Nook Color General Discussion Thread

[rico2001]

I got it working now, just installed youtube.apk downloaded from xda using NC. I typed something wrong in cmd.

Do you use any alt. market app?

 

[gadgetrants]

I got it working now, just installed youtube.apk downloaded from xda using NC. I typed something wrong in cmd.

Do you use any alt. market app?

Great, I love happy endings.

As far as markets, I've been using the Android Market with my Droid so far. I really like Appbrain, which allows you to register your device and then it maintains a list of all the apps you have and notifies you about updates (yeah, I know the Android Market does the same!). I've had some problems with apps not re-syncing from the Market after updating the ROM, and Appbrain has been a great safety net.

What's nice about Appbrain is that it has a good interface for browsing/searching, and when you find an app you like, there is 1-click "syncing." In other words, pick the app on the website using either PC or phone, open Appbrain on your phone, and install (opens Market and downloads automatically).

For a short while, Appbrain had a helper program called Fast Web Installer, which bypassed the Market: when you picked an app on the website, you had the option of directly downloading and installing to the phone. I tried it with the Pandigital but since it wasn't correctly registered with Google, it didn't work. In any case, Google is now blocking the backdoor install route. And the 1-click sync won't work with the NC until the Android Market issues are all solved (Gingerbread?).

It's mostly superstitious, but as you can guess I try to avoid installing apps from "unknown" places. The Android Market is already wild, wild west enough for me!

-Matt

 

[rico2001]

I've been installing app for the past 2 hours.

Everything I've tried works great!


edit: spoke too soon

 

[gadgetrants]

Yeah, I'm pretty happy except occasionally there IS an app that needs a hard menu key. What's happening with you?

I was planning to "unroot" tonight, but the frickin' instructions on the nookdevs website is confusing (e.g., what exactly is the difference between factory reset and "factory reset"???) and seems to change on an hourly basis! I may take it a little more slowly...

-Matt

 

[rico2001]

Observation: Many (not all) apps you manually install show up in Stock NC UI's "Extras" area (show all apps menu). So if B&N just allow for customizable workspace and widgets, there would be no need for us to use a non-stock launcher. The 2.2 upgrade should be a smooth transition.

 

[rico2001]

Yeah, I'm pretty happy except occasionally there IS an app that needs a hard menu key. What's happening with you?

I was planning to "unroot" tonight, but the frickin' instructions on the nookdevs website is confusing (e.g., what exactly is the difference between factory reset and "factory reset"???) and seems to change on an hourly basis! I may take it a little more slowly...

-Matt

Why are you unrooting?

 

[gadgetrants]

Why are you unrooting?

Oh, just a power-trip thing. Actually, since I'm returning this one (and keeping the one my wife will use), I want to be sure I can get it back in the condition it came in!

Another way of saying it is I want to go back and forth from rooted to stock a few times to streamline the process (e.g., I'll probably write a batch script for ADB to install my preferred apps in one shot).

-Matt

 

[rico2001]

This NC section is too hidden in the forum.

 

[gadgetrants]

What are you talking about? I've seen posts from at least two other members! I guess it is pretty intimate.

How's this: I'll PM xauieous and ask if they can post a news-update on the Droid forum directing people here. Maybe a similar one on the front page of this forum too. He might ask you and I to craft it...

-Matt

 

[rico2001]

What are you talking about? I've seen posts from at least two other members! I guess it is pretty intimate.

How's this: I'll PM xauieous and ask if they can post a news-update on the Droid forum directing people here. Maybe a similar one on the front page of this forum too. He might ask you and I to craft it...

-Matt

Na, that's ok. I was just making a general observation.

 

[gadgetrants]

Ooops, already pulled the trigger!

-Matt

 

[rico2001]

A good quote:

Hey, Tyler G, you should understand the limitations of iPad as it doesn't have USB port and it's screen is highly reflective and is very bad for reading/viewing during many light conditions (can't draw outside, won't see anything.) Nook Color is a hybrid Android eReader/tablet device, something between Kindle and iPad. Even though Nook Color has LCD touchscreen, it's a new generation screen which is anti-glare coated and is better performing in sunlight and produces less glare all of which are dooming reading on iPad. Also, the screen is amazing and readable/viewable at wide angles.

Nook Color has several apps that already come with the device (Pandora Internet radio, QuickOffice, etc.) Also, Barnes & Noble recently released Nook SDK and Nook Developer platform that will allow most of the existing 100,000 Android apps be ported to it thus if there's an Android app for drawing, it can be used on Nook Color.

Source

 

[gadgetrants]

Remember we were talking about installing apps and alternative markets? Something strange happened yesterday...I ran the script for enabling the Android Market:

Enable the Android Market - nookDevs

I could open the Market and view everything, but downloading didn't work (as noted in the instructions) because I'd registered the Nook with one gmail address (damn, the guy at BestBuy was right about that!!), but logged into Youtube with a different address.

But later on I added a second email address in Gmail...and then on a whim tried Appbrain's Fast Web Installer and IT WORKED! I just selected an app on the Appbrain website, selected install (some other settings need to be in place for it to work) and a moment later it appeared and installed on the NC. Now my Market is working normally too. Weird.

-Matt

 

[gadgetrants]

This is great. Now we can gain access to Development Settings (e.g., turn auto-mount on and off):

NookColor Acces Development Settings - nookDevs

To access the Development settings page, including "Manage applications", do the following:

• Tap the lower left corner to pull up the notifications balloon.
• Plug the USB in and tap the "USB debugging connected" dialog which will bring up the Development settings screen behind the "USB Mode" pop-up.
• Unplug the USB and the Development settings will remain available.

​

The nookdevs page doesn't list the prerequisites, but I assume it requires root, and perhaps also enabling the Market?

The cool part is you can now access the Manage Applications option, which means we can clear cache and data, and in particular, clear the defaults for an app. That was a concern of mine, because I've made Zeam the default launcher (and wondered "How can I re-enable the built-in NC launcher???").

REMEMBER: if you select one of the options in the Development menu (e.g., Running services) you WILL NOT have a back button in the notification bar! NO WORRIES!!! Just back out by using the handy-dandy one-finger swipe of the notification bar from right-to-left.

-Matt

 

[JagMan]

Hello All! I am considering a NC but am concerned about the battery replacement after the warranty period. Has anyone looked at the possiblity of replacing the battery yourself if it craters after the warranty.
I asked a BN rep about it and was told that they have not looked that far in servicing the NC after the warranty period.