I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about a ROM for the Nook Color called CM7, short for Cyanogen 7. I’ve already tested the Honeycomb ROM for Nook Color and thought it was time to move onto something new, so today I put together a how to tutorial and video review for CM7 on the Nook Color.
If you are like most Nook Color owners and were less than impressed with the new Nook 1.2 firmware, then I’d highly suggest giving CM7 a try. It is one of the best and most stable firmwares out there for the Nook Color and essentially turns it into a full Android tablet running Android 2.3 GingerBread, complete with Google Apps and Android Market access.
The process of installing CM7 on the Nook Color is surprisingly easy, anyone can do it. And if you use a microSD card then you can easily switch back and forth to your regular Nook Color just by removing the CM7 memory card, a good way to have two Nook Colors in one!
Is CM7 better than the Honeycomb ROM? I’m considering a Pocketbook IQ tablet and the newest Android to install. Do you know if Honeycomb work on it? CM7 and 2.2?
I meant, do you know if Honeycomb can work on the IQ tablet?
I like CM7 better than Honeycomb because it works better and is faster. For one video doesn’t work on Honeycomb. There are no Honeycomb ROMs for the IQ. Actually there aren’t any ROMs for the IQ as far as I know. It’s too old, and slow. I’d suggest getting something newer. I just happened across the Coby KYROS MID7024-4G. It has way better specs and is only $169. There are ROMs for the early model, so there will probably be some for this one too.
Will adding this CM7 to my nook color void warantees like hacking would do? I’m not a techie-type mom but I like the internet features and practical apps out there. Is this for me? :
I’m not sure if ROMs technically void the warranty or not if you use a microSD card. You are not actually changing anything with the Nook’s regular system so I don’t see how that would void the warranty. If you install CM7 on the internal memory that probably would technically void the warranty. All this warranty voiding talk is moot, really. Unless somehow the Nook breaks while rooted, you can always flash back to the regular Nook anyway so I don’t see how anyone would be able to tell.
I was waiting to see what the 1.2 update brought to my nook before rooting it. Since the answer is “not much” I’ll be rooting it soon. This looks like a great option. Thanks.
My question is, can I still access the data currently on my nook, or will I need to put it all onto the sd card? Video & pictures have been added via drag & drop in finder, while books have been added using calibre.
For the most part I think you’ll have to transfer everything to the SD card because it won’t access the internal memory. I don’t know, I’ve messed with everything so much it’s hard to keep straight. It does look like some of my pictures and videos are showing up and I don’t remember adding them…
So, I should get a larger size sd card rather than count on the 8gb on board the nook. Seems a bit of a waste.
Is it still possible to side-load books onto the nook using calibre?
Actually I was just messing with the File Manager and it can access the Nook’s emmc (internal) memory. Sweet! That makes things a lot easier. As far as memory on the SD card, the available memory for different size cards is described over on the XDA thread referenced on step #2.
Excellent! I think I will be ordering a cheap 1-2gb card.
Thanks a lot for your help.
I was thinking about updating my nook color but was wondering if it is safe. Is there any risk to my nook or computer. I am wondering this because my mom is kinda computer safety crazy and wanted to know what I could say to calm her down.
Updating or installing a ROM like CM7? The regular updates issued by B&N certainly should be safe. In most cases updates actually improve security. I can’t comment on the security of CM7 because that kind of thing is way over my head. But the thing is with ROMs like that, it’s a community effort. Lots of really super-smart people who know all about this type of stuff go over the code, so I doubt anyone could add anything malicious without someone else knowledgeable noticing, but it certainly is a possibility. Plus CyanogenMods are some of the most widely used aftermarket firmwares. There are also anti-virus and security software via the Android Market to add layers of security to Android devices.
I installed the CM7, but I cannot seem to boot up in recovery mode in order to set the Apps. I’ve tried what you listed as well as what’s on the XDA forums. Any suggestions?
I had some problems with that at first too. It’s all in the timing. There might be more info over at Nook Devs.
I finally got into recovery, but when I rebooted there were no apps. I wish these developers would make it easier. I suppose I will just stay with the regular Nook.
Nathan, I don’t yet own a Nook Color, but am wondering how it performs compared to the iPad. I have an iPod Touch 4G, and love its performance, however I crave a larger screen. But for me, the iPad/Xoom screens are just too big. The Nook Color seems like an excellent compromise. Being able to root it and load any of several ROMs sounds great. What are your thoughts about the Nook Color’s performance?
That’s kind of a tough comparison for the Nook Color against the iPad. It’s a good budget tablet and the ROMs make it very versatile, but it’s no where near the iPad performance-wise. The 800Mhz processor can be sluggish at times. Overclocking it to 1.2 helps.