Hacking the nook

April 14th, 2010

Here is a way to add more features to your nook without purchasing anything extra.

Recently, I reviewed the Barnes & Noble nook, but I noted that there were some features that were missing in the eReader. Something Barnes & Noble needs to fix on a future software upgrade.

Since the nook runs entirely on the Android operating system, there is an opportunity to add additional features to the nook. Most users were not content with an eReader that just reads eBooks.

If you aren't content with your nook, there are a couple of resources on the Internet to give your eReader an extra boost of features to get the most from your nook.

So the first stop? How to add more features to your nook.

Gimme an upgrade

nookDevs.com
This is the place to go when you are seriously thinking about improving your nook. The site offers detailed instructions on how to apply additional features to your nook through either software or hardware modifications.

On a side-note, I would recommend using the software method of "rooting" your nook as opposed to the hardware method, which brings me to another note that is extremely....

IMPORTANT: If you are not comfortable with doing this procedure, DO NOT root your nook. Also, I am just providing sites to make your nook a better product, this does not mean that I encourage you to "root" your nook or rip it apart to void the warranty. Do this at your own risk.

I "softrooted" my nook and, overall, I'm very pleased with the additional applications and features provided through the "upgrade."

Blogs

nookTalk.com
A news blog and forum of topics dealing with the nook. The forum is definitely worth checking out and has earned a spot on my bookmark list with anything dealing with the nook.

nook book reader
Another good blog for nook news.

Tools

Calibre
As a PDF/ePub manager of your library of eBooks, this utility works with Windows, OSX, AND Linux and can convert your PDF eBooks to ePub and vice-versa. Even Lifehacker has recommended it a number of times.

These are the major sites/tools that I use the most.I'm sure there are tons of tools out there that I missed.

Which ones did I miss? Post your comments below and let's discuss!