Breaking Down the New Nook Predictions

On the heels of a very well-reviewed software update to their popular Nook Color e-reader/tablet late last month, Barnes and Noble raised some eyebrows with an announcement that they will be holding a special event on May 24th.

There haven't been many details released about what exactly will be unveiled at this event, but the blogosphere has been buzzing about the possibilities. Some of the predictions make sense, others just make me shake my head. Here are the 5 predominate opinions out there with my take on each, and I've also rated each scenario's chance of happening on a scale of 0 (absolutely no chance) to 10 (guaranteed to happen):

• Nook Color 2: The gut reaction by many was the idea of a new device to capitalize on the recent Nook Color popularity. Is it an exciting possibility? Sure, but it is not going to happen any time soon. Yes the Nook Color has its hardware flaws, but not nearly enough to warrant abandoning the current Nook Color model.
• Possibility of happening? 1 out of 10

• Honeycomb update: Some speculated that the Nook Color might benefit the growing trend of Honeycomb tablets with an upgrade to Android 3.0 of its own. Sorry, I just don't see this happening either. Piggybacking off of the previous prediction, Barnes & Noble just spent a lot of time and money upgrading their current model to Android Froyo making another update this soon both unlikely and unwise. The tablet-optimized Honeycomb is still getting its sea legs and would be far too buggy for the Nook Color this early.
• Possibility of happening? 2 out of 10

• From Wi-Fi to 3G: Others have thrown out the idea that the May 24th announcement will be a 3G model of the Nook Color. I really don't like the idea because 3G means carrier charges, and one of my favorite parts about the Nook Color has been the lack of carrier involvement. However, given the prevalence of Internet-needy apps on the Nook Color (and the need for an Internet connection to download new apps), this move wouldn't surprise me too much.
• Possibility of happening? 6 out of 10

• Upgrading the Nook: More and more people are leaning towards next Tuesday's announcement centering on the original Nook e-reader, speculating that the device will get a competitive boost to compete with the Kindle. Considering the general consensus is that the Kindle the better pure e-reader, I agree that this has the strongest chance of happening.
• Possibility of happening? 8 out of 10

• Downgrading the Nook: Another interesting prediction is a new lower-end model of the original Nook that could compete with Amazon's dirt cheap ad-supported Kindle. I don't hate the idea, but I'd rather see Barnes & Noble focus more on putting the Nook on par with the Kindle instead of purely going after sales and market share.
• Possibility of happening? 7 out of 10

Obviously this is all speculation, but it's the only thing the tech world has at this point as we all wait anxiously for May 24th to roll around.

A Week With The "New" Nook Color

Having owned a Barnes & Noble Nook Color since December, you can be sure I wasted no time in downloading last week's major update.

The update promised an OS update to Android Froyo with flash support and a curated app store, which had many wondering if the update would turn the Nook Color from a e-reader/tablet hybrid to more of a full-fledged tablet.

And now that I've had the update for a week, here are my thoughts:

• As someone who used the Nook Color mostly as a mobile web browser, the flash support is fantastic.
• The app store is actually much stronger than I thought it would be at launch. While most of the apps cost money (and some of them are downright pricey), there are a couple of free apps that are definitely worth checking out. My biggest recommendation is Pulse, a great news feed that is perfectly-suited for the Nook Color.
• However, there are still some kinks to work out with the apps, because I've had trouble getting Angry Birds to install. I'm still looking into it, but at this time there is still a noticeable lack in my ability to launch virtual birds into pigs and various structures.
• The OS jump to Froyo seems effective, but it's a little harder to notice to casual users because there are so many other updates. On the other hand, the fact that there isn't a noticeable increase in lag despite the addition of more apps and other features is a sign that the OS update is doing its job.
• The e-mail feature is nice because you can now sync your account to get notifications and actually send emails. Before the update, I could view messages through the web browser but I couldn't compose new messages.

Overall, I'm happy with the Nook Color update. However, I hope Barnes & Noble doesn't rest on its laurels and continues to develop what could be the best value-based Android tablet on the market right now.