I’ve had my Nook Color for about a month at this point, long enough to develop a real feel for how it integrates into my life.

Keep in mind, the Nook Color is not an iPad and sells for half the price of the cheapest Apple jewell. I’ve already got the latest iPod Touch with dual cameras, so I don’t need or currently want cameras in a tablet device.

The Nook Color shines best as a word-centric consumption device. It takes the Internet and turns it into a very portable book.

To be perfectly honest, the stock Nook Color version of Android is very locked down. Besides being a good reader platform for books and magazines, you can browse the web, do email, do social networking, and run a limited but growing number of apps (mostly paid but a few for free) from the Barnes & Noble Nook Color App Store. The Nook Color stock software experience is nice for what it does, but still rather limited overall. The included stock Android browser does include the ability to run Adobe Flash. The Nook Color has a bright and very clear 7 inch widescreen capacitive glass touch screen along with about 10 hours’ worth of battery life.

What makes the Nook Color a great value at $249 dollars is its ability to boot into other versions of Android FROM the built-in internal Micro-SD chip reader without affecting the built-in Nook Color’s Android operating system.

After experimenting with different bootable Micro-SD card arrangements, the best pre-built Android solution I’ve found so far comes from http://www.rootnookcolor.com, a website that is selling pre-configured versions of Android to give a good overall tablet touch screen experience starting at $39.99 for a pre-configured 4 gigabyte Micro-SD card.

Cutting to the chase, the best version I’ve gotten so far from Root Nook Color.Com is called CyanogenMod 7, also know as Gingerbread. This version offers great battery life (almost as good as the stock Nook Color Andriod at about 7 hours) and even enables undocumented Nook Color features such as its built-in Bluetooth radio. It also comes installed with the full Android Marketplace, enabling the ability to browse, download and install most of the available Android apps, now numbering in the hundreds of thousands. As mentioned above, since it’s running entirely from the Micro-SD card slot, the stock Nook Color Android operating system remains entirely untouched and completely intact. It’s not even necessary to remove the Micro-SD card to boot back into the stock Nook Color operating system since it comes pre-configured with a dual-boot loader.

While it’s possible to play YouTube and other videos along with apps such as Pandora, by far the most use I find myself making of CyanogenMod 7 is as a highly portable news feed consumption device. I am currently compiling a list of Android apps that take the best advantage of the Nook’s 7” display and will report on these apps in future posts.

Overall, the Nook Color opertated with the CyanogenMod 7 version of Android from Root Nook Color.Com offers a genuine Android tablet experience at a bargain basement price with very good overall performance.

I decided to do something a little different  on this post, instead of talking about one specific application I decided to talk about the Firefox  add-ons I use. I am wondering what Firefox extensions do you use and why. Every Firefox user has their own list of add-ons, which is one of the reason Firefox is so popular you can tweak it to your liking. Here is my list:

1. DownThemAll
2. Downloadhelper
3. Foxytunes
4. Twittytunes
5. Ubiquity
6. Feedly
7. Stumbleupon

The first two application both aid in downloading items. The first Downloadthemall allows you to download all available files from a page or a specific extension from that page.  You can use it to download all software, image files, or video files. I use it a lot if I want to download multiple podcast feeds from a page.   I actually prefer  Downloadhelper for  downloading video files.  Downloadhelper will not only download the video file but it will also convert it, so you can play them on your various applications. It works great with YouTube video. Foxytune allows you to control various audio systems such as Itunes, Pandora, Xbox Media Center, Lastfm, Foxyplayer and Rhapsody directly from Firefox. I use it along with Twittytunes, which allows you to tweet what you are playing directly from the url field.   This is especially useful when its MusicMonday on Twitter.  Ubiquity is one of the most powerful of all the add-ons I have, it allows you to do multiple task, everything from adding events to your Google calendar to zooming your Firefox windows.  All of this without having to open up another tab. It is a great time saver and getting things done tool.   Feedly is a great way to read your rss feeds and share them on various social networking sites. It is set in a magazine style and is based on Google Reader and Twitter. Last but not least is Stumbleupon which is a great way to find new Web sites or a fun way to waste time. When you hit the Stumbleupon button it takes you a random page on the Internet, you can  control what type of page you stumble to.  If you stumble to a page you like you can share the page with the Stumbleupon community. 

