Barnes & Noble Updates Nook Color Software, Adds Developer Program
As Barnes & Noble updates the Nook Color software and adds a third-party developer program behind it, the bookseller will continue support for the E-Ink-based mono version, Claudia Romanini, director of developer relations, told Consumer Electronics Daily. Whether that support will include new versions of the Nook using E-ink’s electrophoretic display wasn’t clear. Romanini declined to comment on new product plans. E-ink has said it expects to commercialize color electrophoretic displays by year-end.
The E-Ink-based Nook remains popular with B&N customers who prefer an e-reader without color and other frills, and the device will continue to receive software updates, Romanini said. But the Nook Color excels over the mono device in terms of resolution and in processor speed. The original Nook used a 600 MHz Samsung processor, while the Nook Color has an 800 MHz Texas Instruments OMAP 3621 processor. The original Nook e-reader was available at walmart.com Monday at $149, down from its original $250 price (CED Oct 22/09 p1). B&N dropped the price last summer to match Amazon’s Kindle at $149.
The $249 Nook Color has shipped in the “millions” since its launch last November, said B&N, which is billing the device as a tablet e-reader, partly because of the launch of the Android developer program. That program has produced 139 applications, including 15 Dr. Seuss-related titles created by Oceanhouse Media, Romanini said. The program began after developers were given early access to B&N’s applications store plans six months ago, Romanini said. A more general release three weeks ago included software tools, she said.
The 190 MB 1.2 Nook software update is based on Google’s Android 2.2 operating system, B&N said. It adds email and Adobe Flash 10.1 support as well as the apps Angry Birds, Flight Control, Pulse News and Quickoffice, it said. The apps range in price from free to $99, with most available for under $5.99, B&N said. About 70 percent of an app sale’s proceeds goes to the developer, the rest to B&N, the company said.
Also included in the new release is Nook Friends, which builds on the previously available “LendMe” feature in which users can “lend” books to other people for up to two weeks. Nook Friends broadens the app to include sharing recommendations. It can remain linked to another person’s activity feed to see their ratings, reviews and reading updates. The periodicals available through Nook Color have grown to 150 titles with the addition of ESPN, Travel and Leisure, National Geographic Kids, Outside and other magazines. The new update also will allow for audio streaming, with Pandora being the first provider, B&N officials said.
Before availability of the new software, Nook users have been taking matters into their own hands, using “rooting” or “jail-breaking” software to make their e-readers more tablet-like, rather than waiting for Barnes & Noble to make the upgrade. B&N said it planned to add features to the Nook Color this year, but some users were willing to risk voiding their warranties by downloading the fix, which is legal but not authorized by B&N.
In addition to the B&N, Best Buy, Books-a-Million and Wal-Mart stores that carry Nook, Staples will be added to the retail distribution on May 1, B&N said. Staples was among the early retailers carrying Sony’s e-reader and the chain is expanding its assortment of tablets, having recently added Research in Motion’s BlackBerry PlayBook.