Anyone else here have a Nook Color?

played around with it @ B&N. I'm sold. the IPS screen really is something else.

What micro SDHC cards are you guys using? The Patriot 16GB Class 4 cards for ~$25 seems like a good deal.
 
I'm using a 4gb model from sandisk that walmart had for $12. Works fine. Once i start doing movies with it, I will probably step up to a 16gb model though.
 
Ohh an i don't know if this was said or not but if you use the screen protector that is sold at Barnes and Noble i recommend not using the included micro fiber cloth to clean it. Mine shed like no other and i have some unwanted fibers trapped underneath now :( no real biggie just a heads up.

Edit - still not used to touch typing on it. Fixe my typos.
 
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GreenMonkey said:
The root / superuser / market procedure was kind of a headache earlier this week, but now, it's been simplified to be very easy.

Nookdevs has the best info on it.

http://nookdevs.com/NookColor_Rooting

Some of the nookdevs folks frequent the xda forum.

I go to pick up my ipod touch for something now and it looks soooo small.
Click to expand...

Funny how the ipod touch'es almost all cost more than the nook color too. Why pay so much for such a tiny device? Whenever I see them at the store I ask myself that question. Unless you really always want an mp3 player and camera on you I dont see the point considering its price, 95% of people will have a cell phone that does this stuff already anyway.

At least the ipad, despite its nasty price, feels like something worth spending money on. Ipods just dont do it for me. The sansa clip+ and fuze+ 8gb sound better at 40-80 dollars, there are <=100 dollar cameras that will take far better pics and if you need more than your cell camera your going to want to use a real camera anyway IMO.

I dont have a cell, but Id far prefer to carry around a 6-7" kindle or android tablet (7" cruz reader can be had for as little as 100 dollars), or spend a little more and go with an iPad, vs a touch any day. Hell for about the same price as the 16gb or 32gb ones you can get a full 10" netbook.
Speaking from personal experience, a nice netbook (I had an asus 1000he tweaked with win7 ult and 2gb mem upgrade) with a bluetooth mouse beats the hell out of even an ipad for having a portable PC. My asus netbooks battery also lasted about 9h, same as the ipad, with wifi enabled of course (I also got max speed wifi connections on the asus netbook, the portable tablet/apple wifi devices I have used dont connect at near as high of speeds as a netbook or laptop, and netbooks actually have the processing power and memory to use as a real pc. I even had my 1000he cpu, fsb, and ram overclocked lol.
 
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I told people weeks ago the NOOKColor had a Bluetooth chip in it but nobody believed me when I mentioned it; the teardown I saw on one website clearly showed the chip but nobody seemed to notice or care at the time.

Well, luckily that's changed. ;)

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=897934

Here's to them working it out fully and giving people with the NOOKColor even more reason to be happy with their purchase. Now, if I can just manage to get one for myself sometime soon I'll be getting somewhere...
 
I use it to play back videos right now. Excellent device. I am in love with it. I just installed Zeam launcher as the default launcher. I have not looked back yet.
 
Megalith said:
How is this as a video player?
Click to expand...

I use handbrake to encode my videos (been using it for a while with my iPod). The preset I use is the iPod touch/iPhone preset with the pixel ratio set to 848x480, all out putting as .m4v files like Joe Average had previously recommended. Works perfectly with the included movie player. Video quality at this preset is perfect for the file size and the size of the video player. I'm debating looking into the apps that allow playback of other video types, just so I don't have to constantly encode what I want to watch, but for now I'm ok.

I'm going to test battery life playing videos today, but I've got a bit left on my grad school apps before I've got the time to do it. I'll post the results either today or tomorrow.

As far as youtube/hulu/whatever goes, I really couldn't comment very well. I've watched a few youtube videos, and they worked fine. The first one I watched had the audio delayed by about 2 seconds, but after a reset the problem went a way and I've yet to experience it again. My thoughts are that I had too much going on in the background, so I downloaded a task killing app that allows me to monitor what's going on in the background. Haven't had any problems since the first time, though.
 
And you're running Android 2.1 on it from your sig; Android 2.2 actually provides the hardware support for Flash-based content like YouTube, etc so not only should it work better if you can put 2.2 on that device but also it could help improve battery life as well.

The NOOKColor has a hardware limitation for videos at 854 pixels wide - it simply will not play back a video with a larger/wider resolution than that, regardless of the encoding format (h.264, etc). So as Bomo is doing, the only change is basically using HandBrake and altering the width of the encode which works great for content that is coming from > 720p meaning 1280x720 or 1920x1080 real HD sources (MKV files, Blu-ray rips, HDTV encodes, that sort of thing).

