Hasta La Gadget!

Amazon‘s impressive new Kindle Paperwhite is set to launch in just a couple of days, but Barnes and Noble has decided that its going to put up a fight. Both Target and Walmart are showing that the price of the Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight has been cut just ahead of the Paperwhite’s launch. The new price of the Nook GlowLight? $119, the same price that Amazon has given the basic Paperwhite model.

Of course, one of the biggest differences between the Paperwhite and the Nook GlowLight is that the Paperwhite will show you “special offers,” which is just fancy PR talk for “advertisements.” In order to banish the advertisements from your Paperwhite, you’ll have to pay a fee. The Nook GlowLight doesn’t show any advertisements, and now that Barnes and Noble has brought the price down to match that of the Paperwhite, it might be able to steal some sales away from Amazon.

This doesn’t look like a limited time promotion either – Target’s ad says that the Nook GlowLight’s price has been cut, rather than saying that it’s merely on sale or that this is a special offer. It’s worth pointing out, however, that Barnes and Noble’s own listing for the Nook GlowLight still shows a $139 price tag (as does Target’s online listing – only the in-store ad shows a price of $119), so it’s possible that Walmart and Target are just bringing their prices down to move some units quickly before the Paperwhite arrives. One thing is certain, however: if you’ve been waiting to pick up a Nook GlowLight, now is the time to buy.

That’s especially true when you consider that Amazon won’t be shipping new Paperwhite orders until near the end of October. Demand is apparently so high that Amazon had to push the ship date for new orders back to October 22, but whether that’s because of sheer popularity or a component shortage is unknown. Whatever the reason, this shipping delay should allow Barnes and Noble to net a few extra Nook GlowLight sales now that the eReader is sporting a lower price tag at some retailers.

[via CNET]

Nook GlowLight gets a price cut as Paperwhite launch approaches is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

American bookseller Barnes and Noble is planning to broaden its horizons with a little international travel. At the same time the Kindle Fire HD makes its first tentative steps across the pond, the company behind the Nook has appointed Patrick Rouvillois to spearhead its global domination — starting in the UK. As such, it’s releasing the Nook Simple Touch, Simple Touch with Glowlight and both of its new HD tablets this holiday season to win the hearts and minds of cynical Brits. If you’re a Brit (cynical or otherwise) and curious whether Jeff Bezos and chums have something to worry about (hint: most probably) then join us after the break.

Continue reading Barnes & Noble hits the UK, launches Nook Simple Touch, Glowlight and a pair of HD tablets

Filed under: Tablets

Barnes & Noble hits the UK, launches Nook Simple Touch, Glowlight and a pair of HD tablets originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Sep 2012 02:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

There we were, thinking touch-based versions of gaming classics were a bad idea on a device intended for gaming — and then we saw Sonic the Hedgehog 2 running on a Nook Simple Touch. YouTube user “ndncnbvcuyuys” rooted his touch-based Barnes & Noble e-reader, installed the Android 2.1 OS on it, and hooked up a Sega Genesis emulator. The results are not what we’d call “ideal,” but as the hacker says, “It is playable.” Sure, technically speaking, the on-screen virtual buttons allow interaction with Sonic and his buddy Tails, but whether it’s any fun at all is another question altogether. “ndncnbvcuyuys” seems to have a penchant for the impossibly fast games on touch-based e-readers, as he got PlayStation 1’s WipeOut running on the Nook Simple Touch just a few weeks back. Might we suggest a PlayStation Vita instead?

[Thanks, Ron]

Continue reading The Nook Simple Touch can run a Genesis emulator, but should it?

Filed under: Gaming, Mobile

The Nook Simple Touch can run a Genesis emulator, but should it? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Sep 2012 05:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink E-reader-info.com  |  YouTube  | Email this | Comments

One of the best things about the many Android-powered eReaders on the market today is that they are very hackable. Android as the background operating system allows users to unlock the devices and install all manner of apps that the manufacturer probably never intended. One of those hackable eReaders is the Nook Simple Touch.

A video has turned up on YouTube that shows a Sega Genesis emulator running on the Simple Touch. Not only is the emulator running a Sonic the Hedgehog game, it appears to be impressively smooth and playable as well. Granted the screen on this tablet is a simple black and white E Ink unit.

I think it would get old playing video games on a black-and-white screen very quickly. The person who uploaded the video goes by ndncnbvcuyuys and points out that the controls have a slight delay. Another caveat to installing the emulator on the eReader is that you have to jailbreak the device.

You also have to install another app called the NoRefresh app to prevent constant refreshing. The Nook Simple Touch runs Android 2.1. I think this is probably one of those projects for people who just like to tweak their hardware rather than someone looking for a portable game device.

[via E-reader-info.com]

Nook Simple Touch hacked to run Sega Genesis emulator is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

If widespread rumors hold true, the coming weeks will see two of the most successful tablet vendors invade each other’s screen size turf. Apple, which once rebuked the 7-inch tablet as unfit for normally proportioned human hands, appears ready to try its own hand at an iPad rumored to be on the larger side of the 7- to 8-inch range. Amazon, which lagged its bookselling rival Barnes & Noble in bringing out a color tablet, stands ready to introduce an infernal successor to the Kindle Fire that may include a display that is close to 9-inches or larger.

It’s not quite the first ride along the screen size escalator for either company. For Apple, a smaller iPad would fill in the iOS screen size gap between the iPhone and iPad. For Amazon, also rumored to be working on a phone, a larger color tablet would revisit the ground it explored to lackluster results with the Kindle DX. That product hasn’t kept up with even e-paper-based e-readers with advances such as touchscreens and side-lighting, both of which are found in the latest Nook Simple Nook.

Continue reading Switched On: Trading places

Filed under: Tablets

Switched On: Trading places originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Aug 2012 17:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments