# Important upgrade to Nook Color released! (first comments after installing)



## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

I am at work so haven't checked it out myself, but Android Central reports the long-awaited NC upgrade that allows access to apps has been released. 

It should push out over the air soon if you leave your NC with wifi on, or you can download it from B&N and install it yourself. 

Presumably the B&N website has details. 

Sent from my Sprint EVO using Tapatalk


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

I've downloaded and installed the update, it was easy and took perhaps fifteen minutes. Do _NOT_ try to navigate to the Nook website on your Nook and download the file, I did this and it was a waste of time. Download it on your desktop here: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/nookcolor-support-software-update/379002520/?cds2Pid=35505

Resist your impulses, and do NOT unzip the file on your desktop.

The worst part is waiting for the Nook Color to go to sleep after you've moved the file onto the NC. Going to sleep starts the upgrade automatically, which doesn't take long. Once you've done it properly, it makes it very clear that you've successfully upgraded.

I've played with this for maybe 45 minutes, so I haven't given it a thorough workout, but I have some observations.

I think the browser is slightly improved, but not dramatically so. Double-tapping didn't zoom in on columns of text in the attempts I made to do it, which is a disappointment if the feature isn't there. I'm hoping I missed it somehow. Flash is supposed to be enabled, but I haven't tried it yet.

The music player is nicer, and feels more professional. Not a big deal, but nice. I haven't tried the video player yet.

Of course, what I was most interested in was the app store! You shop for apps just like any other B&N product, so (as far as I can tell) when you use the "search" field, apps will be mixed in your responses along with Nook Books and anything else you can buy on the Nook.

As for the apps themselves, this is something of a reality check. The Nook is a small market compared to the Android Market as a whole, so overall app selection is limited. PLUS, the Nook doesn't have continuous 3G wireless, so ads can't download and tempt you to follow them off to sponsor websites. The good news is that this means there are no ads. The bad news is that the people who did the app want to be compensated (reasonable enough), and you have to pay them upfront. There are very few free apps, and hardly any free apps that do much that is meaningful. The paid apps are a little pricier than I'm used to in the Android store. Angry Birds is $2.99, and most games are $2.99 to $5.99. I believe UNO (card game) was $4.99. I'm not that big on arcade games (which was what most of the games are) but I did download "Crush the Castle", a game I own for both my iPad and my Android phone, and it worked fine (and at ninety nine cents it will satisfy my urges to play games if I simply must play on a larger screen than my phone, yet don't have my ipad).

There are an absolute ton of language apps and several cooking apps. Some are quite expensive, I saw one dictionary for $59.99! There are a fair number of social apps, and a very limited supply of news and weather apps. I downloaded the Pulse News app for free, and it works quite well based on limited experimentation. There is only one weather app, and it costs $4.99! Since I'm used to very nice weather apps on my phone for free or a buck or two, I rejected this (and most of the time I'd want to know the weather and have a wifi connection, my Android phone will be more convenient anyway).

A few apps do come pre-installed, mainly crossword, chess, Sudoku, and Pandora (I know the crossword app was available in the earlier software, and think the others may have). There are apps for contacts, email, and "Nook Friends" that I haven't tried yet.

There are lots of games and utilities available for pay, including Flight Controller, a calculator, a big clock screen, and (of great interest to some) EZPDF Reader and a drawing pad. An app called Spawn lets you create screensavers and wallpapers. For travel, we have a plethora of language apps, Flightview (for .99, very reasonable), and a free American Airlines app. A paid GoTV networks app gives you access to a swarm of religious videos. There are a few graphic novels available for download, several Archie<!> comic books and a graphic novel of the recent Star Trek movie (which is listed as a movie in at least one menu, somebody is going to be disappointed). I believe the Archie books were $5.99 (This appears to be for several comic books worth of stuff) and the Star Trek "novel" was $9.99. The only apps I've downloaded so far were the news app and the one game.

Everything seems to run smoothly. On web browsing it isn't as fast and nice as my iPad 2 (no big surprise since the iPad has a dual-core processor), but it is pretty good. Everything else I tried was very smooth. Overall it is a nice upgrade to the original, I'm disappointed but not surprised at the cost of the apps. I won't be buying a ton of paid apps since I already own most of the ones I'd want to use on my iPad and/or Phone. I found no real "back" key on most screens while browsing for apps, which was annoyance. It was easy to go back to the top of the apps listing and choose a category or search, but sometimes not as convenient as going back a screen.


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## Cardinal (Feb 24, 2010)

Thanks for the report!  Does the B&N App Store have Plants vs Zombies?


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Cardinal said:


> Thanks for the report! Does the B&N App Store have Plants vs Zombies?


Lots of games, but no p vs z and no monopoly or scrabble that I can find.


