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Barnes & Noble intros buy-one-get-one Nook book offer, only valid in stores
Well, this process seems a bit counterintuitive, eh? This morning, Barnes & Noble introduced a new scheme for getting Nook customers to visit the company's retail stores. The promotion nets you one free e-book when you purchase another, but -- and this is where the offer tripped us up a bit -- you can only make your electronic purchase with a cashier in a physical store. The deal will be up for grabs every weekend, and titles are set to change. There are currently 20 books on offer (available this Saturday and Sunday only), including hits like Along Came a Spider by James Patterson and Bossypants by Tina Fey. Once you make your selections, you'll receive an email with access codes (assuming the rep managed to input your data correctly), at which point you'll need to visit a dedicated Barnes & Noble site to receive your books. Easy peasy.
Refresh Roundup: week of April 22nd, 2013
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
Pinterest now available for Barnes & Noble's Nook lineup
If you can't even contemplate e-reading without a healthy side of inspirational photos, you'll be happy to know that Pinterest is now available on Barnes & Noble's Nook devices. Amazon already offers the popular app for its Kindle lineup, and now its chief rival in the e-reader market is bringing the app to all of its Nooks. Starting today, new devices will ship pre-loaded with Pinterest, along with new apps for Facebook and Twitter. Those who already own a Nook can download the virtual bulletin board from the Nook Store; click the source link to do so.
Barnes & Noble relabels PubIt! as Nook Press, adds web-based publishing tool
Barnes & Noble's PubIt! self-publishing conduit has been active for well over two years, but you'd be forgiven for overlooking it with that somewhat forgettable (if very emphatic) name. The company might just know what you're thinking, as it's giving the service a considerably more memorable title, Nook Press, while upgrading features at the same time. Although the royalty structure remains the same, Nook Press now incorporates a web-based authoring tool: would-be Hemingways can write and preview their work through one online hub, sharing their drafts with others in a secure space. Those who commit should also get more exposure through an upcoming Nook Press channel on Nook HD and Nook HD+ tablets. There's no guarantee that the rebranding will lure potential bestselling authors away from Amazon, but they may have a better sense of their options.
Single-text e-reader review: a rising fad with long-term promise
Before Engadget was born, the late '90s saw a rising fear of the millennium bug, not to mention the advent of the first true e-readers. As time went on, e-ink technology on these devices improved, and despite the subsequent rise of tablets, e-readers have persisted thanks to their retina-soothing displays and generally affordable prices. Now, millions sit on bedside tables and in commuters' bags worldwide. Their popularity, however, has given rise to whole new branch of niche e-readers with tiny memories capable of holding but a single text. Join us as we delve into this fledgling fad and ask whether such low-cost hardware can persuade you to put down your Kindle, Nook or Kobo and give them a shot. Is this a new chapter in the e-reader story? Swing past the break and find out.
Nook for iOS adds support for high-res iPad magazines, Nook Comics
Barnes & Noble may have saved most of the limelight today for in-app purchasing on Nook hardware, but it's not leaving other platforms by the wayside. Its Nook 3.4 update for iOS focuses heavily on visuals, with new support for both Nook Comics as well as "HD" magazines on Retina display-equipped iPads. Likewise, there's some spring cleaning afoot: the app offers better organization for periodicals, the option to expand book illustrations and newly animated page turns. Swing by the App Store if you've got enough of a toehold in Barnes & Noble's ecosystem to use its software.
Nook getting in-app purchasing 'soon,' B&N promises 'thousands' of top apps
Sure Barnes & Noble's already promising you the ability to download the "most popular and bestselling top 100 app titles for tablets available anywhere," but what happens when you want to buy something in those apps? Fear not, the bookstore-turned-hardware-maker will be bringing in-app purchases to its line of slates "soon," thanks to a partnership with Nook developer Fortumo. That company's bring single click payment to the Nook ecosystem and offering dashboards and analytics on consumer buying habits for developers. Thanks to the offering, B&N feels certain that, "thousands of the most-requested games and apps featuring in-app purchasing will be available for customers to experience on NOOK's award-winning line of tablets" in the months to come.
Barnes and Noble giving away Nook Simple Touch with every Nook HD+ purchase in limited promo
Americans love a good bargain -- especially, when it's a twofer. Barnes and Noble, arguably the only real competitor to Amazon's Kindle juggernaut, has just announced a promotion to get as many of its Nook readers into consumers' hands as possible. Starting March 24th and running until the end of the month, consumers that purchase the Nook HD+ online, in-store or at select big box retailers will also be given a free Nook Simple Touch. The limited promotion comes hot on the heels of rumors that B&N would start to de-emphasize hardware production for the Nook line in favor of its content services; a rumor the company publicly shot down. Still, there's no denying e-reader market share's been an uphill battle for B&N, even if the segment is seeing marginal year-over-year increases. Numbers aside, if you've been holding out on joining the digital reading fray because of cost, now's the time to make the switch.
Barnes & Noble's Nook Free Fridays now include apps
There's no denying that Barnes & Noble's Nook business has faced challenges lately. The bookseller may, however, have an extra trick up its sleeve to keep e-reader buyers coming back. Taking a page from the likes of Apple and Amazon, it's expanding Nook Free Fridays to include apps in addition to books. The gesture effectively doubles the volume of free loot each week as long as you've got a tablet like a Nook HD or HD+. Barnes & Noble isn't modest in kicking off the giveaway, either -- the inaugural deal is OfficeSuite Professional 7, which would normally carry a $15 price tag. Although the bargains might not be enough to trigger switches for those well-entrenched in Amazon's world, they could well stop any wandering eyes among Nook owners.
Barnes & Noble signs licensing agreement with MGM, Lionsgate, National Geographic and more for Nook Video service
Barnes and Noble has just dealt up some good news for movie-loving owners of its Nook HD and HD+ slates, with the announcement of new licensing agreements with a host of studios. Lionsgate, MGM, Paramount, Relativity Media as well as National Geographic, Little Pim and Film Buff are all part of the new wave of additions to the Nook Video line-up. This means titles such as The Hunger Games, Mad Men, and the Twilight Movies will be available for rent or purchase starting today. Little Pim provides foreign language learning for kids, so there's something to expand the minds of the little ones too. This, combined with that UltraViolet integration and the odd item at the FCC suggests that Barnes & Noble is taking its media content offering more seriously than ever. We're certainly not complaining.
Engadget's tablet buyer's guide: winter 2013 edition
As we begin 2013, we're stuck in a kind of tablet limbo. Most companies rushed to get devices out for the fall, while the models we saw at CES 2013 aren't yet shipping. As such, it's a mostly familiar deck, with Apple, Google and Microsoft once again striving for the top spot. That said, there are new entries from Amazon and ASUS, and many of us who didn't score some sweet loot this holiday season have a slate-sized pile of cash to spend. If you're in that situation, continue on for our first tablet guide of 2013. Note: If you're looking for tablets with an Atom or Core i5 CPU, you'll find those in our forthcoming laptop buyer's guide, since they have the same guts as notebooks (or netbooks, in some cases). For the purposes of this tablet guide, we define tablets as slate-type devices with low-power ARM processors.
Pearson buys a small stake in Nook Media, wants a fast track for digital education
Publishers often want to work closely with e-book outlets -- possibly a little too closely -- but it's rare that they involve themselves directly. Pearson is taking that uncommon step by making a 5 percent, $89.5 million investment in Nook Media, the joint venture between Barnes & Noble and Microsoft. Some of the reasoning won't be made public until Barnes & Noble provides holiday sales results on January 3rd, but Pearson is clear that it's furthering its online education plans: it wants Nook Media's distribution skills to make a "seamless and effective experience for students." Just when we'll see this harmony is still up in the air, though. Nook Media has yet to outline what Microsoft's partnership means for e-books and e-readers, let alone how Pearson factors in. We're not expecting a sea change until companies start speaking up.
Barnes & Noble Nook HD+ review: a high-def 9-inch tablet at an entry-level price
More Info Barnes & Noble announces Nook HD+ 9-inch tablet, we go hands-on Nook HD review: a high-def tablet with the heart of a reader Amazon Kindle Fire HD review A couple of weeks back, we referred to the Nook HD as a "tablet with the heart of a reader." And given Barnes & Noble's roots in brick-and-mortar bookstores, the sentiment makes sense; the company has given the world a product that felt a bit like an LCD reader with some solid tricks up its sleeve. While it shares the same core operating system as the HD, the HD+ brings a bit more to the hardware party -- namely, a high-def, 9-inch HD display. The change shifts some of the product's focus toward multimedia, with a particular emphasis on the recently announced Nook Video service. That, coupled with a $269 price tag, makes for a pretty compelling combination. But is it enough to ensure that Barnes & Noble will have a winner on its hands for the holiday? Find out after the break.%Gallery-172838%
B&N launches 'buy a Nook, we'll give a book,' promoting literacy one rhyme at a time
Sure, it's probably not going to convince you to pick up a new device if you weren't already in the market for one, but that's not really the point, right? Barnes & Noble's kicking off the season of giving with its "Buy a Nook, We'll Give a Book" promotion, which finds the company donating a title to the First Book charity every time someone buys a Nook reader or tablet between now and Christmas Day. More info on the charitable promotion can be found after the break.
