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Barnes & Noble Cuts Prices on Nook Color, Tablet
In perhaps one answer to the question of how tablet makers will react to a more crowded market for small screen tablets, the L.A. Times reports that Barnes and Noble is dropping the price on its Nook tablet by 10 percent, undercutting the Amazon Kindle Fire by $20. The company's Nook Color is also shedding $20, and will now cost $149. I'm glad to hear it; I've been using a Nexus 7 lately, and finding the size (like a trade paperback, including a protective case) far handier and more often used than any of the 10" tablets I've tried.
I have a pretty high tolerance for irrelevant articles, but really? /. go?
An article about a 10% discount on a product? How low can
The e-ink models didn't drop any. And the regular nook tablets are just outdated tech that are really showing their age next to the Nexus 7; making it just standard price drops to clear out junk. Get back to me when they release a color e-ink reader.
One can compete in two manners ---
On feature / service
or
On price
I guess B&N understand that they have no chance to compete on feature on the Nooks (vs other Android tablets) that's why they decide on dropping the price
Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
Local fire department saves cat stuck in tree with help from Deep Blue, but the city government gets a DMCA takedown notice after the youtube video of the rescue was posted. It seems Rick Astley is not appropriate background music for a cat rescue. Steve Ballmer still throwing chairs at the tree, and the EFF is investigating if Microsoft is using private citizens' chairs without their consent. Apple users still indignant that the app "Kitty Rescue 10.0" came out on the Android marketplace first.
--- better headline. :)
It's the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man.
Acer is begging Microsoft not to price the Microsoft Surface tablet at $199. Acer would like to see it priced around $499-$599. Otherwise it will "seriously impact the existing PC ecosystem".
Meanwhile, ARM tablets on Amazon start around $60, and ones with decent reviews start around $80. Most run the open source version of Android. Google's Nexus 7 costs $199, and that's the price point Microsoft will probably have to match, if not beat.
From a marketing perspective, once the price of something drops below $100, sales go way up.
The secret tip has always been the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 since its release in September last year. At that time it was the slimmest and lightest tablet that had a 1280x720 screen (minimum to read PDF books without zooming imho), - and it still fits in the back of your jeans! Until the iPad3 arrived half a year later it also had the highest ppi available on a tablet (non-pentile even). The major damper on release was the sluggishness of Honeycomb and its price. The former has been fixed with the availability of ICS and the latter, well, quality and features do come at a premium. For me the build quality, slimness and SD Card slot makes it worth the price difference over the Nexus 7.
I love this part:
Steve Ballmer still throwing chairs at the tree
Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
I see a lot of praise for the "paperback" size 7" tablet form factor. I can see why it would be pretty awesome for reading novels etc, as well as the gameplaying/web/movies task load. Although if I had an unlimited gadget budget, if I wanted something to specifically to replace paperback books, I'd get a specialist device with an eInk screen.
However, what I would personally love is a tablet with more than a 10" screen. I play a lot of tabletop RPGs, and the iPad 3 is fantastic for reading RPG-type PDFs. These are books laid out for printing in a 8.5x11 or A4 page size, with multi-column text layout, embedded illustrations, tables & charts, and often in full colour. I also read business documents with similar characteristics (design documents, specifications etc).
On a 7" tablet, you would have your choice of unreadably small text or having to scroll within a page (urgh). The iPad 3's ridiculously awesome 2046x1536 screen has enough pixels that you can get a very readable full-page view of any single page of books with this kind of content. And the 4:3 aspect ratio fits very neatly in the gap between 8.5x11 aspect ratio and A4 aspect ratio, so there's very few wasted pixels for electronic versions of either common paper format. (Unlike the Android tablets, which are almost entirely 16:9, and therefore suck for paper-like layouts in portrait mode).
However, the 10" diagonal measurement means that even though the text is quite sharp, it's still a little on the small side compared to a hardcopy of the same book. In landscape mode, viewing two pages at a time, the text is still incredibly sharp (I love that screen so much) but is basically too small to comfortably read at all. Since a 7" tablet is about half the size of the iPad, that means it's not gonna be very usable for reading full-page document layouts.
I would absolutely jump at the chance to order a table with the same or better pixel count and 4:3 aspect ratio as the iPad 3, but with a diagonal measurement similar to a standard sheet of paper (say, approximately 13"-14"). That would be an awesome device. I know it's far too large for pocketability, but it would slip into a briefcase or carry bag very nicely since it would be the same size as standard documents. And if it ran Android 4+ rather than iOS.... it would be perfection. (iOS's approach to file management drives me f'in crazy.)
It's hilarious, right? Hey there's some other great new jokes on Slashdot if you look around...wait until you see poll results, where "Commander Taco" is cleverly worked into one of the answers!!! Or, 80 comedian Yakoff Smirnoff's trademark line is appropriated to talk about how much we hate copyrights or the USA! It's so funny!!!
Slashdot: providing anti-social weirdos a soapbox, since 1997.
I have both a Nook Color and a Nexus 7.
It's not even close! If the Nexus 7 is $200, then the Nook is worth no more than $100.
