Tablet Computers (1 Viewer)

A problem with both Kindle and un-modified Nook is that both Amazon and B&N, respectively, wrap a proprietary superstructure around the Android os, making their tablets unable to run most Android apps. And of course, neither can run the other's eBooks.

There is, however a workaround, called rooting the machine. This gives direct access to the root of the Android os and turns the machine into a straight android device. Unfortunately, this is difficult to do with the Kindle, with a sizeable chance of bricking the machine. The Nook Color and Tablet, on the other hand root easily, and there is a device, the N2A card, that fits in the card slot, and turns the Nook into a double boot machine that can be booted either as a straight Android tablet or as a Nook, and removing the card turns it back into a straight Nook with no trace that it was ever rooted. Hence not voiding the warranty. I got a refurbished Nook Tablet for US$169 and a 32 gigabyte card for US$79, giving me a very well-built Android tablet with 27 gigabytes available memory for US$248. With the Nook for Android and Kindle for Android apps it can read either book format, and can run any app available for the Android os. Currently the price for a NEW Nook Tablet 16 gig machine is down to US$179, and the cost of a 32 gig N2A card is less that twice the cost of a card that size alone. The possible kicker is that I don't know about the availability and price of Nooks in the UK.

Will

thanks prattw for your reply - don't know what a nook is though and would almost certainly only by e-books via Amazon.

Any comment on how it works as a tablet computer ?

Very simply, the Nook is Barnes and Noble's answer to the Kindle. (Or vice versa? I really don't know who was first.) They aren't that easy to tell apart on visual inspection. Both can handle such things as pdf, but Nook is an EPUB reader and Kindle a MOBI reader. Neither can read the other's format (B&N and Amazon made sure of that) and while many books are published in both, some are only available in one or the other.

The basic Nook and Kindle are essentially purely readers, with black and white displays and a limited web browsing and email capability. It is possible to root either, but hardly worth it. The Nook Color, Nook Tablet, and Kindle Fire are something else altogather, they are tablet computers, with color display and are capable web browsers. But neither can run most android applications. Neither BN nor Amazon is primarily interested in selling tablets, they are selling ebooks, and neither wants you to be able to read the other company's wares on their machine and if you could run android apps you could run the Nook for Android and Kindle for Android apps that each makes available for Android phone and tablet users and read both book formats.

Obviously such a situation could not be allowed to stand, and it took about six or eight weeks from the introduction of the Nook Color before someone managed to hack the B&N os superstructure and root the Nook Color.

The N2A card http://n2acards.com/ turns the Nook Color or Tablet into a very capable Android tablet computer. Both Nook and Kindle tablets are better constructed than the low end Android tablets and the resulting tablet is cheaper than the low end straight Androids but better quality. My rooted Nook Tablet reads both Kindle and Nook book formats, runs much more powerful PDF apps, and can use any Android app. I currently have 10 field guide apps loaded (I think 3 or 4 have Nook versions and the same is true of Kindle) plus one Nook and one Kindle fieldguide unavailable in the other format, or as apps.

Now, you could do the same by loading Kindle and Nook reading apps and the appropriate field guide apps on any Android tablet. The potential advantage of the rooted Nook Tablet is mainly price. B&N and Amazon have both dropped the price way down, because they are mainly wanting to sell you books. I actually buy more eBooks from Amazon than B&N and would have gone with Kindle most likely, if the Kindle Fire was easily rootable. The sole advantage Nook has here is that you can buy an inexpensive card and load it in the card slot and there's none available for the Kindle.

Will

cheers prattw

I must say that the i-pad is so simple to use and with so many more "apps" it is well worth the extra over other devices. The larger screen is easier to read, and the build quality is superb. mine gets tossed into bags and left in my luggage but always has started and operates without any hiccups whatsoever, so it has been very reliable.
To sum up it may cost more but I think it is well worth the extra. I find that I use my laptop less and less as the i-pad does everything the lap top does, and usually quicker as well!

Thank you for starting this thread.

Geoff, are you saying that ipad is great everywhere, or does it have disadvantages in some areas -- how about sitting on a tropical beach reading the display? I thought that was where the Kindle fire and the other dedicated readers really were shining?

Niels

njlarsen said:

Thank you for starting this thread.

Geoff, are you saying that ipad is great everywhere, or does it have disadvantages in some areas -- how about sitting on a tropical beach reading the display? I thought that was where the Kindle fire and the other dedicated readers really were shining?

Niels

Click to expand...

Niels, obviously awireless connection helps but a lot of downloaded apps can be used if you are not wirelessly connected.

I went through the same issue earlier this year before my trip to China. There were too many compromises with tablets IMO. I wound up getting an Acer Aspire One netbook and am absolutely content with it. I love this little thing. It spent six weeks with me in my backpack and I had the best vacation ever in terms of not having a boatload of work to do when I got home. It was great for email, internet and making reservations and travel plans along the way, photoshop, lightroom, uploading pics to my website, using my GPS logger, google earth, watching BBC iplayer etc. I was able to look at and process my photos as I went along and after uploading them, sent the links to my friends and family with details of what I did. They all seemed to enjoy it and they could comprehend what I was doing and where I was going much better than trying to digest it all at once when I got back. I could have done some or many of those things with a tablet, but not everything that I did. The hard drive was also more than enough to hold all my photos and the orignals and I could very easily use a full size USB to back everything up.

I'm still in love with this thing and use it a lot at home now instead of my usual computer. I just sit here in my chair in the morning and enjoy a cup of coffee while I read the news and check my email before work.

Its not really any bigger than a tablet when you factor in all the "extras" that people seem to think they need when they buy one of those. The netbook is not really too much bigger than a tablet itself.

I bought the 320gb hard drive version instead of the 500gb one because I also bought a 128gb SSD and switched out the 320gb right after I bought it. Its good for keeping in the backpack and helps the computer turn on and off much faster. I also upgraded it to 4gb RAM. The only negative I have about the computer is that the processer is 1GHZ. But its still very managable.