (16GB vs. 8GB) and more CPU power (dual-core and faster clock speed). Oh, and I think the Nook Tablet does have a mic which is interesting if for no other reason than voice recognition-based input.
The screen size is the same, though I've read several articles saying the new screen is pretty gorgeous. I don't know if it's the same screen (the one on the Nook Color is no slacker!) and this is the first time some people have seen it, or if it's an improved display.
I have a TouchPad running CM7 and I believe it has the same dual-core CPU as the Nook Tablet (if not the same, it's very similar), and I can say that there's a significant difference between the two in terms of fluidity. Things scroll smoother, load faster, render faster, etc. I would assume the Nook Tablet would be similar.
So in the end it depends on what you do with your Nook. If you're primarily reading books on it and playing Angry Birds, you're not going to see much of a difference most likely. I'm pretty sure the browser is going to be MUCH smoother on the Nook Tablet, though, as is the overall experience.
I remember reading that the Nook Color will also be getting the same 1.4 stock firmware update that the Nook Tablet will have, so if you're a rooted stock guy, that's a good thing, and even if you're not it may mean an updated kernel and/or drivers for a smoother experience on the Nook Color similar to what happened when 1.2 was released.
So ultimately it comes down to whether a smoother experience on what will otherwise be similar hardware (physical dimensions and appearance, not internals) and software is worth $250 to you.

I've looked at the Nook Color and Nook Tablet side by side.
In my opinion the overclocked, rooted Nook Color is excellent.
Aside from the increased memory, microphone and faster processor, there isn't enough difference to warrant "side" grading (Not enough difference for me to call it an 'upgrade') to the Nook Tablet.

Bluetooth?
Does anyone know if the Nook Tablet has Bluetooth?

IMO, if money is an issue, buy a refurb nook color. If you have a problem with refurb stuff and would rather have a new one, spend the extra 50 bucks on the nook tablet. Some beefier internals for the money and will be more futureproof.
Sent from XDA Premium app CM7.1

Another consideration in my opinion is that ICS will come to the Tablet first. I have no inside info, it just makes sense that the devs will want to update the most advanced device first, unless of course there is no actual coding difference between the two.

The way pricing is dropping on the 10" tablets and with ICS coming I couldn't see paying $250 for a Nook Tablet that is a minor improvement over the rooted NC.
I recently picked up a new Xoom for $320 from BJ's that they were discontinuing, my recommendation is that if you can afford $250 to upgrade to the Nook Tablet throw in another $100 and go for one of the 10" tablets.

I got my Nook Tablet last night and have been using a rooted/CM7 Nook Color since launch, so to answer your questions:
1. It is *much* faster. Web browsing is light years faster, especially with sites that have a great deal of visual content.
2. Speaker is slightly better.
3. Has a microphone, which will be an answer to my Skype-based prayers.
4. Screen *is* better, but not enough better that I'd switch on that alone.
5. Rubberized bezel makes gripping a bit better.
6. Double the ram of the NC - will be important in later versions of Android.
7. 16gb storage...CAVEAT: you only get access to 1gb in stock rom. (rooting and CM7 or 8 will of course fix this)
8. It is noticeably lighter when the two are held at the same time.
The device appears to use the exact same charger/cable, and I have used them here interchangeably.
At the end of the day, it is the vastly increased speed that wins me over. Everything is faster from scrolling, to video playback (damn good), to web browsing. That said, I am *seriously* missing my CM7.

Thanks goldenu. Having someone compare side by side is very helpful. I think for me I do some browsing and such but usually I use it to access picture files in Dropbox. I don't think that it will specifically be worth the money for me to up grade. I have rerooted my NC and hopefully will not repeat the mistakes that kept killing it for me. But really the main question is how will the Nook Tablet handle porn?
There is always a problem being responsible with your money but loving gadgets. Maybe I will win the lotto and I will just buy them all, maybe hang them all on the walls and create an app to make one giant touchscreen wallboard. Ok enough day dreaming and silly ideas

But what if one has neither? The NC has just gone back to $199, but there's some money involved in rooting and upclocking--if a 4gb SD or whatever isn't on hand. Which would you buy if not full geek capable, but not too dumb to follow good rebuild instructions? That $199 is looking good all over again, but I'm $poor.
---------- Post added at 01:46 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:40 AM ----------
goldenu said:
I got my Nook Tablet last night and have been using a rooted/CM7 Nook Color since launch, so to answer your questions:
1. It is *much* faster. Web browsing is light years faster, especially with sites that have a great deal of visual content.
2. Speaker is slightly better.
3. Has a microphone, which will be an answer to my Skype-based prayers.
4. Screen *is* better, but not enough better that I'd switch on that alone.
5. Rubberized bezel makes gripping a bit better.
6. Double the ram of the NC - will be important in later versions of Android.
7. 16gb storage...CAVEAT: you only get access to 1gb in stock rom. (rooting and CM7 or 8 will of course fix this)
8. It is noticeably lighter when the two are held at the same time.
The device appears to use the exact same charger/cable, and I have used them here interchangeably.
At the end of the day, it is the vastly increased speed that wins me over. Everything is faster from scrolling, to video playback (damn good), to web browsing. That said, I am *seriously* missing my CM7.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whoa! Thanks! THAT is what I've been needing someone to go into. Did I say Thanks?!! WaywardPilgrim, Evergreen Colo @7,500 and CHILLY!

goldenu said:
That said, I am *seriously* missing my CM7.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So root it!!!! lol. Seriously though has anyone checked to see if CWM SD card will still work, if so I'd imagine its filesystem is still the same.

unsivil_audio said:
So root it!!!! lol. Seriously though has anyone checked to see if CWM SD card will still work, if so I'd imagine its filesystem is still the same.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, it will not. Different kernel and processor.....

NC vs NC Tablet
I do not have or tried a NC Tablet. It sounds good....but if you want just a GREAT e-reader w/loads of Apps (Google Mkt), both B&N & Kindle, Flash 10.1, access to internet, great screen, ......No money? Buy a referb NC for $100+, then buy a N2A card for $35 and have fun. I bought a NC new for $147 (1 year ago, during one of theirB&B specials, + got 5% off by using a cash back CC, then got a N2A card and i'm in hog heaven.. Even bought my wife a refurb and N2A....same thing. GREAT "E-Reader" w/lots of goodies.

docfreed said:
Does anyone know if the Nook Tablet has Bluetooth?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does, but it is not activated on the nook interface.
I think it will be activated once we get a custom ROM for the NT.

My question is:
Does it still boot first from the MicroSD card?
I have no desire to root or run from internal memory any android OS, I absolutely love the un-brickable nature of the Nook Color.
I know off the bat an sd-install isn't happening, but if it boots from sd first there's nothing stopping it from eventually happening.
The un-brickable nature of the sd boot first option is the biggest draw for me, from a developer standpoint it makes a fantastic playground where you can explore whatever you want without consequence.
Having a device with better hardware specs will make development of ICS and forward software much nicer.
?

Blue6IX said:
My question is:
Does it still boot first from the MicroSD card?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but so far it appears that the bootloader is locked down and will only accept signed images.
It it still very early in the game and only a couple people have poked at the bootloader so far so there is still hope that something can be achieved, but it's definitely a different set of problems than the Color ever had. No one has been able to root it yet either so that doesn't help either. I don't doubt that there are a number of very intelligent and determined people who are interested in the challenge though

Thanks for the quick reply.
That was all I needed to know to put this on my shopping list. Not sure when i'll pick one up, but it's definitely in my sights now.
Sooner or later we'll crack it open, as long as boot first from SD was worked into the model the rest is just a matter of time.

elbaxter said:
......No money? Buy a referb NC for $100+, then buy a N2A card for $35 and have fun.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Roxors of NC's from B&N are $149 now, plus the $35 for the card you have to order is $184 plus shipping.
You can get a fully rooted NC off Craigs List for $170 all day long. I talked a guy down to $100 because he tried to dump a 3rd party power brick on me. Picked up a B&N brick, (and spare cable), for $27. Put the lame 2G PNY he had in it in my Fuze, put the Fuzes 8 in my phone, put my phones Sandisk 16 class 4 in the NC, made sure 8+1 works and haven't looked back. VV0o7!

The Tablet is now rooted....... http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1354487

Rooted Nook vs. Nook Tablet
Hey Guys,
I just bought a new NT Saturday, it's still in the box. I've been reading a few post and I'm not sure but everyone seems to be having more fun with the NC. I went to get the NC originally but I'm a sucker for latest and greatest. I'm still not sure if it was the best choice. And oh yeah, I get one shot at this, the wife says " Make a choice and stick with it." Do you think the NT will receive the same attention as it's older brother. I'm the kind of user that likes my gadgets to do all that they can. Thanks in advance for any replies.

Nook HD+ post 2.1 update review Updated: Great tablet!

