Hasta La Gadget!

Nook Color first hands-on! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 16:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Still, it will not exactly be an Android tablet, as the company intends to customize the operating system so much that the device may not have access to the Android Market.

Barnes & Noble just unveiled its all-new Nook Color, an Android tablet fronted by a 7-inch color touchscreen… so long, e-ink! (Not really, the $149 original Nook is sticking around for now, owns 20 percent of the e-reader market, and is about to get a major software update). B&N is billing it as a hybrid of e-reader and tablet device, and has beefed up its software with a full-on tablet-style UI, along with Facebook and Twitter integration. There’s built-in WiFi (802.11b/g/n) and 8GB of storage, but no 3G at this point. Thankfully, the price stays aggressive as a result: $249. You might think that means the screen is going to be weak, but B&N has managed to put an impressive-sounding “VividView,” 16 million color, 1024 x 600 IPS display in this thing. Interestingly, there’s a “full lamination screen film” on top of the LCD to reduce glare, apparently from the backlight, not just from external light sources.

Build-wise, there’s that striking corner handle we saw before (smacks of the XO-3, doesn’t it?) and a microSD slot, with a 0.48-inch thick body and a 15.6 ounce overall weight. Battery life takes a notable hit, of course, with a rating of 8 hours of reading with the WiFi off. Of course, underneath it all is still Android, and Barnes & Noble is launching the Nook Developer program to allow third party apps on the device, and it even ships with a few favorites like Pandora and Lonely Planet. The color screen also enables a new library of “Nook Kids” children books, full-color magazine and newspaper subscriptions, and video playback if you’re in the mood. The Nook Color ships on November 19th, pre-orders are available now.

Looking for more? Check our hands-on video, photos, and impressions of the Nook Color!

Continue reading Barnes & Noble Nook Color revealed

Barnes & Noble Nook Color revealed originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 16:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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To say that it’s a contentious political season is a bit of an understatement. As we inch closer to the midterms, tempers are running high, and the slightest thing can set a candidate off. Take last night’s Florida gubernatorial debate on CNN between Democrat Alex Sink and Republican Rick Scott.

During a commercial break Sink’s aide shows her something on a smartphone–a Motorola Droid. In the video, you can see Scott becoming visible upset at the sight, making some barely audible comments.

When the debate returns from commercial, CNN’s John King briefly goes over the rules for time and then throws Scott a question about the state’s 11 percent unemployment. Scott answers with the following,

First Alex, you say you always follow the rules,” he said. “The rule was no one was supposed to give us messages during the break, and your campaign did with an iPad or an iPod.

The fact that he got the device wrong should have no impact on your final vote. Right?

We asked CNET readers whether they first consider the carrier or handset when buying a new cell phone. Your answers surprised us.

Originally posted at Dialed In