If you're encoding from actual DVDs, they're already capped at 720 pixel width so the "limit" with HandBrake will stop you from pushing the width past 720. The one thing you can try to get it to look somewhat more natural and better is to alter the Anamorphic option to Loose - that's the only thing you change, just that one option, and then adjust the Width back to 720 once more.

By doing this, it causes HandBrake to encode the file at 720 pixels wide as it originally is on the DVD however it puts the info inside the file so that the player - if it respects the info - will "expand" the video out in the proper widescreen aspect ratio to fill the screen (up to that 854 pixel wide limitation).

I've got a Harry Potter DVD that has a "Display Size" of 872x368 - that's how large the actual video window is when the movie plays at native resolution using MPC-HC. If I encode using the iPhone & iPod touch preset without altering it, the resulting video is 720x304 pixels, hard set and it doesn't change. However, if I play that file on the NOOKColor I can tell that it's being scaled up to fit the full size of the display which is 1024x600.

Now, if I do the same exact encode but I change one thing - change the Anamorphic setting to Loose and then make sure the Width is still 720 (sometimes it'll drop back to the native 480 pixel width of the preset so you have to check it before starting the encode) - the video will encode to 720 but it'll be expanded by the player back to the proper aspect ratio and it looks a bit better during playback.

My only handicap in this is that I don't own a NOOKColor yet so I've been making test encodes for other people to try out and posting some of them over at the MobileRead forums (big NOOKColor subforum over there with some good info) and people say they notice the difference between a hard 720 pixel wide image and one that's allowed to "expand" to the aspect ratio/resolution.

Works for me... and one other thing I do for most content is drop the bitrate to 1000 Kbps, for almost all the encodes I do. Using h.264 at this bitrate gives me great looking videos that are somewhat smaller than the default CRF of 20, and I bump the audio to 160 Kbps AAC also (the preset uses 128 by default) just to give it a bit more *umph* to them.
 
Joe Average said:
And you're running Android 2.1 on it from your sig; Android 2.2 actually provides the hardware support for Flash-based content like YouTube, etc so not only should it work better if you can put 2.2 on that device but also it could help improve battery life as well.

The NOOKColor has a hardware limitation for videos at 854 pixels wide - it simply will not play back a video with a larger/wider resolution than that, regardless of the encoding format (h.264, etc). So as Bomo is doing, the only change is basically using HandBrake and altering the width of the encode which works great for content that is coming from > 720p meaning 1280x720 or 1920x1080 real HD sources (MKV files, Blu-ray rips, HDTV encodes, that sort of thing).

If you're encoding from actual DVDs, they're already capped at 720 pixel width so the "limit" with HandBrake will stop you from pushing the width past 720. The one thing you can try to get it to look somewhat more natural and better is to alter the Anamorphic option to Loose - that's the only thing you change, just that one option, and then adjust the Width back to 720 once more.

By doing this, it causes HandBrake to encode the file at 720 pixels wide as it originally is on the DVD however it puts the info inside the file so that the player - if it respects the info - will "expand" the video out in the proper widescreen aspect ratio to fill the screen (up to that 854 pixel wide limitation).

I've got a Harry Potter DVD that has a "Display Size" of 872x368 - that's how large the actual video window is when the movie plays at native resolution using MPC-HC. If I encode using the iPhone & iPod touch preset without altering it, the resulting video is 720x304 pixels, hard set and it doesn't change. However, if I play that file on the NOOKColor I can tell that it's being scaled up to fit the full size of the display which is 1024x600.

Now, if I do the same exact encode but I change one thing - change the Anamorphic setting to Loose and then make sure the Width is still 720 (sometimes it'll drop back to the native 480 pixel width of the preset so you have to check it before starting the encode) - the video will encode to 720 but it'll be expanded by the player back to the proper aspect ratio and it looks a bit better during playback.

My only handicap in this is that I don't own a NOOKColor yet so I've been making test encodes for other people to try out and posting some of them over at the MobileRead forums (big NOOKColor subforum over there with some good info) and people say they notice the difference between a hard 720 pixel wide image and one that's allowed to "expand" to the aspect ratio/resolution.

Works for me... and one other thing I do for most content is drop the bitrate to 1000 Kbps, for almost all the encodes I do. Using h.264 at this bitrate gives me great looking videos that are somewhat smaller than the default CRF of 20, and I bump the audio to 160 Kbps AAC also (the preset uses 128 by default) just to give it a bit more *umph* to them.
Click to expand...

