We all have those sudden urges to buy some hot new piece of technology. Most of us don't however immediately void the warranty by hacking it. I don't happen to be one of those people. Having contemplated my purchase for a week or so, there was no way that I wasn't going to hack my Nook Color as soon as I had the wrapper off.
I don't feel any need to dive into an unboxing here, so I will save it. After having opened the box and tossing it aside, I went online and downloaded the version of autonooter for my Nook. The ten minutes that it took for autonooter to download was literally all the time that I spent using the stock Nook color. The rooting process is quite simple and took me less than fifteen minutes to do.
After booting up my rooted Nook, I was greeted with a few setup screens which I took some time to study. One very crucial piece in order properly use a rooted nook is the softkeys setup. Android phones and tablets have at least four physical buttons for search, back, home, and menu. The Nook color has only one button for home. Softkeys allow the user to invoke on-screen versions of the necessary buttons by pressing the Nook's home button, also known as the"n" button for its shape.
Out-of-the-box the Nook color is a fairly limited device. It allows you to read books, browse the web, and play a few casual games. Rooting allows you to run any android application. Using autonooter for the rooting process is the best way to go, as it automatically installs the android market, softkeys, and a few Google applications for you. As soon as I was up and running with root access, I installed a few apps. I chose the blogger app which naturally I used to write this article. Dolphin HD browser was another app to make my install list; this app is arguably a better alternative to the included browser. Not every app in the market works correctly, unfortunately. A few games and news apps either dont first the screen or crash upon certain actions. I have little reason to complain though, as incomplete functionality is expected from a hacked device.
On the hardware side, the device is nicely equipped. The screen is a seven inch widescreen, and the resolution matches that of a netbook, running at a very acceptable 1024 x 600. Touch sensitivity is quite good, however not the caliber found on Apple devices. I imagine this issue can be attributed in part to the fact that I am running at a non supported resolution, at least not officially. The Nook color has wifi support but no 3G, which while unfortunate, was not a deal breaker to me. The processor and RAM are sufficient enough for YouTube video playback. I have yet to try playing videos transferred from my PC, however, I don't see it having any problems. The Nook color has a headphone Jack for music and audiobook listening, which are included out-of-the-box. Headphone are not included as is typical practice these days. In addition to headphone support, the device has built in speakers. Overall, the NC's hardware provides for an enjoyable experience even when doing tasks it was not designed for.
I am happy to report that I am truly pleased with the way this hack worked out. Now I can say that I own an android tablet. While mobile device hacking is easy, it is not for noobs or the technophobes. Perhaps in a week or two I will be compelled to delve into the details of the hack or the specifics of the software. In the mean time I will be enjoying my cheap iPad alternative thinking about the money I saved and the geek cred I earned.
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