What are /r/nook's favorite Products & Services?

From 3.5 billion Reddit comments

Hi there! I work on the BN ebook team. We're limited by publisher agreements on what we are and are not allowed to discount, which is part of the reason why discount codes are not available.

I know it's not exactly what you want, but most weekends there is an ebook sale of some kind. And even though this often full romance books (which, I'm going to guess as Angry Caveman Lawyer you're not that into, but hey, I don't know anything), this list gets refreshed regularly and sometimes there are decent bestsellers that are discounted:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/ebooks-nook-books-bargain-deal-3-or-less/379003856

*Quick edit: Just to clarify, there are other reasons (business and contractual) why we don't discount, but I can't get into the details.

Also at Best Buy for the same price.

HD+ 16GB = $149.99

HD+ 32GB = $179.99

HD 16GB = $129.99

HD 32GB = $149.99

Damn good prices.

I disagree with a lot of what he wrote.

> Barnes & Noble has copied so many facets of the Kindle that they clearly want consumers to think that this is a Kindle. They’re unquestionably trying to cause confusion in the market, presumably to increase their chances. I’m not a fan of this approach to competition; there’s enough potential differentiation that the runner-up needn’t outright copy the market leader so blatantly.

I don't understand how the author can make this statement. In order to differentiate from the Kindle B&N is highlighting things like

• 37 fewer buttons than a Kindle (not totally accurate, but that's what they're saying)
• Touchscreen
  
• 2 months of battery life (not a legitimate difference IMO)
• It's more compact (an inch shorter)
• Smoother page turning (black flash every six pages)
• In store support
• Library lending (ePub support)
• Expandable memory
• LendMe lending

B&N has a whole page differentiating what is different (and according to them, better) about the nook. If B&N was trying to duplicate the Kindle then they could only compete on price, and the Nook is more expensive.

> Overall, I’d classify this Nook as being a generational equivalent to the Kindle 3, but the Kindle 3 is nearly a year old. Launching an equivalent competitor to it today is like launching an iPad 1 competitor in February 2011.

I think that this drastically undersells the touchscreen.

He makes some good points. The lack of a browser, there's no 3G, the differences in storefronts, social sharing, the touchscreen (despite the shortcomings) is better than not. But overall I felt like I was reading a review of someone who had already made up his mind.

My library is mostly epubs, but I do like devices that can handle multiple formats. The buy page indicates support for epub, pdf, and image files (jpeg, png...). There's no mention of mobi, though I can always convert those files.

You can download all you want and never see trouble, just don't seed.

Gander at [/r/opendirectories/](/r/opendirectories/) and you might find 100 years of reading.

Could try this too http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/Free-eBooks/379003078/

This may be helpful to you: B&N Holiday Return Policy. You have until January 31 to return your Nook if purchased between Nov 14-Dec 31.

It may still be covered. According to the warranty, the nook STR is covered for a year and so long as you haven't dropped it or beat it with a hammer you shouldn't have any issues exchanging it.

Kindle will let you read any .mobi or .pdf file (which allows you to load non-amazon content) and converting between .mobi and .epub is trivial.

I think the issue is that once you purchase something with the understanding that you're getting a service to allow you to download it, you shouldn't need a credit card to download it since you no longer have to continue to pay. There isn't any justification once the original transaction has taken place.

Full disclosure: I presently own a NST:GL (but I have spent a lot of time playing with kindles, too) and will likely continue to use nook hardware. I've gone and done the glownooter thing to unlock the android side and I only use content I've put on the kindle myself (eg from the Humble Ebook Bundle or the Story Bundle).

I've rooted my nook and installed Dropsync. When I get a new book from what ever source, I just upload it to my nook folder on my dropbox account and next time my nook syncs, it gets automatically loaded on to my reader.

Calibre.com is the place to start. Just download it onto your computer. In set-up, it will ask you what device you are using, since it works with many e-readers, if not all. Then it will convert whatever book file you have to the format your Nook will use.

Calibre is a fantastic e-book manager. It will take a bit of time (since it does so much) to get used to how it works, but if I can do it, so can you. It's free (did I mention that?).

