Those wacky NookDevs have hacked the Nook to within an inch of its life, created a softroot for those who don’t want to crack open their Nook cases to get at the soft and sweet MicroSD card inside. The softroot essentially “jailbreaks” the Nook, allowing you to install homebrew software onto the device.

You can download the software here and I’ve mirrored it here so we don’t destroy their server (although I doubt there are enough hardcore Nookers right now). You should check back with the NookDevs often and always.

The group is also planning on releasing a mail-reading app in the next few days.
Here’s what they say to do:

To enable adb on your nook (and get a root shell), follow these simple steps:

1. Turn your nook on.
2. Plug your nook into your computer via USB.
3. Find the drive for the external card (not the one named “nook”)
4. Copy the file “bravo_update.dat” to the nook’s external card
identified in step 3.
5. Eject/unmount both the drive for your external card and the
internal “nook” drive.
6. Unplug your nook.
7. Turn off your nook.
8. Turn on your nook, and immediately hold down both page-turn buttons
on the right (or left) side of the nook.
9. Wait for your nook to run the firmware updater (a screen will show the
progress).
10. Delete the bravo_update.dat file from your nook’s external card.
11. That’s it! You’re all done.

= WHAT DO I DO WITH IT NOW? =

To use your newly-rooted nook:
1. Download and install the JohnnyTToxic