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Barnes & Noble launches in-store Nook stations
The e-reader competition is clearly *ahem* heating up this holiday season. Barnes & Noble today announced the launch of a brand new Nook Tablet and offered up some nice discounts on its existing Nook Simple Touch and Nook Color devices. So, what kind of competitive advantages can old B&N possibly give over a mega-online retailer like Amazon? Stores! Hundreds of them! The company is harnessing its brick and mortar locations to give users a place to get friendly with its new devices. Check out some shots of the Union Square shop in New York City below. %Gallery-138642%
Barnes & Noble makes $199 Nook Color, $99 Nook Simple Touch official
Not that it wasn't official the moment that Best Buy lopped $50 off of the thing, but those with any lingering doubts with regards to Barnes & Noble's intentions to make the now-dated Nook Color cost competitive with with the Kindle Fire can now consider themselves amongst the believers. The company pulled the trigger at today's Nook event in New York, pricing the color reader-turned-tablet at $199 -- a nice drop from its introductory price of $249. Also on the price cutting board is the touchscreen Nook -- now known officially as the Nook Simple Touch -- which is priced at $99, putting it more on-par with the likes of the latest Kindle. And best of all, says Barnes & Noble, "no annoying ads." Ouch.
Nook Color goes multimedia with Hulu Plus, Pandora, Rhapsody, more
Sure, today's Barnes & Noble event is all about the Nook Tablet, but don't think for one second that the lowly old Nook Color isn't getting any love. As expected, the color screen reader being hooked up with some upgrades of its own -- there will be 100 enhancements in all, according to Barnes & Noble. Central to the upgrade is content from top-tier content streaming sites like Hulu, Pandora, Grooveshark and MOG. Looks like it's not time to count the Nook Color out just yet.
Barnes & Noble launches Nook Tablet, lights a fire under Amazon
Yep, we had a feeling this one was coming. As expected, bookstore mega-chain Barnes & Noble has launched its answer to Amazon's Kindle Fire (and to a lesser extent, Kobo's multimedia Vox slate) -- also as expected, the thing looks an awful lot like its predecessor, the recently discounted Nook Color, right down to the metal bar on the bottom corner. Granted, B&N did already make the leap into the tablet space, when the Nook Color was upgraded earlier this year -- but the Nook Tablet brings more than just a new name, of course. Barnes & Noble makes $199 Nook Color, $99 Nook Simple Touch official Nook Color goes multimedia with Hulu Plus, Pandora, Rhapsody, more Barnes & Noble launches in-store Nook stations The tablet offers up a seven-inch IPS display with full lamination, videos up to 1080p and 11.5 hours of battery life. The Nook has 16GB of built-in memory, which is further expandable by way of a microSD slot. The tablet is all about multimedia content, naturally, offering up from Netflix and Hulu Plus pre-loaded on the device. It gives users access to 250 magazines and periodicals, as well as comics from publishers like Marvel. Barnes & Noble is clearly going directly after the Kindle Fire with this device. So, why pick the Nook over the Fire? Double the storage (which is further expandable), a better display, more RAM, free in-store device support and a lighter weight body at under a pound, says Barnes and Noble. The device runs Gingerbread, and unfortunately, like the Color before it, doesn't offer open access to the Android Market. As expected, the Tablet will cost you $249 ($50 more than the competition from Amazon). Pre-orders begin now, and the slate will start shipping next week.%Gallery-138635%
Best Buy whacks $50 from Nook Color's price tag
Waiting for Monday to hear about the inevitable? Don't. If you're looking to snap up a Nook Color (review) following the impending price drop -- you know, now that the Nook Tablet is about to replace it on the company's hardware pedestal -- Best Buy would like you to know that it's dropping the price of said product already. What's still listed at $249 at B&N's own site is $199 in the source link below. Celebrate accordingly.
B&N cutting Nook Color price to $199, adding Hulu Plus and more streaming music
So, if the looming Nook Tablet's retailing for $249, what's that mean for the Nook Color? A price drop, naturally. Based on leaked slides that we've received, the Nook Color will be dropping to $199 by November 16th, but the $50 price savings ain't all that B&N's throwing your way. The Nook Color v1.4 update will bring along some pretty intense extras, including the addition of Hulu Plus, "millions of songs" from services like Rhapsody, Grooveshark, Pandora and MOG and a litany of new tailored apps (with Scrabble called out in particular). Decisions, decisions...
