Thinking of a Color, need advice

[Lemurion]

Originally Posted by detayls

If you are only buying your Nook Color to read books, then ignore all this stuff about rooting.

I seem to be one of those rare people who only wants to read books on my Nook Color. I bought it to read books with and it is fine for that.

Remember that the people who haunt these forums (fora?) tend to be nerds and geeks. Don't feel bad if you only need to use the Nook for its intended purpose.

I can't speak to what will arrive in the forthcoming update, but I rooted mine primarily for reading purposes, because I think the default reader sucks. I use Aldiko for epubs (which handles Nookbooks just fine - even with DRM) and Kindle for my existing Kindle collection.

As for rooting letting you in for a world of hurt - just rooting on its own isn't really doing anything to the Nook - it's essentially changing your user account to an administrator account.

No one has to do it, and for many it's a perfectly viable choice without it - but it's not a significant risk.

[detayls]

Originally Posted by Lemurion

I can't speak to what will arrive in the forthcoming update, but I rooted mine primarily for reading purposes, because I think the default reader sucks. I use Aldiko for epubs (which handles Nookbooks just fine - even with DRM) and Kindle for my existing Kindle collection.

As for rooting letting you in for a world of hurt - just rooting on its own isn't really doing anything to the Nook - it's essentially changing your user account to an administrator account.

No one has to do it, and for many it's a perfectly viable choice without it - but it's not a significant risk.

Seriously though. Has anyone tried getting support from B&N with a rooted Nook? What do they say? Do they deny you support?

[Lemurion]

I haven't done so personally, but I have seen postings on boards like XDA-developers where users have rooted their Nook Colors and then later returned them.

The key here, is that even though B&N does not officially support rooted Nook Colors, it's trivially easy to unroot them. It's a little more difficult if you've added a third party recovery tool, but otherwise it's just erase/deregister, then 8 interrupted reboots to put it back to stock.

[RAH]

I wouldn't blame B&N for refusing to support a rooted Nook, at least at the software/firmware level (for the hardware, perhaps they should). I mean, if you bought say a new HP computer and wiped Windows off it and installed Linux, HP wouldn't support any questions you had about the OS or applications you used on it.

Yes, I know rooting doesn't really change the OS, but I think the analogy is valid. If B&N locks out certain facilities and you remove those locks, why should they support you? I agree that it's a shame that they do lock you out, but that's a different argument.

[SCION]

I can't recall the last time I called tech support for anything. Oh wait, I do remember. I was running Windows Millenium on my computer . By the time it takes me to get to Level 3 or 4 support, I could have Googled and found the answer. Going through Levels 1 and 2 is a total waste of time, as I've already done all of the steps they ask you to do.

[anamardoll]

<rant>

I'm a little tired of the canard that the people rooting their Nook Colors are all android gear heads that just want to play Angry Birds. I rooted my Nook Color two months ago because I got tired of waiting for the B&N update that finally got "stealth announced" via HSC and who knows if it will be worth a tinker's damn, etc..... That sentence got away from me, but the point is that I use my rooted Nook Color ONLY for reading.

Here is what a rooted Nook Color gives to THIS e-reading junkie:

1. Cloud Library: Calibre + Calibre2opds + Dropbox + WiFi = Happy Ana. It's not that I *minded* laboriously side-loading my entire library once a week, but the library management on the device is TERRIBLE. The shelving/tagging system is broken in the extreme in my opinion, and not being able to put side-loaded titles on the Home Page? No thanks.

2. Reader Choice: Moon+ gives much better highlighting options than the stock app. I spent a week highlighting a NookBook on the stock reader only to have the device crash and lose all my highlights. And you can't export the highlights; Moon+ doesn't have that little limitation. Oh hai there, Aldiko - look at you remembering the last page I was on for a PDF file. The fact that the B&N stock PDF reader still hasn't been patched to recall my last-read PDF page - a feature that came with the Nook Classic version 1? Rage inducing.

