Barnes & Noble Nook Rooted & Can Run Android Apps

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Barnes & Noble launched the new Nook a couple of weeks back, which is a standalone ebook reader with a greyscale electronic ink touchscreen. Now you can root the Nook Touch to run full Android apps.

The new Barnes & Noble Nook features a 6-inch Pearl E-Ink display, which makes the device sip as little power as possible during operation. Coming with a two-month battery life (with Wi-Fi off), the Nook Touch runs Android Eclair 2.1. With the e-reader running Android, someone has already rooted it to run Android market and full Android apps just a few days after launch. Checking out the video demonstrating Angry Birds on the Nook, you would be disappointed at the painfully slow refresh rate that the e-ink screen has.

Still, playing Angry Birds is just a proof of concept, and you probably won’t be playing fast-paced games on the Nook even if you could root it. What’s great here is that you have a small tablet that can run full Android apps, with a very long battery life to boot. This means the Nook Touch can run other ebook applications like Amazon Kindle. It also makes for a great email and web client. Sure, it only has a black and white screen, but you only have to think about charging it every few weeks.

At $139 for a root-able Android tablet, you might also consider other low-end tablets that come with a color screen, but you won’t get the superb battery life that the new Nook offers.