B&N launching Nook Tablet for $249 on November 16th, and we've got the dirty details
Sitting down? Good. Come November 16th, Amazon's Kindle Fire will have company. We've wrapped our paws around a stash of documents confirming the impending launch of the first bona fide tablet in the Nook line, and lo and behold, the Nook Tablet will end up being a dead-ringer for the Nook Color that already exists. What we're looking at is a 7-inch VividView IPS color touchpanel with a 1024 x 600 screen resolution (that's 169 pixels per inch), a 1.2GHz dual-core OMAP4 processor, 1GB of RAM, dimensions of 8.1- x 5- x 0.48-inches, 16GB of inbuilt storage, a microSD expansion slot, roughly eight hours of battery life with WiFi switched off (that sinks to four hours with videos playing back), 802.11b/g/n WiFi and support for a smorgasbord of file formats including ePUB, PDF, XLS, DOC, PPT, TXT, DOCM, Flash, JPG, MP3, MP4 and AAC. Nook Color review B&N cutting Nook Color price to $199, adding Hulu Plus and more streaming music Nook Simple Touch seeing price drop to $99, touts 'no annoying ads' What's looney is just how similar this thing is to the Nook Color, even in functionality; in fact, B&N simply says that it offers "everything the Nook Color [does] + the best in HD entertainment." We've also confirmed that it'll ship for $249 here in the States -- a full $50 more than Amazon's Kindle Fire. So, why does B&N think you'll pony up the extra? For one, the Nook Tablet has twice the RAM and twice the storage compared to its closest rival, while also being lighter and having access to over two million books, magazines and newspapers. So, what say you? You'll be able to pre-order your own on November 7th, and for those still dubious, in-store demonstrations will begin on the 15th. %Gallery-138387%
IRL: AirPort Express, Jabra Freeway and rooting the Nook Color
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. Now that we've gotten all the dirty details on the new iPhone, we Engadget editors have a few precious days to kick back, unwind and futz around on our aging gadgets before Google and Samsung team up to announce a certain something something next week. Until then, Darren's traveling from Japan to San Francisco and back -- most likely with his AirPort Express in tow, Joseph is rooting the snot out of his Nook Color and Brad's just trying to keep up on podcasts while driving the kiddies around.
Engadget's back to school guide 2011: tablets
Welcome to Engadget's Back to School guide! We know that this time of year can be pretty annoying and stressful for everyone, so we're here to help out with the heartbreaking process of gadget buying for the school-aged crowd. Today, we're leaning back with our tablets -- and you can head to the Back to School hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back -- at the end of the month we'll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides -- and hit up the hub page right here! There are certain back to school purchases we could never talk you out of. A laptop? Vital. A smartphone? Highly recommended. A printer? Necessary -- if you're the kind of person who finishes papers minutes with minutes to spare, leaving no time to swing by the computer lab on the way to class. But a tablet? We'll be honest: we can't think of a good reason why you need one, but we can more than sympathize if you're dead-set. We've picked a few noteworthy choices for each budget, though if you're really lucky you'll win one of 15 Samsung Galaxy Tabs and won't have to pay a dime. Simply leave a comment below to be entered to win, and check out our giveaway page for more details. So wipe off the glasses, grab your clicker, and get ready to jump past the break for this year's tablet picks for back to school.
Barnes & Noble offers back to school Nook deal, adds more to your reading list
Thinking about getting an e-reader before you head back to school this fall? Barnes & Noble surely hopes so, and to sweeten the deal it's offering 12 free classics along with study guides and apps if you register your freshly unboxed Nook before October 31st. That's right folks, over $100 worth of e-books can be yours with the purchase of the new Nook, the Nook Color or even the first edition Nook. While it must be said that most of the available titles are out of copyright and so are already available for free download elsewhere (we're looking at you, Gutenberg.org), you can at least select from a dozen Spark Notes of time-consuming reads such as War and Peace. So if you're looking to take a break from all that Organic Chemistry mumbo jumbo, you can catch up on A Tale of Two Cities in your spare time.
