It’s not certain, but I’ll be damned if it isn’t the best idea I’ve heard in a while: Barnes & Noble’s rapidly-approaching eReader will be an Android piece, according to our source. And it really should be, according to me.
https://gizmodo.com/barnes-nobles-mysterious-ereader-could-land-next-mont-5377505
The leak came from someone who (quite convincingly!) claims to work for B&N developing mobile apps—his background knowledge of their app projects was startlingly deep, at any rate—and makes quite a bit of sense as an alternative to the brutally dumb software of current ebook readers.
Think about it. At six inches, it’s a smallish device, and we’ve seen Android on similarly-sized screens already. Wireless connectivity is built into the OS. Extraneous, inappropriate software and settings could be easily stripped out and replaced with relevant ones. A custom-designed interface could be easily dropped in. Apps—oh, sweet apps—could be a huge boon. And hey, E-Ink Android drivers have already been demonstrated on video. Not to mention the fact that B&N has conveniently skirted releasing an Android app, despite putting quite a bit of effort into iPhone and BlackBerry versions of the mobile ebook sofrware.
https://gizmodo.com/archos-5-internet-tablet-hands-on-android-power-but-w-5358355
Simply put, this would be pretty fantastic, and it’s eminently plausible. And from the looks of it, we won’t have to wait long to find out.