You download books from whatever source, then use calibre to load them and unload them from your Nook. Don't buy your cover/stand from B&N. Their prices are outrageous.

My favorite e-bay seller is at http://stores.ebay.com/eforcity

I've made probably fifteen purchases from him for nook covers, cell phone cords and cases, etc and every sale has been perfect and his prices are great. (altho I have not bought an actual nook stand, I have a regular leather (fake but nice) cover from eforcity). It's leather-like vinyl and cost like $8.00 including shipping. Pretty damned good.

Just found this might be what you want.

Good luck.

I bought one of the Augen tablets when they first came out, which was one of the first "affordable" knockoff tablets. I paid $150 (which was a good deal compared to $600 for an iPad at the time!) and it was a huge, steaming pile. It was so bad that for example every single device they shipped had the exact same MAC address. Bought two of them and want to use both on your network at the same time? Tough luck.

Then I got a Viewsonic G Tablet for ~$200 off of Woot, and it was a step up (capacitive touch!) but still a giant pile of crap compared to a good tablet (poor build quality, terrible LCD, no software support, etc). At this point, I would only consider a Nook Color, Nook Tablet, or Nexus 7 for a cheaper tablet, and that's still $150-200 even refurbished. $50 for a tablet is asking for crap.

I guess if you can afford to throw away $50 you may as well try one, but for OP's case I would seriously recommend paying a little bit more for quality. If he spends $50 on a crappy tablet that his mom won't use more than once or twice because it's so bad, that's a waste of $50. If he spends $65 on a reader that she will use every day because it's a joy to use, it's money well spent even if it's slightly over budget.

http://www.nytimes.com/content/help/account/purchases/nook/nook-subscribers.html

Here ya go!

Edit: might also be helpful

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/mobile/w/the-new-york-times-daily-newspaper-the-new-york-times/1104882711

Rooting the Nook is super easy, though, and B&N/ Nook don't care if the owners root their device. You can even get help on the B&N Nook forums.

Re the free Friday book, I don't know too much but there is more info here: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nook-blog/category/free-fridays/

It's a specific book that they select, so you never know whether it'll be interesting but it's a resource worth knowing about.

The public library is really a great resource that doesn't get mentioned all that much, but these days, no matter how small your town, the library can connect you to every corner in the world. They are usually linked up to other databases and repositories like universities, national libraries, etc., and now that everything is electronic, there are a lot of resources you can tap into right from your home, with your library card. If you are a bookworm, that will let you have your fix of reading materials for years.

Also, you can check out the freebies forums on fatwallet and slickdeals, because there are ways you can earn credits toward buying ebooks and stores like Amazon often have promos worth knowing about.

Get her a B&N eGift card, instead. She can apply it to the card and buy any book she wants. Add a gift message to let her know that you wanted to get her a Dexter book, but didn't know which one, so the gift card will cover the cost.

The back-assward kind. I had the cable ends reversed. I apologize.

Just order a new cable from ebay, or Walmart or talk to /u/jdmackes and let them help you.

If it still doesn't work then, I'd give up. The idea of wiring straight into the motherboard at the battery connection sounds dodgy.

Converting the .cbr files to .pdf files should work. This page explains a relatively easy way to do that. I would ignore most of the software recommendations on that page, though, as it's 5 years old but the principle is sound. These days you probably already have the software necessary to print to .pdf files already installed and don't need any third party software. If you need more help just google "convert cbr to pdf".

Looking at the specs for the nook Color, it seems to also natively support the common image formats as well, and since .cbr files are really just .rar archives of a bunch of image files, you may not even need to make a .pdf after all and just extract the images and put them directly onto your nook (although I don't know if you can associate them as a single book in that instance).

I ended up with This case but in solid black and This light slides right behind it. Works perfect and isn't too bright.

Edit - I'm an idiot, This case may be too big for the new nooks.

Ignore the cover's pompous name. The Industriell Cover in Carbon kept my Nook simple touch safe in my backpack through three bicycle wrecks, and one of those incidents was with a pickup truck.

The cover isn't very pretty or distinctive. It does not have other functions. It doesn't even have an extra pocket. It's just simple and well-constructed.

