To Root or not to Root?

Sethman · 01-14-2011, 09:36 PM

I've been following the rooting thing now for a couple of weeks and I'm becoming more and more interested in doing it. However I'd like to get some feedback from others who have already traveled that road.

I've had this Nook Color from about the 1st week it came out and I've been very happy with it generally. There are three things that I really use it for. 1st reading, of course. Mostly free Epub books and some PDF's. And those mostly from my library using ADE. I don't have a problem with the Nook reader, but I wouldn't be against getting a better reader. Is Aldiko that reader without loosing any features of the stock reader?

2nd I use it for web browsing. The Nook browser I really don't care for. Is the Dolphin browser so much better the one of choice?

3rd on trips my son would like to watch videos in the car. I've converted a few of his favorites using DVD Catalyst to MPEG4's. They look pretty good. I can convert to DIVX as well on my laptop, which look better, but the Nook doesn't play those. I have no idea if there is a better app for playing videos than what the Nook does now?

I'm not really into games, so that's not a big factor. Also I really don't want to have to spend hours everyday tinkering with the Nook to get things working right. This is getting long, so I would like to appreciate a listing of 'must have' apps to get a rooted nook sailing along and accomplish my 3 most important goals.

Thanks for any advice.

SCION · 01-14-2011, 09:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sethman

...I don't have a problem with the Nook reader, but I wouldn't be against getting a better reader. Is Aldiko that reader without loosing any features of the stock reader?...

Hi,

This thread addresses this question.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=115818

Feel free to post additional questions within that thread if they pertain to Aldiko.

Welcome to MobileRead.

Sethman · 01-15-2011, 07:23 AM

Thanks. I did read that thread. I guess I was really trying to get opinions on whether or not to root with my limited interests.

And if so which apps would be needed to support that.

Maybe I should just do it and if I don't like it go back.

SCION · 01-15-2011, 09:06 AM

It's a personal call. You have to determine if there are any shortcomings in the device from a personal perspective. What do you wish it did (for you) that it presently doesn't do. When you have those (if any), tell us and we can give you some pointers.

KryptoNyte · 01-15-2011, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sethman

... Also I really don't want to have to spend hours everyday tinkering with the Nook to get things working right...

I don't think you have to spend hours each day with it, but I think the desire to tinker should be high on your fun list with regard to *any* hacked Android device.

Sethman · 01-15-2011, 09:42 AM

I guess the only thing I really don't care for is the browser. I wish it was more Firefox like and that it would be easier to zoom in and out.

The stock reader I'm not unhappy with. Just didn't know if the alternatives are vastly much better.

I was hoping B&N would have comeout with what this next update would be doing by now. Big improvements would effect my decision.

I'll figure out what to do shortly.

I do think that this forum has lots of very helpful people. You guys do make rooting tempting.

=X= · 01-15-2011, 11:19 PM

The alternatives are far superior than the nook stock. The best by far on the nook is dolphin hd.

On my stock android phone the android is my favorite

Girl Read Write · 01-16-2011, 01:47 AM

I debated with this for a few days, and within a week of owning my NC I rooted it. I have one major annoying problem with it, but other than that, I find it far superior in every way. I didn't root it for the games or browser or anything like that, I just rooted so I could read Kindle books on my Nook.

I say root it, based on your situation as described. You have more to gain than lose, if that makes sense.

Sethman · 01-16-2011, 08:51 AM

Quote:

I debated with this for a few days, and within a week of owning my NC I rooted it. I have one major annoying problem with it, but other than that, I find it far superior in every way. I didn't root it for the games or browser or anything like that, I just rooted so I could read Kindle books on my Nook.

Would you mind sharing what that problem is?

My only other concern is what will happen when B&N comes out with another update. Will the nook just revert to what is was before being rooted? Or could the update even mess the Nook up for the future?

Since I'm not too technical a person I worry about future problems.

PegS · 01-16-2011, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sethman

Will the nook just revert to what is was before being rooted?

