Difference between the Nook Color, Nook Tablet, and Nook HD?

[Rainfall00]

I'm in the market for a tablet (actually DH said he would make it my Christmas gift) but I don't know the differences between these options. Is the Nook HD the same as the Nook Tablet? I'm confused...And what about the Color? What are the differences between these devices?

I read a LOT, but I have a NST that I will use for reading becasue of the e-ink. (Drooling over the Glowlight version that came out 2 months after I bought my NST, grr.)

But for the tablet, I would like to do emails, web browsing, Netflix and Hulu, and probably some games or other apps. I would also like to download and use the Kindle reading app for those rare books that are only free on Amazon that I would like to scoop up.

Thanks for the help!

[Schwa]

There are a several comparison spec sheets at the bottom of the nook page

But my own personal take would look something like:

NOOKCOLOR: baseline model, ereader plus web, email, games, music, video, productivity apps, OS based on Android 2.2

NOOK TABLET: the same interface and function of the Nook Color but faster, has microphone, available in 2 memory configs (8/16), OS based on Android 2.3

NOOK HD/HD+: completely new interface, faster, much higher resolution screen, 2 screen sizes, larger screen offers larger memory configs (16/32), OS based on Android 4.0, and bluetooth

IMHO, the Nook Color was a very successful experiment by BN.  Then the Nook Tablet was the hardware the NC should have had (once again my humble opinion).  The Nook HD is really the first true UPGRADE to the Nook line of tablet hardware and a huge leap over the NT.  

Hope this helps.

[Rainfall00]

Thank you, that does help! I just wanted to be sure if I went the HD/HD+ route, I wasn't missing out on a feature or ability that the Color or Tablet had.

[keriflur]

Just a heads up, I don't think you can install the kindle app on any of the nooks without rooting or buying a supplemental N2A card.  Hopefully someone can confirm.

[5ivedom]

Exactly what Schwa said:

*****

IMHO, the Nook Color was a very successful experiment by BN.  Then the Nook Tablet was the hardware the NC should have had (once again my humble opinion).  The Nook HD is really the first true UPGRADE to the Nook line of tablet hardware and a huge leap over the NT. 

*****

If you're buying a new Nook, and if you regret missing out on the NST Glowlight, then you definitely should go with the Nook HD. It should stay 'new' for at least a year (when the Nook HD 2 or something else comes out).

A final thing to keep in mind - WalMart is going to have Nook Tablet (or Color, one of them) for $99 for Black Friday.

So if you wanted to get both a Tablet and a Glowlight, that's an option too.

[BFCoughlin]

The Nook color is being phased out.  This means that, on the one hand, you can buy one cheap (I've seen $99), on the other hand, it's old technology and support will for it will wane.

The HD/HD+ plus are the newest technology, so, if you can afford it, I'd recommend going there.  The NT is in the middle.

HD/HD+ have better displays and are faster.  There are some features that are better than the NC/NT; but (I have the NC and the HD+) some I liked better in the NC.  None of them supports a Kindle app in its native form.  You can root or double boot the NC/NT so it will become a regular Android tablet.  If you do that, you can gt the Kindle app.  So far, this option doesn't exist for the HD/HD+.  I'm not well versed enough in the tech aspect to know if it's possible for this to be done with them. 

[Strayer]

You can't get Kindle books on the Nook because Amazon has a locked in format. To strip DRM is illegal.

[BruceMcF]

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Strayer wrote:
You can't get Kindle books on the Nook because Amazon has a locked in format. To strip DRM is illegal.

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Did you notice that your argument did not support your conclusion? Whether stripping DRM is illegal is along the lines of whether you should do it or not ... not whether you CAN do it or not.

(1) Evidently, stripping the DRM is one means of getting Kindle books on a Nook.

(2) Also, rooting the Nook in question is a second means of doing so, by loading the Kindle app onto the Nook. That obviously does not require stripping the DRM, since its the Kindle app that is accessing the Kindle ebook. That's already well established for the Nook Color and the Nook Tablet (interestingly, one common script for rooting the Nook Tablet loads the Amazon and GetJar android stores because installing the GooglePlay store is tricky ~ we can be sure that the Amazon app store has an up to date Kindle app!).

As with any other new more or less locked down hardware, someone looking to buy a Nook HD/HD+ and expecting to root it would be well advised to let the rooting efforts to mature a big.