I had the hardest time getting videos to work before I read your previous post because I was trying to get videos nearer the native res of the Nook. Didn't realize it was capped at 854 width. Once I read that, worked great.

I'm probably going to bump up the audio quality a bit as well. I noticed the 128 when I was testing the videos earlier. I'm thinking 192, maybe even 256. Dunno though, I'll do some side by side tests to see what I like.

I do have a bit of noise in my headphones out line that I've noticed. Some light humming at mid volume that grows to a light buzz near max. Not a deal breaker for me, I've got other solutions/headphones/speakers to listening to music/quality stuff.

I'm thinking of making the 2.2 jump sometime in the next week or so.

I have to say, without trying to sound fan-boyish or like I drank some kind of kool-aid, this device really is pretty amazing. It's been a while since I've had something this fun to toy with.
 
Thanks for the video info. I haven't taken the time to encode anything for it. Generally if I want to kill time I read instead. I'll try when I have some time.
 
Just wanted to share my experience with the Nook Color. I got it mainly for the IPS display and good viewing angles. I ended up spending alot of time installing random apps from marketplace :p Overall I'd say a solid purchase for anyone looking for a decent ereader with tablet potential :) While some may say eink has less strain on the eyes, I think it is a matter of preference.

Made a video and review.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQ_eR8XaDnI

http://www.ronviews.com/what-is-the-best-ereader-my-review-of-the-nook-color/
 
Can you get a mic to work with this? I have clear one to go 4g hotspot - if I rooted and got gvoice/gtalk on it - I would have a cellphone too :D
 
groebuck said:
Can you get a mic to work with this? I have clear one to go 4g hotspot - if I rooted and got gvoice/gtalk on it - I would have a cellphone too :D
Click to expand...

The closest I can think to getting a mic to working would be to follow the bluetooth thread that Joe Average posted. Once it's functional, I think a bluetooth headpiece would be possible. But I have really no idea.

Here's the link againhttp://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=897934
 
Just got my NC.

nootered :)

Awesome, just awesome! vide playback is very, very nice! using AVS Vide Convereter. Haven't played with everything yet, but everything is great thus far. Skype doesn't work though.
 
got my nc... trying to root it now... I updated it to 1.0.1 before I attempted to root it... might have to do a factory reset to get it working again...
 
figured it out... I have 1.1 not 1.01... auto-nooter was not made for it... gonna try froyo then drop back to 1.1
 
I've had mine for about a month now, rooted (v1.01) it after owning it about 2 weeks. I use it more than any of my other computers except my work PC.

I also have a b/w Nook that my wife reads now, for me there's no difference in eye strain between the two. Battery life is around 7-8 hours for me with wifi on, but I run the screen at the lowest brightness as I haven't seen the need to turn it up. It's usable in direct sunlight with the brightness all the way up as long as you get to an angle where the reflection of the sun isn't shining right in your face (which is actually difficult to make happen as you have to kind of move your head out of the way to let the sun hit the screen).

Dagi p501 stylus works well - AndCad is pretty sweet on it but it needs a few more features to be fully usable. No way I'd shell out $500 for a galaxy tab or ipad. My phone (Galaxy S) has 3g hotspot and if I need to make calls, use GPS or take pictures, my phone has all of that. If you have an old phone or one that doesn't have GPS etc, maybe it makes sense to get one of the $500 tablets? It'd be $50 cheaper to go to Verizon, get a good android phone and also pick up an NC, though.

Does anybody have a recommendation for a good NAS/uPnP sharing program and client that works with the NC? I use windows media player to share with my ps3/psp but any client I've tried on the NC doesn't support the video. I'd love to be able to watch recorded tv shows etc. without having to transcode and load directly on the NC. Also need a good media player that supports wma.
 
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BN just released a new firmware update, v1.1.0 but out breaks root. Have to do some research on root for it. Patriot did you get yours rooted?
 
Tahoe916 said:
BN just released a new firmware update, v1.1.0 but out breaks root. Have to do some research on root for it. Patriot did you get yours rooted?
Click to expand...

sorta... there is not a way to root 1.1 yet... I would have to do a restore...
I am currently reimaging....
and then will be back to...
running a android 2.21 off of sd which is rooted I guess... I am playing with it in between test runs at work... no wifi... bout to have my envy give me an adhoc...

I didn't realize that my flash was only to the sd... and that I was running off of it...soo...I kinda formated the sd from the nc yeah... reimaging it now...

it looks wicked :)

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=922324

I have used ipads before... and I like this alot... and 2.2 will let me use flash lol....
half price... more useful ... not gonna pay the apple tax.
 
