Hasta La Gadget!

Sure we heard some early rumblings about a new tablet from Barnes & Noble, and no, we can’t say we were particularly surprised by the revelation — after all, no one expected the bookstore to sit idly by and let Amazon own the holiday shopping season with its freshly souped-up Kindle Fire line. But the company did manage to offer up a few surprises with today’s announcement — biggest of all (literally, in fact) was the launch of a 9-incher, the Nook HD+. And where the HD borrowed some style cues from B&N’s Simple Touch line, its bigger brother is the aesthetic descendent of Nook tablets past, borrowing that long, skinny body and even offering up a winking reference to the carabiner that lent such a dramatic distinction to past products.

That said, we’re not simply repeating the move from Nook Color to Nook Tablet here. The Nook HD+ is a far more significant upgrade, even as it pays a little tribute to its predecessors. Barnes & Noble’s really gunning to make a splash in the budget tablet space this holiday season, and while the company’s clearly betting on the smaller and cheaper HD to be the big seller, a company rep told us that he expects that HD+ to be a sleeper hit for the company. And certainly it’s easy to see why the company’s got some confidence this time around — the device is sleek, fast, hi-res and affordable. But can it succeed in such a cutthroat market? Check out some impressions after the break and judge for yourself.

Continue reading Barnes & Noble announces Nook HD+ 9-inch tablet, we go hands-on (video)

Filed under: Tablets

Barnes & Noble announces Nook HD+ 9-inch tablet, we go hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Sep 2012 01:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Barnes & Noble has revealed NOOK Video, its upcoming movie and TV show store for NOOK devices, smart TVs, tablets, and smartphones. Set to launch in the US this fall, with a UK debut by the holiday season, NOOK Video will offer both streaming and download options, integrating with the NOOK Cloud for viewing on multiple devices.

B&N will also launch NOOK Video apps – there’s no word on platform support, but a safe guess would be iOS and Android given the bookseller already offers ereading apps for those – which will support streaming content. There’ll be seamless resume too, allowing users to pause playback on one device and then pick up from the same place on another linked to the same account.

Those users with existing DVD and Blu-ray content will – as long as it falls under the UltraViolet umbrella – be able to access digital copies of those movies and TV shows through their NOOK device or the NOOK apps, without having to purchase a separate digital version. Both standard- and high-definition titles will be on offer.

HBO, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, STARZ, Viacom, Warner Bros., and Walt Disney Studios are all onboard with content for NOOK Video, though pricing for individual titles is yet to be confirmed. More partners are on the way, B&N says.

B&N reveals NOOK Video for movie and TV shopping is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

If your ecosystem of choice happens to be the Barnes & Noble platform, you’ll be happy to know that the book retailer is now offering Nook Video, a service that lets you buy digital copies of your favorite movies and TV shows directly from your Nook device.

But that’s not all, the service stores content in the Nook Cloud, much like Amazon’s digital locker, so that you can watch the content from anywhere, including other tablets, TVs, the web, and smartphones using free Nook Video apps.

Though the bookseller is a bit late to the digital video game, Nook Video is a fully functional service, packed full of content and integrated with Ultraviolet. That means users who own Ultraviolet-labeled DVDs or Blurays will have a digital copy available to them in the Nook Video app.

Barnes & Noble is partnering with HBO, Sony, Starz, Warner Bros Entertainment, and even Walt Disney Studios to bring you your favorite content, including The Avengers, Brave, Toy Story 3, The Artist, Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, True Blood, Game Of Thrones, The Dark Knight, The Hangover, and the Harry Potter movies.

Movies and TV shows are available to rent or buy, and just like the Nook Reading apps, Nook Video apps will save your place in various movies and TV shows across devices, so you can switch between Nook tablet and smartphone without missing a beat.

The service will debut this fall, though exact availability is unclear.

Amazon Publishing is continuing to broaden its distribution channels, as the New York-based imprint has formed a partnership with Ingram Content Group that will make the company’s e-books available to competitors such as Apple, Barnes & Noble and Kobo. As you may be aware, there’s some uneasy tension between the rivals, as Barnes & Noble has previously removed Amazon’s print editions from its retail shelves in response to the company’s former e-book exclusivity in the Kindle Store. It remains unknown whether any of the competitors will indeed choose to sell Amazon’s content in electronic form. It’s also worth pointing out that because deal applies only to Amazon Publishing’s New York-based imprint, the company’s west coast division is excluded from the distribution deal. Regardless of how things shake out, it’s encouraging to see Amazon extend the olive branch — now let’s hope the competition reciprocates.

Amazon Publishing inks deal with Ingram, opens e-book distribution to rivals originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 20:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s time for Barnes and Noble to make an effort to cross the sea as their Nook lineup is ready and willing to spread across the entirety of the UK this summer. The company has been working with a variety of UK retailers and has struck a collection of deals to stock several models of the Nook e-reader tablet lineup this Fall. Starting in mid-October the Nook Simple Touch as well as the Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight will be popping up both online and in physical shops across the nation.

This move will have the UK being the first location outside of the USA where Nook e-reader devices have been sold. With Barnes & Noble making it clear that their last financial year brought in $933 million for the Nook lineup alone, it’s no wonder they’re expanding out beyond the shores of the United States. The Amazon Kindle lineup is already sold throughout the UK, and this book retailer is gnawing at the bit at a chance to join in on the fun.

Be sure to check out our Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight review to see what you’ll be grabbing very soon!

The Nook Simple Touch as it exists today is a tablet device with a 6-inch display working with e-ink technology for easy reading both indoors and out. This device is currently out only in the USA and also has 2GB of flash memory, build-in wi-fi connectivity, and 2GB of RAM. You also get a microSD card slot for memory expansion and easy movement of files to and from other devices.

We’re expecting this device to be released in essentially the same price range as the original and will be working with nook.co.uk as well for digital content. You’ll be able to both download new reading material from the web and load 3rd party content with the microSD card slot once this device heads your way soon!

Nook heads to UK to convert e-reading nation is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.