Related
Just been to get the new Nook, for 139bucks, figured it'd make for a decent reader. Specs seem great, the display is beautiful, and though don't have plans to root/play with it as my other machines, it's always good to know it's possible. Had a 1st gen Kindle when it came out, but the keyboard/usuability/scrolling around, just never clicked. Found it very annoying to actually use in it's designed for role as a reader. Especially the location of the buttons to move around. So, when I saw this new Nook Touch, and had chance to play with it in the store before they were available to purchase, I figured B&N have created an excellent winner here. A neat device perfectly suited for it's role, REALLY great form factor to the point you can drop it in your pocket easily (cargo pants at least!). Great price. An obviously well designed piece of tech!
Good job I actually am aware of the device.
Got to the store, found the booth setup for the Nooks, and they had all 3 available to play with. There was a girl dealing with a customer, so I stood back and waited.
Found myself getting more and more distraught to hear what she was saying. She had an iPad and had no qualms singing it's praises, and that it can do so much more than what this 139 machine can do. The... customer? (not sure if going to be a customer if they're not going to buy the machine after being put off) admitted they had an iPad, loved it to bits, but was looking at this new Nook as it DID look a great device, more portable, battery life being good.
The girl /really/ did a bang up job putting this guy not only off the new nook touch, but the color nook too 'yah, don't think you can play mp3's on this, but my ipad is REALLY good, sync's up with Itunes just great, and the sound, it's awesome, and...'
Didn't want to look the annoying know it all, but couldn't help but mention 'it'll play most stuff you throw at it, it's not a bad machine for the price' and left it there. Ended up having to find another assistant who looked after me wonderfully. Not a hard job I'd think to sell something to a customer, he even mentioned how he had one himself and preferred it to everything else he'd tried (hey, could be lying through his teeth, but it's a nice thing to hear the person selling you the device has one and enjoys it!)
But...
sheesh, I hope that's not the typical level of knowledge being shown by staffing selling the hardware. To compare a 500 (minimum, I didn't ask what model/storage/3g plan she had) device to a 139 book reader seems a bit silly.
But to see someone actively try so hard to put a customer off wanting to buy a product from their store? Never seen anything like it.
Hopefully, B&N can give a bit of training to their staff on what they're selling if this is to be their main product coming up. There were a few other things this sales girl simply had no idea about, should be covered in <5 mins training (app stores, mp3 playing, youtube content, browsing). Not asking them to know the ins and outs of flashing CM onto it and getting a full app market on, but knowing that B&N DO have their own app market for stuff other than just books? Guess not on commission, so don't really care, but even so.
/phew, rant off.
Oh, and apologies for this being in the Nook Color section, not sure where should be, but /really/ needed to vent this off to a community who loves these devices!
If/when the nook touch forums get up, wouldn't mind this thread being pushed across please!
Cheers
I was in a B&N store yesterday and took a few minutes to check out the new Nook. I had no intention of buying, I just wanted to play with it in person. As I was there, I overheard the sales person helping another customer who was asking about the difference between this and the Nook Color. The sales guy said, "well, this is new one is an e-reader, whereas that one is a Google tablet. So anything you can do on any other Google tablet, you can do on that one."
I just cringed.
a week after i bought my nook color i went back to barnes n nobles to buy screen protectors and a silicon case for it. i took my nook color in with me, put it on the counter and said "i want screen protectors and a black scilicon case for this nook color". the girl there sells me both case and protectors for the nook 3g. not realizing that it wasnt for my nook i tried to apply screen protectors, then i saw they werent right.. i took em back and they wouldnot return the screen protectors cuz they had been 'used'.. those god damned protectors cost 16 dollars for 2! TWO!.. vultures...
I was reading a post in the general section of xda, about the best 5 phones, it referenced an article, and I saw an article about the amazon app, and will it succeed..(I must have ADD)
http://www.phonearena.com/news/Will...the-Amazon-tablet-before-its-launched_id20870 Will-developer-anger-at-the-Amazon-Appstore-kill-the-Amazon-tablet-before-its-launched
I wasn't really liking how amazon seems to be doing things, but look at this snippet specifically and tell me what you think..