For perspective, I have had a lot of tablets: The infamous Viewsonic Gtablet, HTC Flyer, Toshiba's first 10" tab, Toshiba Excite 10", A500 and now currently own the Excite 7.7, TF 300 and iPad 4.
I got the Nook HD+ 32GB due to the 2.1 update and the $200 price from Best Buy. The intent is perhaps to give the TF300 and KB to my wife
+Likes
+Build.
+Display quality (it is almost as good as the iPad 4)
+Size.
+Speed: Contrary to some benchmarks, the Nook is in general faster in multi tasking than the TF300 and also is faster with FPSE and MAMEReloaded. Seems the chipset handles the higher res display better also than the TF700. Part of the problem with the Tegra 3 is the single channel design, where the 4470 has dual channel memory.
+Battery life is better than expected. About as good as my Excite 7.7, which is good.
+SD card speed seems good and nice to have (unlike the Nexus tablets).
+Not much bloat and 27GB free out of box. Pretty good.
+Nook is much faster updating apps than the Excite and TF300. Those tablets slow down when updating apps and likely due to the single channel memory
+Best sleep mode that does not bleed battery of any Android device I have owned- period. As close to iPad great as possible- for an Android device.
-Dislikes
-The rimmed bezel edge. Unlike the Excite and iPad, it seems exposed if dust or other fine debris were to get in the area. Update: Seems pretty tight around the bezel, so perhaps no problem. Update 2: A positive for the rim is the display is not flush to the bezel, so protected more if placed face down on a surface.
-Touch response is not as good as the Excite 7.7, TF300 or iPad 4. It is good, but I do notice a little difference compared with the other tablets.
-Though much better cable design than the Excite (the connector and cable is HUGE), it is still proprietary and hard to find one in a pinch. Like the Excite as well, it should have also been a standard USB design like the Nexus 7. What is the point of the special cable?
-Seems to barely be a trickle charge with USB charging. Net negative doing anything besides charging. Excite and TF300 are same.
-No side-loading of apps. I would like to install Flash and my N64 emulator, but can not. At least B&N allowed the market and Google apps
-Like the A500, there is concentrated heat in one section where the chipset is located. Gets very warm to hot with 3D games.
-No cameras (especially front for Skype).
-Wifi seems a little bit weaker than my other tablets, but seems fast. A positive perhaps for battery life.
In summary, this is a good tablet for $300 considering the display, build and speed and an AMAZING one for the $200 I paid at Best Buy (plus tax, of course). Sadly, this seems a Hail Mary from B&N and likely a last ditch effort to drive revenue and perhaps purge a lot of static inventory. They probably have a LOT of working capital tied up in the hardware and want to make their balance sheet look better ASAP. This seems the case considering they slashed the price for the week and have compromised the business model for their contained app ecosystem.
Perhaps though there may be some short-term partnering going on with Google, so you never know!
Whatever the case, GREAT tablet for the money- presuming you do not need cameras!

well, for my case, this upgrade did improve the display but it's not worth for me because some apps working with the 2.0.4 are now error in 2.1. I didn't know why but this's annoying.
A warning to those who want to upgrade: some apps may not work with this new kernel (can install but error while running).

>What is the point of the special cable?
Agreed with all the drawbacks of a proprietary cable, but it is better than the micro-USB connector in that it doesn't break as easily. I've had a couple of NC's, and went through 3 different cables that had damaged connectors, which were replaced free of charge. I can't imagine B&N were too happy about the replacement cost.
The HD+ is a superlative tablet for reading, and IMO is best for in-home use. I don't see it as a good traveling device, because of its heft, and lack of things like GPS and cameras.
>Seems to barely be a trickle charge with USB charging
It charges pretty fast for me. From near-empty to full was about 3 hours. Charging is still net positive while watching streamed videos, although I didn't measure how fast it was. I suppose it depends on the activity.
>some apps may not work with this new kernel
Yes, the OfficeSuite app broke on my HD+ with the 2.1 update.

It is a great device with 2.1 and AMAZING for the price. Two new points that I added to the review:
+Like
This device has the BEST sleep mode of any Android device I have owned. Overnight it lost one percentage point of battery and that is with wifi on.
-Dislike
The wifi is a little weaker than my other tablets.
Update: REALLY liking this device! The touch response is good, rather than "okay" and I update accordingly. If I could side load apps like Flash and N64, it would be my favorite tablet. For $200, this is amazing. Makes me regret paying $380 for my 32GB Excite 7.7 now. Might even make me doubt my iPad 4 purchase a tad, but I love the app ecosystem for it.

e.mote said:
>What is the point of the special cable?
Agreed with all the drawbacks of a proprietary cable, but it is better than the micro-USB connector in that it doesn't break as easily. I've had a couple of NC's, and went through 3 different cables that had damaged connectors, which were replaced free of charge. I can't imagine B&N were too happy about the replacement cost.
The HD+ is a superlative tablet for reading, and IMO is best for in-home use. I don't see it as a good traveling device, because of its heft, and lack of things like GPS and cameras.
>Seems to barely be a trickle charge with USB charging
It charges pretty fast for me. From near-empty to full was about 3 hours. Charging is still net positive while watching streamed videos, although I didn't measure how fast it was. I suppose it depends on the activity.
>some apps may not work with this new kernel
Yes, the OfficeSuite app broke on my HD+ with the 2.1 update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a half pound lighter then the iPad 4. Other then lack of cameras (which I have never used on any tablet), it's very nice for traveling light.
The update has speed both my stock Nook HD and HD+ quite a bit. I'm extremely happy with it.

I picked up my Nook HD+ last night.
+ 3:2 ratio
Because of menu bars and such, I really like having a bit more height when holding the tablet in landscape mode for browsing. And in portrait the extra width still allows web pages to be readable. Comics and manga pages fit the 3:2 screen perfectly. And the tablet feels more balanced.
+ 257 PPI
Text is so sharp.
+ Speaker
I'm really impressed with how nice the speaker sounds on this (much better than the Nexus 7).
+ Micro SD slot
I have a pile of micro SD cards in a bag I don't use anymore because none of my tablets or phones have micro SD slots. Glad I finally have something to put my 32GB Sandisk into (wish it had support for my 64GB SDXC).
+ Comfort
Has a soft touch back and the bezel feels nice to hold, everything feels very solid. Doesn't feel too heavy, quite comfortable.
+ Price
Ridiculous value at the current $180 sale price.
- Performance
It's running Android 4.0 ICS and I'm reminded of the dramatic difference Android 4.1 made with performance. The UI and animations are stuttery, it doesn't feel smooth at all. But it's still a small step up from my Kindle Fire HD. Overall I'd say performance is okay, but it's a shame B&N hasn't updated this to Jelly Bean.
- Glass
The glass is untreated. It's not as smooth feeling as other tablets. And fingerprints are nearly impossible to wipe off with a dry cloth. I wish B&N didn't cut this particular corner, it's a small thing that makes a big difference. I had to put Rain-X on my Nook Color and may do the same with this (I have to be more careful though, that stuff stains the plastic bezel).
- Bezel
I credited the bezel for making it more comfortable to hold. But at the same time I'm knocking it for being ugly, sorry. Perhaps if B&N got rid of the silly hole in the corner that might help. This negative is purely about my aesthetic sense. I like the look of tablets with flat glass fronts. And the Nexus 7 managed to pull that off and still be very comfortable to hold as well.
- Sideloading
I was hoping B&N would have permitted this by now, but seems it's still not possible to download and install an APK file. Sideloading is possible if you installed the Android/Nook SDK and adb install the APK file from a PC (and that's a hassle to setup the first time). Even Amazon allows sideloading on the Kindle Fires.

