Barnes & Noble Unveils Nook HD and Nook HD+

[robertc88]

Looks like November 8th for the new Nooks last time I checked. I didn't see any announcements per se, I just looked on B&N's homepage and checked availability of each. Pretty sure initially the target date was November 1st.

No sightings yet at my local store for demo units.

[fjtorres]

Reviews.
Reviews and hackability reports are going to be key once it gets out in the wild.

[robertc88]

Saw the 9" model available today on display this morning at B&N. They did not get the 7" yet.

Only messed around with it for a few minutes, the clerk was hawking me for a sale so my time was limited. BUT there was a developer's subfolder under device if I remember correctly in the settings menu and a choice for mock applications to be enabled. Not sure what that is all about. Maybe access to third party apps isn't totally out of the question without hacking but I probably need to pinch myself.

[techie6]

I just got a notice from B & N on my pre-ordered Nook HD 8.9. Was told they wouldn't be shipped until 12-01.

[bossfan2000]

I just called a local B&N and they have the 16gb HD+ in stock and are holding one for me until close of business. I turned in some Discover Cashback points (180 points gave me $200 in B&N gift cards), so I will be picking it up tonight. Looking forward to seeing how that screen looks when reading books, and if I like the form factor more than my Nexus 7. I've decided I want something slightly larger than the Nexus 7, but not as big or heavy as the iPad. While I greatly prefer Android, the iPad mini would have been interesting if it had a retina display. Anyway, I have my Nexus 7 as my general purpose tablet, so I am interesting in the Nook HD+ mostly for reading.

So maybe check the bn.com site to see if you local store has any in stock. All 3 of mine do (though I only confirmed with the one store mentioned above).

[geertm]

Originally Posted by techie6

I just got a notice from B & N on my pre-ordered Nook HD 8.9. Was told they wouldn't be shipped until 12-01.

The december 1 shipping mail was an error (mail quoted from the B&N board):

Dear NOOK Customer,

You may have received an email notification this morning stating that your NOOK® HD or NOOK® HD+ order had been delayed until December 1st. Please note that this email was sent in error due to technical issues resulting from Hurricane Sandy.

Be assured that the team at NOOK is working around the clock to get you your device. We are pleased to let you know that orders began shipping yesterday and we expect all orders to ship no later than early next week.

We look forward to you enjoying your new NOOK very soon!

[robertc88]

Maybe some hope for non-rooters, not sure still how easy or hard to sideload would be.

Some pretty knowledgable people on this discussion, just weed through it:

http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/...01536#U1401536

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by robertc88

Maybe some hope for non-rooters, not sure still how easy or hard to sideload would be.

Some pretty knowledgable people on this discussion, just weed through it:

http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/...01536#U1401536

Good link. A bit sluggish (today?) but there are three nuggets of note:

Developer option is available on normally purchased HD+; we were lucky enough to pick one up without reserving at out local B&N last nite.

On XDA, a BN employee (?) reported that stores already have bootable SD cards that they are using to install software on the HD/HD+ devices.

Options available under Developer settings are:

1) Enable ADB. Debug Mode when USB is connected.
2) Stay Awake (screen will never sleep while charging).
3) Allow mock locations.

There's also a Development Device ID listed.

Also, the HD+ apparently uses MTP to talk to PCs.

It appears sideloading *is* on the table.
Now, there are three ways to sideload. In order of increasing simplicity/ease of use:

1- ADB: you connect to a PC and copy the files through it. Non-trivial. Developer and hacker/power user approch.
2- Copy the file to storage, locate it with a File Manager, and activate the apk. Non-trivial but easy for 99% of the species. (Kindle Fire uses this method.)
3- Download file with a browser and activate it from the notification bar/downloads folder (might need File Manager). Trivial to merely easy.

I would settle for number 2 though 3 would be preferable.

It seems Nook Media is taking a nice middle ground approach; the device ships consumer-level locked but they added a developer option so hackers and power users (who are really very few but they *are* influencers and unpaid marketters) can use ADB to have their way with the hardware. 'Cause once you have ADB you can root, unroot, change defaults, etc.

(Presumably the TERMS OF SERVICE have a clause relieving Nook Media of liability if you activate the Developers option.)