[roustabout]

You can sideload apps to the hd+ without rooting, and this is a feature documented for the device. It is not as easy as using an appstore, but works well if you want to set it up.

https://nookdeveloper.zendesk.com/entries/21846516-quick-start-for-android-developers

The trickiest part is getting the android drivers installed and functional.   I sideloaded the kindle app once, but I have used it very little, as I don't like the app much and have very few Kindle books to begin with.  I've had very good luck converting them to epub format and that's the form I use them in most. 

The conversion does involve managing the title's security myself.  Removing DRM is illegal for librarians; the rest of us are in a legal gray area. I manage my own security and drm, and have never been asked to stop explaining how to do so or had my blog issued a takedown notice. Instructions are here:

http://nookworks.blogspot.com/2011/09/information-security-and-digital-rights.html

As far as HD+ versus NT versus NC, I don't actually agree that the NC should have been the NT.  When it was released, the NC was competitive with comparable 7 inch tablets and much less expensive.  When the NT was released, the only big change was a faster processor.  For me, the audio was as bad, the screen was the same resolution, and although I liked the increased speed I stopped using the device fairly quickly, shifting over to a Samsung 5 inch media player (good speakers, very portable) for my on-the-go reading and the tablet largely go set to one side.  I would guess that in the last year I've used the Nook Color almost as much as the tablet. 

The HD+ is a whole different animal - the larger screen is great and it's much better for reading than my prior large tablet (an Asus Transformer.)  I'm reading much more with it, and it's come with me to the office quite a bit.  I also finally broke down and bought a smartphone this year, and that became my go-to portable device, but if I'm at my desk I can tether either my laptop or the tablet to it, which is quite nice. 

So far my biggest wish is for a nice cover for the HD+.  I don't like the BN cases - I simply hate that plastic three pointer they snap devices into.  I'm hoping pad and quill will make one soon, but I just looked and am sorry to see that they currently don't list cases for any nook devices any longer. 

[5ivedom]

Roustabout, any guesses on how many Nook HD+ and HD sales there have been so far.

B&N said it has got the most Nook preorders ever. However, I don't see any trends in the forums or elsewhere to suggest a lot of HD+ and HD sales happened.

[cindylee60]

roustabout, did you see that Oberon has large tab sleeves available? I like the sleeve because Every time I pick up my nekkid HD+ I fall in love all over again with it's lightness.

I do like the easel covers though, and like my Groovy cover well enough.

And I have a keybooard case on order because I bluetooth keyboard would be the finishing touch.

Ehhh...so I guess my point is that the perfect case is to have 3 hehehe

[DeanGibson Distinguished Bibliophile]

When the Nook Tablet was announced, I put myself on my local store's waiting list, and I was called to pick one up on the first day they were available to anyone.

Ditto for the Nook Glow.

When the Nook HD was announced, I put myself on my local store's waiting list, but I didn't hear anything from the store for several weeks.  I thought perhaps my reputation (avid rooter) had preceded me  and they weren't going to sell me one.  However, I was just called today (Black Friday) and was told one a large shipment had come in, and one was available to me.

With the Nook Tablet and Glow, I had three days to show up and buy it.

With the Nook HD, I had 24 hours (I declined).

I have no similar experience with the Nook HD+, except that I asked today how long the HD+ waiting list is, and was told there are still 70 people on the HD+ waiting list at the local store.

[bobstro]

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roustabout wrote:

You can sideload apps to the hd+ without rooting, and this is a feature documented for the device. It is not as easy as using an appstore, but works well if you want to set it up.

https://nookdeveloper.zendesk.com/entries/21846516-quick-start-for-android-developers

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Wait... seriously? So all those arguments about how allowing sideloaded content to our OTHER NOOK devices would be the downfall of B&N have fallen away now? Or is this going to be a repeat of the NT experience?

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[...]  For me, the audio was as bad, the screen was the same resolution, and although I liked the increased speed I stopped using the device fairly quickly, shifting over to a Samsung 5 inch media player (good speakers, very portable) for my on-the-go reading and the tablet largely go set to one side.

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The NT I bought for my wife is nice and quick with the web browsing. My NC was "usable" but hers is noticeably snappier. If she quits using it, I'll no doubt convert it to something useful.

