Wow. Google has certainly been busy pulling in lots of previously non-Google Android tablets. Last year they got Kobo. Earlier this year they pulled in a bunch of no-name manufacturers (at least for this year's JB 4.1 tablets).
Now they've reeled in B&N. Outside of Amazon, China and maybe India (all big, idiosyncratic exceptions to be sure), who's left? The biggest name I can think of is Nabi (maker for educational tablets) and I don't know how long that will last.
Nook are clearly trying to revitalise their product offerings, perhaps clearing out old inventory? They're currently selling the nook simple touch for £29 here in the UK... which is an absurd price for an 800 MHz TI OMAP 3621 with e-ink display, RAM / Storage, WIFI, Battery etc.
It may be based on an ancient Android 2.1/Linux 2.6.29 but £29 is an insane bargain. Get root and a shell on it and you've got a great piece for general use kit for next to no money.
Wow, gutsy, but awesome, call by B&N! As the owner of a Nook HD and 3 Nook devices in total over the years, I whole heartedly endorse this move. Especially as I have a book in the Google Play store right now, that I haven't been able to read on my Nook, and I was starting to get a bit pissy about that. This is a nice step. I hope it works out well for B&N, as the Nooks are - generally speaking - pretty nice devices.
Upon reflection, I'm not sure how gutsy the call is. And I wonder what one of Nook's recent investors (Microsoft) thinks. This could easily be "Throw on Google Play to help clear out this inventory so we can focus on our new Windows tablets."
> This could easily be "Throw on Google Play to help clear out this inventory so we can focus on our new Windows tablets."
If clearing inventory was the goal they'd be dramatically dropping the price, not installing a competitor product on their tablet. To me this makes it clear that Microsoft's investment was nothing but a move of desperation to not lose their Android patent case. Like many other cases I suspect, they made sure signing a patent deal a "win win" for the other party.
I'm not saying the patent case is unrelated, but...
B&N has also been offering specials and dropping the price pretty aggressively (these examples are all from April, BTW, there were more offers earlier in the year):
Pretty interesting, not that it mattered much, the same day I opened my nook tablet was the same day I rooted it. I find it odd that the hang up was that there was only "10,000" apps available for it, from the rare occasion I recall browsing the nook app store you would never know there was more than 40 apps available.
I wonder how all this is sitting with Microsoft? After their 300 million dollar investment into B&N last year I had assumed that the Nook was going to be Microsoft's channel into the sub 300 dollar tablet market with a really stripped down version of Windows 8 RT with some Nook flare slapped on. Microsoft must be pissed.
The "investment" happened right after they privately settled a patent dispute that Microsoft started, so its not clear that Microsoft was in the driving seat there.
I was hoping the announcement covered the e-ink nooks too, as I just bought one in the massive sale theyve been having. I'll just have to root it as planned.
Look for its original ROM online, if you didn't back it up. Install that again, and then you should be able to get whatever updates B&N is sending you. But I think you should be able to get them even with root, unless you've already installed a different ROM.
Now they've reeled in B&N. Outside of Amazon, China and maybe India (all big, idiosyncratic exceptions to be sure), who's left? The biggest name I can think of is Nabi (maker for educational tablets) and I don't know how long that will last.