Probably, but it's unlikely mess anything up. More likely we'd have to start from scratch. However, given how great a rooted machine is, how easy it is to root, and how we're likely to have to wait something like 2 months for the upgrade, I'm happy I rooted when I did.

aagstn · 01-16-2011, 03:38 PM

I finally rooted mine and being able to read CBR files has made it worth doing. Dolphin HD is pretty nice though.

BarryR · 01-17-2011, 09:38 PM

I had mine for a few weeks before I rooted and I love it. Although I had a few glitches when rooting. Autonooter makes it quite easy. I also had a weird occurrence a week ago where it suddenly unrooted itselft and I had to do a factory reset and reroot.

I was happy with the color nook before rooting but absolutely love it now.
Amongst the improvements:

1) Set up my home page with shortcuts to side-loaded content on it
2) Use the free New York Times app
3) Check my email
4) Read Kindle files.
5) Use a dimmer app to get the screen much dimmer than the stock lowest setting (I read in the dark often and was not happy with the dimmest level previously).
6) My son can play Angry Birds
7) Use weather apps.
8) Use the Netflix app
9) Use Moviefon or similar
10) Access my ewallet passwords

In short, if you're a little bit technically adept and find the idea of a rooted nook appealing, I'd suggest doing it. You can always revert to stock (I think it's close to impossible to brick a nook). Technically, it may void the warranty, but in reality I'm not sure if this would actually be the case.

If you're technically totally naive and don't want to do any troubleshooting ever, want the highest reliability and lowest effort, you may want to stick with the unrooted nook (particularly if the above benefits are not appealing).

One final thought, an update soon is supposed to allow limited access to android apps. This may bring the unrooted nook up a notch though I'm pretty sure free New York Times and the ability to read Kindle won't be part of the deal.

Sethman · 01-18-2011, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BarryR

I had mine for a few weeks before I rooted and I love it. Although I had a few glitches when rooting. Autonooter makes it quite easy. I also had a weird occurrence a week ago where it suddenly unrooted itselft and I had to do a factory reset and reroot.

I was reading that B&N was coming up with another update in Jan. That's less than two weeks away. I think I will wait for that and then root. From what I understand the auto updates unroot your Nook.

Thanks for the great reply. It certainly seems that there is really nothing to loose. I never take my Nook to B&N, so I won't miss the read in store anyways.

Thanks.

SCION · 01-18-2011, 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sethman

...From what I understand the auto updates unroot your Nook...

You can disable auto updates. My updates have been disabled since 12/17. I'm still on version 1.0.0.

BarryR · 01-18-2011, 09:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sethman

I was reading that B&N was coming up with another update in Jan. That's less than two weeks away. I think I will wait for that and then root. From what I understand the auto updates unroot your Nook.

Thanks for the great reply. It certainly seems that there is really nothing to loose. I never take my Nook to B&N, so I won't miss the read in store anyways.

Thanks.

Sounds like a good plan.
There are threads devoted to the issue of possibly voiding you're warranty if that concerns you. But nobody really knows how that will play out.

Then only other thing you can lose by rooting is time.

01-14-2011, 09:36 PM	#1
Sethman Enthusiast Posts: 41 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: Nook Color	To Root or not to Root? I've been following the rooting thing now for a couple of weeks and I'm becoming more and more interested in doing it. However I'd like to get some feedback from others who have already traveled that road. I've had this Nook Color from about the 1st week it came out and I've been very happy with it generally. There are three things that I really use it for. 1st reading, of course. Mostly free Epub books and some PDF's. And those mostly from my library using ADE. I don't have a problem with the Nook reader, but I wouldn't be against getting a better reader. Is Aldiko that reader without loosing any features of the stock reader? 2nd I use it for web browsing. The Nook browser I really don't care for. Is the Dolphin browser so much better the one of choice? 3rd on trips my son would like to watch videos in the car. I've converted a few of his favorites using DVD Catalyst to MPEG4's. They look pretty good. I can convert to DIVX as well on my laptop, which look better, but the Nook doesn't play those. I have no idea if there is a better app for playing videos than what the Nook does now? I'm not really into games, so that's not a big factor. Also I really don't want to have to spend hours everyday tinkering with the Nook to get things working right. This is getting long, so I would like to appreciate a listing of 'must have' apps to get a rooted nook sailing along and accomplish my 3 most important goals. Thanks for any advice.