There are thousands of add-ons available through Firefox.  The  one of thing that you have to be aware of is what I call add on syndrome. This is where you start adding every extension or add on that people recommend, which will cause Firefox to either slow down to a crawl or  crash so often it becomes unuseable. Every once in awhile I go through my add-ons and really decide if I am using them or not. I remove the ones I am not using or have not been updated to work with the latest Firefox version.  The availabity of add ons is clearly Firefox’s biggest strength and why its so popular. So again my question is why Firefox extension do you use and why.

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This has not been confirmed by Wal-Mart, however it’s on almost every news page about Black Friday sales. I have seen this on quite a few sites and first heard about it through work. We sent this out to everyone to let them know. At this price you could almost make it a stocking stuffer If it isn’t true, there will be drama at Wal-mart early Black Friday morning.

[Wal Mart and the $400 laptop - Engadget - www.engadget.com]

Seoul-based Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. announced that it has developed a Solid State Disk (SSD) with a capacity of up to 16GB. Using two NAND-based modules, the SSD is a low power, lightweight storage media for notebook PCs and, eventually, consumer electronic devices.

The SSD has uses only five percent of the electricity required to power hard disk drives, and weights less than half of a comparably-sized disk drive. Because the SSD has no moving parts, there almost no noise or heat is emitted by the module, and it is less prone to skipping or damage from movement.

The SSD has read/write speeds of 57/32 MBps, respectively, making it fast enough for both computer and consumer electronics applications.

Dave’s Opinion
SSD modules with greater capacity are expected soon, making the memory product a serious competitor for micro-data devices. Look for the Samsung SSD, not only as USB flash memory key, but also as a replacement for portable digital music hard disks and, eventually, notebook hard disks.

Call for Comments
What do you think? Leave your comments below.

References
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Today, in direct competition with MSN and Yahoo!, Google, Inc. announced that users may create a personalized Google homepage for news, weather, cultural tidbits, and e-mail.

Access to Google News, the New York Times, British Broadcasting Service, local weather and moving listings, and Google’s Gmail service can be displayed on a single homepage, along with a dialogue to Google’s flagship search engine.

Dave’s Opinion
I think this is a convenient way to quickly glance at the news without any of the annoying ads served up by Microsoft and Yahoo! I need all that annoying eye candy like I need a hole in the head.

Have you been coveting a Gmail invitation? I found over a million of ‘em on isnoop.net. If you’ve got a few invitations to share, I’m sure isnoop.net would love to help give them away. Be generous.

Call for Comments
What do you think? Leave your comments below.

References
Google’s Homepage Creator
isnoop.net Gmailomatic

As Yahoo turns 10 today, March 2, 2005, they are giving out free ice cream to all it’s members. All you need to do is go to this website and follow the instructions to receive a coupon for a scoop of free ice cream from Baskin-Robbins. Guess where I’m going for lunch?

I upgraded one of my network file servers, yesterday. I replaced a hard disk that was setting off occasional error notices, and, while while I was at it, I replaced the current operating system (Mandrake Community 10.1) with Knoppix 3.7. Knoppix is the Linux distribution that I use in class to demonstrate how simple Linux is to use, because Knoppix is a fully-functional operating system with common applications that can boot from a single CD. So, with the bootable CD, I can quickly convert any computer to Linux without the risk of deleting any existing files from the Windows operating system.

The installation was much quicker than I expected. I usually set aside three or four hours to install and configure a server’s operating system, but Knoppix cut that time down to 30 minutes. I then tinkered with a few minor configuration options (screensaver, background colors), but the necessary functionality was up and going in well under an hour.

If you’re interested in trying Knoppix, yourself; download it from either the developer’s website or LinuxISO.org. When you’re burning the single-file download to a CD, pay attention to be sure to you properly configure the CD to accept the ISO image, otherwise the CD won’t have it’s self-booting property.

