I have this pair of shorts that I really love to wear. They look nice and are comfortable. The only problem is that the zipper slides down during the course of the day. I don’t want to look like a slob and so I’ve gotten into the habit of checking the zipper every so often to make the necessary adjustments. It’s a pain in the ass but I really like the shorts so I deal with it.
That’s sort of how I feel about the current state of the CyanogenMod 7 (CM7) project for the Nook Color. It’s a really sweet Android OS and by far the best I’ve tested. The only problem is that a new nightly update comes out a several times a week, if not every night. Since I love to tinker with the latest and greatest, I have to make sure to frequently check for updates…similar to frequently checking the zipper of my shorts.
The currently nightly is up to version 40 and making progress all the time in many critical areas including video playback and Bluetooth. One major note is that back in nightly 37, CM7 merged with Tablet Tweaks; which are a bunch of mods specifically designed for tablets as opposed to smartphones. The tweaks include features such as:
- The ability to move the status bar from the top of the screen to the bottom
- Disabling of the lock screen
- Shorten swiping inputs (because the screen is pretty long!)
- Disabling of full screen mode
For those of you that are using the stock version CM7, you’ll find many of these listed features handy. Here’s a current list of all the Tablet Tweaks features.
Before CM7 nightly 37 came out, you had to download and flash Tablet Tweaks separately. But now that the two have merged and all the tweaks are built-in. But if you are adventurous, it looks like Tablet Tweaks II is about to start. These are additional features that won’t be baked into CM7 yet but are for beta-testing at your own risk similarly to how the original Tablet Tweaks was developed.
One final thought is on overclocking the Nook Color. I’m typically not the type to overclock my equipment and I’ve been very happy with the stock 800Mhz limit on the Nook Color. But after reading so many positive things about Dalingrin’s OC kernel, I decided to give it a try. I’m now running at a screaming 1100Mhz and let me tell you, it’s very noticeable! Everything just feels more snappy. I would recommend trying it yourself if you haven’t already but please be warned that it could possibly hurt or even break your NC so use it at your own risk!
Have you, or do you know anyone who has, actually made a VOIP wi-fi phone call to a land line using Nook Color Bluetooth headset?
I still haven’t purchased a new bluetooth headset (keep losing them!) but I’ve read where people have had varying success using skype and BT headset. The major problem still is the bluetooth distance limitation. Apparently the NC Bluetooth antenna is weak (or non-existent). It can receive signals (i.e. Wii Remote) much better than sending. Since headsets are TX/RX devices you may have to get pretty close to the tablet to make a call! I still have hope that BT will get figured out at some point and the wireless range may no longer be an issue in the not too distant future.