Sure, you can root the Nook Color to unlock more standard Android functionality. But pretty soon you won't need to.

Barnes and Noble has announced a new firmware update expected to bring "increased functionality to the device."

Yes, this means apps and lots of 'em, including the wildly popular Angry Birds game, Lonely Planet Phrasebook and Drawing Pad.

The retailer has also added a number of new magazine titles over the past few weeks, including The Economist, Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, ESPN The Magazine, Saveur and PC Gamer.

Unfortunately, it remains unclear if B&N will allow Nook users to gain full access to Google’s official Android Market.

Then again, perhaps B&N is planning to launch its own app store in an effort to compete with Amazon's indigenous app market, which opened earlier this week.