The Samsung 5 incher is OK for reading? I've been looking at the Kobo Mini, but the Samsung is dropping in price lately. How is battery life on it?

[5ivedom]

Thanks for the information Dean.

This:

*****

 However, I was just called today (Black Friday) and was told one a large shipment had come in, and one was available to me.

AND

I have no similar experience with the Nook HD+, except that I asked today how long the HD+ waiting list is, and was told there are still 70 people on the HD+ waiting list at the local store.

*****

This matches up with what I'm seeing. It seems that only a fraction of Nook HDs and HD+s have been delivered and there are shortages everywhere.

[roustabout]

I don't have any inside dope on how many  of the new Nooks are selling.

The Samsung media player battery is good for ~8 hours, more if you nurse it along - it's an LCD display, and battery life for LCD devices is pretty much accepted at 8-10 hours.  It's an OK reader - I was using Newsrob and Flipboard on it, and liking both, though I prefer both on a larger screen, the media player is genuinely pocket sized. 

On the HD/HD+ and sideloading apps:  I don't see how that barn door closes too easily.  It's not an undocumented boo-boo, it's a documented feature of the device.  I could see BN smartening up the checks on what's installed on the device and breaking the current rooting technique (which relies on BN's looking carefully at files in /system, but not looking at what's in a folder that's declared as a path variable and that's not present in the base software - and hence not checked.) However, even if they were to start auditing more carefully, everyone who wants a set now has copies of a rootable /system tree and recovery. 

For me, although I like having root and the various markets, they're no longer dealbreakers - Moonreader is able to sync reading positions, although fbreader is a better epub reader, Moonreader works quite well and doesn't require root.  I also like being able to use Titanium, and would be sorry to see it gone, but as long as sideloading works, the only real advantage for them of breaking root is that they make folks who'd already figured out how to configure ADB use

adb install whateverwewanted.apk

instead of using the various gui installers. 

Of course, I've seen BN do silly things before, like when they tried to change the wording of the Nook Color product description instead of supporting reading in landscape mode, so they certainly could try pushing out a fix for installs via ADB - they're pushing out quite a few patches, from what I'm seeing, independently of the major software releases.  (And I have to say I'm glad they're finally doing that - it's surprised me for a long time that they didn't do any bugfixes by updating apps.) 

[DeanGibson Distinguished Bibliophile]

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roustabout wrote:
...

On the HD/HD+ and sideloading apps:  I don't see how that barn door closes too easily.  It's not an undocumented boo-boo, it's a documented feature of the device....

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Where?

[roustabout]

https://nookdeveloper.zendesk.com/entries/21846516-quick-start-for-android-developers is where I found the documentation. Once it was confirmed that that guide was accurate, I decided to get one. Up until then, I was leaning toward an n10. This passage seems to guarantee that BN won't wipe during an update, though they could break the current root method - from the user guide: NOTE: Updating software does not delete any of your books, magazines, movies, TV shows, newspapers, catalogs, or apps, nor does it delete any of the files you have transferred onto your NOOK from your personal computer. The software update simply installs new NOOK software to give you the latest features available from Barnes & Noble. Your NOOK remains registered to your NOOK or Barnes & Noble account, and all your reading material remains accessible.

[TnTexas]

roustabout: You can sideload apps to the hd+ without rooting, and this is a feature documented for the device. It is not as easy as using an appstore, but works well if you want to set it up.

https://nookdeveloper.zendesk.com/entries/21846516-quick-start-for-android-developers

bobstro: Wait... seriously? So all those arguments about how allowing sideloaded content to our OTHER NOOK devices would be the downfall of B&N have fallen away now? Or is this going to be a repeat of the NT experience?

Exactly what I was wondering.

[flyingtoastr Scribe]

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bobstro wrote:

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Wait... seriously? So all those arguments about how allowing sideloaded content to our OTHER NOOK devices would be the downfall of B&N have fallen away now? Or is this going to be a repeat of the NT experience?

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The real argument was that from a business perspective BN was perfectly within their rights to try and keep people in their ecosystem. But that's ok, keep smacking that strawman.

[bobstro]

The strawman was apparently B&N's. But hey, keep dismissing your paying customers. Don't let the fact that B&N's hasn't been straight with us slow you down. The ability to side load apps without the need to root would have saved B&N's and those pesky customers a lot of grief over the last year.