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It was just a few weeks ago that I wrote about N2A Cards’ new Android 4.1 upgrade options for the Barnes & Noble Nook Color and Nook Tablet.
Now the company offers a similar option for the Nook HD+ (by all accounts a fantastic tablet). Whether you’re not a fan of Barnes & Noble’s heavily modified (and, some would say, limited) version of Android or you just want the option of a more traditional Android tablet experience, there’s now a plug-and-play solution.
Starting today, you can download one of N2A Cards’ specialized image files, copy it to your own microSD card, and boot that card in your Nook HD+. The result: your tablet transformed to a modded version of Android 4.1 (aka Jelly Bean), able to access the Google Play store and run pretty much every Android-compatible app.
Want to go back to the way things were? Reboot and choose the Nook OS, or just pop the card out. Either way, no harm done; your HD+ will go back to the way it was — apps, data, account, and warranty intact.
If you don’t own a compatible microSD card (according to the developer, only A-Data Class 10, SanDisk Class 4/10, and Transcend Class 10 cards will work) or don’t feel sufficiently tech-savvy to take on the download/install task, N2A Cards will sell you a card that’s ready to boot right out of the package.
The download option costs $19.99. If you don’t want to “roll your own,” it costs $29.99 for an 8GB N2A Card, $39.99 for the 16GB version, $64.99 for the 32GB version, and $84.99 for the 64GB card.
A few weeks back I tried the N2A download with my Nook Tablet, and it’s been working great. I suspect it’s even better on the Nook HD+ (though I haven’t seen it firsthand myself), what with its faster processor, sharper screen, etc. It even supports the camera for things like Skype.
As I noted last time, you can probably create your own bootable microSD card for free — but only if you know what you’re doing. (It’s a fairly complex process, IMHO.) Personally, I like a plug-and-play option, especially when it’s backed by tech support. That’s worth a few dollars, no?
Whether you buy one of the preconfigured cards or create one yourself using the download option, I think you’ll really like running Jelly Bean (in the form of the popular CyanogenMod) on your Nook HD+. Especially when it’s so easy to undo.