I've been trying out the new stock after running CM10 on my HD+ for months (with brief forays into rooted stock for magazines), and it's generally acceptable. The 2.1 update is an improvement, but there are still things that bug me, particularly the dumbed-down Recent Apps and the inconsistency/lack of softkeys. Using the 'n' for every home-press is a step down in ergonomics and likely increases wear and tear. None of the incompatible apps so far are dealbreakers, though Fancy Widgets, OfficeSuite and Google Voice are disappointing.
I tried to like the stock home screen, but it was just too limited. Why does the OS support grouping apps into "shelves" if you can't link directly to those shelves from your home screen? Shelf shortcuts would still be a step down from the pop-up folder implementation of most post-ICS launchers, but they would be adequate. Placing widgets on the stock home screen is also finicky and frustrating, with unpredictable placement and no option to resize. Most touch elements of the stock UI and B&N apps are quite finicky--I don't know if they have smaller touch zones or what, but I find them much less consistent in touch response than my ADWEx Launcher or third party apps.
All that said, I think I can live with it for the improvements in stability and battery life vs. CM10/10.1, and access to the stock magazine reader without rebooting (the Nook for Android app doesn't compare). I haven't tried a lot of apps yet, so poor performance there may still drive me back to CyanogenMod. I may have to re-root for Button Savior, but right now it's not a huge deal.
---------- Post added at 01:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:55 PM ----------
Just to clear up a couple of things:
Ravynmagi said:
+ 3:2 ratio
Because of menu bars and such, I really like having a bit more height when holding the tablet in landscape mode for browsing. And in portrait the extra width still allows web pages to be readable. Comics and manga pages fit the 3:2 screen perfectly. And the tablet feels more balanced.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I'm getting you, I think you have the terms "portrait" and "landscape" confused. A device in landscape orientation is wider than it is tall, and in portrait it's taller than it is wide.
Ravynmagi said:
+ Speaker
I'm really impressed with how nice the speaker sounds on this (much better than the Nexus 7).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
0_0 That's surprising to see. I haven't used the Nexus 7 and the HD+ speaker is a big step up over my old Nook Color, but it's also one of the things people complain about the most. I took it for being adequate but sub-par and just assumed the N7 did better.
Ravynmagi said:
+ Micro SD slot
I have a pile of micro SD cards in a bag I don't use anymore because none of my tablets or phones have micro SD slots. Glad I finally have something to put my 32GB Sandisk into (wish it had support for my 64GB SDXC).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The HD+ can be picky about specific cards, but in general it handles 64GB just fine, as did the Nook Color and Nook Tablet before it. I've been using a 64GB SanDisk UM10 since I got my HD+ back in Novemeber, mostly as a boot drive for CM10, and it works just fine.
Ravynmagi said:
- Bezel
I credited the bezel for making it more comfortable to hold. But at the same time I'm knocking it for being ugly, sorry. Perhaps if B&N got rid of the silly hole in the corner that might help. This negative is purely about my aesthetic sense. I like the look of tablets with flat glass fronts. And the Nexus 7 managed to pull that off and still be very comfortable to hold as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Meh, difference of opinion. I find the HD+ styling aesthetically positive but not that comfortable to hold (moot point because it's always in a case). Most tablets, including the N7, have a generic look to me, though I'd take that over the plastic lozenge styling of the 7" Nook HD.
Ravynmagi said:
- Sideloading
I was hoping B&N would have permitted this by now, but seems it's still not possible to download and install an APK file. Sideloading is possible if you installed the Android/Nook SDK and adb install the APK file from a PC (and that's a hassle to setup the first time). Even Amazon allows sideloading on the Kindle Fires.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you do want to enable sideloading, burning a ClockworkMod Recovery SD card and using leapinlar's script from this thread (last file linked at the bottom of the OP) will require a lot less troubleshooting than getting your HD+ to talk to ADB, and of course you only have to do it once and sideloading is on for good. You can use the CWM card to back up your system before you run the script, and whenever you want to make a backup afterward--another use for all those SD cards

"-No side-loading of apps. I would like to install Flash and my N64 emulator, but can not. At least B&N allowed the market and Google apps"
With a little bit of work you can get apps sideloaded. No need for rooting either.
1) Create a CWM flashable zip using instructions in the following thread (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2062613)
2) Download and copy NookHD-HDplus-Extras-rev3-(05.06.13).zip file from the above referenced thread to the CWM SD card
3) Flash the above zip when booted from the CWM mod and you now have a tablet that can sideload apps and also allows install of the Amazon appstore
I am really happy with this tablet!

Taosaur said:
If I'm getting you, I think you have the terms "portrait" and "landscape" confused. A device in landscape orientation is wider than it is tall, and in portrait it's taller than it is wide.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not quite. What I was trying to say is typical Android tablets use a 16:10 ratio. So a 16:10 tablet would have a 1920x1200 resolution.
The Nook HD+ uses a 3:2 ratio with a 1920x1280. So what I was trying to say is that in landscape mode you have 80 extra pixels of height or in portrait you have 80 extra pixels of width.

Ravynmagi said:
Not quite. What I was trying to say is typical Android tablets use a 16:10 ratio. So a 16:10 tablet would have a 1920x1200 resolution.
The Nook HD+ uses a 3:2 ratio with a 1920x1280. So what I was trying to say is that in landscape mode you have 80 extra pixels of height or in portrait you have 80 extra pixels of width.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, I thought maybe I was missing your point there. I agree the screen dimensions are outstanding for magazines and comics.

Is newest 2.1 Jelly bean base?
I am using CM custom roms instead of Nook original due to Nook original doesn't allow to install a lot apps even I did root.
So I am wondering is newest 2.1 the Jelly bean instead of ICS?
rushless said:
For perspective, I have had a lot of tablets: The infamous Viewsonic Gtablet, HTC Flyer, Toshiba's first 10" tab, Toshiba Excite 10", A500 and now currently own the Excite 7.7, TF 300 and iPad 4.
I got the Nook HD+ 32GB due to the 2.1 update and the $200 price from Best Buy. The intent is perhaps to give the TF300 and KB to my wife
+Likes
+Build.
+Display quality (it is almost as good as the iPad 4)
+Size.
+Speed: Contrary to some benchmarks, the Nook is in general faster in multi tasking than the TF300 and also is faster with FPSE and MAMEReloaded. Seems the chipset handles the higher res display better also than the TF700. Part of the problem with the Tegra 3 is the single channel design, where the 4470 has dual channel memory.
+Battery life is better than expected. About as good as my Excite 7.7, which is good.
+SD card speed seems good and nice to have (unlike the Nexus tablets).
+Not much bloat and 27GB free out of box. Pretty good.
+Nook is much faster updating apps than the Excite and TF300. Those tablets slow down when updating apps and likely due to the single channel memory
+Best sleep mode that does not bleed battery of any Android device I have owned- period. As close to iPad great as possible- for an Android device.
-Dislikes
-The rimmed bezel edge. Unlike the Excite and iPad, it seems exposed if dust or other fine debris were to get in the area. Update: Seems pretty tight around the bezel, so perhaps no problem. Update 2: A positive for the rim is the display is not flush to the bezel, so protected more if placed face down on a surface.
-Touch response is not as good as the Excite 7.7, TF300 or iPad 4. It is good, but I do notice a little difference compared with the other tablets.
-Though much better cable design than the Excite (the connector and cable is HUGE), it is still proprietary and hard to find one in a pinch. Like the Excite as well, it should have also been a standard USB design like the Nexus 7. What is the point of the special cable?
-Seems to barely be a trickle charge with USB charging. Net negative doing anything besides charging. Excite and TF300 are same.
-No side-loading of apps. I would like to install Flash and my N64 emulator, but can not. At least B&N allowed the market and Google apps
-Like the A500, there is concentrated heat in one section where the chipset is located. Gets very warm to hot with 3D games.
-No cameras (especially front for Skype).
-Wifi seems a little bit weaker than my other tablets, but seems fast. A positive perhaps for battery life.
In summary, this is a good tablet for $300 considering the display, build and speed and an AMAZING one for the $200 I paid at Best Buy (plus tax, of course). Sadly, this seems a Hail Mary from B&N and likely a last ditch effort to drive revenue and perhaps purge a lot of static inventory. They probably have a LOT of working capital tied up in the hardware and want to make their balance sheet look better ASAP. This seems the case considering they slashed the price for the week and have compromised the business model for their contained app ecosystem.
Perhaps though there may be some short-term partnering going on with Google, so you never know!
Whatever the case, GREAT tablet for the money- presuming you do not need cameras!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

fordarm said:
I am using CM custom roms instead of Nook original due to Nook original doesn't allow to install a lot apps even I did root.
So I am wondering is newest 2.1 the Jelly bean instead of ICS?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No it is still ICS.
Sent from my Nook HD+ running CM10.1 on emmc.

From a speed perspective, the Nook is overall as fast or faster than my Tegra 3 devices with JB. I use Nova instead of the stock UI.
Frankly, I have noticed no speed improvement with any of my Android devices going from ICS to JB.

rushless said:
From a speed perspective, the Nook is overall as fast or faster than my Tegra 3 devices with JB. I use Nova instead of the stock UI.
Frankly, I have noticed no speed improvement with any of my Android devices going from ICS to JB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What Tegra 3 device with JB are you referring to? Because the Nexus 7 is a helluva lot faster and smoother than my HD+ with Nova.
You should definitely notice a big difference between ICS and JB, so something sounds weird with whatever device that was on. My Galaxy Nexus, getting Android 4.1 made it feel like a new phone.

CPU heavy apps like MAME and PSX. The Nook is faster. The Nexus 7 also bogs down when using apps and using the device at the same time. Nook so far has not. Dual channel memory would be a factor in that. I notice no difference with any of my noted devices between ICS and JB. Benchmarks I do, though do not see it. The bottleneck with Tegra 3 is the single channel memory.
I prefer using the Nook over the TF300 now and have it set to performance mode.
Debates aside, whatever BN did to get the near iPad 4 level low battery bleed I'm sleep mode should bottle it up and sell to other OEs. I did not think and Android device could be this conservative in sleep mode.

fljoe said:
"-No side-loading of apps. I would like to install Flash and my N64 emulator, but can not. At least B&N allowed the market and Google apps"
With a little bit of work you can get apps sideloaded. No need for rooting either.
1) Create a CWM flashable zip using instructions in the following thread (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2062613)
2) Download and copy NookHD-HDplus-Extras-rev3-(05.06.13).zip file from the above referenced thread to the CWM SD card
3) Flash the above zip when booted from the CWM mod and you now have a tablet that can sideload apps and also allows install of the Amazon appstore
I am really happy with this tablet!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any chance you could do an simplified guide for this? That page is a beast.I don't want to break my Nook as it belongs to my Mrs.
thanks

I followed the instructions and flashed the extras rev 3 package. Flash 11.1 works great!! Thanks!