"My feeling is that the Amazon tablet will be an extension of the Kindle. At heart, it will be an e-reader, but an e-reader with benefits. Amazon has learned from the Nook Color. Consumers want a full screen e-reader with apps and extra features, but Amazon doesn't want to foster the rooting community that has sprung up around the Nook Color. Amazon, like Apple, wants to control the experience, and this means giving consumers what they want, but it also means likely alienating the more tech savvy crowd. However, given that the Amazon tablet will be based on Android 2.x, the tech savvy crowd was already most likely alienated."
Why WOULDN'T they want a community of people spreading the word about how awesome the device is? Look at the kindle.. an overpriced device made of cheap parts, something that could have done more(mind you I own one).. but it was pretty good at the limited things it did.
Why upgrade to something that can REALLY do something?
Anyways, here is my comment/rant I am posting, but I am curious what the community they are talking about thinks. Would you buy their device if they purposely don't want us SPECIFICALLY to be able to enjoy it for what it COULD do?
My comment:
This one phrase does it for me, "Amazon, like Apple, wants to control the experience, and this means giving consumers what they want, but it also means likely alienating the more tech savvy crowd."
I am one of those people that bought a nook color, and has it doing every awesome thing that it has the hardware to do, and doing more than you'd ever think you could have it do.
That said: The problem with apple and anyone who uses them as a model.. they want to control what the device can do, so they can sell you another device in the near future. Sure, you had to jailbreak the iphone, but the original phone that couldn't record video COULD in fact record video. The iphone 3g COULD record video, but the 3gs can record hi-def, the only qualifying selling point(besides harddrive) of the device. Oh wait, a jailbroken 3g can record in the SAME QUALITY. At my old job working at a university I had to jailbreak iPads to do video out because the apple representatives said it couldn't.. they were surprised when I showed them what it can do in the classroom as soon as I got around their limitations. I am quite sure the iPhone 4 and the iPad 2 are capable of many things they DON'T do, but CAN do.. and that they will sell you a new device soon that will.(Lets fill more landfills for no reason) Hell, I had ios4.1 on an original iphone, something they said the iphone 3g couldn't do.(Now I am ranting I think)
Each release of newer device from apple was NOT an improvement in a big way, but a controlled release of a single or few features they wanted you to be able to do. Intentional limitations purely in software. It is one of the BIG reasons why I stopped buying iPhones.. to make it do everything it COULD do, I had to defy what the manufacturer didn't want it to be able to do.
If amazon does this, I don't see this as being a success.. it is the same idea as someone micromanaging. Sure, it CAN be comforting to have someone come in and tell you every little detail of what to do so you don't have to think -- unless you don't have a problem with THINKING.(This is the concept that I think constantly spawns a sheep argument)
Android, simply put, is open source. Even if a manufacturer doesn't want the phones software altered, the NATURE of the software is that it CAN be altered. You can buy an android phone/tablet, and KNOW that if the hardware can do it, and there is a community around the device, the software will allow it. This is how I stream movies, play games(meant for the tegra only devices), have a newer operating system than most android phones, and so much more.. all for 250 dollars. I didn't want a camera on a tablet. I don't want another data plan. Just something a little more comfortable.
Anyways, successful devices are the ones that can accomodate the less tech savvy in ease of use, WITHOUT stepping on the toes of those who know how to make it do more. Why should they? The new samsung galaxy s 2 has no bootloader, a great thing for those of us who want to push the limits of the beautiful hardware rather than have a device that just sounds better.. and a device like that will be embraced by any who want it because no one is trying to keep them away-- and why would they anyways?(Sheep again)
I really don't know how this could be said unless they really think all customers truly are sheep:"Amazon, like Apple, wants to control the experience, and this means giving consumers what they want.." If amazon is trying to become apple part 2, I really am done with them.
My first reaction to your post was confusion. You really buried the lead there
*IF* I read you correctly (and the article), you are asking why Amazon would want to make it impossible (or at least very difficult) for developers and enthusiasts to extend the capabilities of the mythical Amazon Tablet.
The article refers to lessons learned from the Nook Color, but I'm not sure Amazon has learned the same thing from the NC that modding enthusiasts have. We appreciate how fundamentally powerful and inexpensive the NC is. Amazon (as well as Barnes & Noble) see a high end ereader as expanding the reach of their core business... selling books.
I think the fallacy of the article cited is that they think Amazon is trying to emulate Apple. I don't think they are. They are trying to emulate Gillette and Schick. Sell the razor cheap and then make your money on the blades. Or the updated model of printers and ink. Same thing.
