[Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet] zaptoons:
There's nothing lost by rooting the NT- it has all the same preloaded apps and B&N stuff as pre-rooted, just you have all the benefits of root access as well. (alternative launchers, market, file explorers etc.)

I've been loving the NT since I first rooted it months ago- no complaints. I've been so happy with it I haven't even delved into putting CM7 on it just yet- but I'm sure I'll eventually get around to it. But even just rooted I highly recommend it.

About a month ago we were on vacation with some friends for a week -think mountains, snow, cabin, lots of down time. Friends had a KF (stock) and I had the NT (rooted). So during that time I observed a nice real-world comparison of the two. Granted, it was a little unfair since the KF wasn't rooted also, but many of the NT's advantages aren't related to that.

1. Speed. The NT is definitely snappier. I found it faster on the web, and gaming was definitely smoother.

2. Storage. The SD card slot is awesome. It was easy to swap movies with a friend who had some on the card for his phone. The KF was left out in the cold for this (no microSD card slot on their laptop either). Also, my NT was loaded down with tons of books, movies, downloaded 3D game content, music, etc. I had no worries for storage. Meanwhile the KF owner had their usable 6GB and that's it. They didn't load up much content before the trip because you don't feel you have much room to load up.

3. Hardware volume buttons. Major convenience. A bunch of times I needed to turn the vol down real quick to hear someone- no problem without fiddling in software. I saw the KF owner have to fumble with finding onscreen vol controls to do the same.

4. Sturdy. Not like I go around dropping it, but I didn't have as much fear of doing so as the Kindle owner. The NT feels sturdier in hand, and drop-tests I've seen confirm it actually is. Also, the NT feels nicer in your hand when you hold it for long periods. The outer bezels feel nicer, rather than the all-glass front of the KF. This is something you won't notice at first glance- but a few hours into a good book you will.

5. Screen. Personally, I think the NT's screen looks at least slightly better. This could be subjective of course.

6. Battery life. I dunno if it's typical, but in this exact case the NT stomped all over the KF. I was literally amazed how much better the real-world battery life was for the NT. And I didn't excessively use power-saving settings either. The differences were very evident too due to a lack of convenient power outlets. So the KF spent more time in another room being charged than my NT did.

7. Usage comparison. We swapped and compared devices a lot. My friends were much more impressed with my NT, than I was with their KF. Again, highly subjective of course, and also partially unfair since it was stock vs. rooted + multiple hacks making the NT of course the better user experience. Even so, the NT definitely holds it own. Now apparently even more so with CM7.

To me the $50 more is nothing compared to the better value of the NT. Of course, the KF is a nice device too, I just personally would feel I'd slighted myself if I had got one instead of the NT.