Edit: link formatting

Just to back this up, the article now has some pictures which seem to show a non-glossy screen.

Not sure if you were talking to Amazon CS or Barnes & Noble, but they would have both probably told you the same thing. It's their "policy".

There are ways to "liberate" (if necessary) your Nook purchases from the Nook Library, but they involve using a PC and methods that both Barnes & Noble and Amazon consider illegal. They are probably wrong and don't actively pursue you for using them. They just keep changing the DRM scheme to try to "break" the workarounds. Amazon works harder at that than Barnes & Noble.

You just have to grab the books on your PC, run them through Calibre to remove the DRM (if present, not all Nook Books have it), and then convert the ePubs file format to AZW3 format for the Kindle. Then you have to transfer them to the Kindle.

Other than suggesting the use of Calibre available for free here, I won't offer any advice on DRM removal. I'm not sure what the mods policy on here about that is. You can Google it though.

Try the android file transfer: https://www.android.com/filetransfer/#tips

I'm guessing they used a newer version of Android on the Glowlight+. On Windows the old ones would switch to a USB mode when you plugged them in and the computer picked it up as a USB drive (you also couldn't use them while they were in that mode). Windows picks up the new one as a mobile device which lets you transfer file while still reading on it. I'm guessing Macs don't like that.

Not particularly "Nook pdf hack", but I almost always use k2pdfopt to convert my PDF files. I've been using it for a few years now. The results can vary from "usable" to "perfect".

I have the Nook Lyra and it works great! The only thing I did was put a small piece of scotch tape over the LED to soften the light a bit.

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/1616874430/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_FTZD6XD39AXB7T81C5ZF

I have been using just a neoprene sleeve for it. When I went to find you the link on amazon it wasn't available any more. However I did find http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HVRK3B6/ which had great reviews. I just ordered one myself.

The best case ever for the ST w/ GL is the M-Edge Latitude. It zips shut around the Nook. From what I can tell, the Nook GL is the same dimensions as the STGL and should also fit in that. I've had a couple of these cases and they've worked really well.

*edit: And at $5 shipped it's not a huge risk.

How many years have you been using it? The eMMc memory has a limited number of write cycles. It's the same "vintage" (2012) as my Nexus 7. I found that going back to a KitKat based ROM (stock 4.4.4 in my case, but Cyanogenmod 11.0 would work too) improved performance as well as running a "trim" on memory every week or so.

You can find the manual "trim" program I use in the Google Play Store here.

Hoping you meant "without rooting"...

Here's the link to the launcher: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.launcher

When I go there, it says it's not compatible with my Nook HD+.

Barns and Noble is calling it 'Nook 7' but that is so beyond generic it's infuriating as I've tried googling an poking about xda and it's an excersize in 'no not that one, not that one either, no. no. no. WHY DID THEY NOT NAME IT SOMETHING UNIQUE?!

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/nook-tablet-7-inch-barnes-noble/1124589342

If you were on your Nook when you bought the book, you can login to your account at Barnes & Noble's website. You have to use the same email and password that you use on the Nook. From there you should see your previous purchases in "My NOOK" under "My Account". That'll take care of the PC. You can read it in the browser.

The Windows Nook reading app is in the Windows Store. With that, I think you can actually download the books to your PC. You'd have to grab them from there for other devices.

They are also locally stored on your Nook and visible to your PC when it's connected by USB. The actual folder varies by which model (and software version) your Nook is running.

You can get a refurbed Nook Touch with the full regular warranty directly from Barnes and Noble (also no sales tax or shipping) for 79 bucks. Pretty good deal if you are set on a Nook.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOOK-Simple-Touch-Reader-/300589902031?pt=US_Tablets&hash=item45fc8de8cf#ht_1063wt_1396

Technically you can.

Contractually, you can't without breaking the rules, but that just shows you how stupid the rules are and that they deserve to be broken.

Terms of Service > * Prohibited Conduct. In your use of your NOOK or the Service, you may not: - (i) transfer the Digital Content from one electronic reading device to another without maintaining the applicable digital rights management solution for that Digital Content; - ....
- (viii) open, modify, service or tamper with your NOOK;

But I say: if they don't give a damn about you, then why give a damn about them?

