Barnes & Noble is planning an April launch for the...

last fall, Barnes & Noble execs touted Android compatibility, although apps and e-mail functionality weren’t part of the initial product rollout, other than the eight pre-loaded apps bundled with the device. The additional functionality will bring the Nook Color closer to tablet functionality just as several Android tablets from Dell, HP, Samsung and Toshiba are about to hit the market. To date, Barnes & Noble has only referred to a “spring firmware update,” as recently as Friday when the company sent out press releases announcing subscription availability to The Economist, Travel + Leisure, and ESPN The Magazine. The news release also noted an upcoming update to Nook Color firmware this spring “that will give customers access to explore exciting new applications, email and many other requested features.” The company pre-announced several upcoming apps including Angry Birds, Drawing Pad, Lonely Planet Phrasebooks, Tikatok, and Wine PhD. Barnes & Noble told us Friday an update for the Android OS is still on track for “spring” along with the addition of Adobe Flash in 2011. The company launched the Nook developer program last October, inviting developers to deliver “new and innovative reading experiences that enrich, extend and expand” the reading experience using Barnes & Noble’s open eReading platform, a spokesman said. The apps will be offered through “our shopping experience,” the spokesman said. According to the HSN site, its customers will have “the sneak peek” of the new Nook Color updates, and “will be among the first to receive the update when it’s available.” The HSN site says updates will be sent out automatically to devices connected to Wi-Fi. Barnes & Noble told us customers will be notified via email and can check the Nook Facebook page for status updates. Last week, Barnes & Noble had no comment (WID March 22 p6) after Microsoft filed a patent infringement suit against the company over the Nook e-reader. The Android platform used by Nook readers infringe on various Microsoft patents, Microsoft claimed in the suit, which was filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle. Microsoft “established an industry-wide patent licensing program for Android device manufacturers,” said Horacio Gutierrez, corporate vice president and deputy general counsel for Microsoft intellectual property and licensing. The patents at issue in the suit cover various functions “embodied in Android devices that are essential to the user experience,” Microsoft said. They include “natural ways of interacting with devices by tabbing through various screens to find the information they need; surfing the Web more quickly, and interacting with documents and e-books,” it said.