[General] Rooted Nook Simple Touch/Android v.2.1 and Third-Party .apk File Permissions

Hi, Everyone...

I am a person of very little experience w/ mobile devices but have recently rooted (w/ serious help from a how-to) a Barnes & Noble Nook Simple Touch e-reader and enabled Android v. 2.1. It is a much more versatile system now w/ several apps allowing me to do much more than the stock device.

However. I cannot use any apps from GooglePlay (the site will not allow my device to access the apps because it does not meet the audio and video requirements), which severely limits the reader's flexibility. I have been able to make use of several excellent programs from the Amazon App Store, but it seems that I can only install those apps which are not third party .apk files. Consequently, my Amazon Kindle app is a very early version, limited in functionality but proprietary, while there are many later, third party versions available elsewhere on the Web.

My device has a couple of .apk app installers installed, but they will not even recognize the presence of a third party .apk on the SD card or on the main memory of the reader. I have the well-regarded "Root Explorer" app installed and, while it will locate the target third-party .apk file, the install command only results in the same error that there is an inability to parse the program. Further, I have read that Android devices usually have a menu system w/ access to system settings allowing a check to the option "allow third party sources", but my device has no such menu system, and I have not been able to install any app that would install such a menu (due to the same problem about third party sourced app files).

I have done quite a lot of searching as how to solve this problem but have given up--this is a bit frustrating because I feel that my experience must be encountered by many others having run up against the roadblock presented by the GooglePlay site.

I wonder, is there any way to access GooglePlay so that I might install many apps conforming to Android v.2.1? Is there any way to allow permission to third party sources that does not require a menu that my device does not have? Does anybody know of a reliable source for a Kindle Reader app that is not third-party sourced? (interestingly, the two primitive Kindle apps that are recognized by my device also show the Kindle logo on the app file; the other, later Kindle app versions have the Android logo.)

I would appreciate, so much, any help w/ this, and, as I say, I imagine that my problem is the experience many others, as well.

Thank you very much to all those who have read and/or reply to this post.

Regards, C.

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