Barnes and Noble officially slashed the price of the Nook Touch down to $99 today at the Nook Tablet announcement. They also have a firmware update for the Nook Touch to add some improvements.
First off, B&N deserves a ton of credit for dropping the price of the Nook Touch from $139 to $99 in light of Amazon’s new Kindle Touch and Kindle 4. A 28 percent price-cut is huge. And considering the Nook Touch doesn’t have ads, it is the best deal of the bunch.
I personally think it is a better option than the Kindle 4 given the touchscreen, support for EPUB, and hackable OS, but I’ll have to wait until the Kindle Touch arrives to see which one gets the top nod—the extra $40 for the non-ad Kindle is going to be an obstacle to overcome, however, even with the added audio support and web browser.
As for the Nook Touch firmware update, Barnes and Noble have the new software page up, but as of this writing the download links haven’t been added. The update will automatically be pushed to Nook Touches over Wi-Fi starting this week. Or, once the links get added, you can sideload the update if you don’t want to wait.
Here’s what to expect from the Nook Touch firmware update version 1.1.0 via B&N’s Nook Touch update page:
Barnes & Noble is providing a software update for NOOK Simple Touch that provides major enhancements, making NOOK Simple Touch the fastest, easiest to use Reader with the world’s best reading screen & longest battery life. Now enjoy an enhanced, breakthrough E Ink® display for even better just-like-paper reading, even in bright sun-that’s now 25% faster than any other eReader. Plus, our exclusive Best-Text™ Technology now makes fonts even sharper and ultra-crisp. In addition, users can enjoy longer battery life, reading for over 2 months on a single charge*.
If you have a rooted Nook Touch, you’ll more than likely have to unroot it first before installing the update, then re-root. I posted these Nook Touch restore directions earlier to unroot it.
Once I get the firmware update installed, I’ll put together a review for it, and then I’ll try re-rooting the Nook Touch and will report back with my results.
Update: Don’t try to root using the Touchnooter method with firmware 1.1.0. It doesn’t work.
Very interesting (though not surprising) development. We will see if the firmware update will have anything of worthy substance 🙂
And how about Sony reacting by dropping the PRS-T1 price to $130 over weekend (and realistically it can be had even cheaper with coupons/promo codes)? This leaves the K4 Touch the priciest of the bunch.
Alright I’m getting the Touch. I’ll think about getting a “tablet” later or not.
I think we’re headed into an ereader and tablet price war this holiday season. I’m wondering if Amazon is going to play “Apple premium” and not do any price reduction or assume people will put up with ads.
I’ve updated my nook to 1.1.0 and few things i’ve noticed.
PROS:
A LOT Faster refresh
Better fonts in menu(can’t notice any differance in books.)
Supposably better Battery and WIFI
CONS:
NO Browser
No Multi-Touch(Tried Epub and PDF)
No new Features
Overall:
After 5 months while Nook Touch has been out, they have only improved the fonts and the screen and removed browser.
And look how many updates has Kobo Touch had!
I agree, the update is rubbish. I can’t believe they removed the web browser and didn’t even add any new features. I think you are being generous with the page refresh; the difference isn’t very noticeable. Comparing it next to the Kindle 4, it is like a microsecond faster. Holding down the page button for scanning through pages is blazing fast on the Nook, though. Wow! And the text definitely does look a little darker.
Also Can’t get the SHOP to work. I could’nt access shop with 1.0 either. Maybe it’s because i have letter “ä” in my name
The shop works fine for me. You can change the name that shows up under account settings at B&N.
Faster refresh could be a lot better for games when rooted. As soon as somebody confirms that the same rooting method works,i will root my nook. Then the update would actuly be good(unless the better refresh is only in library and reader)
I got the shop to work by changing my name in BN.com and then using bottom page buttons at boot to re register my nook. Now works and tommorow i can finally buy “Inheritance”
Don’t try to root using the Touchnooter method with firmware 1.1.0. It doesn’t work.
I’m installing the new update right now on my Nook Touch. A bit worried because it’s been installing for about 45 mins. How long did it take you to install?
The first time I tried nothing happened and the update disappeared. The second time it worked fine. It took like 5 minutes. I’m doing it again right now because I broke the Nook trying to root it with 1.1 and then had to use the restore method to get it back to 1.0. Scratch that, it’s more like 2-3 minutes from start to finish.
