We first reported on the Nook Color SDK for developers about a month ago when pictures and details were first released for the seminal Nook Color e-Reader by Barnes and Noble. Now independent developers can begin to create applications for the device, bypassing the need to root it, in order for you to get the most value for your money.
The Barnes and Noble Nook Color is no slouch in the Google Android department; it runs 2.1. The Developer SDK entitled Nook SDK 1.0 will help prospective developers gear up and start making applications for the legions of people flocking to get their hands on this e-reader.
The Nook Color SDK contains some major components such as Android Virtual Device Emulator, Android Debug Bridge, Sample Code, and full documentation for all the classes and functions.
This development kit is mainly geared towards Android developers and you will need to download the latest Android 2.1 SDK and the latest version of Java. They also recommend you get Eclipse.
Although out of the box, the Nook Color is mainly billed as a dedicated ebook reader, there is a stong rooting community to turn the great spec for the price Nook Color into a dedicated Tablet PC.
There are many factors that contribute this to being a great dedicated e-reader, even without the additional application support. You can lend books for up to two weeks to anyone you want. As long as you are in a Barnes and Noble store you can read any ebook for free. You can also rent ebooks and school textbooks on it, unlike the Kindle.
The shift to Color from Barnes and Noble was a move that caught many people by surprise. It competes loosely against the iPad and our belief is that the Nook Color has a better screen for reading ebooks due to the fact it has the Vividview anti-glare screen technology, which the iPad does not.
One of the great elements of this device is that it plays videos and can access YouTube via its web-browser. It also comes bundled with Pandora and a bunch of games.
The Nook Color is simply the best Color e-Reader on the market, bar none. Will the Android Developer community raise the bar? Right now details are still scarce on the actual submitting and application process to get your App approved by Barnes and Noble. The SDK blog and community forum at the moment are a baren wasteland.
If you are an aspiring developer, start your journey at the Nook Developers Hub and the Google Android Support Site.
Check out the unboxing of the Nook Color
Check out our Review of the Nook Color
Learn how to Copy eBooks to the Nook Color
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