Barnes & Noble drops Nook Simple Touch price to $79 for some unilluminated holiday reading
Good news for those looking to give the gift that keeps on refreshing every six pages or so: Barnes & Noble's hitting its holiday stride by shaving a good $20 off the current price of its last-gen e-reader, down to $79. A price, the company helpfully points out, that comes *ahem* "without distracting ads." The discount goes into effect tomorrow -- the privilege of glowing while reading, meanwhile, will still cost you $119.
Barnes & Noble reports Q2 2013 earnings: digital content sales up 38%, Nook unit rakes $160 million
Barnes & Noble's Nook unit didn't have its greatest quarter. The $160 million in revenue the new Microsoft-backed spin off raked in was slightly better than last year's $152 million, but still a significant drop from $220 million. In a sign of the growing ubiquity of e-readers however, digital content sales were up 38 percent while the units overall revenue was up just 6 percent. Of course the Nook is still losing money, having cut $51 million from the company's bottom line. If you step outside of the digital realm things are looking slightly better for the book purveyor, as profits were up to $65 million -- a 15.6 percent increase over the same time period last year. As we enter the holiday season things should start to look up for B&N and there were good signs during the four day shop-stravaganza from Black Friday to Cyber Monday as sales of Nook hardware doubled from last year. For all the fun financial details hit up the source.
Nook app comes to Windows 8 with clean Paper-like design
Barnes & Noble's Nook readers are top notch -- there's no argument about that. The application part of that equation however, is pretty messy. The web app is integrated into the B&N site and keeps the UI clean and minimal. The Mac and PC clients on the other hand go with forest green highlights, grays and a busy sidebar for navigation, while the Android and iOS apps get bright blues and lots of gradients. And lets not even bring the Nook Tablet and Color into this. Basically, they're all completely different, confusing and rather poorly designed. The company's new Windows 8 app on the other hand appears to take cues from the Paper interface of the Nook HD which, while not exactly stunning, is certainly a huge step in the right direction. It also brings a certain amount of consistency to the ecosystem across platforms, something that's been sorely missing. The current version is a little basic, as it appears the app lacks notation, look up and social sharing features, but it will let you pin content to your Start Screen as a live tile. Download it now at the source and check out the PR after the break.
Barnes & Noble Nook HD+ tentatively rooted for the paper UI-phobic (video)
There's no doubt that Barnes & Noble in love with the paper-like interface of the Nook HD+. Not all of its new owners are quite so taken with the retro chic, with the proof being XDA-Developers member verygreen's early root for the Android tablet (and possibly its HD cousin). The preliminary code is enough to offer a glimpse of a more digital interface as well as teasers of a CyanogenMod port and booting from SD cards. Before racing to use the instructions at the source, be aware that the root's usefulness may vary wildly in the near future -- as of this writing, a familiar defense mechanism dating back to the Nook Color has kicked in that rejects the root and restores itself to factory stock after eight failed boot attempts. That there's a root at all will nonetheless be a comfort in the long run to those who like the idea of a budget tablet without the enforced nostalgia for dead trees.
DC Comics brings a veritable justice league of titles to Kindle, iBooks and Nook Stores
Not that there's been any lack of ways to get Batman or Supes on your chosen tablet, between Comixology and the devoted DC app, but if you happened to need on more, the publisher announced today that it will be bringing its entire line to three prominent e-bookstores. Justice League, Batman, Superman and a slew of others are hitting the Kindle Store, iBookstore and Nook Store. Never let it be said that your tablet doesn't support Flash. check out some thoughts from co-publisher, cartoonist and all around awesome dude Jim Lee after the break.
Barnes & Noble cut the price of Nook Tablet, Nook Color once more, really wants them on your Christmas list
Barnes & Noble recently took the wraps of two new tablets, updating its range (along with everyone else it seems) in preparation for next year. That doesn't mean it's washed its hands of the OG Nook tablet and Nook Color -- in fact, both just got another price cut. Starting tomorrow, you'll be able to pick up the original 8GB tablet for $159, the 16GB version for $179 and the Nook Color for $139. With two price cuts in three months, anyone would think it was trying to get rid of stock. This still puts last year's lower capacity model shoulder-to-shoulder with Amazon's 2012 Kindle Fire (with ad subsidies), but with Christmas just around the corner, we're not complaining about more choice for less dollars.
