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Barnes & Noble's latest Nook tablet can turn into a makeshift laptop
Earlier in November, Barnes & Noble unveiled the Nook Tablet 10.1, a slate whose main appeal is its sheer value for money -- $130 gets you a 1,920 x 1,200 screen and 32GB of expandable storage. However, it may be the just-released accessories for the tablet that catch your eye. Most importantly, there's a $40 Smart Folio Cover with Keyboard that, for the first time, turns the Nook into a pseudo-laptop. Much like with a Surface or iPad Pro, there's a physical connector that provides power and data without cables or a finicky Bluetooth connection. You probably won't be using a Nook as a productivity machine, but this might help if you want to write a review of a book mere moments after you've finished reading it.
The Nook GlowLight 3 is better suited for night-time reading
The battle of competing e-readers has all been won by Amazon's Kindle line of products, but there still manage to be a few sorties here and there from the sidelines. Kobo just announced a more capacious Aura reader, and now Barnes and Noble is actually trying one more time with a new version of its E Ink Nook reader, the $120 GlowLight 3, available for pre-order now and for purchase in stores on November 8th.
Barnes & Noble's $50 Nook came pre-installed with spyware
Barnes & Noble introduced the $50 Nook just in time for the holiday shopping season, but it failed to mention one crucial bit of software pre-installed on its 7-inch e-reader: malware. Specifically, the new Nooks came with an ADUPS program that granted a third party full access to all of a device's data plus complete control privileges. This means someone overseas had the ability to collect your personal information and wipe your Nook clean, if it had the ADUPS spyware installed.
Your iBooks price fixing credit is on its way
Don't fret about your piece of Apple's e-book price fixing settlement -- the check is in the mail, virtually speaking. The attorneys behind the class action lawsuit have revealed that digital credits from the case will start reaching book buyers from various online bookstores (including Apple's iBooks as well as Amazon and Barnes & Noble) as early as June 21st. What you'll get depends on what you bought, mind you, and it's not exactly a windfall.
Barnes and Noble farms out some Nook tech services
The slow retirement of the Barnes and Noble e-reader continues. After shedding its deal with Microsoft (and closing services outside of the UK and US), the bookseller is looking to save money by outsourcing dev support and cloud services to Bahwan CyberTek -- which specializes in such things. It's pretty incredible how much money Barnes and Noble estimates it will save with the move: $13 million. However, 80 employees will lose their jobs when the company closes its offices in California and Taiwan.
Barnes and Noble to close its Nook ebook store in the UK
Barnes and Noble has decided to lay down its arms and stop competing with Amazon for ebook and e-reader sales in the UK. The bookstore operator has announced it will stop selling digital content, including fiction and non-fiction, magazines and videos, from March 15th, passing customers onto Sainsbury's Entertainment on Demand service instead. Until then, Nook owners can purchase and download any remaining content they wish to keep on their device -- either directly through one of Nook's e-readers, or via the Nook Reading App for iOS and Android.
Barnes & Noble unveils a waterproof Nook e-reader
If you're Barnes & Noble, how do you make an e-reader that stands out when Amazon's Kindle all but dominates the market? By making it usable in the bath, that's how. The at-times struggling bookseller has unveiled the Nook GlowLight Plus, whose centerpiece is a waterproof and dustproof aluminum body -- you won't have to panic if it gets wet. This is also the first E Ink-based Nook to support profiles (handy in a literary family), and its 300-dpi screen is twice as sharp as what you saw in the original GlowLight. The Plus probably won't get you to switch readers if you're a Kindle loyalist, but the $130 price is about right if you're a newcomer or want to trade up from one of the earlier Nooks.