whatagonad said:
Any chance you could do an simplified guide for this? That page is a beast.I don't want to break my Nook as it belongs to my Mrs.
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The instructions in the http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2062613 thread is as simple as it gets, anyway I am simplyfying if further. I am assuming you have the Nook HD+ 9inch tablet
1) Make a folder called Nook_Mod on your PC and download 2 of the files attached at the bottom of the post http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2062613. The files you need are:
i. NookHDplus-bootable-CWM-6023-for-emmc-stock-4GB-rev3-(02.17.13).zip
ii. NookHD-HDplus-Extras-rev3-(05.06.13).zip
2) Using WinRar or WinZip extract NookHDplus-bootable-CWM-6023-for-emmc-stock-4GB-rev3-(02.17.13).zip file. After extraction you should see a file called NookHDplus-bootable-CWM-6023-for-emmc-stock-4GB-rev3.img
3) Now download a program called Win32DiskImager from http://sourceforge.net/projects/win32diskimager/. This program is used to write the image file in step 2 to a microSD card. The download is in zip format, so you will need to unzip the file.
4) Get a 4GB microSD card preferably SanDisk Class 4 and insert it into the card reader slot of your PC. Once the card is recognized by your PC, note the drive letter for the card (ie E:\ or F:\ etc)
5) Click on the Win32DiskImager program. A box pops up and here make sure you select the correct drive to write to under the Device heading (ie. the drive associated with your microSD card). Click on the Folder icon in the box, right next to Device and select the NookHDplus-bootable-CWM-6023-for-emmc-stock-4GB-rev3.img file and then click on the "Write" button. It will take approximately 15 to 20 minutes to write the image to the microSD card.
6) After the image is written, exit out of the Win32DiskImager program. Remove the microSD card from your computer.
7) Re-insert the microSD card in your computer. Your card contents should look like the image I have attached to this post.
8) Now copy the NookHD-HDplus-Extras-rev3-(05.06.13).zip file to the root of the microSD card
9) Ensure your nook HD+ is charged completely and turn it OFF completely.
10) Insert the microSD card into the slot on your Nook HD+
11) Power ON your Nook HD+
12) You will soon see the Clockwork Mod (CWM) logo appear and your device will boot into CWM
13) Use the Vol+ and Vol- keys on the side of the Nook to navigate the cursor and highlight "backup and restore"
14) Press the "n" buttom on the bottom of the Nook HD to activate the selection which is Backup to backup your device. This will take a while.
15) Now press the "Power" button to go back to the Main menu and now choose "Install zip from SD"
16) Navigate to the NookHD-HDplus-Extras-rev3-(05.06.13).zip file you had copied to the microSD card. Select this file and click on the "n" button to flash this file and select install
17) After the file has been installed, you can remove the microSD card from the Nook HD and keep it somewhere safe. You might need to use this card again if you want to restore your Nook HD.
18) Now navigate to the reboot menu line and click on reboot and your Nook HD+ should boot back into the stock ROM.
Now you should be able to sideload any apps.
Please thank leapinlar as it is due to his efforts that this has been made possible. Also I am just re-hashing instructions that was in his thread, so all credits should go to him
Good Luck!

As already noted in the instructions, be VERY careful choosing the drive with Win32DiskImager, since it will not default to the sd card. You have to pick the drive on the right hand side of the app.

I personally prefer WinImage for burning cards--some systems have trouble with one or the other program.

The Nook and Eink are dead!

Barnes & Noble has decimated their Nook development group.
Their latest endeavor, the white Nook Glow is a mish-mash of old and new software.
It appears that they've dropped the other two Eink models.
I do not ever expect to see any further updates or developments from B&N.
Eink has always played their cards close to their chest.
They have always presented their products as OEM, that is for manufacturers only.
To get the most out of devices with Eink displays application developers must also have a good understanding of Eink.
Just go to the Eink website, there is no useful information available.
A visit to Eink Developer Center shows just one kit for development of tiny readouts, not full displays.

I am not sure that I agree eInk is dead. I think it will have a niche market out there for a while. I am one of those people who really don't like reading on a back lit screen for any length of time. Perhaps it is due to my job where I stare at back lit LCD monitors all day long. In any case, I want to read on an eInk screen, not a back lit LCD. Until someone develops another tech to take to place of eInk, there will be people like me looking for eInk devices.
As for the eInk Nooks. They are dead. The future of eInk devices is high resolution 1024 x 768 capacitive touchscreen like the Kindle Paperwhite or the newly introduced Tolino Vision from Germany.

Hmm, that new Tolino looks interesting.
Still, I wouldn't say that 600 x 800 vs 768 x 1024 is the biggest deal for me.
The screen resolution is adequate for my eyes.
That it's the Carta display, whiter and faster would be some incentive.
A faster processor, more RAM and a more recent Android would be a win.
Of course I like eInk, I just think with prices being more than an LCD tablet it will remain a niche market.

It is my impression, from what I have read, the the extra resolution is somewhat necessary to make up for the extra layer needed for the capatitive touch screen. I agree that the 800 x 600 on a Nook with an IR touch screen is plenty good enough for these 50+ year old eyes.

No, E-Ink isn't dead. I have had a NST and I've been very satisfied with it as an e-reader. It's still easier on the eyes than even the best backlit display. My hope has been that someone might develop an E-Ink tablet not only for reading books but also for other text-intensive apps. Check out meetearl.com, for one interesting possibility. In the meantime, some folks have figured out that the Kobo line and the Tolino line are very similar in hardware. Long story short, I now have a Kobo Aura HD running Gingerbread from a microSD card. And it's not too bad at all. I don't use it for games or video, but it works well for the apps I've wanted to run on an E-Ink display. Gingerbread is old now, but significantly better than Eclair. The folks at Earl plan to use KitKat. It's still in development. No, E-Ink isn't dead yet!
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

I will have to admit that I bought a Nexus 7 tablet (1st gen, 32G) because my NST was less than completely adequate for some things. However, now, months later, I still find myself using the NST for almost all my reading. It is lighter, and easier on the eyes than the Nexus.
Dead? Maybe, but you can have mine when you pry my cold dead fingers off of it!
MildBill

All the black eInk Nooks have disappeared from the Barnes & Noble website.
You can only find them on places like eBay now.
I'm not sure about the brick-and-mortar stores, I'll have to check.
I am interested in how the Tolino will work out.
There is this video (in German): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SulHahVHxIE
It doesn't really look impressively better.
I spend 99% of my time doing straight reading and my NST works as least as well as that.

eInk devices are going to be primarily for those who (like myself) like dedicated devices. I want my camera to take pictures, I want my phone to make phone calls, I want my eReader to read, and I use a tablet for other media (video / web / music). I believe that there will always be a market for such devices, whether that market is sufficiently lucrative for products to be developed and sold is another question.

We have an NST and a new Kobo Aura HD. I did all my serious reading on my NST. It's still one of the best eReaders out there. If the NST ran a newer version of Android, I would have looked no further. But, I wanted to be able to read books and articles from a few other apps on an E-Ink eReader, apps which won't work on Android 2.1. When I learned that the Kobo eReaders are very similar to the Tolino line, and that someone found a way to run the Tolino Shine's ROM from a microSD card on a Kobo Aura HD, I became very interested. I went and did it. The Tolino ROM works fairly well on the Kobo. The Kobo reader has some good features, like Pocket integration. If you put the NST and the Kobo side by side, you can see the improved resolution on the Kobo. But I still prefer the way the NST formats and presents ePub eBooks. I hope I'm wrong, but it seems like B&N is bailing out of the eReader business. That would be sad indeed if it is true.
Sent from my Kobo Aura HD running Gingerbread

Renate NST said:
Barnes & Noble has decimated their Nook development group.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Source?

http://www.geekwire.com/2014/layoffs-hit-barnes-nobles-nook-division/
http://www.businessinsider.com/barnes-and-noble-hardware-engineering-staff-2014-2
http://www.techspot.com/news/55625-...arnes-nobles-nook-engineering-department.html
http://www.techweekeurope.co.uk/news/end-in-sight-for-nook-following-job-cuts-138724

Renate NST said:
http://www.geekwire.com/2014/layoffs-hit-barnes-nobles-nook-division/
http://www.businessinsider.com/barnes-and-noble-hardware-engineering-staff-2014-2
http://www.techspot.com/news/55625-...arnes-nobles-nook-engineering-department.html
http://www.techweekeurope.co.uk/news/end-in-sight-for-nook-following-job-cuts-138724
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you!

New Sony Dpt-S1, 13" reader looks like intersting use of Eink technology. But screen refresh still looks better on Nst with fastmode/norefresh
and PocketBook Cad reader, strong specifications like for eink
13",1 Ghz dual core, android 4.0, 2gb ram...

