Jun 06
May 20
Remember that web browser that was found hiding in the Nook’s search function? It’s time could be nigh. According to a leaked memo acquired by TechCrunch, Barnes & Nobel will be updating the Nook Simple Touch and Simple Touch with Glowlight with an email app, web browser and an updated store next month. The update will reportedly be sent over the air starting on June 1st and rolling out to all devices in the following weeks. The idea isn’t too far fetched — the Simple Touch is running a skinned version of Android. Nook owners not willing to wait for the official patch can always root the device of course, which comes with some peripheral advantages. Check out TechCrunch for a look the full memo.
Source: TechCrunch
May 09
Microsoft has put forward an offer to buy complete control of Nook Media LLC, according to internal documents seen by TechCrunch. Redmond’s joint venture with Barnes & Noble was set up last year to handle the Nook e-reader, tablet and college bookstore business. If the documents are accurate, Microsoft will dump the academic retail chain while retaining the digital arm of the partnership for $1 billion. The evidence also suggests that Nook Media will axe its Android tablets by the end of the 2014 financial year, concentrating instead on pushing the Nook store onto third-party devices including Windows 8 and/or Surface hardware. Simple Touch owners shouldn’t be too worried, however, as the leaked documents state that Nook Media’s e-reader division won’t be killed off, as the technology is facing its own “natural decline.” We’ve reached out to Barnes & Noble for something more official, and we’re waiting to hear back.
Filed under: Tablets, Microsoft
Source: TechCrunch
May 08
The easy money days of the early dot com boom are but a distant memory for many of us, but this does not mean that there is no more money left in the tech market. In fact, we have just received word that Microsoft is preparing to fork out up to a cool $1 billion in order to purchase the digital assets of Nook Media LLC, which so happens to be the digital book and college book joint venture with Barnes & Noble alongside other investors. This bit of information is not yet official, but was based off internal documents that TechCrunch picked up. Should all go well with this particular plan, Microsoft would most probably redeem preferred units in Nook Media, where it would also include a college textbook division, and that translates to them having the digital operation that comprises of e-books, Nook e-readers and tablets to play around with.
These documents also allegedly point to Nook Media’s plans to discontinue its Android-based tablet business before the 2014 fiscal year is over, as it makes a move to a business model where Nook content will be distributed via apps on “third-party partner” devices. This leads to speculation concerning the discontinuation of the Nook, but it remains to be seen whether such third-party tablets would be Microsoft’s very own collection of Windows 8 devices and tablets made by other manufacturers. I guess we will have to be patient to see everything else roll into place, no?
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: The Backcountry Tablet Might Be A Great Gadget For The Adventurer, TWC TV App For Android Updated With On Demand Content, 
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May 06
If you’re not following the calendar, Mother’s Day is coming up this Sunday, May 12. That means you need to get mom something cool to thank her for putting up with all of your crap over the years. All you guys with families, trust me when I say you need to get your wife something for Mother’s Day even if she’s still pregnant.
If you want to get something cool for your mom or wife for Mother’s Day, Barnes & Noble has announced some nice price cuts on the Nook HD and HD+ tablets.
The Nook HD can now be had for $149(USD) with 8 GB of storage or $179 with 16 GB of storage. The tablet has a seven-inch display and all the same hardware as before, only the prices been decreased.
If you want something with a bigger screen, the nine-inch Nook HD+ tablet is available with 16 GB of storage for $179 or 32 GB of storage for $209. The special prices are available through Sunday. As a bonus, Barnes & Noble also announced that both tablets now have direct access to the Google Play store.
May 06
Barnes & Noble has announced that it is cutting prices and some of its Nook digital readers in the United States just in time for Mother’s Day. If your mom likes to read, you can get her a Nook HD or HD+ tablet at some of the best prices ever offered for one week only. The Nook HD tablet will be available for $149 and the HD+ will be available for $179.
Those tablets offer 8 GB of storage at the $149 price tag for the normal HD and 16 GB for $179 for the HD+. A 16 GB version of the Nook HD is also available for $179 and 32 GB version of the HD+ will be offered for $209. The special prices will be available directly from Barnes & Noble and other leading retailers who sell the company’s products.
These price cuts come right after Barnes & Noble announced last Friday that it was offering full access to the Google Play store via both of these tablets. That means mom will be able to read all the books she likes, and will be able to download apps, stream video, and more all from the tablet.