I'm a tad suspicious about the system updating SD cards in the stores. There is a possibility they shipped the HD+ from the factory with a pre-release build and the stores are supposed to flash the release firmware. And that might *not* have Developer options.

This bears monitoring. With the HD+ out in the wild, full reviews will be forthcoming shortly. Looking usable, though.

[kennyc]

and dropping the prices on the current versions:

http://www.zdnet.com/barnes-and-nobl...59-7000006840/

[afv011]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

It appears sideloading *is* on the table.

If you can enable ADB via the developer options, then you can sideload from a shell when connected to your PC.

And once it gets rooted, sideloading from the device itself should be easy to enable, it just requires updating a value in a database.

[MV64]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

Good link. A bit sluggish (today?) but there are three nuggets of note:







Also, the HD+ apparently uses MTP to talk to PCs.

It appears sideloading *is* on the table.
Now, there are three ways to sideload. In order of increasing simplicity/ease of use:

1- ADB: you connect to a PC and copy the files through it. Non-trivial. Developer and hacker/power user approch.
2- Copy the file to storage, locate it with a File Manager, and activate the apk. Non-trivial but easy for 99% of the species. (Kindle Fire uses this method.)
3- Download file with a browser and activate it from the notification bar/downloads folder (might need File Manager). Trivial to merely easy.

I would settle for number 2 though 3 would be preferable.

It seems Nook Media is taking a nice middle ground approach; the device ships consumer-level locked but they added a developer option so hackers and power users (who are really very few but they *are* influencers and unpaid marketters) can use ADB to have their way with the hardware. 'Cause once you have ADB you can root, unroot, change defaults, etc.

(Presumably the TERMS OF SERVICE have a clause relieving Nook Media of liability if you activate the Developers option.)

I'm a tad suspicious about the system updating SD cards in the stores. There is a possibility they shipped the HD+ from the factory with a pre-release build and the stores are supposed to flash the release firmware. And that might *not* have Developer options.

This bears monitoring. With the HD+ out in the wild, full reviews will be forthcoming shortly. Looking usable, though.

The "boot card" was just to put the devices into Demo mode. It locks some of the social sharing features on the demo units. It doesn't have anything to do with the software.

However, on launch day we got a notice that some units would need to have their software updated, so I don't know if that changes anything. In the past the Nooks were rootable initially but then changed. I don't see why these units would be any different. I'd wait and see for a while if the Nook HD remain rootable.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by MV64

I'd wait and see for a while if the Nook HD remain rootable.

Uh-huh.
While one might hope that NOOK MEDIA might be a bit more techie friendly than B&N the fact remains that while the name changed the people are the same.

[robertc88]

I didn't want to capture the whole post so cut the part I'm interested in trying when I get a 7", the 9" is too large for my taste.

2- Copy the file to storage, locate it with a File Manager, and activate the apk. Non-trivial but easy for 99% of the species. (Kindle Fire uses this method.)
3- Download file with a browser and activate it from the notification bar/downloads folder (might need File Manager). Trivial to merely easy.

Would one or both require an SD card for the new Nooks? I'm sure the demo I tried didn't have it.

For #3, I did download an apk file from freewarelovers and it complained once I went to notification that it was blocked because it wasn't from their app store.

Also, most review sites note lag on the demos they received. I know there is an immediate update to software BUT don't know if lag still exists. IF the 9" I fooled with in the store had that update, well I didn't like my experience to tell the truth. If I remember from the link I provided, something was enabled on the devices that shouldn't have been but if the update cleared that and the update was on the unit in the store, ...

[toronado]

Originally Posted by bossfan2000

I just called a local B&N and they have the 16gb HD+ in stock and are holding one for me until close of business.

So maybe check the bn.com site to see if you local store has any in stock. All 3 of mine do (though I only confirmed with the one store mentioned above).

Who already has an HD+? The Barnes and Noble website is saying November 8th.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by robertc88

Would one or both require an SD card for the new Nooks? I'm sure the demo I tried didn't have it.

For #3, I did download an apk file from freewarelovers and it complained once I went to notification that it was blocked because it wasn't from their app store.

There should be no need for a special SD card; not if sideloading is natively allowed.

You might have to go to settings to "allow installation of applications from unknown sources" or some such.

This is how it works on the Kindle FIRE:
http://www.ubergizmo.com/2011/11/kindle-fire-sideload/