It is in Amazon's best interest to limit the scope of activities and applications on their tablet for a couple of reasons. They don't want the Nook app running on their tablet and they don't want to have to support a whole gamut of problems that will come with pushing the hardware to its limit.
They do on the other hand want to give the majority of their customers what they want. The Ipad and the Honeycomb tablets hitting the market are setting the bar higher and higher, so they have to respond with enough features to stay competitive.
For a mass marketer (like Apple, B&N, and Amazon) that means being selective and slow. Being an early adopter can be painful.. both for users and vendors. They are just trying to maximize their profits and this is the best strategy for that.
Honestly, I don't see Amazon really locking it down that much unless they want to cover their rear end on trying to make it hard as can be getting their DRMed ebooks off the device.
BN makes money on each NC sold (AFAIK) so even if somebody (like me) buys one just to have a tablet, they still make money off of it. Whether somebody uses it as is or converts it to a CM7 tablet is really of no consequence to them. If anything, they are more than likely to buy into the BN ecosystem I think. You've already bought a tablet so why not buy their dedicated ereader if you find that reading on the NC is a little worse than you imagined.
I mean, I own both a Nook (1st ed.) and a NC. I appreciate their openness in regards to their products (not only being able to load CM7 but also their openness in respects to formats and everything else with their eink readers) and will continue to support them over Amazon or the like, even though I really like Amazon.
I think Amazon is trying to take a little from both Apple and B&N. B&N has looked the other way while the development community opened up and enhanced the Nook Color because I think they were simply interested getting something out there that would set them apart from the Kindle and sell books. Yes, they have an app store but I do not think that was a priority other than to say they have one. Amazon sells far more than books so they want to make money in the app store as well. On top of that, Apple pretty much kicked them out of the app store unless they paid the toll. Not having a tablet to make up for that sent them rushing to copy B&N. B&N got it right the first time and I don't think they are worried that people are going to root the device and start using the Kindle app. I have both but I have yet to buy a single Kindle book. Since they are both priced about the same, why would I need to? I just bought my wife a NC so now we will share books. And, she may be perfectly happy if I leave it stock.
One final comment: I have not now nor will I ever buy an Apple product primarily because I do not like being controlled and locked out of my own device.
You're ranting about Amazon this, Amazon that, but you're referring to an article which is about Amazon. It's not from Amazon.
So will Amazon try to limit the openness of its tablet? Maybe. Has Amazon said anything to this nature? Dunno, but it's not in this article. This is all third party speculation.
khaytsus said:
You're ranting about Amazon this, Amazon that, but you're referring to an article which is about Amazon. It's not from Amazon.
So will Amazon try to limit the openness of its tablet? Maybe. Has Amazon said anything to this nature? Dunno, but it's not in this article. This is all third party speculation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, I was ranting about Apple.
khaytsus said:
You're ranting about Amazon this, Amazon that, but you're referring to an article which is about Amazon. It's not from Amazon.
So will Amazon try to limit the openness of its tablet? Maybe. Has Amazon said anything to this nature? Dunno, but it's not in this article. This is all third party speculation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, the article is about the Amazon appstore problems and only incidentally about the tablet. Any discussion of the tablet has to be speculation until the product actually is released.
The appstore seems to be actively hostile to developers and just there to get people onto the other Amazon pages.
There is speculation that it's there to support the tablet in a closed ecosystem, but I think it's just a side benefit (to Amazon).
I guess the real question isn't is this sensible business practice so much as would you support companies that literally go out of their way to make the things that we do like we have with our nook colors.. Some of that article isn't speculation, they have refused googles market application, and there are plenty of things that can be surmised from that that isn't speculation.
Companies used to be happy selling widgets, but now it has become popular for companies to sell widgets that COULD do more, but they limit what it can do so they can sell more widgets. It hurts progress of all kinds because it is the intentional slowing down of progress, just to profit more. If they want to sell you a new product, they should make a product that is ACTUALLY better than the previous ones.
Silentbtdeadly said:
If they want to sell you a new product, they should make a product that is ACTUALLY better than the previous ones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The product Amazon would be selling with the tablet wouldn't be the tablet itself.
Why would Amazon want to make a generic do all tablet? How does that fit into their business model? How would they compete with the well established "generic" tablet makers?
Amazon is a web store, they want to get people into their store. Otherwise, Amazon would have no reason or no business making a tablet in the first place.
