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Originally Posted by barkndog
Need a little help here, thought maybe some of you with a Nook Color could give me some info.
My kids love playing with my iPad and I'm wanting to get the kids tablets for Christmas. The older kids are allowed to bring tablets to school to use for research on the internet. There's no way I can afford iPads for them all and I notice I could get a refurb Nook Color for about $150.00. I know that, as a tablet, the Nook Color would not be as versatile or as fast as an iPad, but for my kids I think a tablet that is geared toward reading is a good thing. But they'll also want the games, internet browsing and email as well. So, a few questions (with observations):
I looked at the Barnes and Nobel app store, everything seems expensive compared to the Apple app store and Amazon. Books especially. With my iPad (and my Kindle) I can find free books and side load - I assume that is possible with the Nook? If so, what is the best format?
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Certainly can sideload - epub is the best format (unless rooted - then format becomes less important)
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Originally Posted by barkndog
Are the children's interactive books worth the price? (I have a 1st grader that could use some reading help). Are there some good low priced ones out there?
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Yes, there are some great interactive childrens books on B&N. $10 seems to be the going rate. They are "worth it" as much as any other ebook is worht $10 (if you root, there other "apps" that are just interactive books - such as Sandra Boynton "The Going to Bed Book" - it is $2.99 - a real bargain!)
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Originally Posted by barkndog
If I have multiple Nooks, can BN purchased books and games be shared between the two? For example, one BN account on multiple Nooks?
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Yes.
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Originally Posted by barkndog
Does Netflix work on the Nook Color? without rooting?
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Currently Netflix only works after "rooting" - or at least booting up off an SD card w/ full Android.
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Originally Posted by barkndog
What is the general feeling on the default browser and email client? Can the email client support multiple accounts?
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Default browser is Ok. I dont' think there are multiple tabs available. I can't remember if flash is available in default browser, but I think it is now (after an update). Don't know about multiple email accounts in the default email client.
After rooting - alternate browsers provide tabs, flash. After rooting - email clients support mutliple accounts.
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Originally Posted by barkndog
Do graphical games (ok, Angry Birds) run smoothly on the Nook Color?
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Yes. If rooted, they are generally free, too. On the B&N "app store", they cost ($2.99 for Angry Birds).
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Originally Posted by barkndog
Anybody have experience with educational apps? What did you think of them?
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Memory games are the closest my kids have to educational on the Nook. Check out the android market (see below) to see more.
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Originally Posted by barkndog
I've considered the Nook Tablet because of the dual processors and additional memory. I've also considered a cheap general purpose tablet in line with the Archos 80 G9 that has dual processors and a more generic interface - and it would have access to the android market. But these options are more expensive, and neither have a lot of reviews yet.
Thanks for any info, sorry for the long post. If I do decide to go with a Nook Color, anybody upgrading to a tablet that might want to give me a deal?  |
The refurbs are a great deal at $139/$149. The option to run full android from SD card or dual boot is great. The only reason I kept the B&N software on my dualboot was for the kids books (they don't work on the Android B&N app). But I have started buying the Sandra Boynton book apps at $2.99 instead of the $10 kids books on B&N, and I rarely boot into B&N anymore on the Nook.
If you aren't familiar with Android apps, you can go to
http://market.android.com and browse the apps from your computer.
For $139 (refurb), The NC w/ CM7 is GREAT tablet for kids.