Hasta La Gadget!

Not to be outdone by Kobo, which just unleashed its latest E Ink reader yesterday, the folks at Barnes & Noble are back with the latest update to their line of Nook devices. The “all new” Nook has the same Zeforce infrared touch layer as the aforementioned Kobo, and lasts up to two months on a single charge. The Pearl E Ink screen boasts “80-percent less flashing” during page turns, something that many fans of the devices have resigned themselves to having their eyes assaulted by. B&N is also quite proud of its streamlined interface which it brags has 37 less buttons than the Kindle 3. Around the back is a soft-touch rubber surface that should feel great in the hand while reading, though, we’ll have to wait to manhandle one ourselves to be sure.

The new Nook has a redesigned home screen with your current reading list and suggested titles. It also adds a few new features like FastPage Zoom forward, which lets you jump to any page in a title, and (finally) displays the number of pages left to go. Inside is Android 2.1, 2GB of storage, which can be expanded using the microSD slot, and a WiFi radio — but sadly no 3G. You’ll also be able to share quotes, lend books, and update your status on social networks using Nook Friends, which debuted last year with the Nook Color.

You can pre-order online and in stores now and the updated Nook should start shipping to customers June 10th. You’ll also be able to pick one up at BestBuy, Walmart, Books-A-Million, and Staples for $139 at the same time.

Update: We just got a brief hands-on with B&N’s svelte new Nook, and it’s a sexy piece of hardware. It’s incredibly light and thin (quite a bit thinner than its predecessor) and the rubbery back feels pleasant in the hand. We were only able to poke around the software for a short while, but it’s certainly more responsive than the original Nook (as you’ll see in the video below). While there is less screen flashing during refreshes there is still some, and it actually might be more jarring now that you’re not seeing it every page turn.

Continue reading Barnes & Noble announces new touch-enabled Nook for $139 (video)

Barnes & Noble announces new touch-enabled Nook for $139 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 May 2011 10:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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At last, Barnes and Noble is defending itself against the Microsoft lawsuit filed back in March claiming that B&N’s Android-based “e-reader and tablet devices” are infringing upon Microsoft’s IP. A portfolio strengthened significantly thanks to that little Nokia partnership. We’re not going to pick apart B&N’s response in detail. However, we’d like to focus on this little nugget of FUD asserted by Barnes and Noble’s legal team:

On information and belief, Microsoft intends to take and has taken definite steps towards making competing operating systems such as the Android Operating System unusable and unattractive to both consumers and device manufacturers through exorbitant license fees and absurd licensing restrictions that bear no relation to the scope and subject matter of its own patents.

Grrrowel. But B&N does make a good point about Redmond’s intentions. Microsoft has been repeating the mantra that Android is not free for awhile now. In fact, Steve Ballmer told CNN just last year that, “there’s nothing free about android… there’s an intellectual property royalty due on that whether [Google] happens to charge for that software or not.” A tack Microsoft (and Apple) has been keen to pursue through litigation with Motorola and a licensing deal with HTC. And this is only the beginning. Android: free like a puppy. Relive Steve’s immortal words in the video after the break.

Continue reading Barnes & Noble says Microsoft trying to make Android ‘unusable and unattractive,’ has a point

Barnes & Noble says Microsoft trying to make Android ‘unusable and unattractive,’ has a point originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 07:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve been waiting for this day: our little reader would finally become a big boy tablet — without having to resort to any sort of hackery. We knew it was coming and, as of now, owners of the Barnes & Noble Nook Color should be receiving notices that their devices are ready to drop those training wheels and run some proper apps. Flash web browsing, downloads, games, e-mail, it’s all here. Click on through for our impressions and a video of the update in action.

Continue reading B&N Nook Color update released, brings Froyo, apps, and Flash, we go hands-on (video)

B&N Nook Color update released, brings Froyo, apps, and Flash, we go hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Apr 2011 08:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There are many players in the e-reader world, but few have managed to gain any sort of traction. Though it hasn’t achieved Kindle levels of success Barnes & Noble is taking pride in saying that its Nook series of readers has conquered 25 percent of the US e-book market. The company doesn’t cite any specific sales figures to back up that number, but we’ll go with it. Sadly, though, there’s another 25 percent number that is detailed and isn’t nearly so positive: that’s how much the company’s profits dropped from this period last year. That was said to be due to heavy investments in the Nook but, despite that, B&N managed to post a $60.6 million profit — certainly better than some of the competition.

Barnes & Noble says Nook owns one quarter of US e-book market, we don’t doubt it originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 09:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You didn’t think Barnes & Noble was just going to let Amazon rest on its “vague sales milestones” laurels, did you? The veteran bookseller just announced that the Nook lineup — 3G, WiFi, and the new Nook Color combined — has become “the company’s biggest bestseller ever in its nearly 40-year history.” That’s bigger than Barnes & Noble’s sales (note: not global sales) of DaVinci Code or any of the Harry Potter novels. Unfortunately, we can’t say exactly just how many that is, as the press release only announces “millions” being sold. A B&N rep we spoke with told us they likely wouldn’t specify any further, nor would there likely be a breakdown of sales by individual model.

Other notable factoids include Nook Color’s reign as the company’s “number one selling gift of the holiday season” and nearly one million “Nook books” downloaded on Christmas Day. In fact, the company now sells more digital books than it does physical books over BN.com (i.e. not including books sold in brick-and-mortar stores). Wish we had some hard figures, but hey, if any company is going to mince words in a sales announcement, it might as well be a book company, right? Press release after the break.

Continue reading Nook lineup sells millions, Barnes & Noble’s best-selling product of all-time

Nook lineup sells millions, Barnes & Noble’s best-selling product of all-time originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Dec 2010 13:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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