Cruz Tablet vs Nook Color

[Falcao]

I'm looking for a nice and cheap (< $300) Android tablet. I'm a programmer so I would like to be able to program apps and load them.

I have seen there is a lot of Android tablets in the USA market, but most of the reviews are not very kind with them. Two exceptions to these bad reviews are the Cruz Tablet and the Nook Color. Maybe (and probably) I'm mistaken so if anybody knows any other good tablet, please post the name.

Currently, the Cruz Tablet and Nook Color have the same price (at least in the USA), but I don't know if after Thanksgiving the Cruz will be again at $299.

B&N has a developer program (I'm already registered but have not received the promised info about where to download the SDK and docs). Anybody knows about the Cruz Tablet?

What about screen? Both have the same quality? glare, etc?

[TallMomof2]

I recommend the Pocketbook IQ. It currently sells for $149.99 and is completely open. Right now it runs Android 2.0 and an update to 2.2 is promised in the near future. The IQ has a very nice screen, not as nice as the Nook Color but is the Color's screen $100 better?

I've installed various Android reading apps with no problem. Like all the tablets there is no direct access to the Google Android Market but there are ways to work around that. I've sideloaded several apps from my Droid and they work great. YouTube works good, Opera Mini is better than the included web browser.

If you gotta spend more money then go for it but for $149.99 US the Pocketbook IQ is a contender. BTW, Pocketbook has European distributors and if you check out the Pocketbook forum here at MobileRead you'll discover that Pocketbook is very responsive and sells a good product.

[speedtouch]

I also have a PocketBook IQ. I am having to learn about Android, as I have never worked with it before. It's a challenge to me, but I am sure I can manage it. Since you're a dev and already familiar with Android I am sure you'll be just fine. The IQ is pretty cheap! And with Android 2.2 on the way, it's a promising tablet.

I think the screen is nice. The text is pretty clear and things look good on it. Yes, it does have some glare, but it's not bad at all. I think the build quality is quite good. Feels very solid in my hands. See the threads started by TallMomof2 and myself regarding our IQ devices in the Pocketbook forum for more information.

[katzki]

I've watched a Youtube vedio which shows the Cruz tablet and it was kind of disappointing. Cruz tablet has a capacitive screen but it was not responsive that much. It needs time for software optimzation, I think.

On the other hand, most of people who purchased Nook Color look happy for their decision. But you need to make it clear whether you want a tablet or a reader. Nook Color is a fantastic color lcd reader but as a tablet it has quite limited ability since B&N has not allowed many apps on it yet. It definitely will have an app market for nook color next year. By now, it's just a fantastic ereader.

If you're looking for a tablet, you need to consider another one.

[Bethann]

Try Cruz out in Borders store. I did and the touch screen sucks so I would not buy one until they fix it.

[Crucis]

Originally Posted by Bethann

Try Cruz out in Borders store. I did and the touch screen sucks so I would not buy one until they fix it.

Velocity has a firmware upgrade for their tablet. It reportedly includes the ability to "adjust/calibrate" the sensitivity of the screen. I have it but haven't yet updated my Cruz Tablet yet.

Getting back to the poll...
I bought the Cruz Tablet from Borders. Before I chose that, I went to both and had some hands-on experience before I laid out any $$.
My impressions:
The Color Nook is thinner and overall, perhaps better hardware. It appears to have an abbreviated version of the Android O/S. As I played with it a customer brought his back. He said he was experienced IT tech. He tried to add some apps, FBreader and Aldiko, IIRC, and neither would install properly. He had a list of complaints about what the Nook lacked from an Android perspective. From what I heard, he didn't want to be chained to the Nook ereader app but hadn't found an alternative that would work.

The Cruz Tablet is heavier, more bulky than the color Nook. Both appeared to have the same capacitive screen sensitivity. The Cruz came with more installed apps than the Nook although Velocity appears to have some licensing conflicts with Google.

For a number of reasons, I bought the Cruz Tablet @ $249.95 online. When I opened the box, I was surprised to find two Borders gift cards totalling $55. A nice surprise.

I've had my Cruz Tablet for a week. Yes, there are some things I don't like. There are some things I do like: Aldiko and Moon+ Reader both work just fine---FBReader doesn't and that is noted on the Cruz support site.

The Tablet comes with Cruz Market. In that market is an app for another Market that is much larger. True, access to the expected Android Market is absent but I found a number of alternate sites that are available.

Bottom line: Both tablets, the Cruz and the Nook, appear to have a limited version of the Android O/S. The Nook appears to be, to me at least, more constrained that the Cruz. The Nook appears to be more tightly locked to B&N, the Cruz is not so tightly linked to Borders. In fact most of my ebooks (and I have a lot!) are from Baen and Manybooks. I don't HAVE to buy my ebooks from Borders. (At least not until I used up the gift cards. )

Just my $0.02.

[DuncanWatson]

The NOOKColor can buy from any epub store. It is more tightly locked down at the Andriod level but it is trivial to buy from any epub store, both with and without DRM.

The NOOKColor has an excellent screen and the SDK is downloadable from here - http://nookdeveloper.barnesandnoble.com/tools# (login with your account). I haven't seen the Cruz's ereader SW but the NOOKColor's reader sw is superb. It is better than any of the products I have seen to date, it is fast and a joy to use. It takes advantage of the touch interface and the CPU. I love it.

The NOOKColor has a better screen with 1024 x 600 resolution as compared to the 800x480 of the cruz table. The ram and cpu are comparable. The NOOKColor is more locked down but does run a later android (2.1) and has been rooted. The root kit is reversible and due to the order the NOOKColor boots up it is effectively unbrickable. B&N promised Andriod 2.2 in 2011.

To be honest, unless I really wanted more video codecs right away, I would choose the NOOKColor. And I did. I absolutely love the reader sw on it btw, and if you plan on reading on the device I really recommend the NOOKColor.