Thanks! I did the unthinkable and powered if off. I think it was just frozen. Now it looks like it’s installed and working fine.
Uh…what does ‘Root’ mean?
It’s interesting it can’t root. Maybe newer Android version 🙂
Or better defences against rooting 🙁
In list of updates there is :
“Ongoing enhancements and other performance improvements”
Ongoing enhancements could mean another update soon. But why was multi-touch in the leaked files and not in the update.
You could try to see if noogie.img takes you to rooted forever screen.
It won’t boot, just keeps loading. Turning it off and starting over loads to the Android startup screen but then it gets really slow and the touchscreen locks up. I’m trying it a second time but no better results.
Philip, rooting is to turn it into an E Ink tablet with Android Market and all the reading apps you can imagine!
Anyone know how I can downgrade to 1.0.1 so that i can root again?
“I personally think it is a better option than the Kindle 4 given the touchscreen, support for EPUB, and hackable OS, but I’ll have to wait until the Kindle Touch arrives to see which one gets the top nod”
Not to mention the Touch allows you to turn the pages using either physical turn buttons or tapping the screen.
Nonetheless, I prefer my Kindle4 because of free Kindle email address, and the fact I subscribe to particular blog subscription (Ny Times) that I couldn’t get with any other reader. Plus it so freaking light, and the physical page turn buttons are superior.
P.S. One thing I didn;t get with the Kindle4 that I thought I was going to get is a spanish-english dictionary. There is just a Spanish dictionary. So, Sony ereader still has the edge on dictionaries despite the fact Kindle has made some improvements.
Another unfortunate side effect with the Kindle4 is the Spanish-English dictionary I previously purchased from the Amazon.com store, cannot be used as a replacement for the system dictionaries, as I could with the Kindle Keyboard.
I think I maybe one of the few who actually like the new update. I originally rooted in order to gain access to cool reader and its customized tap zones. However, I ended up using the stock reader more often than not simply because cool reader was annoyingly slow on the page turns. The rest of the added functionality, like reading e-mails, can be handled by my smartphone.
Now, the new page turn speeds are only marginally faster – though still appreciated. But the change that I most welcome is the improved font rendering. Yeah, it’s a minor difference, but it does serve to make a reading more pleasant. And for a device designed to do nothing but read, the update is a welcome addition. But as always, YYMV.
Did you try the version of Cool Reader made for the Nook Touch? It has the partial page refresh setting and is very fast by my testing.
Actuly the Touch is more snappier in menus after the update. Sadly i’m writing this on WIFI from Nokia n95 not the nook, because of the missing browser
if i update to the latest firmware 1.1, am i still able to root my nook touch via the noogie.img method?
thanks 🙂
Too bad there’s no working rooting method for 1.1, I have to wait until it can be done 🙁
especially without the browser (not that I use it often, but it can be useful in some cases…)
I updated to 1.1 and find the text darker and crisper, but I too am a little disappointed…was hoping for some improvements such as a browser adapted for e-ink, option for underlining text (versus the grayed “highlighting), option for page “ink” annotation, landscape orientation option, better pdf rendering, direct ability to check out library books, and nicer home screen. I love my Nook Touch, but a few small enhancements could really make it better. Does anyone know if B&N has a page where we can make suggestions for improvement directly to them?
Unnnnhhhh… make it stop!
Out of curiosity, is there anyway to *prevent* the update on a rooted Touch (aside from keeping wi-fi off indefinitely)? I’m perfectly satisfied with my rooted Nook, but wouldn’t mind retaining the wi-fi capability for various android apps I’ve become accustomed to. 🙂
Is there any way?
Using the Touchnooter method to root turns off updates. Otherwise you have to do a fix to disallow them. There’s threads over at XDA for that.
based on the xda-developers forum, rooting with Noogie works with the new 1.1.0 FW!
Is keeping the WiFi turned off on an STR the only way to prevent the firmware update to 1.1.0 on a unrooted STR?
If the WiFi is turned on, does a pop-up screen appear form B&N asking if you want to install the upgrade, giving the user the option to say no and do the update at a later time?
