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Barnes & Noble's Nook HD Tablets Face iPad, Kindle Fire HD

Posted by Unknown on from the so-many-cheap-computers-so-little-money dept.

Nerval's Lobster writes "It's proven a busy month for mobile-device releases. First Nokia whipped back the curtain from the Lumia 820 and 920, its first Windows Phone 8 devices. The very next day, Amazon unveiled its new line of Kindle devices, including the Kindle Fire HD. Not to be outdone, Apple executives took to a stage in San Francisco the next week to show off the iPhone 5, complete with a larger screen and faster processor. But September's not over yet, and the releases keep coming: Barnes & Noble has launched a pair of HD tablets, the Nook HD and Nook HD+, designed to maintain the bookseller's toehold in the tablet space. The question is whether the Nook, even with upgraded hardware and new services, can successfully punch above its weight against the iPad and Kindle Fire, which are widely perceived as the dominant devices in the tablet market." Nook HD specs (Android 4.0, Dual 1.3Ghz Cortex-A9, 1G RAM), and HD+ specs (1.5GHz Coretex-A9 and a larger screen). Nate the greatest writes with a job posting that may indicate B&N is defecting to Windows 8, or at least hedging their bets.

19 of 134 comments (clear)

  1. Sticking with it by n9uxu8 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Good to see them staying in the game, but my tendency is to favor the Nexus devices, and avoid any of the bookseller ecosystems.

    1. Re:Sticking with it by naroom · · Score: 2

      You can get all the functionality of a Nook tablet by installing the Nook app to a Nexus 7.

      I've tried it the other way around - turning a Nook tablet into an Android tablet - but it's an annoying process. Further, B&N likes to un-root your device by forcing you to update. There are ways around this, but you have to be pretty devoted to keep a Nook Tablet rooted. The Nexus 7 is cheaper and does more.

      Also - why in the heck does processor speed and RAM matter on a device whose primary function is to read books?!

    2. Re:Sticking with it by Rogue+Haggis+Landing · · Score: 2

      The microSD card is a huge plus to me. Assuming the build quality is similar to the previous generation of Nooks, the big Nook will be the first 9"+ tablet with a microSD card, bluetooth, a solid build quality, an a debut price under $300. You can get an Asus EEE Pad Slider for $299, but it sold at ~$400 before this, and the build of the Archos and Le Pan devices didn't impress me when I played with them at my local MicroCenter.

      I think that this is a really big deal -- bluetooth, the expansion slot, and a solid build quality will finally mean that there's a proper netbook replacement in the budget range. The Nook Color sort of worked like this, but the bluetooth required Cyanogenmod and is pretty wonky even then, and it's only a 7" device. The Nexus is nice, but you're stuck with the 7" model and there's no microSD slot. Samsung has a $250 device with most of what I want, but it's only a 7" device and there you're effectively paying a $50 premium over the Nexus just for the microSD. So the large Nook really does feel like a big deal to me. If it takes after the Nook Color more than the Nook Tablet in terms of being easy to root and to mod then I'll buy one the day it gets released. Even if it isn't I might buy one anyway.

    3. Re:Sticking with it by fm6 · · Score: 2

      I share your prejudice for Nexus and similar devices. But I have to point out that you can't completely avoid bookseller ecosystems. The best you can do is buy a device that lets you participate in multiple ecosystems. Nexus 7 and Kobo Arc both fit the bill; Kindle and Nook do not.

      Also not all bookseller ecosystems are equal. Such an ecosystem is determined by the combination of file format and DRM. (Non-DRM support is nice to have, but 99% of the books that are available for sale are DRMed.) Amazon uses AZW, which combines the old MobiPocket format (now their property) with proprietary DRM. This is the only DRM format Kindles support, which gives amazon.com a nice monopoly on content for it.

      The biggest competing ecosystem uses a combination of ePub format and Adobe DRM. This is vendor neutral: it's what most eBooks that aren't sold through Amazon use. And it's available on a lot of different devices, including Kobo's. So there's competition and alternatives, both notably lacking in the Amazon ecosystem. Unless DRM goes away completely, this is the ecosystem I most want to suceed. I'm not optimistic though: Amazon has shown itself very hard to beat in this kind of market war.

      Absurdly, B&N has decided it wants an ecosystem all its own. There goes any chance I'll ever buy a Nook.

  2. Fixed that for you by captaindomon · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "It's proven a busy month for mobile-device releases. Knowing Apple would be releasing the iPhone 5 to crazy acclaim from news organizations, and not wanting to be smothered, Nokia quickly shipped the Lumia 820 and 920 before they lost the lime light. The next day, Amazon, worrying over persistant rumors the Apple release could include a small form-factor iPad, quickly announced the Kindle Fire HD. Barnes & Noble, not to be outdone by Amazon, threw something out there to compete as well." It's all about marketing and timing, folks. Have you ever noticed how movie releases are carefully planned to compete for attention in the same way?

    --
    Just because I can hook a shark from a boat, I do no offer to wrestle it in the water.
  3. stick with what made you good... by Eyezen · · Score: 3, Interesting

    My family has a Nook glow light version and we absolutely love it. The e-ink IMHO makes a world of difference when READING BOOKS. We also like the Barnes and Noble method of purchasing and lending books. Having said that I don't know why they would want to try to complete with the other tablets already on the market where you can get the B&N app.