The Nook has no camera and no microphone, useless for video chat. Video chat is SO easy on the Nexus 7, even my mom can do it.
Nexus 7 is much smaller and thinner and it's the same size screen.
Performance: on this score the Nook is worth maybe $50 compared to the Nexus 7.
The ONLY advantage of the Nook is the micro-SD card slot.
if you want to put a 7" tablet in your pocket, but it does seem like a very nice size. It's small enough to use on a crowded train and it's big enough to read comfortably.
My MacBook isn't that much bigger than an iPad and it's a much better experience for that size of machine.
Use of -1's to hide
Collection of IP's for anonymous users
Whimsical & arbitrary silencing of these IP's, including discrediting censorship complaints as spam
Sorry, that's not how you write a Haiku.
I have had a 7" sub $100 tablet, no complaints. It worked great until one day I noticed an extra icon on the screen that had never been there before. When it wouldn't let me perform a 'factory reset' I realized it had been 'hard' hacked, and turned into a listening device. That was the end of that tablet, it got smashed into a hundred pieces! I won't have another android tablet until I've learned how to secure it down completely. It's too bad, I really liked having that tablet around, too. Anyways, here's a link to a 11" Samsung tablet that should be out this year, it might have a screen that equals Apple's... http://www.slashgear.com/samsung-is-moments-away-from-a-true-ipad-alternative-11242611/
Just indignant that you said it; because THAT NEVER HAPPENED!
10" is almost big enough to use instead of a laptop, but 7" just doesn't have enough pixels for general use, and is too big to fit in a pocket.
The number of pixels is independent of the screen dimensions. You can have exactly the same number of pixels on either. You can make them appear identical depending on what distance you hold them from your eyes. Also, saying 7" is too big to fit in a pocket is not a differentiation either since the 10" screen doesn't fit in your pocket either.
Personally I find the 10" tablets moderately cumbersome to hold and carry. If it is going to be that large, given the way I work I may as well get an actual laptop. If your vision isn't so good the extra size might prove helpful. Maybe 10" is better for some games though I imaging the differences to be mostly unimportant. I suppose you can put a larger battery in the larger unit too. I prefer the more compact 7" form factor. It's lighter, takes up less space, and can do essentially all the same tasks. For me I just don't see any advantage to lugging around the extra weight and bulk.
-1, no Bitcoins.
It's a reading device, it's awful at everything else, the browser is terrible.
$150-200 for a reading device that is terrible at everything else? No thanks. A tablet is a general purpose computer and I expect them to be more than a one trick pony no matter how well they do the one trick. The Kindle Fire and BN Nook are devices that weren't designed to be all they could be and I find that rather irritating. I buy from Amazon and B&N but I cannot conceive of a reason to buy an intentionally and unnecessarily limited device just so they can try to convince me to buy even more stuff from them. If the Kindle Fire was a full Android device like the Nexus 7 and it also happened to work well with Amazon's services, then we have something worth considering.
Amazon just hacked and slashed their Kindle line up prices and availability, most likely to dump stock due to pending new models. I assume that Barns and Noble is adjusting their prices accordingly.
Nothing of interest here, please move along.
I haven't thought of anything clever to put here, but then again most of you haven't either.
Use of -1's to hide
Collection of IP's for anonymous users
Whimsical & arbitrary silencing of these IP's, including discrediting censorship complaints as spam
Sorry, that's not how you write a Haiku.
Yes, but your haiku
also fails to follow the
agreed upon form.
-
I keep seeing how everyone just loves the iPoop 3's retina display. Well, I am running an app on Acer's new 10" A700 (1920 x 1200 HD) display side-by-side with the iPoop 3 and they're not that much different - especially day-to-day usage (i.e. not viewing photos of everyone's little babies or their vacation).
Just sayin' that there are new tablets out there that close the gap significantly. So much so, that the display should not be the only deciding factor at this point. There are other choices, especially if you're not an Apple fanbois.
I installed CyanogenMod on my Nook Tablet months ago, and it works beautifully.
Only issue I've had is that the WiFi locks up when the Nook goes to "sleep" (but even that's rare).
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1540272
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1481826
The only tablet I'm buying is an Acer Iconia as it runs all of my current software and no, I'm not buying it as a media consumption device but to do the same kind of work that an Ultraportable laptop would do.
Mod me up/Mod me down: I wont frown as I've no crown
Obviously the 7 inch (diagonal screen size) tablet format is too small for some, while others (like me) prefer it to larger, harder to carry (and much more expensive) tablets. The (Cr)apple fanbois will buy the new ipad mini, while anyone with a brain will buy something better!
No, I don't hate (Cr)apple, I am disgusted with their attempts to use bogus patents to sue their competition out of the market. There are other things about them I don't like too, but I will not go into that here.