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I never figured out how to get the prerooted 1.1 update working... always lost market in the process...

right now I am actually running honeycomb off of my class 10 microsd card...
 
Just pulled the trigger on a NookColor, seeing that Honeycomb can now be installed upon it with just about everything working! I'm going to give it a try for the 14 days and decide if its worth it once hacked with Honeycomb (or Froyo). It will be nice to have a tablet like this for times when I don't want to bring my laptop around or lug heavy medical textbooks, such as studying for school exams and whatnot. I'm still not entirely sold, but I'll give it a shot to see if it works with sufficient power. Now I'm off to grab a MicroSD card or two. Class 10 should do it, yeah?

Oh, anyone who actually uses these things for reading, I've been told that a nice open-source application called "Calibre" is an excellent full-featured Ebook reader, manager, and even conversion! Pick it up here at www.calibre-ebook.com - for Win, Mac, and even Linux! It seems to do just about everything, a "Songbird/Amarok/iTunes" like program for Ebooks. Nice that it even goes online to automatically download metadata, convert to any format just about and even change the font and other aspects of the book, syncs to all major readers, automatically download content from websites/RSS and format it into an ebook for the next sync, looks to have a fancy ebook reading capability of its own, and even spawn a webserver allowing you to get your content when away from home with just a web browser!
 
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I'm still running on 1.0.0 with OTAcerts renamed. Don't feel like the time and effort to update to 1.1 and re-root and re-install apps. I did somehow lose pinch to zoom in Dolphin though (still works in Google maps, etc).

Waiting for a more substantial B&N update before I update / re-root. Too much other stuff to do.
 
GreenMonkey said:
I'm still running on 1.0.0 with OTAcerts renamed. Don't feel like the time and effort to update to 1.1 and re-root and re-install apps. I did somehow lose pinch to zoom in Dolphin though (still works in Google maps, etc).

Waiting for a more substantial B&N update before I update / re-root. Too much other stuff to do.
Click to expand...

I lost pinch and zoom in Dolphin HD as well. I switched to the regular dolphin browser and it works. It's slightly different, but I use pinch/zoom a lot so I just got used to it.
 
I got my g/f one for x-mas.... I gotta say...for the few minutes that she let me play with it... kinda makes me want one...that or an Ipad!
 
GreenMonkey said:
I'm still running on 1.0.0 with OTAcerts renamed. Don't feel like the time and effort to update to 1.1 and re-root and re-install apps. I did somehow lose pinch to zoom in Dolphin though (still works in Google maps, etc).

Waiting for a more substantial B&N update before I update / re-root. Too much other stuff to do.
Click to expand...

Fyi there is a prerooted 1.1 image on xda. You can flash it over an existing 1.0.1 rooted install. No need to reinstall apps.
 
rhouck said:
Fyi there is a prerooted 1.1 image on xda. You can flash it over an existing 1.0.1 rooted install. No need to reinstall apps.
Click to expand...

if you can get it to work... I tried it 5 or 6 different ways...
all of them left market and youtube broken....
however if you have adb working you can push those across and possibly fix it...
or... you can flash to stock... flash the 1.1 update... then use the autonooter 3.0....

then again.... you can just start playing with honeycomb...
 
Patriot said:
if you can get it to work... I tried it 5 or 6 different ways...
all of them left market and youtube broken....
however if you have adb working you can push those across and possibly fix it...
or... you can flash to stock... flash the 1.1 update... then use the autonooter 3.0....

then again.... you can just start playing with honeycomb...
Click to expand...

Hmm weird. I had a brand new NC with 1.0.1. Used autonooter. Then flashed the pre-reooted 1.1 update and it worked without a hiccup.

I'm waiting for full HC to really be available before messing with it.
 
bobzdar said:
Does anybody have a recommendation for a good NAS/uPnP sharing program and client that works with the NC? I use windows media player to share with my ps3/psp but any client I've tried on the NC doesn't support the video. I'd love to be able to watch recorded tv shows etc. without having to transcode and load directly on the NC.
Click to expand...
I'm still looking for one of these, anyone have a good suggestion?
 
Bomo said:
I lost pinch and zoom in Dolphin HD as well. I switched to the regular dolphin browser and it works. It's slightly different, but I use pinch/zoom a lot so I just got used to it.
Click to expand...

Read the Market under Dolphin HD. They explain the loss of P2Z and offer download link to the previous version to restore it.
 
updated to 1.1 as well. autonootered without problems.

still thrilled that Honeycomb might potentiallywokr on this device.

BTW. can someone reccommend a decent app that will automatically stop apps from loading at start-up?

thanks!
 
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