Barnes and Noble's Galaxy Tab E Nook is yet another tablet for readers
If you're a fan of Barnes & Noble's Nook line of e-readers and tablets, there's a new option to tempt you this fall. The Galaxy Tab E Nook is a 9.6-inch slate that offers all of the perks of the bookseller's digital library in a Samsung package. While the front features a familiar-looking Galaxy design, the back is covered in "a non-slip fabric-like material" to ensure you're able to keep a good grip during long reads. Inside, there's 16GB of built-in storage that's expandable to 128GB via mircoSD to store your books and other items. Unfortunately, storage is about the only info on the gadget's internals the announcement reveals. Like previous Nook by Samsung releases, this one is more than just an e-reader, allowing you to watch movies, stream TV shows and browse the web with Android apps.
Barnes & Noble's Nook store closing outside of the US and UK
It's no secret that Barnes & Noble has struggled to profit from its Nook reading platform. Still, there are people who continue to use and invest in the ecosystem, despite the rise of others including Amazon's Kindle. Now, after ending its "strategic partnership" with Microsoft last year, the retailer appears to be preparing to close the Nook store outside of the US and UK -- something that relied on Windows support across Europe. According to an email obtained by The Digital Reader, Barnes & Noble has informed international customers that, on August 7th, it will remove their content from Windows machines and start providing refunds.
Barnes and Noble debuts Nook Audiobooks app on Android
For those times you'd rather have someone else read to you, Barnes and Noble is outfitting Android devices with an app that does just that. Nook Audiobooks taps into the retailer's library of over 50,000 titles via the aforementioned phones and tablets, accessing listener-friendly versions of works like Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl. If you act quickly, B&N will throw in two downloads (from a list of five pre-selected items) for free, and the app itself it available at no charge.
Samsung's big Galaxy Tab 4 gets the Barnes & Noble treatment
We weren't terribly fond of Samsung and Barnes & Noble's first tablet mashup, but it seems at least a few people were. If you happen to fall into that category, congratulations -- that odd couple has something else that might be up your alley. The new Galaxy Tab 4 Nook 10.1 is technically the largest Nook ever released (only because Samsung already did the heavy lifting with design and production) and once again it's basically a stock tablet with BN apps like Nook Library and Nook Shop sprinkled into the mix for good measure. Everything else -- from the 1.2GHz Qualcomm chipset running the show, to the 10.1-inch display running at 1280x800, to the full eye-searing load of Samsung software tweaks -- is a well-known quantity so you'll know exactly what you're getting into. On the plus side at least, the Nook-ified version of the Tab 4 10.1 costs the same $199 as the bog-standard version (after instant rebate, at least) and comes with $200 of sweet, sweet content gratis. Interest piqued? You can pick up yours starting today, but you should only do so after thinking about it really, really hard.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook review: good for reading, but hardly the best budget tablet
There was a time when Barnes & Noble was so big, so dominating, that even Tom Hanks managed to look like a jerk when he played a book-chain executive. But times have changed, and as people began to order their books online -- or even download them -- B&N found itself struggling to keep up. After losing a lot of money last year, the company decided it was time for a change: It vowed to stop making its own tablets, and instead team up with some third-party company to better take on Amazon and its Kindle Fire line. Turns out, that third party was none other than Samsung, and the fruits of their partnership, the $179 Galaxy Tab 4 Nook, is basically a repackaged version of the existing Galaxy Tab 4 7.0. Well, almost, anyway. The 7-inch slate comes pre-loaded with $200 worth of free content, and the core Nook app has been redesigned to the point that it actually offers a better reading experience than the regular Nook Android app. But is that a good enough reason to buy this instead of a Kindle Fire? Or any other Android tablet, for that matter?
Barnes & Noble launches its Nook GlowLight e-reader in the UK for £89
Barnes & Noble isn't exactly a household name in the UK, but in the States it's a book-selling behemoth, with hundreds of stores complimenting a vast library of e-books, as well as a line of readers to consume them on. In autumn 2012, B&N expanded its reach to the UK (if only in website form), challenging the likes of Amazon and Kobo with its Nook range of tablets and e-readers, including the first with a front-lit display. We've seen minimal activity from the company since, but after almost two years without fresh hardware, the new Nook GlowLight launches in the UK today. The second-generation GlowLight e-reader, with significantly improved 6-inch display, is now available for £89 at various retailers including Argos, Currys/PC World, John Lewis, Sainsburys, ASDA and bookshop chain Foyles.
