HD/HD+: To buy or not to buy?

[Xanthe]

Originally Posted by Cgray

So, it looks like the Nook HD+ may be soon going away. Now, on the one hand, that could be bad for support.

On the other hand, especially once flashed to unfettered Android, it's a HECK of a budget tablet for people who dn't need gps or a camera. AT the current price, accepting that long-term support is likely a no-go, what do people think of buying it as a budget tablet option?

That's basically why I got it. I don't need the camera options or GPS (got a camera on my cell, and a Garmin).

I've never been impressed by any device manufacturers' customer service and I've always turned to user forums first to find answers to specific problems or questions.

The device is either going to work or not work. If it doesn't work, then I'm not out as much money as I would be with other choices. Also, if it doesn't work, how many manufacturers just replace it with a refurbished model? I don't want my problem replaced with someone else's problem, especially if I paid a high price for the original.

[Josieb1]

I never expected any support from B&N either. In the UK we don't have stores anyway, just an online Nook Store. I learned to navigate forums years ago with my first few ereaders, they were Sony (and we all know his bad their support is). I just made sure I purchased it from a reputable retailer and used the free insurance with my credit card for extra protection.

The retailer sold it with a 2 year warranty so if I have any issues of a hardware nature I'll go back to them. If its software well I always have the option to route it, I've bookmarked the pages over at XDA, but right now with just a new launcher its working the way I want it to.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Josieb1

If its software well I always have the option to route it, I've bookmarked the pages over at XDA, but right now with just a new launcher its working the way I want it to.

My main problem with the HD+ is that I'm encountering too many apps I want that won't install. It's not a deal breaker, because I can always go the XDA route if it gets to be a major annoyance. In the meantime, the two apps that'll get the most use on it - Netflix and Zinio - work great.

[PatNY]

I think B&N will continue to honor warranties of their Nooks, even after they stop selling them.

As for in-store support, that's more iffy but it should be there through the end of the year at least. I found the people selling Nooks at my local B&N to be knowledgeable and extremely helpful and friendly. Too bad many may not have jobs for long.

--Pat

[PatNY]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

My main problem with the HD+ is that I'm encountering too many apps I want that won't install. It's not a deal breaker, because I can always go the XDA route if it gets to be a major annoyance. In the meantime, the two apps that'll get the most use on it - Netflix and Zinio - work great.

It's really easy to flash a modification that enables the HD/HD+ to accept all apps. Once modded, it's also easy to sideload them too.

You don't need any DOS commands or need to know any programming. The process doesn't even root the Nook (unless you want it to), and you can return it to an unmodded state later if you want.

I did it and now I have apps like USA Today, Yelp, Amazon Local, and TV Guide installed -- all apps that Google Play tells you are incompatible with your device and won't let you download. Well they work just fine with the HD, so the restrictions with some apps appear to be unnecessarily tight.

The process is outlined loosely by mystika1 in this thread:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=216237

The only thing I did differently, and which I would recommend, is to not use the "image" method of creating the CWM SD card. The xda link in that thread describes an alternative method were you simply drop boot files into the "active" first partition on the card, and I think that method is easier.

At any rate -- there is no need to even "root" the HD/HD+ if you want to enjoy virtually all of what Google Play has to offer.

--Pat

[wodin]

Mine (32 GB HD+) arrived by afternoon post yesterday, I have to say I'm very impressed with the build quality; very solid without being too heavy.

After going through a firmware upgrade and a software upgrade, Google Play store popped up. I first loaded Nova Launcher (free version), then K4A, then my current read.

All I can say is WOW, just wow! That hi res 9" screen is just beautiful!

I haven't decided yet; to root or not to root, that is the question. But if I do decide to root, I'm pretty sure that I'll want to just go ahead and blow out the Nook image and root on internal memory.

I'm not particularly interested in maintaining a warranty, or in B&N's ecosystem, so I don't see the value in sacrificing 32 GB of internal storage just to run off an SD card.

[PatNY]

Congrats on your new toy, wodin! As good as the HD screen is, the HD+ is slightly sharper. But both have beautiful screens. When I was in the store, I was waffling between the HD and HD+ but ultimately decided I wanted something more portable.

At the very least, you should enable the sideloading of apps. In the version where you simply flash a mod to the firmware without rooting, it's easy to prepare the micro sd card. The prepared CWM sd card is just used for flashing the mod, and you can reformat it afterwards and use it in your Nook later for ordinary storage of files and data. You boot off it only to flash the mod.

At these prices, the Nook tablets are the best bang for the buck right now. Even at ordinary prices, they are some of the best in their class.

--Pat

[livramax]

Originally Posted by wodin

...
I'm not particularly interested in maintaining a warranty, or in B&N's ecosystem, so I don't see the value in sacrificing 32 GB of internal storage just to run off an SD card.

While running CM off SD you can still access and store stuffs on the emmc's user-media partition, so it's not a total loss (I don't recall off hand how much space B&N allocates to this user-media partition).

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

My main problem with the HD+ is that I'm encountering too many apps I want that won't install. It's not a deal breaker, because I can always go the XDA route if it gets to be a major annoyance. In the meantime, the two apps that'll get the most use on it - Netflix and Zinio - work great.