Is "the adapter that [you] have" the official NookColor AC adapter with the words "nook" and "BARNES&NOBLE AC ADAPTER" on it? All NookColor adapters are fine with all NookColor cables.

If it is not the official NookColor AC adapter, then it must at least have these specifications (which are the official adapter's), which I'm reading directly from my own NookColor adapter right now:

• INPUT: 100-240V ~ 50/60Hz 0.5A
• OUTPUT: 5.0V = 1.9A

Output doesn't have to match exactly (as it addresses how much juice the adapter can put out; different devices take in different amounts), but input must match exactly or else you may end up frying your device after a few months. Don't trust cheap Chinese "universal" adapters unless you don't value your device, and definitely don't use Apple adapters with non-Apple products—their adapters are only compatible with the corresponding Apple product(s).

EDIT: Now this is interesting; after popping online for some research, my adapter's output definitely says 1.9A when B&N's official product page says it's 1.8A. Anyway, that's not as a big deal as input specs. are.

By the way, whoever down-voted my last post: care to explain?

BnN is selling 'em on eBay for 149, free shipping, no tax, and a full year warranty. Not a bad deal.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOOK-Color-Barnes-Noble-Wi-Fi-eReader-/120758870326?

But like cdwillis said, the NC2 will be coming soon and they're probably gonna have to match the kindle fire price of 200 bucks

For the 7.8 inch one it looks like the default ones are in /system/priv-app/partner.apk in /res/drawable-xhdpi-v4/. Also includes a ton of other symbols and stuff, but here's a 7z of the folder https://gofile.io/?c=HAAwVh

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/p/jonathan-adler-pointing-fingers-cover-for-nook-color-nook-tablet/23055726?ean=9780594193241

This is an awesome case with a folder on the side and its great...

it used to be a lot more but no w its just $19.75

B&N.com has a bunch of cases: LINK

There are some in there that look like books to me - also the physical B&N stores generally have a decent selection of cases too.

I downloaded the Slideshows and Wallpaper Slideshows app and it does what I want but it's a bit annoying. I'll probably see about rooting it.

I just got my STR in the mail today!

Just so you know, the certified pre-owned nook STR is only $112 directly from B&N, and it still comes with the same 1 year warranty as a brand new one!

This is what I did, and I am completely happy with it. Looks brand new. I don't think you will ever know the difference. And since it still comes with the same length of warranty, I couldn't think of a reason not to get it pre-owned.

I'm curious: what features of the official release are keeping you away from the rooted version? I rooted my nook the day I received it (now I'm running 1.5), and I'm happy with it so far, but maybe I'm missing something great from the official release.. :)

I checked the software updates page but I didn't find any of these features particularly useful to me---on the other hand, I love being able to set my custom fonts and rotate epubs and the browser in the rooted version.

Also, the classic nook is being phased out, so I doubt it will get any more updates...

my 3g nook has a headphones jack and a "music" aplication thing. I believe audio can be loaded via the usb -> PC option. "Supported sound file formats for music and audiobooks include MP3 and Ogg Vorbis, but not WMA."

https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Barnes_%26_Noble_Nook

Edit: oh I should read more carefully, it doesn't seem like the new nook has audio

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nook/features/index.asp?cds2Pid=35699

Are you in the UK?

If so, you wont be able to connect up to the B&N shop.

(Barnes & Noble closed their UK business and they transferred user's libraries over to Sainsbury's Entertainment - but that shut down a little later and and users had the option to transfer over to Kobo).

Ive not heard anything about rooting being illegal, only potentially could void warranty if the device was still under one.

The Nook is definitely not useless, though even when rooting, it can be difficult to find an alternate (non-B&N) e-book app that will work on it (I had an old version of the Kobo app working for a little while, but seems to have stopped syncing with kobo now).

As well as copying files manually to storage on the nook, you can sync e-book content to it with a computer application such as:

• Adobe Digital Editions - some publishers/"shops" will direct you to this anyway
• Calibre library management and syncing software, which can also convert between different e-book formats

I'm not sure how well (or even if) the NST will handle PDFs natively, but you can always convert the text in PDFs to ePUB format via Calibre free here and use those in just about everything just fine.