When you're comparing screens on slashdot, it's important to harp on vertical resolution-- as though a "full 1080p" display represents a significant downgrade from the trusty 1600*1200 screen you've had for decades. In that respect, an iPad's 2048*1536 display is far superior to 1920*1280.
you'll still run windows apps. only they're only going to be the metro variety and from the windows appstore.. quite how you consider that a feature in positive sense I don't get, least with android you can sideload without signing up as a dev..
also the 200$ pricepoint is taken from out of thin air... personally I don't see them going that cheap.
also, surface rt is 10 inches+. I'd expect the 64gb version to be somewhere around 500-600.. and bigger pro at 1000 bucks. plus tax. quite where the 7" inch 200$ surface hype comes I have no idea.. have you looked at the specs of sub 200$ windows phones??
world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
Before the Nexus 7 it wasn't such a bad bargain compared to the junk you could get in the price range.
Granted but that's sort of damning with faint praise. A machine with ok hardware and crippled software being better than a machine with terrible hardware and crappy software. Not exactly the choices I'd hope for. Really the only reason those machines even sold as well as they did is because Apple left some oxygen at the low end of the market. If Apple comes out with a product that competes in that lower price tier (and I think they will) much of the reason to buy the Kindle Fire or B&N Nook disappears. Regardless of one's feelings towards Apple, the iPad is a more capable and more widely sought after product. It'll be interesting to learn how much (if any) of a mistake this was by Apple.
I'm satisfied with Amazon, for the moment. Should they earn my wrath, I might be able to fall back on B&N or Apple for my book buying needs, as I have an iPad that runs all three apps. There might even be a way to run Google Play stuff, as well, though Apple and google aren't that friendly right now
On the other hand, if Apple pisses me off, I'm screwed.
IIRC, Nooks and Kindles are bound to one particular store.
Information wants to be worthless
Free equals worthless? Bullshit. What are you breathing right now? Where does fruit come from?
You're saying "the best things in life are worthless."
Free Martian Whores!
The Nook Color wasn't just ok hardware, it is brilliant hardware for it's time.
Ok, call it brilliant hardware but my point doesn't change. The software was handicapped when it didn't have to be and thus it became a pointless device. My smartphone is a computer that happens to be able to make calls. Devices that are capable of general purpose use should do so. A tablet that is only good for reading e-books is a waste of money when you can use the same hardware to read e-books plus a whole lot more. Same reason I hardly use my point and shoot camera anymore - my smartphone does the same job adequately plus a whole lot more.
With crap software yes, but everything this side of the iPad had crap software back then.
The software is the most important thing. If you screw up the most important thing it really doesn't matter how nice the rest of it is. I like hacking devices as much as the next guy here on slashdot but if I have to hack something to improve it, then it probably wasn't very good in the first place. Just because everything else not made by Apple had poor software is no excuse for B&N to produce something with crap software.
It was the first non e-ink reading device that was worth considering.
I still haven't seen one I'd seriously consider, e-ink or not, merely for reading purposes. These are general purpose computers. Artificially limiting them to more modest purposes than they are capable of is stupid and self defeating.
You don't have a point. It's like picking up the original iPhone today and complaining about how crap it is compared to phones today. The Nook Color was first. The software didn't compare to a $500 device, but it wasn't a $500 device. It did at least one thing well, which a damn sight more than I can say about any device of that time. And no, people who read will happily pay for a device that is great for reading. You're happy with a smartphone because you're not a photographer. You don't read much so you're happy with a crap reading experience. The software wasn't crap, it was just crap compared to the iPad, otherwise it would be considered revolutionary. It's a matter of perspective. You don't sound like you read much sir, and sadly, you're rather proud of that.
These started out as bullet points, thus the odd form
Bullet points (opt 8) show up when writing, but not when published
Perhaps this is a more relevant & interesting topic than censorship? Hope not.
You don't have a point. It's like picking up the original iPhone today and complaining about how crap it is compared to phones today.
The current Nook offerings share the exact same problem. They are good at reading and not so good at much else. They are intentionally (or incompetently) crippled in what they can do. I can forgive a first offering being flawed but they've had a long time to correct the problem and haven't. Google has now released a device that is more like what the Nook should have been. They cost similar amounts of money so B&N had better release something more capable soon or drop the prices rather significantly. Sounds like they are working on it so it will be interesting to see what they do next.
And no, people who read will happily pay for a device that is great for reading.
Of course they will... unless there is something that can do that and more. The Nook is capable of more but for whatever reasons doesn't do it.
The software wasn't crap, it was just crap compared to the iPad, otherwise it would be considered revolutionary.
So your argument is that it was worse than existing software but in some other mythical universe where the iPad didn't exist it would be revolutionary? Fact is it was behind state of the art the day it was released. The only thing the Nook really had going for it was that it was cheaper than an iPad and the more compact form factor appealed to some.. That's ok especially if they continue to improve it but so far they haven't done enough.
You're just being intentionally obtuse. I haven't denied that the Nook devices can't hold a candle to the Nexus 7. The present day comparison is completely irrelevant to the discussion. Your forgiveness is not of much concern to B&N, the Nook devices are not being improved because Microsoft has made a substantial investment into B&N and they are unlikely to release another Android device ever. What Google released two years after the Nook Color is irrelevant, two years is a lifetime in this industry.
Here's a car analogy: The Nissan GT-R was considered revolutionary, even though it was nowhere as good as a Lamborghini, and not as fast. You could call it 'crap' compared to the Lamborghini based on how you look at things. Most people didn't however.