Time Inc. aims to please advertisers and your eyes, making all mags tablet-friendly by year's end
Do you love reading Time magazine on your tablet, but wish you had the same luxury with all of its related offerings? Oh boy, do we have fantastic news for you. As it stands, select Time Inc. publications are supported on the iPad, Android Marketplace, TouchPad, and Next Issue Media's store, but now the company has announced plans to make all 21 of its mags available on tablets by the year's end. Furthermore, support for the Nook Color will be added by the end of August with digital versions of Time, Sports Illustrated, People, and Fortune. Current subscribers to the print editions won't be left out either when it all rolls out, as they'll be able to opt-in for free upgrades with digital access. The decision is apparently tied to increasing "digital reach" for advertisers, but hey, ad-support isn't totally lame. Right? Full PR just past the break.
Engadget's back to school guide 2011: e-readers
Welcome to Engadget's Back to School guide! We know that this time of year can be pretty annoying and stressful for everyone, so we're here to help out with the heartbreaking process of gadget buying for the school-aged crowd. Today, we've got our optical viewfinders set firmly on digital cameras -- and you can head to the Back to School hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back -- at the end of the month we'll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides -- and hit up the hub page right here! Most of us are still walking around hunchbacked from years of carrying heavy textbooks in our overstuffed backpacks. Thankfully, an e-reader can significantly lighten the loads for students everywhere. Sure, we've still got a ways to go before electronic devices can replace textbooks altogether, but in the long run, it's a purpose that could significantly impact the postures of backpack wearers all over. Jump past the break for our recommendations, and another opportunity to enter our back to school giveaway. Simply leave a comment below to be entered to win, and head over to our giveaway page for more details.
PSA: Got a Nook Color? Then you can get dual-booting Nook2Android
Here comes a public service announcement: Eat slower and you'll feel fuller. Oh sorry, wrong one. We meant: Nook Color owners, you can now dual-boot your slate using the specially-created Nook2Android SD card. The card makes installing Android 2.3 a snap and it's now shipping with a dual-boot file courtesy of XDA developers, which means you can choose to boot into the original Nook OS without having to remove the card. You're looking at $35 for an 8GB card, rising to $90 for 32GB. Alternatively, if you're happy to get a bit of oil on your hands, you can try the manual approach. Mmmm, Gingerbread, chew every mouthful.
IDC: Barnes & Noble charges ahead of the e-reader pack, people like a little color with their books
Consumers, it seems, aren't quite ready to declare the devoted e-reader market dead just yet -- according to IDC, the space is set to grow by 24 percent globally in 2011. That's especially good news for Barnes & Noble, as the company pushed to the top of the e-reader race for Q1, edging out Amazon's industry-defining Kindle. The bookseller's lead came thanks to its multiple devices, including the recently introduced touchscreen Nook and the tablet-esque Nook Color. The research firm credits the latter with Barnes & Noble's surge in the standings, explaining that the Kindle's colorless state has negatively impacted sales. Check out the sadly uncolorful press release below.
Barnes & Noble offers 30 free e-books to switch to Nook -- that's one expensive carrot
It seems dangling deals to lure consumers away from competitors is all the rage these days, and Barnes & Noble has jumped on the make-the-switch bandwagon, offering $315 worth of e-books to prospective buyers of its Nook e-reader. Starting today, when owners of those other devices tote their current e-readers into a Barnes & Noble store and buy themselves a new Nook or Nook Color, they'll get 30 free eBooks, with an apparent value of $315. Here's the catch -- because, you know there had to be one -- Barnes & Noble's won't let you pick the books for yourself. Those 30 free eBooks will come pre-loaded on a 2GB microSD card. If you've got the taste of a corporate marketing team, and have been waiting for a reason to get in on the Nook action, check out the source link for more details. Full PR after the break.
