Nook Color Updated to Android 2.2, Gets Third-Party Apps

Harry McCracken on the Barnes and Noble’s just-announced update that turns the Nook Color from a mere reader into an actual tablet computer. Things that are interesting about this:

  • The Nook’s $249 price.
  • The apps are from — and only from — B&N’s own “Nook Apps” store. No access to Android Market, nor, from what I can tell, to any of Google’s closed Android apps, like Google Maps or Gmail. This shows how Android isn’t a single platform — it’s a foundation upon which platforms can be built.
  • I remain convinced that Amazon is going to do something similar.

★ Monday, 25 April 2011