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## kwajkat (Nov 6, 2008)

A couple of questions:  Is there a mahjong game?  And more importantly, what are your thoughts on this update vs the rooted nook via the sd card slot turning it into a full version xoom like tablet?  Am curious have been thinking about getting a nook but then reality sets in with you have kindles and ipads why do you need a nook color!


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

kwajkat said:


> A couple of questions: Is there a mahjong game? And more importantly, what are your thoughts on this update vs the rooted nook via the sd card slot turning it into a full version xoom like tablet? Am curious have been thinking about getting a nook but then reality sets in with you have kindles and ipads why do you need a nook color!


There's an Astraware Majhong game available in the B&N app market for $4.99.

The new software is an improvement, but the comparative availability of availability of apps, the app pricing, and the prospect of having to pay for apps multiple times if you are already into the Android ecosystem, make the official software for the NC much less desirable than the rooted Nook Color in most ways. Remember that Google itself said that Android 2.2 was not really suitable for a tablet operating system, and the updated Nook Color is running Android 2.2 with a much smaller market of apps available. There are no widgets available to speak of, only one pricey weather app, and lots of specialized apps that are available in the Android market, but are not to be had within the B&N system. The one advantage the B&N software may have is stability. The latest upgrade seems very stable, it hasn't so much as quivered yet. I understand that's definitely not true of the Honeycomb root so far. I haven't yet rooted my NC, but I will probably do so, once the final version of the Honeycomb is released to the public, and has been adapted to the Nook.

Despite that criticism, I think this is a pretty capable little tablet, and I like it. I don't really NEED it, but I like it, and I'll get some use out of it when I want something less bulky than my iPad, but without the small screen of my Android phone. So far, I've used it in bed (I won't use my iPad when laying in bed, it is too expensive to risk dropping or rolling over on<!>, and too heavy to hold overhead when laying on my back). And I expect to take the NC on trips where I may have to check my luggage for storage, but don't want to carry a larger tablet around with me. The Nook Color will fit in the largest pockets of my photo vest, which makes it MUCH easier than the ipad to tote around with me when sightseeing or museum-hopping.

But my "final answer" is that with the steadily-accelerating rumors about an Amazon tablet that might be similar to the Nook Color coming soon, if I didn't have my Nook Color I'd hold off on buying one to see if the Amazon tablet rumors do come to fruition. The downside of that strategy is that you might be waiting a long time if the rumor mill is too optimistic about what Amazon has planned.


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## jonathanmoeller (Apr 19, 2011)

My ma got a Nook Color _literally _the day before the update dropped, despite her misgivings. She now says the update is proof that God wanted her to get a Nook Color!

-JM


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## gadgetgirl003 (Mar 22, 2009)

Thank you THC for giving such a detailed review of the update. I think that you gave a very accurate review of the Nook Color. The more that I play with my Nook Color, the more I like it. I think that Barnes & NOble made some real improvements on the Nook Color with this update. Before this update was released, I had made root FROYO and Pre-Honeycomb roms for my Nook Color that would boot from a micro sd card. I had thought that once this update was released I would root the internal drive so that I could load all of the apps that I have bought from Amazon's app store and the Google Marketplace. Now I am thinking that I may just leave my Nook Color as it is. Video, both streaming from the internet and movies that I have put on my NC play well. THe mail app works fine for the two email accounts that I have put onto it.  Of course my iPad and even my ANdroid phone have more apps on them than I am planning to put on my Nook Color, but truth be told, I really seldom use most of those apps. LOL I will probably keep the micro sd cards with the FROYO and Honeycomb roms on them for when I want to use the other apps, but I plan to mainly use the stock rom.
I have downloaded QuickOffice, Pulse, Flip Calendar and Flip tasks. I really prefer to use Google Calendar since Flip Calendar doesn't sync to my phone, iPad or laptop, but I still like having a calendar on my NC. 
Overall I am very pleased with my NookColor.


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## gadgetgirl003 (Mar 22, 2009)

I just learned another fun perk of the update on the Nook Color. Now it is possible to watch the streaming videos on demand that Amazon has. I am loving my Nook Color more and more.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

gadgetgirl003 said:


> I just learned another fun perk of the update on the Nook Color. Now it is possible to watch the streaming videos on demand that Amazon has. I am loving my Nook Color more and more.


Wow, I'd have thought BN would have blocked that on general principles! This is the free Video on Demand that comes with the whatchamacallit account that includes 2-day shipping for free?


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## gadgetgirl003 (Mar 22, 2009)

The Hooded Claw said:


> Wow, I'd have thought BN would have blocked that on general principles! This is the free Video on Demand that comes with the whatchamacallit account that includes 2-day shipping for free?


Yes it is. Of course any videos that you buy or rent from Amazon Video on Demand work also.


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