14 DAY TRIAL // A certain device from Barnes and Noble may very well be one of the more controversial, in a good way, devices on the market, since it can be seen as an-reader, a tablet or a hybrid of both.
The Nook Color from Barnes and Noble may be sold under the title of e-reader, but it seems to be veering closer and closer to full tablethood.
The first step was actually being created with a color touchscreen instead of the e-paper displays that the Amazon Kindle and all others settle for.
The desire for a color e-book reader was widespread among prospective customers and this definitely let the Nook Color take off.
Of course, Barnes and Noble ended up taking things further than one might have expected, providing the device with all the hardware needed to perform audio and video playback, web connectivity, etc.
In fact, the hardware is more than capable of performing pretty much every task a tablet would be able to attempt.
The main thing that prevented the Nook Color from really being considered a full-fledged tablet was the operating system, but that has now changed.
Basically, B&N Nook Color just got the Android 2.2 operating system, otherwise known as Froyo.
Combined with the Internet browser and the e-mail client, there is hardly anything to actually prevent it from fitting right in with all other slates.
Of course, B&N continues to sell it as its e-reader, and the price of $249 definitely keeps it as a customer favorite.
That said, the new update to Android OS 2.2/Froyo brought about better web browsing and multimedia and interactive content, among other things. The one thing that Nook still can't do is access the Android Market, meaning that users can't buy and download any apps on it.
Those that want to take a look at all available information on the gadget need only drop by this page.