SD Card Turns NOOK Color Into Android Tablet

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Here's a way to safely convert the NOOK Color into an Android tablet without having to root the device.

Although we already know that it's possible to turn the NOOK Color into a full-fledged Android tablet by rooting the actual device, there's now an easy way to temporarily convert the tablet without permanently nuking the NOOK Color experience. Essentially users boot from a microSD card that loads either the NOOK OS or Android.

Called Nook2Android, this non-root method consists of a SanDisk microSD card preloaded with Android 2.3 Gingerbread. While this version of the popular OS isn't quite as "tablety" as v3.0 Honeycomb, users will still have access to Google services and the Android Market. Apps can also be downloaded and installed like any other Android tablet.

"Your new Android Tablet will connect to any Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n," reads the product description. "Once connected, open any of the pre-installed apps like Gmail, Facebook, Pandora, Nook, Kindle, or Tune-In Radio. Or check the weather, news, or your Google calendar. Stream Hulu and Netflix right on your Nook Color. You can also download 1000′s of free and paid apps from the Android Market. It’s like owning a $600 Android Tablet for half the price."

Getting Google's Gingerbread up and running seemingly takes no effort. Users merely power off the tablet, slap the microSD card into place under the gray corner door, and then turn the device back on. After that, the boot menu will load, asking whether the user wants the original NOOK OS or Android – doing nothing for 5 seconds means it will dart straight into Android.

According to the developer, the 8 GB version costs $34.99, and the 16 GB and 32 GB versions are priced at $49.99 and $89.99 respectively. For those looking for a cheap Android tablet, this may not be such a bad deal given that the 7-inch NOOK Color costs $249 out of the box. Nook2Android is also a safer way to transform the device without having to use unofficial hacks, as it's sold through Amazon and sports a 14-day money-back guarantee.

The developer added that use of the card doesn't affect the Color's internal memory nor does it void Barnes & Noble's warranty. For more information, head here.

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Kevin Parrish

Kevin started taking PCs apart in the 90s when Quake was on the way and his PC lacked the required components. Since then, he’s loved all things PC-related and cool gadgets ranging from the New Nintendo 3DS to Android tablets. He is currently a contributor at Digital Trends, writing about everything from computers to how-to content on Windows and Macs to reviews of the latest laptops from HP, Dell, Lenovo, and more. 

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15 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Steelwing
    Interesting. What if someone already has a large microSD card that they want to use? I assume that there is eventually going to be a torrent where you can download the card contents, and what's stopping people from using that? Of course, it is nice to support the developers. This is something I could recommend to friends who don't have a ton of tech knowledge.
    Reply
  • jeffunit
    It is curious that the description includes 802.11 A,
    while barns and noble says b/g/n.
    I wonder how the software change enables 5ghz wireless.
    Reply
  • phendric
    The Nook2Android website makes it very clear that they aren't the developers of the Gingerbread ROM they've put on the card. Instead, they're using the work of the Cyanogen Mod team, which you can download and put on your own blank card for free. Given that you can get a class 6 8GB microSD card for about $13, or a class 10 card for $20 on Newegg, you're basically paying $15 for someone else to load a freely available ROM onto a card.

    Nook2Android is also a safer way to transform the device without having to use unofficial hacks, as it's sold through Amazon and sports a 14-day money-back guarantee.

    Newegg will allow you to return your card, as will retail outlets like Best Buy. Again, the only thing you're paying for, other than the card itself, is for someone else to do the work of loading CM7 on it.
    Reply
  • three0duster
    This is old news. Its been going on for five months or longer.....
    Reply
  • nebun
    thanks but no thanks.....nook color is such a piece of crap....my bro-in-law got it for my daughter and it's useless....speaker is crap and the battery does not last very long....how are they allowed to sell this stuff?
    Reply
  • Parrdacc
    nebunthanks but no thanks.....nook color is such a piece of crap....my bro-in-law got it for my daughter and it's useless....speaker is crap and the battery does not last very long....how are they allowed to sell this stuff?
    Really? I have one and my battery lasts about 6 days without having to recharge it. I really only use it at home so I do not take it with me everywhere I go so that might make the diff. do not know. The speaker is crap, but it is intended first has a e-book reader and not a mp3 player. I might suggest you got a bad one.
    Reply
  • cadder
    AMAZON selling a device to change the OS in their competitor's product??? Nothing fishy about that. :)


    And BTW my wife complains about the battery life with her Nook color.
    Reply
  • eddieroolz
    That's quite nice, though selling the microSD with the application is a meh in my book.
    Reply
  • hellwig
    phendricThe Nook2Android website makes it very clear that they aren't the developers of the Gingerbread ROM they've put on the card. Instead, they're using the work of the Cyanogen Mod team, which you can download and put on your own blank card for free. Given that you can get a class 6 8GB microSD card for about $13, or a class 10 card for $20 on Newegg, you're basically paying $15 for someone else to load a freely available ROM onto a card.Newegg will allow you to return your card, as will retail outlets like Best Buy. Again, the only thing you're paying for, other than the card itself, is for someone else to do the work of loading CM7 on it.For Best Buy's sake, hopefully all those morons who pay Geek Squad extortion prices to do things like load software onto their laptop or hook HDMI cables between their Blu-Ray player and TV don't read your comment. I imagine the flood of people deciding that they really can work technology all by themselves might bankrupt the technical support industry. India might overnight revert all it's recent economic progress when Dell and everyone else cancels their support contracts because customers can just figure this stuff out for themselves. Heck, the car repair industry, plumbing industry, hospitals, etc.. might just all collapse when people realize they can just do this stuff themselves.

    Of course, I'm being sarcastic. I would tell my own grandmothers (may they RIP) to by an Apple before I'd build either one a PC running Windows or Ubuntu, just because I don't want to be their own personal technical support when any little thing goes wrong. Believe it or not, not everyone knows how to install an OS, much less configure that installation to dual-boot to either a vanilla copy of android or the pre-installed Nook version. But, tell one of those people that all they have to do is insert this little card, and then their Nook will work just like their android smartphone, and wham, you'll have a few sales for sure. Yes, I know people who own smartphones who couldn't otherwise tell the difference between Android or iOS. They're still competent enough to get things done, but Rooting, OS, Cyanogen, dual-boot, these terms mean nothing to them.
    Reply
  • passingcomment
    http://www.androidtablets.net/forum/nook-color-technical/13156-how-cm7-bootable-sd.html
    Save your money, and try this. It's not difficult at all.
    Reply