MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Barnes & Noble mulls Android SDK for Nook, says web browser "if readers want it"

sforce · 10-21-2009, 04:13 PM

Barnes & Noble mulls Android SDK for Nook reader

Blasts Kindle's 'clumsy' text-to-speech

"Barnes & Noble.com president William J. Lynch has hinted the American bookseller will one day open up its Android-based ebook reader to third-party developers.

But you have to wonder how far off such a move might be.

"We haven't announced anything regarding putting out an SDK or setting up a developer environment, but we do think Android offers some exciting opportunities in that way," Lynch said this morning during a conference call with reporters. "We do think - just because of all the excitement and all the development around Android - we do think that putting out an SDK and a developer environment would be something exciting for us and our users."

The company officially unveiled the Nook yesterday afternoon - yes, the Nook - calling it the world's first Android-based ebook reader. The $259 device is set to go on sale in the US at the end of November in the run-up to the all-important holiday shopping season. The company is taking pre-orders now at nook.com and across its network of more than 40,000 retail stores.

That's all Lynch offered on the possibility of a Nook SDK, but with Barnes & Noble scrambling to catch the Amazon Kindle, which has a two-year headstart in the fledgling ereader market, such an SDK is one means of making up lost ground. If Barnes & Noble taps that already percolating community of Android app developers, the Nook could offer a range of possibilities unavailable on the Kindle.

Of course, in opening the Nook to developers, Barnes & Noble could also force Amazon into a similar move. The difference is that the Kindle doesn't run Android.....

.....Today, the Kindle at least offers an "experimental" web browser for accessing webpages and downloading files directly onto the device. But if you're interested in moving non-B&N content onto B&N's ebook reader, you'll have to either connect the Nook to your PC or shuttle files onto an microSD card.

But Lynch indicated he wasn't necessarily opposed to the browser. "Could we have one in the future? Sure," he said. "We're looking at all kinds of different feature sets for our road-map and that's certainly one to consider.

"I think if you look at the book reader market and at our consumer research, what people want to do with these devices primarily is read...But if readers identify that [a browser] is something they want in their readers, we'll make sure to include it."

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/10...ook_open_hint/

10-21-2009, 04:13 PM	#1
sforce Connoisseur Posts: 81 Karma: 184 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: Plastic Logic (?)	Barnes & Noble mulls Android SDK for Nook, says web browser "if readers want it" Barnes & Noble mulls Android SDK for Nook reader Blasts Kindle's 'clumsy' text-to-speech "Barnes & Noble.com president William J. Lynch has hinted the American bookseller will one day open up its Android-based ebook reader to third-party developers. But you have to wonder how far off such a move might be. "We haven't announced anything regarding putting out an SDK or setting up a developer environment, but we do think Android offers some exciting opportunities in that way," Lynch said this morning during a conference call with reporters. "We do think - just because of all the excitement and all the development around Android - we do think that putting out an SDK and a developer environment would be something exciting for us and our users." The company officially unveiled the Nook yesterday afternoon - yes, the Nook - calling it the world's first Android-based ebook reader. The $259 device is set to go on sale in the US at the end of November in the run-up to the all-important holiday shopping season. The company is taking pre-orders now at nook.com and across its network of more than 40,000 retail stores. That's all Lynch offered on the possibility of a Nook SDK, but with Barnes & Noble scrambling to catch the Amazon Kindle, which has a two-year headstart in the fledgling ereader market, such an SDK is one means of making up lost ground. If Barnes & Noble taps that already percolating community of Android app developers, the Nook could offer a range of possibilities unavailable on the Kindle. Of course, in opening the Nook to developers, Barnes & Noble could also force Amazon into a similar move. The difference is that the Kindle doesn't run Android..... .....Today, the Kindle at least offers an "experimental" web browser for accessing webpages and downloading files directly onto the device. But if you're interested in moving non-B&N content onto B&N's ebook reader, you'll have to either connect the Nook to your PC or shuttle files onto an microSD card. But Lynch indicated he wasn't necessarily opposed to the browser. "Could we have one in the future? Sure," he said. "We're looking at all kinds of different feature sets for our road-map and that's certainly one to consider. "I think if you look at the book reader market and at our consumer research, what people want to do with these devices primarily is read...But if readers identify that [a browser] is something they want in their readers, we'll make sure to include it." http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/10...ook_open_hint/ Last edited by sforce; 10-21-2009 at 07:25 PM.