Barns and Noble didn't make the Nook because they wanted to make an Android tablet or because they wanted to make an e-reader, they made the Nook so people would buy books from them.
joenathane said:
The product Amazon would be selling with the tablet wouldn't be the tablet itself.
Why would Amazon want to make a generic do all tablet? How does that fit into their business model? How would they compete with the well established "generic" tablet makers?
Amazon is a web store, they want to get people into their store. Otherwise, Amazon would have no reason or no business making a tablet in the first place.
Barns and Noble didn't make the Nook because they wanted to make an Android tablet or because they wanted to make an e-reader, they made the Nook so people would buy books from them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea well, then they shouldn't have their webstore on those generic tablets, because why would someone buy their less-than-tablet if other tablets that probably don't cost much more can do it just as well, or better because there are so many apps those OTHER tablets can do.
I guess the way you put it, they should get out of the electronics business all together if they can't compete with what other devices do. Their best bet would be to put out a device that people want because it is BETTER than other devices, but make sure their software is on every device.. I mean I doubt it will come out at a semi-affordable price like the nook.
Any way I look at it, and everything I heard, I still think it is bad and sad ways of trying to make money.. because they are doing the minimum they can in every scenario to deserve money.
What companies like B&N and Amazon are trying to do is completely different than what companies like Motorola and Samsung are trying to do. They have completely different aims in their product goals. One side is trying to lock you in to their market and the other is trying to make a general purpose functional device.
Although I do have a feeling that I am wasting my time here...
joenathane said:
What companies like B&N and Amazon are trying to do is completely different than what companies like Motorola and Samsung are trying to do. They have completely different aims in their product goals. One side is trying to lock you in to their market and the other is trying to make a general purpose functional device.
Although I do have a feeling that I am wasting my time here...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unless you can explain what makes them think they can market devices like that AND be able to compete against devices that can do all of that and more.. that device would have to be incredibly cheap for someone to buy it, plain and simple. I will say, if the nook color could only read books, I would have regretted buying it, because for a little more I could have gotten a device that can do the same things and much more.
I don't see how they could compete against the competitors if they go about it that way, I don't think it is possible. "Their" market would have to have far far more to offer than all of the things already out. Our society is all about putting more functionality into one device, creating universal devices, not specialized ones.
Silentbtdeadly said:
Unless you can explain what makes them think they can market devices like that AND be able to compete against devices that can do all of that and more.. that device would have to be incredibly cheap for someone to buy it, plain and simple. I will say, if the nook color could only read books, I would have regretted buying it, because for a little more I could have gotten a device that can do the same things and much more.
I don't see how they could compete against the competitors if they go about it that way, I don't think it is possible. "Their" market would have to have far far more to offer than all of the things already out. Our society is all about putting more functionality into one device, creating universal devices, not specialized ones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you are missing Joe's point. B&N already had a Nook reader, but it was barely holding it's own against the Kindle reader. B&N then decided to come out with a better, color reader that could handle magazines and other color periodicals, something that the Kindle cannot do. On top of that they added basic tablet features such as email and web browsing as well as an app market to further distinguish it from the Kindle. It was not intended to be an iPad killer. However, through the hard work of the development community it has morphed into just about a full blown tablet, minus the mic and camera. At the time a new Nook Color was $250 while an iPad was twice as much as were most other tablets. The Nook Color was created to sell more books, magazines, newspaper subscriptions and some apps directly from B&N. Thankfully, B&N looked the other way when people started to root them. I guess they realized that once they got the NC into our hands, we would still probably use the Android Nook app and continue to buy books from them anyway. Since books are generally the same price as as Kindle books, I have and will continue to buy mine from B&N. I even got my wife one in a one day sale last week for $180 so we can share the books. She may decide to leave it stock since ti meets her needs already.
cincibluer6 said:
BN makes money on each NC sold (AFAIK) so even if somebody (like me) buys one just to have a tablet, they still make money off of it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you back that up with a source? I've been wondering about this for a long time, since I bought my NC only to use it as a tablet. Living in Germany, I couldn't buy B&N books even if I wanted to and that fact always bugged me a bit, since the NC obviously is so cheap because they want you to buy books.
I don't want to be ripping off a company that makes such awesome devices
Actually, there has been much debate over B&n making any real profit on the device.