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01-15-2011, 07:23 AM	#3
Sethman Enthusiast Posts: 41 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: Nook Color	Thanks. I did read that thread. I guess I was really trying to get opinions on whether or not to root with my limited interests. And if so which apps would be needed to support that. Maybe I should just do it and if I don't like it go back.

01-15-2011, 09:06 AM	#4
SCION Séduisant Posts: 4,706 Karma: 2107018 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Texas, USA Device: Boox Note Air2+; Kobo Libra2; Kindle Scribe, Oasis3; iPad Mini6	It's a personal call. You have to determine if there are any shortcomings in the device from a personal perspective. What do you wish it did (for you) that it presently doesn't do. When you have those (if any), tell us and we can give you some pointers.

01-15-2011, 09:42 AM	#6
Sethman Enthusiast Posts: 41 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: Nook Color	I guess the only thing I really don't care for is the browser. I wish it was more Firefox like and that it would be easier to zoom in and out. The stock reader I'm not unhappy with. Just didn't know if the alternatives are vastly much better. I was hoping B&N would have comeout with what this next update would be doing by now. Big improvements would effect my decision. I'll figure out what to do shortly. I do think that this forum has lots of very helpful people. You guys do make rooting tempting.

01-15-2011, 11:19 PM	#7
=X= Wizard Posts: 3,671 Karma: 12205348 Join Date: Mar 2008 Device: Galaxy S, Nook w/CM7	The alternatives are far superior than the nook stock. The best by far on the nook is dolphin hd. On my stock android phone the android is my favorite

01-16-2011, 01:47 AM	#8
Girl Read Write Literary Goodness Posts: 57 Karma: 34 Join Date: Dec 2010 Device: Nook Color, iPad 2, iPhone 4, iPhone 5, Samsung Infuse	I debated with this for a few days, and within a week of owning my NC I rooted it. I have one major annoying problem with it, but other than that, I find it far superior in every way. I didn't root it for the games or browser or anything like that, I just rooted so I could read Kindle books on my Nook. I say root it, based on your situation as described. You have more to gain than lose, if that makes sense.

01-16-2011, 03:38 PM	#11
aagstn Evangelist Posts: 422 Karma: 1004351 Join Date: Jun 2007 Device: Kindle Paperwhite 3, iPad mini 2	I finally rooted mine and being able to read CBR files has made it worth doing. Dolphin HD is pretty nice though.

01-17-2011, 09:38 PM	#12
BarryR Connoisseur Posts: 67 Karma: 104 Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Wilbraham, MA Device: Color Nook	I had mine for a few weeks before I rooted and I love it. Although I had a few glitches when rooting. Autonooter makes it quite easy. I also had a weird occurrence a week ago where it suddenly unrooted itselft and I had to do a factory reset and reroot. I was happy with the color nook before rooting but absolutely love it now. Amongst the improvements: 1) Set up my home page with shortcuts to side-loaded content on it 2) Use the free New York Times app 3) Check my email 4) Read Kindle files. 5) Use a dimmer app to get the screen much dimmer than the stock lowest setting (I read in the dark often and was not happy with the dimmest level previously). 6) My son can play Angry Birds 7) Use weather apps. 8) Use the Netflix app 9) Use Moviefon or similar 10) Access my ewallet passwords In short, if you're a little bit technically adept and find the idea of a rooted nook appealing, I'd suggest doing it. You can always revert to stock (I think it's close to impossible to brick a nook). Technically, it may void the warranty, but in reality I'm not sure if this would actually be the case. If you're technically totally naive and don't want to do any troubleshooting ever, want the highest reliability and lowest effort, you may want to stick with the unrooted nook (particularly if the above benefits are not appealing). One final thought, an update soon is supposed to allow limited access to android apps. This may bring the unrooted nook up a notch though I'm pretty sure free New York Times and the ability to read Kindle won't be part of the deal.

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