Hasta La Gadget!

Barnes & Noble is eager to ensure its Nook HD tablets are passed safe for consumption by humans. That’s why one of the slates has just been ushered out of the FCC’s underground bunker after being torn into tiny pieces. Of course, our boys in blue generously shared the pictures for us all to enjoy, and we’d be remiss if we didn’t include them here — after all, it’s what’s inside that counts.

Filed under: Tablets

Barnes & Noble’s Nook HD gets splayed all over the internet by the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Oct 2012 13:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When you throw Barnes & Noble and Microsoft in to the same room together, you end up with Nook Media LLC, a new entity. The result of a complete strategic partnership, this new subsidiary is said to assist companies in advancing world-class digital reading experiences to the masses. The partnership will require Microsoft to fork out $300 million in advance, where it will be parked under Nook Media LLC’s umbrella.

William Lynch, CEO of Barnes & Noble, said, “As demand for digital content continues to increase, we are focused on bringing ground-breaking reading and learning content and technologies to more people in more formats than ever before, including the imminent launch of our exceptional NOOK reading application for Windows 8. We look forward to working closely with our new partner Microsoft to add value to their innovative new platform by bringing great reading experiences and one of the world’s preeminent digital bookstores to millions of Windows 8 users.”

There will not be any timetable for Barnes & Noble’s next move when it comes to the strategic options involving Nook Media LLC, but one thing is for sure – we do not know whether this might end up as a strategic separation, or might it even result as a stand-alone public company. Only time will tell. [Press Release]

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Barnes & Noble confirms they are NOT part of Microsoft’s announcement today, Microsoft and Barnes & Noble tablet announcement coming?,

Barnes & Noble and Microsoft’s mutual appreciation is getting a lot more real. The duo issued a joint announcement today, marking the completion of Nook Media LLC, a “strategic partnership” made up of the bookseller’s digital and college wings. The news comes after a $300 million investment in the pairing. Further plans for Nook Media are vague at the moment, as the companies note, “There can be no assurance that the review will result in a strategic separation or the creation of a stand-alone public company.” Until such key things are decided, B&N for one doesn’t plan on elaborating. You can find a bit more, however, in the press release after the break.

Continue reading Barnes & Noble and Microsoft complete Nook Media LLC partnership

Filed under: Tablets, Internet, Microsoft

Barnes & Noble and Microsoft complete Nook Media LLC partnership originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Oct 2012 11:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shortly before the expected arrival of the NOOK HD and NOOK HD+, Barnes and Noble has updated its free NOOK reader apps for iOS and Android. Both updates are now live on their respective app stores, and each brings a significant amount of new functionality – comic fans reading on Android will probably love this update, for instance.

That’s because with this update, Barnes and Noble has given Android users the ability to zoom in on a single frame when reading a comic or a graphic novel. This new feature, dubbed “Zoom View,” is only available on phones with a HVGA+ screen that are running Android 2.2 or later. Other new features in this update include the addition of a full dictionary, improved font and margin sizes, and a few enhancements to the way Barnes and Noble delivers pre-ordered content. Other than all of that, we’ve got the expected general bug fixes, with Barnes and Noble instructing users to sync their library before updating to version 3.2.

Looking at the iOS side of things, we again have the addition of a full dictionary, and those using an iPhone or an iPad can now use the app to view PDF files and PagePerfect NOOK Book content. Users can also access sideloaded PDF and EPUB files after installing update 3.2, and Barnes and Noble says that it has made a number of “other quality enhancements,” though doesn’t really delve into specifics.

There you have it, folks – just like that, your reading experience should be at least a little bit better if you’re using the NOOK reader app on your mobile device. As stated above, the updates are now live on the Google Play Store [download link] and the iOS App Store [download link]. Go and get ‘em, and be sure to check out our story timeline below for more posts on NOOK!

NOOK apps for iOS and Android get updated is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Barnes & Noble has made the expected NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight price cut official, rising to the challenge set by Amazon’s new Kindle Paperwhite. The NOOK – which, as with Amazon’s new ereader, has an illuminated display for nighttime reading – has been cut to a Kindle-matching $119, down twenty bucks from its launch price. However, B&N claims, the bargain doesn’t end there.

In fact, the bookseller would rather you look at exactly what you get for your money – and what you don’t get. The NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight, for instance, includes an AC adapter, whereas Amazon only includes a microUSB cable for recharging the Kindle Paperwhite; adding the official Amazon adapter is $9.99 more, though of course the Kindle should work with most generic USB chargers.

Meanwhile, B&N’s ereader doesn’t have any sponsored adverts, unlike the $119 Kindle. Amazon offers the option to do away with ads, but that will cost you another $20. Whether they frustrate you – the promoted content shows up on the lock screen, but not within ebooks themselves – depends on how willing you are to give up space in your home for commercials.

Of course, those upgrading from an existing Kindle or NOOK probably already know which model they want: they’ve likely bought into an ecosystem of ebooks already. Books purchased on Amazon’s store won’t work on B&N’s ereader hardware, and vice-versa. You can find our review of the Kindle Paperwhite here.

B&N makes NOOK Simple Touch GlowLight price cut official is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.