Years ago (before there was a Kindle) I bought a Nook from Barnes and Noble. Incredible. I could read books everywhere (including sitting on the pier at the Santa Cruz boardwalk in California in the July sunshine, and I could take dozens, if not hundreds, of books with me when I traveled.
Then Amazon entered the fray with self publishing. Lots of great books available on Amazon but not through Barnes and Noble. Not readable on a Nook, however. So I bought a tablet. I can read both using the apps but the problem is it isn't e-ink. You can't read a tablet sitting in the sunshine. Too much glare.
The other part of the tablet that I don't like is that it's
too easy to browse off to other stuff. Look this up, check email, etc,
etc. I find my reading broken compared to my Nook or an actual book. I
know, that's a personal problem, but still, it does distract me and I
haven't been able to break the habit.
I started researching. Amazon isn't going to let you read epub on their Kindle because competition. Barnes and Noble isn't going to let you read Amazon format on their Nook because competition.
There must be an aftermarket e-ink reader that lets you read both. Enter DRM. Digital Rights Management. You can't read our stuff on other people's readers because copyright. Sigh. All I want to do is read books.
I keep researching, hoping someone will come up with a decent e-ink reader that allows you to install apps from Barnes and Noble AND Amazon so that I can read both. Every time someone does I get excited, and then I read the reviews. They just don't seem to work particularly well.
Onyx Boox is the latest. Mixed reviews on using Amazon App. Boyue got good reviews but last year and the year before every time I went to shop for one it said "out of stock". Got to wonder about a company that never has any product for sale. The other problem is that most of these aftermarket readers run over $200. I assume that B&N and Amazon are selling at or around cost on the assumption that they will then make some money selling you books, and I don't mind paying more if it does what I want it to do, I just am not thrilled about ponying up that kind of cash in order to discover that it doesn't do it well.
So here I, sit reading on my tablet and trying to stay out of the sun.
Showing posts with label e-ink tablets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label e-ink tablets. Show all posts
Thursday, November 23, 2017
Sunday, April 24, 2016
Rooting a Nook for Android
Thought it might be nice to be able to use the Kindle app on my Nook with fewer and fewer books being released on Barnes and Noble (Amazon has a really great self publishing program). Did some research and discovered that you could use Touchnooter, which would allow you to boot either the original Nook OS or an Android OS. Easy instructions found here.
Except when they aren't. I followed the instructions and the Nook wouldn't start up at all. Froze on the startup screen. So I did a bit of digging and found these instructions to restore to the original OS. That was easy although it took a lot of waiting and restarting. Now it's back.
Except where it isn't. I don't have my Shelves anymore since I had to reset everything. If you aren't familiar with the Nook system, the one terrible feature is the organization of your books. You create a shelf, then you scroll through every book on your Nook, selecting the ones you want to add. Fine if keep twenty or thirty books for reading and then archive or delete them when you are done, not so fine if you have 1070 books and want them to be organized. There were complaints galore when they created the system but they ignored the complaints and never did release a new version of the OS. Shortly thereafter they released the Color Nook and the classic Soft Touch was forgotten.
Now I have to decide. Option 1, try to root it again and maybe it works, and maybe I like it. Option 2, rebuild the shelves. Option 3, buy a tablet. During my explorations I have read that Option 3 is not a great option, that reading on a tablet isn't nearly as easy on the eyes as eInk, although it would appear that there are some new e-reader tablets available so that might be an option.
Well, either way, I have my Nook back so no harm, no foul. I'll let you know if I decide to try the root process again and how it comes out.
Except when they aren't. I followed the instructions and the Nook wouldn't start up at all. Froze on the startup screen. So I did a bit of digging and found these instructions to restore to the original OS. That was easy although it took a lot of waiting and restarting. Now it's back.
Except where it isn't. I don't have my Shelves anymore since I had to reset everything. If you aren't familiar with the Nook system, the one terrible feature is the organization of your books. You create a shelf, then you scroll through every book on your Nook, selecting the ones you want to add. Fine if keep twenty or thirty books for reading and then archive or delete them when you are done, not so fine if you have 1070 books and want them to be organized. There were complaints galore when they created the system but they ignored the complaints and never did release a new version of the OS. Shortly thereafter they released the Color Nook and the classic Soft Touch was forgotten.
Now I have to decide. Option 1, try to root it again and maybe it works, and maybe I like it. Option 2, rebuild the shelves. Option 3, buy a tablet. During my explorations I have read that Option 3 is not a great option, that reading on a tablet isn't nearly as easy on the eyes as eInk, although it would appear that there are some new e-reader tablets available so that might be an option.
Well, either way, I have my Nook back so no harm, no foul. I'll let you know if I decide to try the root process again and how it comes out.
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