I always install mine manually so I’m not positive, but I think it installs automatically without giving you an option. I can remember my Nook Color giving a notification once when an update was finished and it didn’t give an option. Keeping Wi-Fi off is the safest bet. But why wouldn’t you want the update? The darker fonts are nice and it is faster and more responsive. Losing the web browser is the one negative, but if you can’t use Wi-Fi it doesn’t do much good. Doing a factory reset goes back to 1.0.0. I don’t know how long it would last though before updating again…
It would be funny if B&N inadvertently turn more people to rooting to get the web browser back. They should have just added it. 90% of being online is reading. They can’t make any money off of it so they just don’t care.
I think hackers should’t bother with rooting as much as getting kobo touch or kindle touch or sony prs-t1 OS to Nook Touch. Now THAT would be cool.
I updated my nook and there is no browser! I guess I’m ok with that, it was just distracting me from my reading. Oh well.
I was able to get root without Market. What is great is that better fonts and faster refresh goes to Cool Reader as well. Also in root explorer white-black contrast is also much better 🙂
(I didn’t have Market with 1.0 either because of battery drain and i didn’t really need all those apps). I used this to root http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1132292 but had to put on new uramdisk wifi and framework and delete some files and replace them with original ones from 1.1.
Nice work. It’s good to see progress. I plan on waiting for the new Touchnooter to get finished. I’m missing my rooted Nook though.
Touchnooter would be really simple. I had to restore and reroot about 5 or 6 times.
I actuly have a question. Can you buy nook books outside US?
Not yet, but B&N are planning to expand internationally in 2012, at least to the UK.
Acctuly this update IS a big deal. Prevously in Cool Reader after 3 or 4 pages without full flash, the text became gray from some places, but with 1.1 after 19 pages without flash, the text is still eavenly black and ghosting is about the same as 1.0 stock reader after 6 pages without full flash. And i just got INHERITANCE 🙂
P.S. after rooting i discovered that browser is installed, but not accessible from search
I’d love to see the improved page turning / lack of ghosting… The ghosting seen under really bright sunlight was driving me nuts and Cool Reader’s flashing every page seemed to be the only solution.
Veiks, do you have a list of what files you had to replace after following that rooting script?
Thanks!
You can now root with Touchnoote 1.11.11 http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=19279021
I’m not sure that I want to upgrade my STR to firmware 1.1.0.
I purchased my STR before the firmware release, turned on the WiFi connecting it to my BN account then pulled down my library & then turned off the WiFi. I haven’t turned on the WiFi since.
In the future, when I turn on the WiFi, will the STR automatically pull down the firmware upgrade without informing me that it is doing so or will a pop up screen appear informing me that there is a firmware upgrade, giving me to option to do the upgrade at a later date?
You don’t get an option; the update is automatic over Wi-Fi. It’s a pretty large file though so it would take a while to download. The update is worth it, I’d say. It makes the Nook a lot faster and improves contrast. Take a look.
With the new update,the nook does not save the page place for my sideloaded epub books. If I’m say on chapter 10 and I go back to the home page or restart the device, under “reading now’ it shows I’m only on page 1. When I select the book, it asks if I want to sync to the furthest read page and then skips me ahead 2 pages from where I left off. This is really annoying, this feature worked fine before the “upgrade”. I tried re-saving all my epubs, no luck. Any ideas?
I haven’t noticed that issue because I always use Aldiko instead. But I’ve been having some problems with wifi not connecting since the update. I read today a bunch of other people are experiencing the same issue and that B&N are aware of the problem and plan to issue another update. Hopefully they’ll fix the page sync issue while they are at it.
Nathan do you know if B&N has corrected the wifi problem associated with the 1.1 Nook simple touch update?
No they haven’t. I experience the problem at times. It’s really annoying when it won’t connect. Sometimes powering off and restarting helps. That goes for the router too.
Hi!
I updated to version 1.1.0. Now, everytime I power the nook off, when powered on gain, it erase the shelves contents.
Anyone else have experienced this kind of problem? Is there a solution?
Please answer to the Francisco’s question, I have the same problem. So far I haven’t found solution. Reset to factory defaults does not solve this problem.
Finally i’ve found the answer.
The problem is:
– everytime I power the nook off, when powered on again, it erase the shelves contents;
– battery discharges very fast (within one week), even if Nook in standby mode;
Solution is quite simple: you should register your Nook, not activate by pressing key and swipe screen at start of registration.