Engadget Daily: LG G3 review, Xbox One performance and more!
Today, we review LG's latest handset, gain insight into how significantly the Kinect affects the Xbox One's performance, go hands-on with Google's secretive 3D-mapping tablet and learned about the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook. Read on for Engadget's news highlights from the last 24 hours.
Barnes & Noble to drop its Nook app for Windows in revised Microsoft deal
We hope you weren't too attached to the Nook app for Windows, because it's going away -- well, sort of. Barnes & Noble's Nook Media subsidiary and Microsoft have amended their partnership with terms that let Nook Media stop distributing its Windows e-book software. The company won't leave bookworms completely stranded, though. Instead, it will steer them toward "Microsoft Consumer Reader;" ZDNet believes this is a previously rumored e-reading app that will support both Nook content as well as generic text. The updated pact also lets Nook Media scrap progress on a Windows Phone app, although that's not as big a loss when the client hasn't reached the public. We don't yet know how the revised deal will affect Windows-bound Nook fans, but let's hope that Microsoft does a good job of picking up any slack.
Barnes & Noble will revive its Nook tablet line with a new model this year
You'd be forgiven for thinking that Barnes & Noble's tablet range was on ice; while the firm did promise to work with third parties on new models, it went through all of 2013 without fresh devices. The bookseller will soon reward patient fans, however. It just revealed that there will be a new "Nook color device" early into the company's fiscal 2015, which roughly translates to this summer. However, we don't know what the new Nook slate will offer, or even who's making it. Barnes & Noble says it's still talking to multiple "world-class hardware partners" about development and distribution, so it could be a long while before we know what to expect. The company does have some breathing room to implement its Nook strategy, though. It swung to a $63.2 million net profit for its fiscal third quarter versus a $3.7 million loss a year ago, and it now has more than twice as much cash in the bank. Even though the company is making half as much revenue from its Nook business as it did at this point in 2013, it's not facing a dire financial crisis.
Engadget's tablet buyer's guide: winter 2014 edition
The tablet landscape is changing rapidly. It's now relatively trivial to find a cheap, full-featured Windows slate, and we've seen a number of smaller models that still manage to pack plenty of power. In light of those shifts, our tablet buyer's guide looks very different this winter. Dell and Nokia are on the list for the first time, and Windows tablets sit shoulder-to-shoulder with their mobile OS rivals. We've even brought back an older Nook that's received a new lease on life thanks to updated software and a significant price cut. Whether you're looking for a productivity machine or just something to watch movies on, we've got a tablet that should fit the bill.
The best tablet deals of the week: 12.13.13
With Engadget's new tools, you can track price drops on thousands of devices every day, and once a week we feature some of the best deals right here. But act fast! Many of these are limited-time offers, and won't last long. Tablets may not be on your shopping list this holiday season, but there are a few tempting specials that may make you reconsider. This year's Nexus 7 model sees a $50 price cut with three other options for slate-style media consumption to help avoid annoying relatives in a couple weeks. Be sure to visit our product database to monitor prices on these gadgets and more as they move around. Join us and add the gadgets you're shopping for to your "Want" list; every time there's a price cut, you'll get an email alert!
Engadget's 2013 Holiday Gift Guide: E-readers
Welcome to Engadget's holiday gift guide! Head back to our hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the month. Weighing your e-reader options isn't as difficult as, say, deciding on a new smartphone. There are fewer models to sift through, for one, and your allegiance to Amazon or B&N could further narrow things down. Still, you have a range of options in every camp -- from barebones devices meant for reading and nothing else to full-fledged tablets with the higher-end specs to match. Below, we make the case for some of our top picks.
Daily Roundup: Nexus 5 and Nook GlowLight reviews, Peripheral Vision with John Krohn and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
