color Software Update 1.2 released

[firefox]

The NOOKcolor software update has been released as promised

Barnes & Noble is providing a major firmware update for NOOK Color that contains exciting new features, addresses key customer requests and provides ongoing performance improvements. Among the enhancements, NOOK Color v1.2 now offering popular NOOK Apps™, NOOK Email™, an enhanced web experience, NOOK Kids™ Read and Play™ titles, enhanced NOOK Books, and more. The software update will be automatically downloaded to devices that are registered and connected to Wi-Fi®, beginning the week of April 25 and over the coming weeks. There’s no need for you to take any action. The software update is also available immediately via a manual download offered here. Please refer to the instructions below for the manual download. To check the current software version of your NOOK Color, please click here for additional instructions.

NOOKcolor Software Update Release Information

Wonder how it will compare to the rooted NOOKcolor?

[jhempel24]

Well, I don't have mine rooted yet, so we'll see!

[anamardoll]

I do have mine rooted, but Husband's is not yet rooted, so I'm excited to see it on his. I would be willing to unroot under certain circumstances, but I would need app access to:

* Aldiko reader
* Moon+ reader
* Kindle reader (if Amazon won't let B&N have it in the store, then "install from SD" capability)
* OverDrive reader
* Adobe PDF reader

I doubt all those are in the store yet.

Does anyone know if the rooteds can get the update and retain their root? I'm curious.

[Mare of Earth]

My NC is rooted and running CM7. Love it. Looking through the apps listed on the Nook Color site, the prices look a little high on some of the apps. Anyone done any price comparisons?
ie. Angry Birds HD - $2.99 - Epicurious - $4.99, etc...

[jhempel24]

The update hasn't come down on my Nook yet, is there something I Need to do, or just wait?

Upgrade 1.2 is very disappointing from my perspective. The fact that B&N named it 1.2 rather than 2.0 says it all. I never gave a damn about the stupid Android apps, my iPad does that better than Android ever will, but I was hoping B&N had improved the native ePub reader. B&N did NOT make any significant changes to the reader. It is stll the same old POS it has always been. No landscape, few fonts, few formating options, no 2nd level TOC entries, etc.

[jedifarfy]

The OTA update will take a couple of days. You can head go here to download the update. Then sideload it to your nook.

I don't see any apps I use available yet. I know I'll end up having to update, but I hope some developers get on the rooting soon. :P

[anamardoll]

You do have to accept the update, right? It's not automatically pushed onto your NC without asking for your permission in the Notifications area, correct?

[anamardoll]

Originally Posted by jswinden

Upgrade 1.2 is very disappointing from my perspective. The fact that B&N named it 1.2 rather than 2.0 says it all. I never gave a damn about the stupid Android apps, my iPad does that better than Android ever will, but I was hoping B&N had improved the native ePub reader. B&N did NOT make any significant changes to the reader. It is stll the same old POS it has always been. No landscape, few fonts, few formating options, no 2nd level TOC entries, etc.

I think the app store was more important to the majority of customers (not so much for the Angry Birds aspect, but for the OverDrive aspect, which goodness knows if they actually included), but I agree that the stock readers need updating ASAP.

The stock ePub reader is...adequate for me but nothing to write home about. (I myself wanted the highlighting updated to be more functional and to support exports.) The stock pdf reader is shamefully bad considering that it's far far worse than the stock pdf reader on the nook classic.

I wouldn't have minded an "app store" update to come first followed by a stock reader update, except that... FIVE MONTHS. I mean, really. After the superb and regular early updates to the nook classic, I guess I just got spoiled.

[jedifarfy]

Originally Posted by anamardoll

You do have to accept the update, right? It's not automatically pushed onto your NC without asking for your permission in the Notifications area, correct?

If I remember right, it will be pushed via WiFi in a couple of days. The last update wiped out a coworkers root. I just listed all the apps I have on mine and will do a backup as well. My plan is to keep it off WiFi until a root is made for this update. Only one app I use is available through the nook store and not one I actually use on a constant basis. I'll try the other apps at work, see if I like them, and go from there.