I haven't encountered any apps that won't install yet, but then I want it for reading, surfing and writing documents. The only videos I play are ones I install myself and they play in Realplayer. Streaming videos isn't really something that's big over here unless you already have a Netflix subscription.

[wodin]

Originally Posted by PatNY

At the very least, you should enable the sideloading of apps. In the version where you simply flash a mod to the firmware without rooting, it's easy to prepare the micro sd card. The prepared CWM sd card is just used for flashing the mod, and you can reformat it afterwards and use it in your Nook later for ordinary storage of files and data. You boot off it only to flash the mod. --Pat

Thanks Pat,

I haven't looked too closely over at XDA yet, Does the ClockWork Mod flash the ROM with a new OS or does it just modify the existing one?

...

OK, I found it here, [NOOK HD/HD+] Installing CyanogenMod 10.1 for Dummies. Now all I need is a free evening to play!

Spoiler:

I've already got the Dummy

[PatNY]

Originally Posted by wodin

Thanks Pat,

I haven't looked too closely over at XDA yet, Does the ClockWork Mod flash the ROM with a new OS or does it just modify the existing one?

wodin, the mod that I did does not install a new OS. All it did was modify the existing stock firmware to allow sideloading of apps. It also installed zeam launcher, but since I use the stock launcher I just uninstalled zeam after the whole process was done.

Under the procedures I used, there were additional options -- ie, installation of a new OS or preventing over-the-air updates, but I didn't select any other option.

...

OK, I found it here, [NOOK HD/HD+] Installing CyanogenMod 10.1 for Dummies. Now all I need is a free evening to play!

Spoiler:

I've already got the Dummy

That's not the mod I used. The page you linked to only has an option to replace the OS entirely with a newer version of Android (I think 4.2). That's something I may or may not do in the future. For now, I'm happy with the small mod to the existing stock firmware.

Here's the page at xda I used to get the instructions:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=2062613

You only need to pay attention to the very first post in that thread.

The relevant portions of the first post that pertained to the mod I did are:

General intro, 1-intro, 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, and 3. If you want to revert to stock, see part 6.

The post offers two ways to make the bootable CWM sd card -- one using an image file, and the other dropping 5 boot files onto an sd card with an active first partition. I found the latter method to be much easier.

The creator of that thread was very thorough with his instructions.

It really is easy. No DOS commands are needed and no need to read the entire thread.

Hope you are enjoying your new HD+!

--Pat

[Cgray]

I do have one question relating to the kids-- how do HD+ handle games, especially the ones that you have to move the tablet to play (IE, shifting the tablet around to affect the game). Do they handle that, or not and if so is it a game killer? I'm thinking of picking up one or two as a cheap "away from home" machine that won't be so painful if something happens to it.

[Rbneader]

Originally Posted by Cgray

I do have one question relating to the kids-- how do HD+ handle games, especially the ones that you have to move the tablet to play (IE, shifting the tablet around to affect the game). Do they handle that, or not and if so is it a game killer? I'm thinking of picking up one or two as a cheap "away from home" machine that won't be so painful if something happens to it.

It handles all the games I've tried beautifully. And the tilt sensor is very sensitive in general. I can't remember if I've tried a tilt-based game on it or not, but I wouldn't think there would be any problems.

Word of general tablet advice - if you're going to use a tablet as an away from home kids machine, the very first thing you should do is install a screen protector. When the thing is dropped and the screen breaks a screen protector holds the glass in in one place and your kids don't get hurt. My HD+ is holding up fine, but I had another tablet where the screen shattered completely and the screen protector is the only thing holding the glass together in a few places.

[Apache]

Originally Posted by Rbneader

It handles all the games I've tried beautifully. And the tilt sensor is very sensitive in general. I can't remember if I've tried a tilt-based game on it or not, but I wouldn't think there would be any problems.

Word of general tablet advice - if you're going to use a tablet as an away from home kids machine, the very first thing you should do is install a screen protector. When the thing is dropped and the screen breaks a screen protector holds the glass in in one place and your kids don't get hurt. My HD+ is holding up fine, but I had another tablet where the screen shattered completely and the screen protector is the only thing holding the glass together in a few places.

And Square Trade is your friend. I laid my HD+ on the trunk of my car and drove off with it still there. I saw it fly off when I pulled on to the main road. I pulled over and went to pick it up. I had to wait for traffic to clear and imagine my surprise, and anger, when the last car in line swerved and deliberately ran over it. I sent it to Square Trade and received a check for the full amount in a few days.
Apache

[FizzyWater]

Originally Posted by Apache

I laid my HD+ on the trunk of my car and drove off with it still there. I saw it fly off when I pulled on to the main road. I pulled over and went to pick it up. I had to wait for traffic to clear and imagine my surprise, and anger, when the last car in line swerved and deliberately ran over it.

My shock at this statement tells me that even though my cynical mind knows that "people are no d@mn good", my mushy heart still wants to believe that the world is a mostly nice place.

Sigh.