Something else we’re wondering about the special deals, which came right on the heels of Barnes & Noble slashing prices on some of its Nook devices in the UK, is if Barnes & Noble might be dumping stock. We can’t help but wonder if maybe new versions of these devices are coming soon. That’s definitely scuttlebutt at this point and it’s worth noting that Barnes & Noble has been having a difficult time competing on the market.
[via Nook.com]
Barnes & Noble slashes Nook HD and HD+ pricing for mom is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
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May 05
B&N cuts Nook HD, HD+ prices this week, hopes you’ll gift mom poetry and prose May 12
Posted in: Today's Chili
As if bringing the Nook HD and HD+ access to Google Play this week wasn’t already a sweet deal, Barnes & Noble is temporarily slashing the prices for its two reading-focused tablets. The reductions will last until the end of Mother’s Day, putting the 7-inch Nook HD 8GB at $149 and the 16GB at $179 (a $50 discount), with the 9-inch HD+ set at $179 for 16GB and $209 for 32GB (with $90 off). Compared to other options like the Kindle Fire and Nexus 7 tablets, the deal may be enough to make up for lack of cameras and UI shortcomings on the Nooks. If your interest is piqued, you check out our reviews of both the HD and HD+, and hit up the source link if you’d like to snag one.
Update: We’d also like to remind our UK readers that a similar limited-time offer was put in place a few days ago, dropping the price of the Nook HD from £159 to £129 and the Nook HD+ from £229 to £179.
Filed under: Tablets
Source: Barnes & Noble
May 03
The Daily Roundup for 05.03.2013
Posted in: Today's Chili
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
May 03
The Nook HD and HD+ Get Google Play, Knocking Down The Wall On The Barnes & Noble Android Garden
Posted in: Today's Chili
The Nook HD and HD+ got a great update late last night (via Engadget), as Barnes & Noble finally moved away from its closed and system-specific app and media ecosystem. The two Android tablets now offer Google Play, and new devices will ship with the app pre-loaded, while existing owners can get it via a software update over-the-air or via direct download.
Other changes with this update include the introduction of some stock Android apps, including Gmail, Maps and Chrome (which replaces the Nook’s existing web browser as the default option). Essentially, Barnes & Noble is turning the Nook HD line into a very cheap Android tablet play, and not in the limited way it was doing so before.
Where once the Nook brand was a reader first, with Android-powered full-color readers with some tablet functionality, now it looks like we’ll see Barnes & Noble embrace the tablet identity much more fully. Another sign that the book seller is banking on tablets as a much broader attempt at reaching customers is the fact that the Nook Tablet and Color don’t get the Play update, meaning we could see those left behind in terms of future hardware updates.
John took a look at the updated Nook HD+, and found it impressive, especially at $269, or a full $60 cheaper than the cheapest iPad (16GB Wi-Fi iPad mini). The problem, though, was summed up in John’s conclusion: the Nook HD+ is a great upgrade as a reader, but not necessarily a real tablet competitor. Opening up the broader Android software market place and its selection of tablet apps definitely helps to change that.
The Nook line could be the key to Barnes & Noble’s future, but right now it’s also a weight hanging around its neck, as slow sales of the Simple Touch e-reader prompted a fire sale to help move more HD+ inventory, and the Nook division lost cash in the most recent fiscal quarter. There’s still an opportunity for a cheap Android tablet to capture the hearts and minds of consumers, however, and Nook is now in a better position to capitalize on that now that its ecosystem wall has come down.
May 02
NOOK Media has just announced that they will be expanding their extensive catalog of reading and entertainment content by throwing in the hugely popular Google Play digital content experience. The receiving devices would be none other than their acclaimed NOOK HD and NOOK HD+ tablets, where the presence of Google Play being built into the NOOK HD and NOOK HD+ would enable customers to gain access to over 700,000 Android apps and games, more songs than you can ever listen to in your entire lifetime, and of course, who can forget the extremely speedy Chrome browser and other popular Google apps?
Both the NOOK HD and NOOK HD+ tablets were specially designed to deliver the very best reading and entertainment experience, where the NOOK HD display certainly flies the flag for the 7” tablet market very well, while the NOOK HD+’s display can certainly hold its own against the iPad 3’s display – or at least, that is what Barnes & Noble claims.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Adobe Shows Off Lightroom-like App Running On A Tablet, AT&T Galaxy Note Gets Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean As Well, 
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