rafalweb wrote:
Then why did you and those of you who are similarly upset, purchase this device? Anyone who looks through these forums would know, beforehand, that there is a lack of apps for this device. It is a closed Android device, with no access to the Android market unless rooted. This is no secret. We all have the freedom to choose to go get other tablets with full access to all the Android apps out there. I chose this device knowing this, because I looked through the forums and read many user reviews, and I knew exactly what I was getting. Thus, I'm not as upset. User responsibility states that you should always do the reasearch before handing out the cash.
Because they've executed the hardware nearly perfectly, and have tremendous promise. Rather than being nay-sayers, many of us are actually rooting for B&N to succeed. We're not asking for a pirate media player, or to compromize the god-given rights of big corporate media, but rather a bit more functionality that the hardware demonstrably can accomodate.
I am absolutely delighted by the fact that a company that "gets" readers managed to out-fox Amazon and Apple and produce the winner that is the Nook Color, and I'm frustrated by the fact that they suddenly seem intent on hobbling its successor for arbitrary reasons that actually drive me away, not only from the Nook, but from B&N in general.
I, too, did my research before purchasing, and at that time (July 2010), B&N was producing a device with tremendous potential and a bright future. By all indications, they were going to produce a killer device that filled a perfect niche between a high-end 10 inch tablet and a basic e-reader. To suddenly shift direction and lock everything down -- citing security, Netflix and Hulu as the reasons -- makes little sense when those same apps are available on the Android Market to run on cheap knock-off devices. Android seems "secure enough" for Verizon, Sprint and AT&T to bet their massive communications farm on.
The research that indicated that the device had a locked bootloader also mentioned that sideloading could be done. You'll notice that they don't list the locked boot loader on the box. More importantly, it's just a bad idea. I've listed my thoughts on that topic at length in another thread, if you're interested. It's a bad direction to head in to start with (IMO, of course), and to change directions after launch only frustrates supporters. What we used to call "customers" before they became "consumers".
So many people to be corrected... so little time. 