The take-up probably would have been far quicker had ereaders been cheaper. I'm guessing the biggest cost of an ereader is the eink display itself? Is it really that much more complex in it's design than an lcd that prices seem to be high for most ereaders (i know the technology is different, i mean the manufacturing process costs)? Most people would opt for a tablet as you can get really good ones with beautiful screens (Nook HD for example) for less than the price of a new Kindle, Kobo etc and you can do SO much more than just reading. Yeh, ereaders are easier on the eyes, but i doubt most tablet owners care about that when you add all the other functions of a tablet.
I think ereaders will always continue to exist, and i think as more and more people start using their tablets for reading entire books as opposed to just websites, articles, magazines etc, they're going to look to something that's easier on the eyes and ereaders will always be an excellent option, especially if more less restrictive ones come out that allow you to sync other files as well very easily without having to root them and install apps like dropbox, airdroid etc yourself. Kobo's Pocket for example is a great addition, but far more options to the user would be better, such as choosing which article sync app you wanted, Pocket, Readability, InstaPaper etc. Sync apps should also be the norm such as options to choose between Dropbox, gdrive, etc as well as maybe a basic browser like Opera Mini (mini so you get basic text versions of sites rather than the full sites that ereaders struggle with and output ugly results.
What i'd really like to see is great tablets with all their power, but with the addition of an eink display attached to the back Yeh, it's going to be thicker and slightly heavier but i think it could work. Similar to to Yotaphone, but not as rubbish as the Yotaphone (i read really bad reviews), instead, the eink side would work the same as any other touch screen ereader. You can even have a cover that flips over to cover the backside so only the screen you're looking at is exposed so if you put it down you don't have to worry about scratches. The implementation could be so much easier as well, instead of trying to figure about how you get the image on the eink side (a problem Yota did not fix well), you could just mirror the tablet side exactly, so there's no additional complex software conversions to do, that way if you want to end your web browsing session on your tablet and read a book, just open your ereader app, flip your tablet and read on you eink side and flip pages the way you already do on an ereader via touch.
If i had the money and the know how i would be designing a Tablet/Ereader hybrid like that myself. Had this idea for a long time, but never understood why someone didn't do it (other than the cost). I'm sure there are reasons that others will point out maybe, but i'd much rather buy a Tablet/Ereader hydrid long before i buy the failed SmartPhone/ereader hybrid as the latter is pointless, reading on a small phone even if it is eink is still difficult and makes you strain your eyes.

I think the Nook Simple Touch is really the optimal format in many ways.
6" is a good size for reading reflowable text.
It's not that great for page formatted (i.e. PDF).
It's too bad that B&N cut so many corners.
Not all the delay can be blamed on the eInk itself.
The processor is slow and there isn't a lot of RAM.
It would have been nice if they had gotten the Jorjin chip with Bluetooth.
I can compare navigation speed on large documents using the same reader app (i.e. my new app) on my Nook and my old disused Kyocera Rise cell phone.
The Nook shows as pretty slow.

I agree, it is sad that B&N ruined the Nook e-inks.
Was never (and am still not) a fan of Amazon devices.
E-ink devices are still evolving.
My next e-ink device is getting closer to release. http://www.meetearl.com/
Being full Android KitKat device, it has the options I want and a few extra.

I am not really sure if e-ink is going in or out.
I see contradicting moves out there:
- Best Buy has eliminated all e-ink readers from their (brick and mortar) stores. I went to three of them this past week and only Kindle Paperwhite is present. Their explanation: tablets are replacing them.
- hower: one can see bigger e-ink readers being released, which also have more of their Android base exposed: Onyx Boox M96M Zeus, ICARUS eXceL 9.7". It seems that those producers of ereaders that still want to be in the market add features so that they bring the feature convergence on their side.
I personally love the e-ink displays and would very much like to have a modern phone/tablet using it. Keeping my fingers crossed !

Android AIO's

Does anyone have any thoughts on the latest models of Android AIO's?
Personally I'm falling in love with the ideer of having a huge android on the angled table in front of me.
Many of them also doubles as an external touch screen for a pc with easy switching between function modes.
The one I look to buy is an acer DA223hql from amazon.de.
It's a bit pricey, and only has one gig of ram, but the size seems good for my reach and I like the 1080p resolution.
No argument that higher resolution is better like the acer TA272HUL's 2K or Lenovo ThinkVision 28's 4K, but those are both out of my price range and to big for for comfortable use.
The DA223hql seems to be the best compromise so far.
In my searches I stumbled upon a maintenance manual on Lenovos website which shows how to disassemble and replace the ram and hard drive on the Lenovo N308, and the components look like regular pc parts which makes me druel of the thought of a cheap Tegra 4 device backed by 4 gigs of ram and 1 - 1.5 TB of built in storage.
But the N308 is a 1600x900 TN panel with IR dual touch, and rumor has it that third party file explorers can't access the hard drive.
So I'm not sure i could live with those limitations.
I've not yet been able to find any reviews on the DA223hql and it seems to only be on sale in Germany so far, but several times my fingers have clicked the "add to cart" button.
I've just not been able to click "proceed to checkout" yet.
Please, someone give me some insight into these AIO's.
I trust android to be right for me in this category.
I trust that 18-22 inches is a good size if placed correctly.
I don't have much trouble living with android 4.1 or 4.2
I can manage to live with one gig of ram, though more would definitely be nicer.

lindarne said:
Does anyone have any thoughts on the latest models of Android AIO's?
Personally I'm falling in love with the ideer of having a huge android on the angled table in front of me.
Many of them also doubles as an external touch screen for a pc with easy switching between function modes.
The one I look to buy is an acer DA223hql from amazon.de.
It's a bit pricey, and only has one gig of ram, but the size seems good for my reach and I like the 1080p resolution.
No argument that higher resolution is better like the acer TA272HUL's 2K or Lenovo ThinkVision 28's 4K, but those are both out of my price range and to big for for comfortable use.
The DA223hql seems to be the best compromise so far.
In my searches I stumbled upon a maintenance manual on Lenovos website which shows how to disassemble and replace the ram and hard drive on the Lenovo N308, and the components look like regular pc parts which makes me druel of the thought of a cheap Tegra 4 device backed by 4 gigs of ram and 1 - 1.5 TB of built in storage.
But the N308 is a 1600x900 TN panel with IR dual touch, and rumor has it that third party file explorers can't access the hard drive.
So I'm not sure i could live with those limitations.
I've not yet been able to find any reviews on the DA223hql and it seems to only be on sale in Germany so far, but several times my fingers have clicked the "add to cart" button.
I've just not been able to click "proceed to checkout" yet.
Please, someone give me some insight into these AIO's.
I trust android to be right for me in this category.
I trust that 18-22 inches is a good size if placed correctly.
I don't have much trouble living with android 4.1 or 4.2
I can manage to live with one gig of ram, though more would definitely be nicer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
don't have much input, but they are tempting me too. I may be wrong but I think android is currently maxed out at 2gb of ram and cannot handle any more. If you get one lemme know what you think, I am hoping it would be better than a chromebook experience.
Sent from my SM-G900P using XDA Free mobile app

Just ordered an acer DA223hql
As far as I know android is based off of a 32 bit Linux system and is able to address up to 4gb ram.
probably 5.0 will be 64 bit which should allow ram in the terabyte range, not that I think anyone would need more than 2-3 gigs for a long time.
My Note 3 has 3 gigs, the LG G3 comes in a model with 2 gigs, and one with 3 gigs.
The Acer I've ordered has only one gig, which in my experience means I'll need to manage how much I'll have open at once.
A bit annoying but what's a guy to do.
With a little luck the ram will be replaceable.
Apart from that, the snapdragon 600 should be plenty fine for running a mostly stock android.
Unless of course the software is poorly optimized.
Not much hardware in the world can save you from poor software.
That's the scary part of being an early adopter.
At least it's not Acer's first attempt at this, so they have a little experience.

lindarne said:
Just ordered an acer DA223hql
As far as I know android is based off of a 32 bit Linux system and is able to address up to 4gb ram.
probably 5.0 will be 64 bit which should allow ram in the terabyte range, not that I think anyone would need more than 2-3 gigs for a long time.
My Note 3 has 3 gigs, the LG G3 comes in a model with 2 gigs, and one with 3 gigs.
The Acer I've ordered has only one gig, which in my experience means I'll need to manage how much I'll have open at once.
A bit annoying but what's a guy to do.
With a little luck the ram will be replaceable.
Apart from that, the snapdragon 600 should be plenty fine for running a mostly stock android.
Unless of course the software is poorly optimized.
Not much hardware in the world can save you from poor software.
That's the scary part of being an early adopter.
At least it's not Acer's first attempt at this, so they have a little experience.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
4 gb would make sense since it is just a 32 bit linux after all. Not sure where, but I read the 2gb thing somewhere previously. I had heard that most of those aios also used standard ddr3 so my guess is that it should not hurt to try. With the extra hdd thing, I'm sure the problem could be solved via software. Most apps on a stock kit kat build cannot write to the ext sdcard, might be the same problem you heard about regarding the added hdd.
Anyway lemme know when it comes in, if you have root and an unlocked bootloader I will most likely order one too.
Sent from my SM-G900P using XDA Free mobile app

It'll unfortunately take a few weeks to get here.
I'm Danish but live in Cyprus.
Sadly Amazon.de wouldn't ship it to me down here, so I had to order it to my dad's address in Denmark and then when it arrives there he'll forward it here.
Sucky way but at least I'll get the one I want.
As for the limited access to the hard drive in the Lenovo model, I have no idea.
It runs 4.2 JB so it can't be the kitkat thing.