BTW, Knoppix is free for both personal and commercial use.

Verizon Communications has doubled the speed of consumer DSL service is a dozen east coast states. If the market reacts well, the remaining states will receive the same faster DSL alternative. The additional bandwidth is a reaction to Comcast’s doubling the speed of its cable broadband service, earlier this year. The extra bandwidth will be a big hit with online gamers and professionals who work from home.

For about $40 a month, the new DSL bandwidth will be 3 Mbps, downstream, and 768 Kbps, upstream. For cost-conscious customers who only send and receive e-mail and surf occasionally, a half-speed option will be available for $30 a month.

Dave’s Opinion
Just over half of online Americans have broadband service at home: 63 million or 51 percent. There’s always a use for more bandwidth, even by those who don’t consider themselves technically sophisticated or have flexibility in their personal schedules. When it comes to network connectivity, faster is always better.

Call for Comments
What do you think? Leave your comments below.

References
Verizon

Lockergnome has a great listing of DVD’s for a great price check it out. [Lockergnome]

If you are a penny pincher and spend a lot of time on the phone you may want to check this site out they show the rates for a lot of companies that offer 1010 type services. My wife uses a 1010 service to call Japan and gets a rate of about .03 cents per minute. Be sure to shop around and save those extra pennies for your tech purchases. [www.lowermybills.com]

As many trips as I go on that are short notice I usually have to pay full fare. But once in a while I get a chance to shop around. Well what better than cheap airline fares that are being published via RSS that you can pull down daily. Great catch by [Lockergnome]

Need some new storage at a terrific price. Check out this bargain Western Digital Caviar WD1200JB Special Edition 120GB ATA/100 7200RPM Hard Drive w/8MB Buffer *** Free 2nd Day *** $91.50 [www.zipzoomfly.com]

Planet PDF is now offering an assortment of some of the most popular classics — free! Help yourself to them, and feel free to share them with your friends. [Planet PDF]

This was really a joke to have put this post in the Bargain category, since it’s not. I’m satisfied with Office 2002 for now…

“Microsoft plans to reveal pricing and a release date soon for the next version of its Office software, according to analysts.

So far, the company has only said the various components of its newly renamed Office System line of products would ship late this summer. That means Microsoft would need to have a final version of the software to ship to PC manufacturers within the next few weeks.” [News.com]

I cannot belive this deal that HP is offering. A 17″ LCD for $319

“Flat is where it’s at. The HP F70 17″ display has the crystal clear views to move you. Save desktop space with the slim design and experience the full color world of DVDs, multimedia and more.

* built-in Polk Audio Stereo speakers for fantastic sound with the convenience of clutter free desk space
* 17″ flat panel screen with an anti-glare coating and customizable settings that allow you to work or play games comfortably
* optimal resolution at 1280 x 1024 for superior DVD, imaging and Internet performance
* slim, space-saving design fits your home or home office environment perfectly
* designed to bring out the best from your PC
* full plug-and-play installation let’s you get started right away
* save energy, full energy star and MPII compliant

Price: $319, the cheapest 17″ LCD that I have ever seen in my lifetime! [Utility Electronics]

Yes, I know, this isn’t the coolest, fastest, powerfull PC, but it is a great gift idea for a child or grand-parent. Believe me, they’ll be thrilled! A lot better than a Lindows PC, too.

“Hewlett-Packard is again doing the low-price computer limbo with a new $349 desktop PC.

The computer giant on Thursday began taking customer orders for the new Pavilion a210e PC on its HPShopping Web site. The machine–the sister model of the $349 Compaq Presario S4000J–will be available only directly from HP.

The Pavilion a210e will have enough power for everyday computing tasks such as sending e-mail. The desktop is fitted with an Advanced Micro Devices Athlon XP 2000+ processor running at 1.67GHz, 128MB of RAM (random access memory), a 40GB hard drive, a CD-ROM, a modem and a keyboard and mouse. The desktop uses built-in graphics included with its Via Technologies chipset. Its base configuration does not include a monitor, nor does it have a floppy drive or speakers, which are each $20 upgrades.” [News.com]