CyanogenMod 7 on the Nook Color hands-on (video)
It's hard not to love Barnes & Noble's Nook Color, especially if you're amongst those who'd rather look at text on a quality backlit screen than an e-paper display. Not only did we enjoy the e-book reader when we first reviewed it, but it keeps getting better thanks to updates to its hidden Android core plus the recent addition of its own app store complete with Pandora and Angry Birds. And while there's also a decent bundled web browser and music player, it's not the software that we like the most -- it's the hardware, and particularly the value proposition. See, $250 ($200 on sale) buys you a gorgeous 7-inch 1024x600 pixel capacitive IPS panel with excellent contrast and viewing angles, an 800MHz TI OMAP 3621 CPU, a PowerVR SGX 530 GPU, 512MB RAM, WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth, 8GB of built-in storage, an accelerometer, and a microSD card slot -- all wrapped in an attractive 12mm thin package. Sure, there's no 3G radio, no camera, no microphone, no ambient light sensor, and no haptic feedback, but despite its lower-end specs, the Nook Color just begs to be turned into a full blown Android tablet. And that's just what we did, by installing CyanogenMod 7 on Barnes & Noble's color reader, complete with Android 2.3.3 (Gingerbread) and the full suite of Google apps. Take a look at our screenshots gallery below and hit the break for our hands-on video and impressions. %Gallery-125927%
PSA: New Nook Color partitioning only leaves 1GB for music, other sideloaded content
If you're planning to pick up a Nook Color, keep an eye out for a little blue dot on the box -- no, they're not defective, but new models with the dot have been tweaked to make sure Barnes & Noble retains control of most of that (already limited) internal storage. Updated partitioning leaves just 1GB of internal storage for sideloaded content, such as music and movies, with the remaining 4GB reserved for content purchased from the book and app stores. Previous models allowed sideloaded content to utilize all 5GB of available storage, but the change was made "to ensure ample space for a customer's Nook Library and Nook Apps," according to B&N. We're sure you could figure out how to reclaim those extra gigs, but you won't be able to transfer your entire music library out of the box. Luckily, the Nook still has its microSD slot, allowing you to add up to 32GB of storage for music, movies, and whatever other content you need to keep yourself from using your e-reader to actually read. [Thanks, Mark]
Stream Hulu on your Nook Color, ditch Fitzgerald for Family Guy
In case you need still more distraction from using your Nook Color to, you know, read, now you can have Hulu's extensive video library at your fingertips, thanks to a simple 19-step process. Replacing the standard Adobe Flash Player with a modified version seems to work for the Nook and some other devices; users at Android Central have reported success on the Epic 4G, Thunderbolt, and Droid Incredible. When you're ready to trade One Hundred Years of Solitude for 1000 Ways To Die or 16 and Pregnant, hit the source link for detailed instructions, and see the tutorial video after the break. [Thanks, Alex]
Barnes & Noble logs 1m Nook app downloads in first week, people are probably playing Angry Birds instead of reading
We were pretty stoked when Barnes & Noble finally made Android apps a legit feature on the Nook Color (lack of Market access be damned) and, unsurprisingly, many of you were, too -- the company reports that within a week of making these applications available, it hit 1 million downloads. It would seem we can glean two stunningly obvious things from this tidbit: one, the addition of features through software updates makes people happy. Two: you people really feel the need to play Angry Birds on every device you own, don't you? According to B&N, the never-ending avian spectacle topped the paid app list, with Fliq Calendar leading the free ones. Missing from this stat, of course, is any insight into how fast this catalog is growing -- a good question, since these Android applications have to get tweaked especially for the Nook Color before you can download 'em. Self-congratulatory press release after the break.
Barnes and Noble's Nook Android app now supports magazines, tablets, your Cosmo obsession
Barnes and Noble's Nook app for Android just got a bit more bathroom-friendly. Yesterday, the company unveiled an update that supports magazines on devices running Android 2.1 or higher, allowing users to subscribe to publications and download single issues directly from their tablets. Once you update, you'll notice a new magazines section in the app's shop, where you can purchase, download and read to your heart's desire. The update also patches up a few bugs for HTC Thunderbolt, adds support for tablet users on Honeycomb and should help tide us over until later this month, when B&N may or may not announce something even bigger. Full PR after the break.