Did you get it?
I was thinking about doing similar but ended up getting tab pro 12.2.

Got it, yes
And have been playing around with it for a few days.
Here's the quick and dirty of it.
First of all the screen, as nothing about it is as prevalent when dealing with a 22 inch tablet.
It's bright and with excellent viewing angles.
Resolution is a bit on the low side considering I watch it from about a foot and a half away.
The snapdragon 600 happily chugs along on a nearly vanilla built of Android.
There is a tiny bit of lag here and there, but I chug that up more to the single gig of ram.
An interesting little side note is that the screen Wakes up when touched, so no need to fumble the side for the on-off button.
The 16 gigs of built in storage fills up quickly so an SD card is definitely a must.
As the port is a full size SD you have the opportunity for cheap and really fast cards.
I have my eyes on a 128 gig, so I can get my 64 gig micro back in my phone.
Another way to do it is to mount a USB drive, but that option is better as a secondary.
It easily reads both exFat and ntfs, so no problems with my old 750 gig USB drive.
Another side note: a big USB drive will be good for videos.
Remember that I said that I sit close to the screen?
Well the negative side of that is that ANY lack of quality in my movies show up like sitting a few yards from a nuke.
I'll need to upgrade much of my media to 1080 versions with a good bit rate. Wich incidentally means I'll need more storage.
The problems of the developing world, right?
But playing a high quality movie right in my face is awesome though.
The speakers are OK, and more than enough at my distance.
For acting as a music system I have it connected to a Phillips Bluetooth speaker, which works fine.
The biggest problem with audio is watching movies with 5.1 on stereo speakers.
You turn up the audio to hear what they are saying, only to wake up the whole house as soon as any action starts.
Maybe someone can suggest a cheap and compact surround soundbar? I don't have room for a full speaker system.
Or would a small 5.1 amp with just the 3 front speakers connected be enough?
Mostly I just need the center channel so I can hear the dialog.
Unless it gets updated to "L" it's options for audio out is pretty much limited to a mini jack.
That's as much as I have time for now.
Later I hope to get into the issues of multi tasking like floating apps and the likes.
Bonus: towelroot worked flawlessly on this one. Full root privileges, but don't forget to install superuser yourself.

towelroot
Hi
I got mind yesterday too and I agree with your statement.
It is a valid device...but when you say
lindarne said:
Bonus: towelroot worked flawlessly on this one. Full root privileges, but don't forget to install superuser yourself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would like to agree too, but for me towelroot does not work.
Can you help? I rooted many devices so far but I can not came up with this one....
Thanks in advance
silvio76

silvio76 said:
Hi
I got mind yesterday too and I agree with your statement.
It is a valid device...but when you say
I would like to agree too, but for me towelroot does not work.
Can you help? I rooted many devices so far but I can not came up with this one....
Thanks in advance
silvio76
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Should not be complicated. I hope...
I installed this apk: https://www.dropbox.com/s/a2h75gcp8y1r6us/TowelRoot.apk
Ran it once.
It rebooted my system.
I installed supersu, and updated the binary.
And it was done.
Have not posted a link here before, so if there is any problems pm me and I'll mail you the link or file.
I'm not next to my acer right now, so if you need to know it's firmware version I'll have to check it later.
But start with the towelroot I used.
Hope it helps.
Regards, Arne

hi
I will give it a try thanks.
Be advised 128 GB SD card is not supported....
Keep in touch
Silvio76
EDIT it works with towelroot v1, I was using v3.....
Thanks again....

No problem.
Did you try a 128 card?
Often when they write the card size limit is to avoid customers calling them and asking the where to get a "1 terabyte card" that the written specs say would work.
But it is a micro SD-XC port and unless Acer screwed something up or set a deliberate limit, the SD-XC standard reaches all the way to 4 TB, though I doubt that we'd find such any time soon.

Hi
Yes
tried a brand new Kingston 128 gb , no luck ,
formatted with a Windows pc , no luck,
partioned at 64 GB, then formatted and it works...
May be it is my card....but is strange....

Scary news.
Did you try to format it from an Android device?
When I first bought a 64 card for my original Note I had to format it in the phone before it would read it.
But I also saw a guy Frankenstein'ing his Note 2 to run a 256 GB card, and that one is rated for 64 gig max...
Of course to connect a full sized SD to a phone you need a special adapter.

Hi
I tried from the Acer Da223hql at first but formatting was an endless process....it took about 20 minutes before I surrended...and switched to Win8 for the format operation. But then the card was not readable for the Acer....so I went for the partitioning.
I suspect that 64gb is the maximum allowed on this machine...
If you want more details here I am...
Silvio76
---------- Post added at 11:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:00 PM ----------
I also use this device as an external touchscreen monitor for a win8 laptop and it is great...
works without a glitch....
On the Android side I installed Floating apps and Floating Browser, so I take advantage of the large screen...
Try it

And the hits just keep on coming.
Dared to take it apart today (pretty scary), and it turned out that the ram is not replaceable.
Live with the gig you have.
Ah well, it was a good dream though, 4 gigs...
Have mounted a 3tb USB drive though, with no trouble what so ever.
And I connected my laptop to the hdmi for the first time.
It works but has some weird behavior.
The picture shrunken but the touch sensor works correctly, so the further from the center I touch the more offset it registres.
Both my acer and my laptop run at 1080p, and I set it to mirroring.
The laptop days it's sending 1080p at 60 hz and the Acer says the received signal is 1080/60 so I don't see the problem.
The Acers settings screen does have a section marked by a square with arrows going out. But it ain't selectable.
Haven't seen manual resizing since crt and analog monitors anyway.
Any ideas?

Hi
you are very brave trying to open it!
As far as I know these devices (based on Qualcomm Snapdragon) have integrated/soldered RAM, so I never thought to check it by myself.
By the way 1Gb is plenty in my opinion, then it depends what kind of application you have in mind (photo editing and such can be memory killer)
As external touch monitor it worked fine for me. I have a 2in1 Asus Transformer Book Win8 based and I use the extended desktop mode.
The Acer was immediately recognized as a monitor and touch input device. No issue with screen resolution and/or its alignement.
Would you like to try that setup and see if works well? If no may be is your Acer that does not work properly.
I did not touch any setting on the OSD menu.
Furthermore I installed Xposed frameworks+XHalo floating windows manager and now I have a Windows-like multitasking.....check it, it's worth the test. Several windows at the same time (Chrome, terminal emulator, Youtube) and no lag.....unbelivable.
Looking for your comments
silvio76

Thanks on the bravery comment
Just sad it was fruitless.
I feel limits when moving my big files around in the background , and think more ram would have eliminated that.
But I'll live with it.
My laptop is an Asus u38n (the ultrabook with an AMD instead of Intel).
It connects fine to our TV without the weird scaling.
I guess I'll try sending Acer a mail and see if they have some advice.
I've only just started experimenting with the multi window funktions.
Juggling 50 hour work week with being a husband and father sometimes means that things move slower than I'd like.
But even without multi window I am pretty happy with it.
I knew from my wife's old gPad that the snapdragon 600 is no slouch.
Do you know a popup client for hangouts that works the way chatheads for Facebook messenger works?
I don't use Facebook much but love that concept.
Just haven't found a hangouts client that does it that elegant.

Hi
Being an husband and a father myself I fully understand
Concerning labour hours, my yesterday working day ended after 14 hours, so......I'm done! But we are lucky to have a job nowadays.
Back on topic I'm not a Facebook user, neither my wife, therefore the only app I can suggest, which can have similar functionality, is Lilypad Hd.
You can find it on Playstore. Hope it will suit your need!
Cheers
Silvio76

Interesting little tid bit.
I needed to empty out my 64GB micro SD and chose to format it in my note 3 (running stock).
After formatting the acer told me that it was faulty and offered to format it.
I chose yes and like yours it just stood there for half an hour with no result.
So I put it in my laptop and formatted it from there ending up with the same "faulty" message.
So finally I put used my original gNote (running CM11) now there is no problems.
somehow, somewhere, there is a difference in the way different devices do it

lindarne said:
Interesting little tid bit.
I needed to empty out my 64GB micro SD and chose to format it in my note 3 (running stock).
After formatting the acer told me that it was faulty and offered to format it.
I chose yes and like yours it just stood there for half an hour with no result.
So I put it in my laptop and formatted it from there ending up with the same "faulty" message.
So finally I put used my original gNote (running CM11) now there is no problems.
somehow, somewhere, there is a difference in the way different devices do it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi in my experience Samsung Android devices have "bad" attitude in respect of vanilla Android.
They probably have some changes in the code which are not limited to the interface (TouchWiz), resulting in incompatibilities.
This is the Android fragmentation people often blame.
However when I formatted the SD card in my laptop, the Acer accepted it without assle.
I would try again formatting the SD with the PC and see if this happen again....sometimes magic happens
silvio79

Has the Nook had its last gasp?