After a little more research, I found that the issue wasn't with the Nook itself, but rather with the fact that I was transferring files from a Mac to an Android device. This article helped me figure that out; after downloading the program, I was able to transfer files and put them in their corresponding folders. I hope this helps someone out in the future!

This is a direct link to the site where you can check the program out.

I have BNRV350, current software is 1.2.1. Downloaded this (nook_1_2_update.zip, 121,426,840 bytes, 134.5 MB on disk) and put it here (without unzipping). Then just waited over the night for a couple of times.

The ZIP file just "disappears" after I unplug it from the computer.

Sounds very much like a bum battery. Sounds defective. But I imagine its well past its warranty period.

You can try replacing the battery. But you'll have decide if its worth the effort. I've not replaced a battery on one of these. But I've done it on a couple of iPhones, and its a total PITA.

https://www.amazon.com/Li-Polymer-Battery-Replacement-BNTV460-PL3370100P/dp/B095VTK4YX/ref=sr\_1\_2?dchild=1&keywords=bntv460+battery&qid=1627012830&s=electronics&sr=1-2

It’s been a couple of years since I’ve used Android but I liked Nova Launcher. It had a ton of customization options for all different things. It’s definitely worth it to get the paid version.

You are aware of the R&D expenses that go into designing such a product right? And the initial manufacturing costs. If you want to make back those costs on such a device it's spread out over years, which is one reason why Amazon is so slow in implementing design changes for their hardware. Plus, there are no real 'groundbreaking' features for eInk readers these days. In any case, a company will spend millions, developing new hardware.

Color eInk is prohibitively expensive. Companies have been showing it off for years and there still isn't any main-stream devices being sold with it. Why? The cost advantage just isn't there over LCD/OLED devices for general purpose consumer devices. It certainly would put the cost of your mini device well over your $50-60 target range. And to what advantage? The only thing to properly take advantage of color would be comic books. General books don't need color. I don't think comic books would sell amazingly well on your small screen device.

You also have to take into consideration that a lower-priced device now cannibalizes the sales of their higher cost devices. Lower price with a new device is going to be very low profit margins, if any, at the cost of the larger profit they are making off the existing Nook device using a tried-and-true platform (the 6" display).

BTW. Smaller eInk displays have been tried, things like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Oaxis-Cell-Phone-Case-iPhone/dp/B075XK1FGP

But they never did well. I had an early one on-order through a Kickstarter campaign that folded without ever releasing a product. Though part of that problem was by the time they had finished prototyping their device we were 2 cell phones ahead and they had to go back to the drawing board.

Nevermind that. Apparently they use a IP address test also. Here: 1. Register you B&N account with an US shipping and billing address. Any valid US address will work, just google something. The billing address is not checked, so your non-US credit card will work fine.

1. Install an US VPN like Hotspot Shield (free) or AlwaysVPN ($8.50) on your PC.

2. To buy books using your PC first start the VPN. When the VPN is active go to the B&N website and buy your books/magazines/apps. Sync the library on your Nook to download the books to your Nook using Wifi. Found it with Google :)

This is the conclusion I'm leaning towards, but it also started happening when I switched ROMs (CM to LineageOS) However, it persisted even after switching back.

You didn't indicate you've replaced the battery yourself, so i don't suppose you have any suggestions for a replacement? I've been looking at this but I don't know the reliability of off-brand batteries.

It feels great in your hands. Solid build. The hardware page turn buttons are gone, and the nook button is touch instead of tactile but these things aren't the end of the world.

The software is awful. USB transfers die all the time, and there is no SD card slot anymore so you have to muscle through it and if you have a large library like I do it can take days to get it synced up. There is no shortcut to turn off the glowlight on the plus. You have to open settings and do it manually. They apparently decided the glowlight is low enough power consumption you should leave it on and they axed the hotkey. I disagree with them, but it's only like 3 clicks.

There's also no custom screensaver support, that function is just gone.

