Barnes & Noble may be positioning the NOOKcolor as an eBook reader, but it’s shaping up to be a pretty versatile Android tablet for $250. Earlier this week, we saw the first third party apps make their way onto a rooted NOOKcolor, and yesterday Barnes & Noble released the official software developer kit so that programmers can write third party apps you’ll be able to install without rooting. Now we’re seeing what looks like the first custom ROM (or possibly just a tweaked version of the custom firmware) for the device.

YouTube member jacememes has uploaded a video showing the NOOKcolor running Android 2.2.1.

The eBook reader ships with a version of Android 2.1 with custom software running on top so that you normally won’t see the standard Android elements such as the stock Home Screen or program launcher.

The hacked NOOKcolor shows both of those things and more… including a phone icon, even though the tablet doesn’t actually have the proper hardware to make phone calls. Clearly, this is still a work in progress… but it’s pretty cool stuff.

The NOOKcolor, by the way, has an 800MHz TI OMAP processor, 512MB of RAM, and a 1024 x 600 pixel capacitive touchscreen display, which makes it one of the most powerful Android tablets you can find for under $250.

You can check out the video after the break.

via reddit

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9 replies on “NOOKcolor hacked to run Android 2.2.1”

  1. If nothing else, these people help to enlighten the product makers to the full potential of their devices. Now B&N has released a SDK for developers to write new apps for it. Without folks hacking the machine in the first place, this likely would not have happened, so GOOD JOB hackers!!

    1. Actually, I believe B&N planned this all along… but it’s still pretty cool that users will be able to choose between rooting the device for full Android access or using the stock B&N software plus some third party apps specifically designed for the eReader.

  2. Hacking is a hobby. Hackets have fun doing things, sometimes things that aren’t worth doing.

  3. Asbestos is a versatile, common-place, and well-known material with several attractive features and applications. Removing the stuffing of your bedroom pillows and replacing them with asbestos makes slightly more sense than loading any version of Android on something that didn’t come pre-loaded with it. Unlike asbestos, Android has little value and is far safer and easier to remove.

    Are all Android users this dumb? Why do people buy gadgets stuck with Android if they believe that they can and must outsmart its faulty nature? The money they pay subsidizes Android’s defficiencies and rewards companies for unloading garbage on the public. Then these “clever” people try to get around the very limitations that they financially reward companies for creating, and in the end they’re still stuck with a pethetic little Android blob. They might as well replace their breakfast cereal with asbestos.

    1. I don’t know what point you’re trying to make.
      I’ve read your post several times, and still have no idea what you’re trying to say.

      Something about Android being intrinsically “faulty” which you don’t qualify, and some nonsense about the financial relationship between software developers and product distributors.

      Never mind, you are probably a moron.

    2. You do realize the NOOKcolor runs android by default, don’t you? B&N installed their own interface over it. =P You should really check your facts before ranting.

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