At $249, the Nook Color is a ridiculous value if you're willing to root it. 64gb of storage isn't an option on it, but I recently saw a 32 gig card going for $50 on FW from a reputable retailer (NOT an Ebay fake). So call it $299 for a 32 gig Nook Color.
There is, of course, the factor of your time to root and modify it. I don't count that as part of my total cost because I would have done that anyway, and have probably spent way too much time fooling with it well after it was already doing what I wanted.
My config now is CyanogenMod 7 with Dalingrin's 4/4 Kernel @ 1 GHz. The battery life is better than with the stock CM7 kernel, which was really draining fast for some reason. Expect another boost when the devs get sleep fully working, since the device never actually sleeps right now. I find myself plugging it in every couple of days with moderate use, but since I already keep a Micro USB charger at work for my BB and Evo, sometimes I top off there too. It will charge from MicroUSB, just not as quickly as from the Nook charger w/ the extra pins/current.
To answer darkswordsman's question, the battery is 1530 mAh. Remember, it's the form factor of a Nook/Kindle, not an iPad. The screen is glass, with no coating. Glare is a slight issue, and the fix is the same as an iPad - buy a screen protector w/ the right coating.
More basics here: http://nookdevs.com/What_we_know
I'm not sure that it's really valid to compare a Nook Color against an iPad, though. The NC is smaller and proportional to a book. The iPad is larger and closer to 4:3 like a traditional media device. I'd suggest that if money were not a consideration, to get a NC if you will use it as a reader and an iPad if you will use it from the couch to surf the web and play some games. My wife and I own both, and I strongly prefer the NC as a reader and I do take it to work on the metro every day. I wouldn't do that with the larger/heavier iPad, but the bigger screen makes it a nice media device.
Both are pretty awesome.
There is, of course, the factor of your time to root and modify it. I don't count that as part of my total cost because I would have done that anyway, and have probably spent way too much time fooling with it well after it was already doing what I wanted.
My config now is CyanogenMod 7 with Dalingrin's 4/4 Kernel @ 1 GHz. The battery life is better than with the stock CM7 kernel, which was really draining fast for some reason. Expect another boost when the devs get sleep fully working, since the device never actually sleeps right now. I find myself plugging it in every couple of days with moderate use, but since I already keep a Micro USB charger at work for my BB and Evo, sometimes I top off there too. It will charge from MicroUSB, just not as quickly as from the Nook charger w/ the extra pins/current.
To answer darkswordsman's question, the battery is 1530 mAh. Remember, it's the form factor of a Nook/Kindle, not an iPad. The screen is glass, with no coating. Glare is a slight issue, and the fix is the same as an iPad - buy a screen protector w/ the right coating.
More basics here: http://nookdevs.com/What_we_know
I'm not sure that it's really valid to compare a Nook Color against an iPad, though. The NC is smaller and proportional to a book. The iPad is larger and closer to 4:3 like a traditional media device. I'd suggest that if money were not a consideration, to get a NC if you will use it as a reader and an iPad if you will use it from the couch to surf the web and play some games. My wife and I own both, and I strongly prefer the NC as a reader and I do take it to work on the metro every day. I wouldn't do that with the larger/heavier iPad, but the bigger screen makes it a nice media device.
Both are pretty awesome.