Want A Cheap Android Tablet? Modders Make Nooks Into PCs

If you're looking for an Android tablet for less than $260, just modify a Barnes & Noble Nook e-reader -- and you get a free Internet connection, too.

Reports from nookDevs show those interested in doing just that how to go about transforming the Nook into a Google Android-based tablet computer. But there are a few sticking points.

First, there's the voided warranty. Tinkering around with the Barnes & Noble e-reader violates the terms and conditions set forth by Barnes & Noble. A number of blogs note this will be a major deterrent to people mucking around with the Nook. However, the gadget is only $259. You can't buy a tablet computer for that money. And, if you are successful, you just built an incredibly cheap tablet with a free Internet connection. For many hobbyists, this is a no-brainer -- they'll get it to work before ending up with an expensive paperweight.

Second, it's next to impossible to get the device in the first place. Going to the store is fruitless; buyers are placed on a waiting list until after the new year. Shopping online produces the same result. So there's not likely to be too many of these floating around in the first place.

Third, it's likely that Barnes & Noble will issue a software update tout de suite, to ruin all the (current) fun. But that generally doesn't stop modders, just puts them down a different path. In addition, there's something this group has done that no vendor has: produce a tablet PC with free Wi-Fi for around $250. And that is something worth talking about.

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