Mine crashed a bit the first week I had it but once the cobwebs cleared off it was ok. I had a rooted NST before and rooting this one turned out to be too much trouble but I still like it. It does its job very well and looks good doing it. As long as you don't need too much from it.

$100 is a good price, I got a refurb on Amazon for like $90, they're cheaper now.

If you still have the original proprietary charger, it has information printed on the adapter that listed the voltage and amps. It should also list if it's a positive tip or a negative tip symbol.

With that information you should be able to use something like this and get it to work.

As long as it's not the physical port in the Nook that has worn out. Unfortunately, plugging and unplugging flexes the solder connections and eventually they wear out. Since the Nook probably has the connector soldered directly to the mainboard, it won't be possible to "repair" it.

Except the nook HD has a propritary connector betwen charger and device.

https://www.amazon.com/Barnes-Noble-BNTV400-Original-Charger/dp/B00QZXQNNO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1478905734&sr=8-3&keywords=nook+hd+charger

Ah I didn't see that link. It's a shame some females feel they have to use a male pseudonym. Yeah, should have thought about that, here ya go!

https://www.amazon.com/Demon-Black-Robert-Jones-ebook/dp/B01ELRCUY6/ref=la_B013Y3NCX6_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476707753&sr=1-4

Can you push the physical page turn buttons on that? I have the roocase version of that:

http://www.amazon.com/rooCASE-Leather-Adjustable-Barnes-Reader/dp/B005FG7K8O

and I cannot recommend it to the OP because the buttons are obstructed by the little strip of material running down both sides. Protects it nicely though.

I've been trying to find this answer too. Here's what I've read: That the Color Nook does not support usb keyboards. However, if you root it, and add the android app Nook Tweaks, you can turn on usb access. Then the nook will be able to make use of a keyboard cover like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Keyboard-Protective-Leather-Protector-Holder/dp/B008HNIW2K/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1346371681&sr=1-2&keywords=mini+usb+keyboard+case

Only a sucker buys the memory chips in stores; amazon.com gets you a 16gb chip for $15 while an 8gig card cost $20.

8gig @ B&N : http://www.barnesandnoble.com/p/sandisk-card-8gb/23325371?ean=9780594262329

16gig @Amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001L1H0SC/ref=oh_o01_s00_i00_details

Are you running the stock OS?

I rooted mine and with Android, there are apps to do it, but most need root. This one says that it will run without root up to Android version 4.2.1

Right now; it's third or fourth in my lineup, so I don't use it a lot, but it's doing OK.

The charging port on mine is getting "finicky". Some cables don't seat firmly and disconnect easily. I figure it's wearing out and will break before long. That seems to be one of the big points of failure over time with this model.

When it upgraded itself from KitKat (Android 4.4.4) to Lollipop (v5), performance went to hell and I rolled it back to stock KitKat. I tried some of the other ROMs (including Marshmallow, v6). None of them were an improvement over KitKat. There are some "custom" versions of KitKat (SlimKat, for instance), but I didn't find any compelling use case for myself to switch from stock in the end.

Finally, the eMMc flash storage wears out over time (cells go bad and get marked unavailable), sometimes occurring in system files resulting in bootloops and worse. I haven't had any trouble with that, but I run file system "trim" apps like this once a month or so to try to avoid them.

Your Mom's unit sounds a little farther along in the wear and tear department. I haven't been using mine heavily for several years.

Flashing the Nexus 7 though is a piece of cake compared to the HTC One S, if you use Wugfresh's Nexus Root Toolkit. You'd have to work real hard to bootloop it and I don't think you can brick it. The NRT has stuff to fix that.

How long are you gonna be reading at a time? /u/ADH-Kydex didn't say whether he used No-frills CPU Control, which can underclock its processing speed (as well as alter its hardware profile governor) to save battery. I think with no WiFi, underclocking, and maybe 30-60 minutes of daily reading (that's a conservative estimate), accompanied by powering-off whenever it's not used for more than half an hour since each last use, it could last two weeks on a single charge.

NSTs have been discontinued for years (since Feb. 2014). The battery life has probably degraded since then and I doubt you will be able to get the original purported 2 months.