Looking the main components:
1024x600 7" IPS Panel (not cheap)
TI Omap 3621 (eBook version of the 3630, featured in the Droid X)
512MB ram
8GB memory
4400mAh battery
As it is, the "cheap" tablets that are close in price, are not close in specs. Devices that ARE close in specs, are commonly more expensive.
At this point, i suspect they may be making a bit of money, but not much; and several months ago, i have no doubt that the nook was costing them, and that they really did rely on book sales (basically free money) to offset the losses.
Divine_Madcat said:
Actually, there has been much debate over B&n making any real profit on the device.
Looking the main components:
1024x600 7" IPS Panel (not cheap)
TI Omap 3621 (eBook version of the 3630, featured in the Droid X)
512MB ram
8GB memory
4400mAh battery
As it is, the "cheap" tablets that are close in price, are not close in specs. Devices that ARE close in specs, are commonly more expensive.
At this point, i suspect they may be making a bit of money, but not much; and several months ago, i have no doubt that the nook was costing them, and that they really did rely on book sales (basically free money) to offset the losses.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, it's most commonly estimated that the Bill of Materials for the Nook is around $200. Add in all the other overhead involved in marketing, supporting and shipping a product like this and you come to see that their profit margins are razor thin. Compare that to the iPad's BOM of $260 and you come to see that tablets like the iPad and the Nook are playing at very different games...
Overstock has the refurb nook color with 1 year man. warranty for $179 today.
http://www.overstock.com/Electronics/Nook-Color-by-Barnes-Noble-Certified-Pre-Owned/5924200/product.html
Great deal! See this post for an extra $10 off via Buy.com: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1220388
all these deals make me feel like something new is coming
Sent from my NookColor using Tapatalk
koopakid08 said:
all these deals make me feel like something new is coming
Sent from my NookColor using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think this is a run to get as many out as possible before Amazon releases a tablet.
patruns said:
I think this is a run to get as many out as possible before Amazon releases a tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thats my vote.
Are you guys wrongly comparing Brand-new NC vs. Refurbished NC?
Amazon tablet has nothing to do with those price-dropping NOOKC.
If the brand-new NC is dropping price then it's legitimate to say because of the impact of the Amazon tablet, this is not, this is refurbished, people.
votinh said:
Are you guys wrongly comparing Brand-new NC vs. Refurbished NC?
Amazon tablet has nothing to do with those price-dropping NOOKC.
If the brand-new NC is dropping price then it's legitimate to say because of the impact of the Amazon tablet, this is not, this is refurbished, people.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have 2 that do not look at all to be anything but new. I suspect that B&N is flooding the market and you may get new or refurb. Have you ever seen any tech gizmo that was this popular and had this many refurbs floating around? Unless you have some solid inside info from either Amazon or B&N I take your advice as simply an opinion.
votinh said:
Are you guys wrongly comparing Brand-new NC vs. Refurbished NC?
Amazon tablet has nothing to do with those price-dropping NOOKC.
If the brand-new NC is dropping price then it's legitimate to say because of the impact of the Amazon tablet, this is not, this is refurbished, people.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the nook color price hasnt dropped, its been $249 for a while now
the nook color refurbished price has dropped, from $225 to $169.
the reason for the glut of refurbs? no idea/opinion.
is B&N reselling refurbished NC's for cheaper and cheaper, an attempt at saturating the channel before amazon releases their tablet(s)? perhaps.
i got mine about a month or two ago for $189 from b&n through ebay; so could read books, comics, study, and do light surfing (reading the tech news). i only got it b/c i could root it, which i did via microSD card and run android/CM7. my wife has been "borrowing" it during the day to read books while at work (she is a nanny). she also will be "borrowing" it to read books when she stays home with our first child, in the fall. she finds being able to read a book with one hand and turn the page with a finger MUCH easier, especially when holding a baby. she loves the quality of the screen and is getting used to the touch screen interface.
will any other tablet de-throne the NC for the sub $200-250 tablet market segment - only time will tell. competition is a good thing for all consumers. i look forward to new tablets, but i will probably stick with my $250 investment (NC, 16gb microSD card, silicon cover, screen protector, neoprene bag) for at least 1-2 years unless anyone comes out with a tablet that is as fast as my workstation/desktop for surfing for approx. $250, which will probably happen in 1-2 years at the rate we are currently moving. that, or the battery fails to maintain a charge after doing 50% drain every day. The question is, will tablets hit the metaphorical wall, as we did with computers and the current 3-4ghz processor "cap"? only time will tell.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57...s-noble/?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
Not sure if this would be a good thinq but expect it would not...