Also, has anyone updated and tried the GoodReads app? I've been interesting in one and didn't think they had anything official!

[anamardoll]

Ugh. I was under the impression when I rooted that all new updates would have to be "accepted" manually - that merely being on WiFi wouldn't accomplish the push.

I can't keep my Nook Color off WiFi indefinitely (well, I could, but then it would be most useful to me as a paperweight) and I don't want to have to redo my root just because of an update that doesn't get me anything at the moment.

Anyone know how to avoid the update push BESIDES avoiding WiFI?

[jhempel24]

Well, that 2nd level TOC was a question I had, and that answered it...there is really no 2nd level TOC for the Nook Color?? WOW!! My nook has 2nd level TOC, you would think that this would...FAIL.

[cutterjohn42]

The most annoying thing now to me about the B&N app store is that they've dragged their feet so long on rolling this update out(was supposed to have happened over a month ago according to their original timeline posted to their developers forum) is that in the meantime Amazon app store has come out and I've ended up buying an Android phone as well, so I've already bought apps and certainly won't be re-buying them from the B&N store...

IMO B&N blew their chance. Had they been able to get this update out by end of January I'd've been happier... now I'm just meh... I've got other tablets that I use more and frankly the IPS screen of the NC just doesn't mean much to me.

(Oh hilarity ensues... they're selling ezPDF reader in the app "store"... Did I miss something somewhere? Or wasn't PDF supposed to be one of the NC own supported formats as in the case of this device I'd expect it to be about the bestthat you can get on Android with the stock fw already...)

[EDIT]
Even better $2.99 for Angry Bird when it's $0.99 @ both Amazon and Google Markets...
[/EDIT]

[belden]

I rooted a few months ago. It wasn't for me, so I went back to stock. I use my NC exclusively for the reading and I felt that rooted it wasn't as fast, I may have been crazy but that's my reasoning. Anyway, as soon as I saw the update was live I downloaded it directly from B&N and applied it, here are my early impressions.

-They finally added the one feature I wanted the most: sideloaded books can be added to the home screen and recently read books show up in the bar at the bottom. It's worth pointing out though that from my testing as far as I can tell this only applies to books on the main memory of the NC and not ones on the SD card. Books added from the SD card showed up on the home screen but then disappeared after a restart.

-SD card handling has been changed. Now when the card is mounted an icon shows up in the bottom left notification area all the time. Clicking on this icon takes you to the SD card file browser. The card seems to mount much faster than it did before. Books on the SD card can also be added to shelves and the NC will remember them after a power off, so that bug was fixed.

-The quick settings menu now has the date listed, the battery time remaining, and a button at the top right to take you to the main settings menu.

-Email works well. It actually looks better than the stock Android email app in my opinion. I only set it up with Gmail. As far as I can tell there is no way to adjust the settings for email. It's not push since that would probably kill battery life, I have no idea how often it refreshes.

-The app store is extremely anemic right now. There are only a handful of free apps and nothing that compelling. A calendar and note app were the only things I considered downloading. Most of the apps are children's books from Oceanhouse Media.

-I tried downloading the Amazon App Store .apk from an email. It downloads fine and when I open it I get a choice between installing it using "app installer" and "package installer". It opens to install but because the permissions can't be set to install non-Market apps, it fails.

There's nothing else jumping out at me now. I've only used the update for about an hour now. I didn't try the web browser or Flash, I'll do that later. Also, to those people asking, B&N's site says the update will be pushed out over WiFi over the next few WEEKS, so if you are waiting for it OTA it may be awhile.

Originally Posted by jhempel24

Well, that 2nd level TOC was a question I had, and that answered it...there is really no 2nd level TOC for the Nook Color?? WOW!! My nook has 2nd level TOC, you would think that this would...FAIL.

I agree. The lack of 2nd level TOC support is no big deal for those who read mostly novels, but for those who read academic books are articles it is very annoying. The NC stock ePub reader is really at the bottom of the readers available from other book seller venders. The iPad Nook app is better than the NC stock ePub reader!