• New Nook Hacked Further, Gets Launcher, Bluetooth, And… Kindle

    Devin Coldewey

    Devin Coldewey is a Seattle-based writer and photographer. He has written for the TechCrunch network since 2007. Some posts he’d like you to read: The Dangers of Externalizing Knowledge | Generation i | Surveillant Society | Choose Two | Frame Wars | The User’s Manifesto | Our Great Sin His personal website is coldewey.cc. → Learn More

    Saturday, June 11th, 2011


    Just last week we posted a video of the new Nook (which we just reviewed) running Angry Birds. Not exactly the best match for an e-paper display, but it does show that the underlying Android install is sound and functional. Further proof comes this weekend, with forum-dwelling hackers installing the ADW Launcher home screen and even the Kindle app on it. Sure, the animation is busted, but it could still be super useful.

    Oh, and by the way, it has Bluetooth. That wasn’t in the specs, but is probably part of the chipset they used. Was Barnes & Noble going to announce this? Doesn’t matter much, we know now!

    Looks like the “Nook Touch” is going to be about as popular a hacking platform as the Nook Color. I wonder if the similarly-specced Kobo will get a similar treatment?