Maybe good news for those waiting for a fire sale on B&N NOOKcolor and NOOKtablet devices?
Looks like the locked bootloader really killed Nook Tablet sales plus the Kindle Fire is taking a big chunk of would be nook Color\Tablet owners
Sent from my NookColor using Tapatalk
Nothing stopping them from releasing an update to "free" the Nook Tablet from their "jail" basically. I don't think they're stupid, but I do think that somewhere deep inside B&N HQ someone is getting raked over the coals about the lockdown - it would behoove B&N to do something, and fast.
That 1.41 update that basically cripples the NT could be construed as a "final nail in the coffin" but they can fix it, if they don't keep dicking around and making stupid decisions.
I just yesterday got to play with a Nook Tablet for the first time since they came out, and the instant impression was "Wow, this is quite noticeably much faster than the Nook Color" which is pretty obvious because of the dual core nature and more storage and faster CPU speed.
But then I walked across the store I was in and got a Kindle Fire in my hands and that thing REALLY was snappy even compared to the NT. But I'd never buy a Fire because of no expandable storage - that's simply unacceptable in this day and age. As far as the web browsing on the Fire, it doesn't matter to me as I prefer using Opera mini and that's way faster - Opera perfected that preloaded page serving stuff many years ago. Amazon's "Silk" implementation isn't bad but, Opera mini on the same hardware just leaves it standing still.
I hope B&N comes to their senses, and fast.
Quotes from article...
Since it appears some did not click on the link:
---
Indeed, Barnes & Noble cut its sales forecast for fiscal 2012, which ends April 30. The company projected fiscal 2012 revenue of $7 billion and $7.2 billion. Wall Street was expecting $7.33 billion. The company will also lose $1.40 to $1.10 a share for the year. Barnes & Noble said sales of the Nook Simple Touch and investments in the Nook business led to the losses. Wall Street was expecting a loss of 63 cents a share.
Barnes & Noble shares were crushed in early trading.
...
There are no guarantees that the Nook unit will be spun off. The company said it is looking into international expansion with partners.
Barnes & Noble also provided some sales data, but actual unit data wasn’t given. Barnes & Noble said Nook unit sales were up 70 percent from a year ago. Nook Tablet sales exceeded expectations and Nook Simple Touch lagged. Digital content sales were up 113 percent from a year ago. Nook sales were driven by third party retailers.
...
The locked bootloader has nothing to do with B&N's financial woes. They did it to allow use of DRM for videos due to the RIAA and Google. This has already been sidestepped BTW. In a similar vein, Acer launcher their new Transformer with a locked bootloader but has announced they will have an unlock tool for those that don't care about having access to DRM'd videos or a warranty.
It has everything to do with this issue though.
Homer
I don't disagree homer, although I think B&N is still struggling on how to "bridge the gap" a lot. I also think they are going to struggle on their own with trying to provide movies, music, apps along with their books for their products. Not teaming with Google (or at least letting you link your google app purchases) will be a big downfall. If I already bought something on Amazon's appstore, I don't want to have to re-buy it on the Nook store just because I have a Nook vs a Kindle.
They need to figure out how to encourage folks to come to the stores, and I think in some ways Apple has it right. B&N needs to make a big commitment to having resources where folks can come in and play with the devices, get drinks, sit and enjoy a quiet reading environment, etc.
I don't think it'll save all 700 stores, but it could create a good long-term strategy for them.
Is there anyway to root or downgrade this so i can install a ROM any ideas? because otherwise, it's just a piece of junk that is annoying me.
Negative on root and not for the foreseeable future. I actually just sold mine the other day. $30. I bought it for $20 used, put a tempered glass protector and a case on it. All in all, if you got a decent deal on it (or if you still have the box) you can get pretty much all your money back selling second hand.