3. Library Books via WiFi: My experience with Adobe Digital Editions has been touch-and-go - sometimes it recognizes my side-loaded NookColor and sometimes...it doesn't. There's nothing I like more than checking out a hot new library title only to have to spend two hours trying to coax it to side-load through ADE. Oh, look! Rooted NookColor runs the OverDrive Media app that connects directly to my local library over the WiFi. Goodbye, ADE!

4. Enhanced audiobook options: If you use Audible or any other proprietary audiobook provider, the rooted NookColor can download and use their Android app that manages, downloads, and plays your audiobooks. I don't really recommend Audible myself, but I know people who like them and it's all about choice.

There's other good, valid reasons for a "dedicated reader" to want to root the Nook Color, and I certainly don't judge people who do or don't - it's your device to do whatever you want with it. But I wish we could put to rest this myth that the only people who root Nook Colors are philistines... OR, for that matter, the myth that the NC out of the box is a perfect reader, because as much as I love it, it needs some serious patching and development and B&N is really dropping the ball in that regard, in my opinion.

I actually held off rooting for quite some time because I firmly believed that the Nook App Store was going to come out with these crucial apps *any day now*, but...well, let's just say I don't believe in B&N fairies anymore.

Sorry for the long post.

</rant>

[anamardoll]

Originally Posted by detayls

Seriously though. Has anyone tried getting support from B&N with a rooted Nook? What do they say? Do they deny you support?

The last time I called B&N tech support, a refund they'd promised on a faulty NookBook had failed to show up on my credit card.

I was on hold for 3 hours. Because of the "Christmas Rush". In February.

So...yeah.

I have a rooted Nook Color and have never needed tech support for the device. It's notoriously hard to brick, and fairly easy to reset.

[Lemurion]

Anyone who can write a file to a microSD card, insert the card in the Nook, and log into a Google account can root a Nook Color.

It's that easy.

[Catsnkites]

Well, after reading all of this, trying out a borrowed Nook Color ... dearest hubby has decided ... drum roll .... to wait. Sigh

Wait for what, you might ask?

I have no earthly idea.

However, you all have given me and others TONS of great info!

Thanks!

Susie
Kansas

[detayls]

Originally Posted by anamardoll

<rant>

I'm a little tired of the canard that the people rooting their Nook Colors are all android gear heads that just want to play Angry Birds.
.
.
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Sorry for the long post.

</rant>

Sorry, all inconsequential. All I really want is to be able to use the Nook Color in sideways two-page at once mode.

[CarolC]

Is there any way to get my Sony ebooks on my Nook Color? Sony died way too soon and I'm not replacing. Thanks.

[Lemurion]

Originally Posted by CarolC

Is there any way to get my Sony ebooks on my Nook Color? Sony died way too soon and I'm not replacing. Thanks.

All your Sony ePubs will work fine on the Nook Color. Just authorize it in ADE and then you can sideload them to the NC. The Sony Library won't recognize it, but you can either drag and drop or load through ADE.

[Droiddict]

[QUOTE=anamardoll;1480679]<rant>

I'm a little tired of the canard that the people rooting their Nook Colors are all android gear heads that just want to play Angry Birds.
__________________________________________________ _______

Thanks! I enjoyed your rant. I'm female, not a gear head and Angry Birds is boring. I rooted my NC mostly for Kindle and Audible but now that I can add Android Market aps, I'm using it more than my iPad. I like the size and weight as an e-book reader so I end up doing my email and web surfing on it too. These options are way worth the step of rooting your device.

Anyway, the youtube video babies you through the whole process. Pick up a micro SC card and have at it. It doesn't require a MAN to do the job . Warranty, shmarantee. If the hardware fails, B&N is going to fix it. If the software is a problem, ask at XDA and you will get a response faster than anyone will help at B&N.

[CarolC]

Thanks :-)

[cheryl426]

I am considering the nook color because it is more versatile, but am concerned about the battery not being replaceable. Does anyone have any thoughts about this?