We all love the Nook but it's getting kind of old in the tooth.
Ok, the Glow4 (7.8") finally upped its game to 1 GB RAM, but that was kind of necessary.
It also added Bluetooth, something that could have been done cheaply and easily to earlier models.
Although I'm no fan of using the latest and greatest Android version, 4.4.2 is getting a bit old.
I understand that this is a tough business where every little part on the BOM (bill of materials) will hurt you.
Still, using single core processor is so yesterday. A Raspberry Pi Zero has quad core for $10-15.
To my mind a 6" 300 DPI reader is about optimal for flowing text reading.
For frequent or work PDF reading I'd want a 10" 300 DPI reader instead of high power reading glasses.
The 8" reader seems to fall uncomfortably in the middle.
The Kobos are Linux based, not Android.
Onyx has some decent choices in their (confusedly similar) product palette.
The older stuff has Android 4.4, the newer stuff Android 9.0
They have quad core and even octa core.
The "Poke 2" looks pretty nice for a 6", but why did they have to add the silver styling?
https://onyxboox.com/boox_poke2
(Oh, well, some sandpaper and a can of black spray paint would fix that.)

As I am in love with the Aard dictionary, my NST has been simply wonderful. But I understand Kobo no longer support an SD card. Where to now?

Same boat. I just got rid of my GLP BNRV510. Hated the light grey, small dictionary font. Also reading PDF seemed to convert those documents to oversized images. My NSTw/GL was awesome. I was going to upgrade to the new NGLP7.8 but the specs and issues with overheating are a turn off. Also I have read reviews stating that you can't side load books anymore? This may also apply to the GLP BNRV510 with the latest firmware update too. Which eReader now?

The Glow2 (BNRV510) is my main read.
If I have to read a PDF, I read it in landscape at two "chunks" a page.
I wouldn't think that B&N would try to lock down sideloads and I don't anticipate it would be hard to defeat.

I hope not but I understand the arguments for your question. To be honest NST as it was not my first choice (first choice was some Sony model) but I love it now. Last time I checked Kobo Aura looked nice but that was long ago and I do not know how things look now on the market.

Recently I was scrubbing my head around this issue. How I see the problem with NST? Well B&N locked out anything and everything humanly possible to prevent users doing something they did not wanted them to do. Devs unlock most of the obstacles out of protest or because of challenge ahead. As it runs ancient version of Android apps are scarce and disappearing fast. Writing an app dedicated for NST might be an act of love toward hardware base made by dedicated fanatic but we can assume there are not to many such individuals around today as Rennate said Nook is old.
So without further ado there are few roads as I see that could be taken if NST is to continue ahead.
1. Upgrades to Android version as far and much its hardware allows and using slightly more up to date apps for it (like CM11 approach running from SD card allows).
2. As Android is just an overlay on Linux leave it as is for B&N sake and good sleep but make some dual boot solution that will actually allow us to boot Linux (something in the line of Ubuntu for devices but not exactly so because as far as I remember that work only for versions of Android above 4) as that could give user maximum possible ability to customize it for his/her use.
3. Just say bye to B&N and build new NST OS from scratch be it Linux or another version of Android as that might be easier due to a clean slate/paper ahead and being less bound to a obstacles made by B&N.
4. It might be possible to create also dual profile on the current NST OS but given its restrictions that might not be of some great use - (B&N profile and user profile). What other forum members think about it?
P.S. I did not want to create separate thread about this and this thread seemed to fit in the general idea of talk about it. I hope Rennate wont mind.

Nah, I don't mind.
I use the same reader app on my Glow2 and everything else, including my $70 Walmart Onn 8" tablet.
Even a cheap-o (single CPU) tablet has 2G vs the Glow2's 0.5G
For better or worse, people like the Android ecosystem as a way to make apps.
Of course, Google & Co are working on making everything ginormous and expensive.
(And adding even more pointless animations.)
It's always a question of how much work you want to put in to fight annoying things.

Renate NST said:
Nah, I don't mind.
I use the same reader app on my Glow2 and everything else, including my $70 Walmart Onn 8" tablet.
Even a cheap-o (single CPU) tablet has 2G vs the Glow2's 0.5G
For better or worse, people like the Android ecosystem as a way to make apps.
Of course, Google & Co are working on making everything ginormous and expensive.
(And adding even more pointless animations.)
It's always a question of how much work you want to put in to fight annoying things.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am glad that you do not mind and find this discussion still within topic you started.
As always you hit problem in the head with much less words then me. I have always wondered what are the limits of hardware requirements needed (minimum) for some tasks/programs to run reliably. And we see that people test those boundaries each day.
You are correct that Android had given people app making opportunities. Sadly recent trend is to take away that from us on old devices as this one. I agree that "awww look its so shiny and buzzing" might look nice but regarding information value its pretty much crap (no way to put it politely sorry). Information is what the people using books/ebooks find to have some merit and it is in the form of text, graph, still picture mostly. I accept that sometimes video can be better tool for presenting certain information but general trend is not in that direction. Information in any shape and form I will accept gladly. Sad truth is that today we have to duck and fight against flash advertising and eye candy web UI of very little value and dubious quality.
I have some doubts what would be the most likely way to continue that is why I made that post. If it was my thread I would make a poll but even here I am willing to hear what is your opinion? Amongst four options I wrote up what would you most likely choose as a way forward? Also if possible please explain why.

1) I think doing an upgrade of Android version on an older device is a bunch of work and hardly justified.
2) I'm not a fan of dual boot. I like to keep things simple. Especially on my main reading device where I just want to pick it up and read.
Android "Linux" has quite a few different things than normal Linux. If you want Linux, get a Kobo.
3) Porting something new to the NST is a lot of work. See #1
4) I don't see the necessity of dividing profiles. I also don't understand what you're looking for.
Ok, I'm a fan of the NST, but it's had its day. The Glows have better resolution and backlight.
You get your choice of capacitive (Glow2) or IR (Glow3) touch screen.
The Android 4.4.2 on the Glows is not so bad yet. (The NST Android 2.1 makes life difficult.)
I think more memory, Bluetooth and a better processor would be on my wish list (in order).
Yes, the Glow4 has Bluetooth.
With enough effort you can fix any little technical thing in life that annoys you.
(I just spend this morning grinding and filing down a piece on my brand new guitar because I couldn't stand the design.)
It's a question of time and also how many people your effort would help.
I think an Onyx Boox is in my future, but I wish they didn't have so many silly models.

It's funny, I still use my original Nook Simple Touch, but a few times a year I find myself curious and looking to see if there's a perfect e-reader out yet for me to upgrade to. In the end it always just seems like nothing is really so much better that I really want to buy it, though.
In particular, page refreshes and overall responsiveness, which are the main things I'd like to be better, still just haven't improved enough on affordable e-readers, in my opinion. A backlight would be kinda cool, but hardly seems like a big deal since personally I'm still pretty used to reading real books, which obviously don't have built in lighting either. I guess a higher density screen might be nice, but I can't say I really notice it on my NST. Newer Android? Maybe, though I've really always been able to find an app that does what I need and works on the NST even with Android 2.1, so I'm not sure what the advantage would be.
I'm a pretty light user of my Nook, though, I guess. Most of the time I'm just reading epubs or sometimes pdfs (scientific papers, which are usually published as double columns, so they work just fine on the NST screen), plus the occasional word games or round of picross here and there. Someday I'm sure I'll upgrade to a new reader, but I think it's gonna be a while at the rate the technology has been improving.

You have stated all valid points here. I understand them and agree to most. Maybe I should explain in more details my points.
I use NST as is. Still restrictions imposed on user by B&N are frustrating sometimes. I mentioned upgrading Android on the device only because its own base is abandoning 2.1 and cutting of access to application made for this version. I have nothing against sideloading apps but if the source to such apps is going to dry out it might be a time for a change. Theoretically with slight upgrade of Linux kernel on it upgrade to gingerbread/honeycomb looks doable. Is it worth the effort is a valid question and that is exactly what I am asking for opinion here.
I am mostly using an OS from that Redmond firm. Although I want to learn and use Linux more I am certainly not looking into using it on e-reader despite it is possible to do on Kobo. Point of dual boot would be to leave B&N stuff as is and do on Linux what you like. At least on Linux you would not be that easily cutoff from apps you want/need. Again looks doable but I am not sure if it is recommendable. Reason for me to considering this is that more and more I read about trying to write/rewrite an apps for this device. Even I have started something similar to porting Linux program to Android and being frustrated by next to nill progress so far started to wonder am I doing it backward and should I run Linux on NST and program in the environment it was written for.
I am surprised Renate is not for whole new OS because the way I see the things she is already halfway there with all the apps she wrote for NST. . I know OS is another matter but let's face it it was half baked product to begin with. I mean Phone.apk really? On a device without sound support! And that app control volume? Man B&N really had shoestring budget for software developer and had us use port of some phone OS instead writing dedicated stuff.
I find multiple profile least advised on such low power device but I could see its merit here and there. I have a cousin which would be happy if she had kids profile on its phone as that would prevent paying triple digit roaming charges. NST most likely do not have the power to pull of multiple profiles although in theory something like that could be made even for Eclare in some crumbly way.
NST have resolution just above low printing and we love it. If some device could achieve 300dpi and have larger screen A4 size preferably with A5 being minimum that would be awesome. There are few device on market Remarkable and Sony with 10 and 13.3 inch screen but they cost still an arm and a leg. Although they shifted concept more toward notebook/sketchbook I have no problem with that but e-book support is next to nothing PDF only if I remember well. I am old and I like to use "pen" on "paper". I will look about other device mentioned. Aura H2O did caught my eye once to be honest.
Now I hope you can see my points more clearly. I find this discussion fruitful. Even if we do nothing we at least have fresh input from others to tickle little gray cells.