Technocian said:
Negative on root and not for the foreseeable future. I actually just sold mine the other day. $30. I bought it for $20 used, put a tempered glass protector and a case on it. All in all, if you got a decent deal on it (or if you still have the box) you can get pretty much all your money back selling second hand.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep - easily sold an unrooted 5th gen on CL. Still have a pair of boxed 5th gens with 5.0.1 bootloader that I might unload before the batteries go bad. While Fire 7s are quite serviceable (especially with one of @ggow's custom ROMs) I prefer the crispness/responsiveness of higher resolution screens on devices with at least 2GB of memory. Several options in the $50 USD range satisfy that criteria. Still use my remaining Fire 7 on occation; has never let me down.
Davey126 said:
Yep - easily sold an unrooted 5th gen on CL. Still have a pair of boxed 5th gens with 5.0.1 bootloader that I might unload before the batteries go bad. While Fire 7s are quite serviceable (especially with one of @ggow's custom ROMs) I prefer the crispness/responsiveness of higher resolution screens on devices with at least 2GB of memory. Several options in the $50 USD range satisfy that criteria. Still use my remaining Fire 7 on occation; has never let me down.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What tablets are out there in the $50 USD range that run normal android (maybe with the option to load custom Roms)
upcboy said:
What tablets are out there in the $50 USD range that run normal android (maybe with the option to load custom Roms)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am partial to (used) 3rd gen Amazon HDX devices. Bootloader can be unlocked opening the door to a full suite of custom ROMs. Hardware is far superior to anything in the current Fire line-up.
Davey126 said:
I am partial to (used) 3rd gen Amazon HDX devices. Bootloader can be unlocked opening the door to a full suite of custom ROMs. Hardware is far superior to anything in the current Fire line-up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any current hardware you would recommend with stock android? I see quite a few other tablets in the $50 range now. . .and all three of my boys have destroyed their tablets in the two years they have had them (one fell off a car, another cracked in a backpack, and the other got stepped on). Two are still in use with screen protectors, but they should get replacements. . .but without root, not really interested in the Amazon devices anymore. . .
mbholm said:
Any current hardware you would recommend with stock android? I see quite a few other tablets in the $50 range now. . .and all three of my boys have destroyed their tablets in the two years they have had them (one fell off a car, another cracked in a backpack, and the other got stepped on). Two are still in use with screen protectors, but they should get replacements. . .but without root, not really interested in the Amazon devices anymore. . .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like your boys are tough on electronics. In that case a HDX would not be a good choice. You might be better off going with a prepaid handset such as the Motorola G4 which can be had for <$40 at Walmart. Don't activate; just use as WiFi gizmo. Better technical specs than any 5-7th gen Amazon tablet. No root - but really isn't needed w/Android 7.1.
Davey126 said:
Sounds like your boys are tough on electronics. In that case a HDX would not be a good choice. You might be better off going with a prepaid handset such as the Motorola G4 which can be had for <$40 at Walmart. Don't activate; just use as WiFi gizmo. Better technical specs than any 5-7th gen Amazon tablet. No root - but really isn't needed w/Android 7.1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hm. Thanks. So 5.5" screen instead of 7" it appears. . .not sure lack of root is an option to lock down with Kidsplace properly.
Davey126 said:
Sounds like your boys are tough on electronics. In that case a HDX would not be a good choice. You might be better off going with a prepaid handset such as the Motorola G4 which can be had for <$40 at Walmart. Don't activate; just use as WiFi gizmo. Better technical specs than any 5-7th gen Amazon tablet. No root - but really isn't needed w/Android 7.1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
<$40? Am I looking at the wrong device. . .when I search for the Motorola G4, it shows at above $100. . .
mbholm said:
<$40? Am I looking at the wrong device. . .when I search for the Motorola G4, it shows at above $100. . .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry - it is the E4 which is a slightly better device than the G4. You can compare specs online. Following link valid in the US as of the date of this post. Perpetually 'out of stock' online but usually available in stores. There is no further up-front commitment if not using cellular service (not does it matter if Verizon is available in your area). Note I'm not pumping this device; just offering it up as an example of what's available per my original post. May or may not meet your needs.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Verizon-Motorola-E4-Prepaid/953073971
Davey126 said:
Sorry - it is the E4 which is a slightly better device than the G4. You can compare specs online. Following link valid in the US as of the date of this post. Perpetually 'out of stock' online but usually available in stores. There is no further up-front commitment if not using cellular service (not does it matter if Verizon is available in your area). Note I'm not pumping this device; just offering it up as an example of what's available per my original post. May or may not meet your needs.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Verizon-Motorola-E4-Prepaid/953073971
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! I'll check it out.