Barnes & Noble isn’t done with its original tablet. The Nook Color is over a year old and it just got its largest update to date that brings Netflix, Flixster, and access to Nook Comics and PagePerfect Nook Books.
The Nook Color paved the way for the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet by showing there’s a market for a content-driven low-cost tablet. The Nook Color was almost instantly a hit partially because it is completely hackable. Modders quickly improved the device by opening it up to 3rd party apps, but B&N was clearly paying attention because the tablet’s official updates often followed the trends of recent hacks. Slowly the Nook Color gained access to email, a proper web browser and even apps. Now, a year after it was released, the Nook Color is more tablet than ereader.
Today’s update brings Netflix and Flixster to the Nook Color. The update is of course free although access to content from either service is not. The update also brings two new Nook services: Nook Comics and PagePerfect Nook Books.
The Nook Comics app opens access to what B&N is calling “the largest collection of Marvel graphic novels” and thanks to the Nook Color’s color screen, these comics are displayed in full color. The PagePerfect Nook Books gives publishes a bit more control over how content is displayed on the Nook Color’s 7-inch screen. The new category of Nook books are “carefully crafted” to maintain the “precision and beauty” traditionally associated with their print counterparts. This media type first debuted with the Nook Tablet and is now available on the older Nook Color.
Barnes & Noble is officially a major player in the tablet scene. After Apple and Amazon, their line of tablets are seemingly outselling tabs from the big boys like Motorola and Samsung. B&N managed to ship more than a million Nook Tablets in the month follow its release. With support continuing for the aging Nook Color, B&N is stating loud and clear that it’s ready to fight. The Nook brand is here to stay (as if there was any doubt).
Nook Color owners can sideload the update today or simply wait for the OTA update that’s expected to roll out later this week.