The Barnes & Noble NOOKcolor is a 7 inch color eBook reader that also happens to make a pretty decent Android tablet if you root it or install custom firmware. But soon you won’t need to do either of those things to enjoy third party apps on the tablet. Barnes & Noble plans to launch its own app store for the NOOKcolor, and the company has started accepting submissions for third party apps at nookdeveloper.barnesandnoble.com.

The book store offers a software developer kit for the NOOKcolor, and is particularly interested in apps that will appeal to people who bought the tablet primarily to read books. Barnes & Noble says reading-centric apps such as dictionary, thesaurus, or atlas apps are encouraged, as well as educational apps, travel aids, apps about hobbies such as cooking or gardening, and apps that can provide reading library states, note-taking, or other productivity features focused on reading and writing.

While the company is also looking for games, it appears Barnes & Noble envisions the NOOKcolor as a device for word, puzzle, card, trivia, and other casual games that might appeal to mainstream customers as opposed to hard-core first person shooters or racing games.

Of course, third party apps can make or break a platform, and I wouldn’t be shocked if Barnes & Noble starts out with reading-centric apps only to find out that there’s a demand for other types of apps as well.

via CrunchGear

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3 replies on “Barnes & Noble seeks third party apps for the NOOKcolor”

  1. I really like the way that B&N has been handling the nook color since day-1. Starting with quality hardware at a great price. Passively allowing end-user rooting. Sticking to the ereader purpose of the nook color while hinting at broader things to come.

    Although I have an iPad1, I picked up a nook color and rooted it. A simple rooting is all-round the best and easiest way to turn it into an Android tablet. It offers the full Google experience without interfering with the original functionality.

    B&N is entering the tablet market through the side door and hopefully will establish the nook color as a quality niche tablet.

  2. Could be quite an interesting addition to the Nook. I see them entering the app world by steering close to Nook-centric apps. Reading, dictionary, etc, as was said. Could be quite interesting to see how this develops.

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