As far as upgrades go, upgrading to anything less than Lollipop (5.0) is pretty pointless.
That's already five years old as it is.
As bloat is a given, you're always going to need more memory and a faster processor.
If you want to learn about Linux a Raspberry Pi is certainly an economical solution.
For ~$15 you can get a Raspberry Pi ZeroW.
Android *nix deviates a lot from Linux but mostly in system and startup issues.
You can cross-compile C programs on your Windows box using the the Android NDK and run them in the command line on your Nook.
You won't have direct access to the screen unless you want to write to /dev/graphics/fb0 yourself.
If you don't want the Android layer running at that time you can just turn it on and off with "stop" and "start".
You might try to get into writing regular Java (or Kotlin, but don't get me going on that) applications.
There is something to be said for having your own app that runs on both your phone and your Nook.
There's a lot of convenience in having whatever you're looking for on whatever device you have at the moment.
I always though that backlights were pointless, but I've learned to love them.
If you have copier paper a lot of it is 92% reflective.
The white in eInk is a lot grayer than that.
I always keep my backlight on, but only to the point that it makes up for the gray tint to make it white.
Looking at it you really don't get the impression that it is glowing.

I have stumbled on web page of a project to port some 4+ Android version on NST which pretty much surprised me. Can not remember was it ICS or JB and hell Kitkat would be awesome for device that old. I believe that for that they must abandon B&N stuff almost completely unless they somehow ported it back from Glow versions? And counting in size expected I bet that they reformatted partitions on the device to make it happen. Now will that stick together or fall apart spontaneously is another question. I remember that on xda that somewhere was a thread about disabling OTA from B&N that could brake such upgrade but since they no longer support NST we should not worry about this. I wonder why did you said Lollipop as minimum choice? Do you consider it as minimum acceptable Android version or maximum that NST could possibly run?
As far as Linux go nah I will just play with old laptop instead. Although I caught myself looking to buy present for nephews in electronic realm. Arduino or Pie? aye there is the rub...
I didn't program anything reasonable for a long time. Therefore I am more than rusty in that field. Although I believesome Python or lua script I could manage if enough effort is put on my side.Julia look to me as a programming language that shows some promise to the future from old man perspective. Certainly none of those are useful to porting anything to Android and NST. For the moment I cut my appetite back and will look into how I can backup NST and make virtual image out of it to run it in Virtual box. There I hope to try to learn how things work on Android an play/apply changes in the sand boxed environment. If I break something no harm done just delete virtual drive and start again. I don't want to brick my only NST. Maybe I should buy used one for latter to as I see lot of UK used one have hit the market after B&N closed in UK.
I hate Java from reasons unwilling to disclose or as you said let's not start about that. Idea behind it is fine. Sadly it is lot to be desired on the implementation side. I totally understand that Java might give some benefits especially if we count in the already existing base of programs written on Java. Have a friend who learn and use Java but I personally never manage to overcome my personal detest of it.
Regarding backlight... I never saw Glow. Is there true backlight in like shining through panel? Or did they made something in line of those book lights for real books? I think that could work for capacitive screen but not so much so for IR like NST have. That should not glow much I think and could be regulated in illumination and colour.

The NST has 256M RAM, the Glow2/3 has 512M, the Glow4 has 1G, my $40 phone has 2G.
The $60 Kobo I have has only 256M, but it just runs Linux.
I couldn't be bothered to update my NST even if you handed me an image on a platter.
ebay has the Glow4 (open box) for $130.
I wouldn't even try to update that to a newer version, too much work.
Since this thread started the Boox Poke3 6" reader has come out.
It has Android 10, 8 CPUs, 2G RAM, Bluetooth and lists for $190.
That's a heck of a lot more of a device than the Glow3 for $120.
It also doesn't have the ugly styling of the Poke2.
https://www.boox.com/poke3/
Hmm, currently not in the US warehouse.
I'm a big fan of Arduino and RPi, but it gets complicated.
An adult friend bought an Arduino, hooked up an LCD and a thermometer, loaded the sketch.
It worked. They got bored. End of the story.
I don't know what the solution is. You make it too easy, they get bored. You make it too hard, they get frustrated.
I'm not a fan of the whole Arduino infrastructure and the Processing language. I prefer just AVR8. But I am "old skool".
I use RPi a lot, but I've only seen the desktop version about once.
I use headless and also digital signage without X Windows or desktop.
The Glow2 has single color edge lit backlight, The Glow3/4 uses dual color (blending) edge lit backlight.
If you hold them sighting down the face of the screen at a very low angle you can tell there are discreet LEDs.
(It's nothing you could ever see in normal usage.)

I checked Boox first time you mentioned it. Impressive progress I must say. Paradox is that as I understand newer Android versions are more optimized to be run even on underpowered devices but I agree that NST is both old and underpowered. Still even you mentioned that Kobo has same low memory but still running successfully Linux only environment. That speaks a lot in Linux favor regarding resource management and use. Yes there are slim chances someone cook something up for NST and even then people will just buy new device that is several times better. You wouldn't believe but B&N readers are hard to find here. I had to ask a friend to bring me the one from Middle East because it was available there so go figure.
Thanks for the opinion about Arduino vs RPi. I think you might be right. Kids nowadays will be interested to program more than to assemble something and experiment. Its a shame because I think they could learn more about physics by fiddling with Arduino.
Thanks for explaining me or rather confirming how light on Glow device is made. I am curious how they sorted out possible interference of lighting with IR touchscreen but I guess they somehow used non overlapping LEDs for those two separate things or passthrough IR only filters on IR detector side. In theory even some simple software calibration could work for that but I am also an "old skool" and wouldn't choose that as my way had I have gotten the task to build something of this kind. I might rig me some "lights" for old fashioned hardcopy books. Not that I can't buy it online but I want to engage my fingers a little.

If you haven't played with it yet, the Touch-1.0.apk (in the sig) works on the NST and will show you how/where the beams of IR go.
It can be helpful to see where dirt or distortion of the bezel is making it difficult for touches to be registered correctly.

Since the party seems to be going into a topic of what next best e-reader should be maybe we could exchange opinions about certain things available as in are they necessary or good enough at this moment. For example Boox is offering a model that can show ebooks as black and white or I presume as 4 color "print". As B&W it present it as 300dpi which is on par with printed books and man can not ask for more in my opinion. Alas when it present 4 color "print" it is meager 100dpi that could mean even NST just blows it out of scene. So my vote on color e-reader is still no. If it ever reach 150dpi it will become a thing to consider but right now it is still under acceptable performance from mine point of view.
Do you consider making notes on a device important? I am asking because I have mentioned ReMarkable and Sony DPT (which is gone now). Sony again made good device only to withdraw from the market at the end. While I understand that in the e-reader case as Amazon blow them out securing the better library this time I am afraid it is Sony's own fault. There exist few rebranded models of hardware Sony used with seemingly better software Fujitsu Quadreno and Mooink Pro. Mooink support PDF, epub, docs and text and offers a software for file conversion and DRM management. There are few annoying things. Almost none have microSD card option now. It is replaced with cloud storage or printing. And I personally like having pen but I find being robbed when they sell it separately and with replaceable tips because they made those to wear out. Cost is way to high despite larger screen.

I'm not clear on what you mean with "4 color".
The only thing that I can see on the website is a way to save your scribbles to an external file where you can set the color saved (but not viewed) on the device.
If you've ever seen a store white/red/black eInk shelf label update you'll know that that's only useful for things that change once a day.
I don't look too closely at the reader software itself since I'll probably just use my own.
I hate the sort of pictograph selection of small, medium, large font.
What if I want 5% larger than medium?
There's always a bit of conflict between SD card and waterproof.
I figure 32 GB fixed storage is large enough for me.
There's always a big tossup what is the correct mix of devices, phone, ereader, tablet, tablet with pen, tablet with keyboard, laptop, desktop?
I've never owned a personal laptop, never seen the sense (for me).
Rarely do I use a tablet or a phone with a BT keyboard when I want to do some sort of bulk inputting or fleshing out an idea or transcribing lyrics.
I kind of like digitizers, but never found a way that the utility exceeds the space they take.

Onyx Boox Poke 2 Color is for example device able to reproduce color. Yet is it worth buying?
Yes I understand your choice to use custom reader software. File support seems to have always been a problem and it just went worse from there.
Yes waterproof device shouldn't have SD card. I have mean more in a sense of having the ability to root, backup and thinker with the device.

SJT75 said:
Onyx Boox Poke 2 Color is for example device able to reproduce color.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The product selection of Onyx or Boox or Onyx Boox has always confused the heck out of me.
Currently on https://www.boox.com/allproducts/ there is no indication of anything color.
Moreover, the "About Us" speaks of "We focus on E Ink ( ePaper) devices only. "
But I do remember seeing something previously on the website that spoke of color.