The Nook had a humble beginning, acting mostly as its namesake would suggest: a place to store books. As it became clear that the device was more than capable of handling other tasks, the Nook Tablet came to display true versatility. Not only does this Nook store books, it also stores some of the best apps around. But, like decorating a nook in your house, it can be hard to decide exactly what to display on your book-centric tablet. We’ve got a list of the best apps available for the Nook Tablet, all of which are sure to not spend much time on the shelf as you’ll be using them regularly.
(Read our full Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet review.)
GoodReads (Free)
Despite its newfound ability to do pretty much anything you’d expect a standard tablet to do, the Nook Tablet still excels at being a reading device. Perhaps no app is a better companion for book worms than GoodReads. The biggest social network for those of us that get sucked into a story, GoodReads allows users to read, rate, and share titles with over 8 million users. The database consists of over 12 million books, which is more books than we knew existed. Keep track of books you’ve read and ones you plan to with a virtual bookshelf, and get suggestions from friends and other members. You’ll run out of space before reading material.
Seesmic (Free)
Even the most dedicated of book worm has a social life. Keeping up with your friends among the segmented social media market can be a pain. Simplify the process and connect easier than ever with Seesmic. The app fully integrates Facebook, Twitter, Google, and others to give you the ability to interact with everyone. The Twitter client is especially powerful, with Twitlonger and multiple account support. Never miss a social queue online, even if you’re bad at picking up on them in real life.
Taptu (Free)
We use social networks to keep connected with friends and see what they’re up to, but that doesn’t mean the experience shouldn’t be at least a little visually stimulating. Get rid of the painful monotony of the never-ending scroll by throwing your social network feeds into Taptu. This social feed reader takes all of the best content from Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and your favorite websites and blends them into a visual treat of content and connection. It’s a remix on the idea of social browsing.
Journal ($1)
Dear diary, I’m getting rid of you. Not that you haven’t served me well, but there’s this fantastic app for the Nook Tablet that makes your pen and pad mode of entry a thing of the past. Journal is the ultimate app for those of us that like to keep track of our lives in digital form. Jot down your thoughts and organize them by category so you can continue your idea flow on different topics. You can also password protect it to keep unwanted eyes from peering at the pages. It’s your personal diary gone 2.0.
QuickOffice Pro ($14.99)
For some of us, our work is never done. That can be especially annoying if you’re on the go and away from your normal tools of the trade. But for the folks that do their work in different digital documents, QuickOffice Pro is like taking your work desk with you. Do everything your desktop office suite can do, but do it on the go within your NookTablet. Once you’re finished, you can easily export and edit the documents in Microsoft Office or any other compatible program.
Dolphin Browser (Free)
There’s nothing inherently wrong with the way default browsers behave on their native devices. For example, Internet Explorer does what you’d think it does: browse the internet. That’s not to say there aren’t other browsers that just do it better, though. Dolphin Browser does exactly that — it does everything a normal browser does, but better. It’s faster, easier to use, and better built for mobile devices than the majority of other options on the market. It’s just plain good and makes browsing that much easier.
Dropbox (Free)
If you aren’t aware of Dropbox yet, you’ve been living under a very thick rock. Try climbing out from that dark, dreary place and crawl into life in the cloud instead. Dropbox is the ultimate option for cloud-based storage. Install it on any device and easily transfer documents with minimal effort. Upload a document on your desktop, access it on your Nook Tablet to work on it, then save it and pull it up on your work computer later. You’ll always have access to those documents you need.
Stitcher (Free)
Book readers tend to be well-informed individuals, but it’s hard for print media to keep up with the ever-churning news cycle — just ask newspapers. For those times where you need up to the second information that a book unfortunately can’t provide, open up Stitcher Radio and get your fix of current events and entertainment. Books are brain food, but Stitcher provides the aural equivalent.
Ancestry (Free)
It’s been said that you can’t know where you’re going unless you know where you came from. GPS devices may argue with that theory, but they are taking it too literally. It’s always nice to know your family history, and Ancestry is the perfect app for following every branch of your family tree. You never know what you might find, but Ancestry will definitely help you find it. You might be shocked to see who you’re related to. But like any family tree, you should expect to find a couple nuts.
Free Books & Book Deals Buddy (Free)
Any long time reader will tell you that the entertainment one can receive from a book makes the price of a book a steal. They will also tell you that those steals add up fast into a bookshelf full of cash that isn’t coming back. Even if every penny was a well-spent one, it’d be nice to get some entertainment for free every now and then. That’s what Free Books & Book Deals Buddy will bring. You can browse free titles or books that are available at a discounted cost for some high quality words at low costs.
Flipboard (Free)
Not all great reads lie between two hard covers. There is some fine journalistic writing and reporting going on out in the world. Flipboard will bring all of the best words that the world of news has to offer straight to you. Flip through the finest of publications to find stories that are more than sensationalism and bold faced headlines. Flipboard delivers content from the best corners of the web and lets you save them to read any time — online or off.
Skitch (Free)
Readers recognize excellent writing as a form of art. That’s why the always appreciate a good book. But they also know that’s not the only form of artistic expression. Some talents lie within a more visual medium. Skitch lets you let out that inner artist using virtual brushes and a digital canvas. Create something entirely new or mark up a favorite photo for some visual enhancements. Skitch is a great option for illustrating those creative ideas.
iSpy Cameras ($1)
Did you know that Terminator was actually a documentary from the future? Skynet isn’t some science fiction dream, it’s a reality that is coming together right under our noses. While it may sound like this app should come with a tin foil hat, it’s actually the proof of what’s to come. iSpy Cameras allows you to tap into thousands of public cameras around the world and watch exactly what is happening in real time. Be careful, you might see yourself on there one day.
Netflix (Free)
You just finished one of your favorite books in a long while and you wished the joy it brought you didn’t have to end. Luckily, you find out that it got made into a film. Find out how well your book of choice plays on the little silver screen with Netflix. Odds are if the movie exists, it’ll be in Netflix’s always expanding database. With a monthly subscription to their mass of streaming video, Netflix is a great option to give those eyes a rest from reading and let them focus on some visual treats.
Evernote (Free)
Get an idea while flipping through the pages of a book? Maybe a friend just gave you a suggestion of a title to check out and you want to remember it. Or perhaps you just need a reminder to put down your Nook Tablet every once in awhile and go get milk from the grocery store. No matter what you need to remember, Evernote will store it for you. Create text, voice, or visual reminders and access them from any device. Evernote will bridge every gap in your memory.