    1. Re:stick with what made you good... by RoverDaddy · · Score: 2

      Books are great for reading, but for the ultimate experience you have to unroll a papyrus.

      Papyrus is great for reading, but for the ultimate experience you have to carry a clay tablet.

      Books -are- great, but they're not the be-all and end-all of carrying words and pictures around. I was just on vacation and took 4 library books and 8 to 10 of my own purchased books with me, basically for no 'physical' cost because my phone, tablet and laptop were coming along anyway. No chance I could forget any of those library books on vacation either, and have to pay for them to be replaced. And of course I could have had 500 books to choose from instead of a dozen or so just as easily.

      And another advantage nobody else mentioned yet is that all my devices tracked my place in each book automatically so I could switch devices depending on what was most convenient at the time, and pick up right where I left off.

      I'm really looking forward to the day when I'm carrying around my entire library, all the time. I only wish there was a way to replace all my existing paperback books (save for a few sentimental items), with digital copies for cheap (and legal of course).

      --
      RETURN without GOSUB in line 1050
  4. B&N Store is a ghost town by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    B&N Store is empty. If Nook HD suffer the same store and restrictions, nothing can be done. Sure, rooting the devices helps, but for Joe Blow, when angry birds is $5.99 from B&N store or $0.99 from Amazon or Google Play (or even an ad supported free version is available), why would you select B&N?

  5. Great bang for the buck by oic0 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    From the tech specs and price, it seems like a solid tablet for $200. Would be the one I would reccomend. The chip is fast enough that everything should be fluid unless they did a crap job putting together their android distro. 1gb of ram is enough. Screen is big enough. Seems like a good deal. Just like their previous products which were also very underrated IMO. Most likely it will go mostly unnoticed just like their previous products did too lol.

  6. No Windows Nook, Sorry by fm6 · · Score: 4, Informative

    The links are messed up, but the actual job posting is here. Job description (italics mine):

    1. Define the product strategy and roadmap for Nook on Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8
    2. Collaborate with internal teams and Microsoft to define innovative products for desktop, tablets and smartphones
    3. Develop clear, detailed requirements and user stories by conducting customer and competitive research
    4. Ensure that products meet delivery schedules and budget by coordinating all of the required resources
    5. Serve as the internal and external evangelist for the Nook Windows 8 products

    To me this is about Nook software on Windows, especially Windows-based mobile devices. And jeez, why would B&N want to junk theirt existing Android-based platform and start over from scratch?

    Especially since its days are probably numbered. It's hard to see why anybody would buy a specialized eReader tablet when you can get a general purpose Android or Windows 8 RT tablet for about the same price and just load eReader software on it — like the software this person is being hired to develop.

    The ePaper tablets might survive, provided enough people are willing to put up with their limitations in order to get something relatively cheap with very long battery life. But the specialized color tablets are mostly toast, though I guess Amazon might have the marketing muscle to keep the Kindle alive.

  7. Re:Kobo by Dzimas · · Score: 4, Informative

    The Kobo Arc looks decent for $199. It's built on Android 4.0x, has a 1280x800 IPS display and 1.5GHz A9 processor.

  8. Re:not hedging bets by binarylarry · · Score: 3, Informative

    You may also recall they forced B&N to take the money at gun point

    --
    Mod me down, my New Earth Global Warmingist friends!
  9. There's more to it than just money by Chibi+Merrow · · Score: 2

    The money was the carrot, the huge smothering patent lawsuits were the stick. B&N wasn't given a choice in the matter, they either accepted Microsoft's money and agreed to do Windows 8 stuff with them, or Microsoft promised to keep suing them 10 patents at a time until they were out of business.

    --
    Maxim: People cannot follow directions.
    Increases in truth directly with the length of time spent explaining them
  10. Re:not hedging bets by helix2301 · · Score: 2

    Barnes and Nobles should just stick with there apps for all platforms and forget about selling e readers there not winning the tablet war but that have chance winning the ebook war at having 25% of ebook sales.

    --
    http://www.thetechnologygeek.org
  11. Side-by-side comparison by saveferrousoxide · · Score: 2

    Here is a side-by-side comparison of the Nook HD, Fire HD, and Nexus 7 (and the Fire, but who cares) on Huffington Post.

  12. Re:Kobo by misterooga · · Score: 2

    Spec: http://www.kobo.com/koboarc/techspecs/ (kobo.com)

  13. No GPS? by blind+biker · · Score: 2

    No thanks. The GPS in the Nexus 7 makes it a much more useful device, for people on the go such as me.

    Especially if you have the tendency to get lost while bicycling around town.... as I do :/

    --
    "The agriculture ministry is not in charge of Gundam" - Japanese ministry official.
  14. Great specs on the Nook HD+ by JDG1980 · · Score: 2

    A 9" tablet with a 1920x1280 screen and SD card storage for $269? That's definitely worth considering... if they can get CyanogenMod running on it.

  15. I have both the Nexus 7 and the Nook Tablet by renfrow · · Score: 2

    I bought the Nook the week they came out, after researching the hardware available at the time, and after seeing the screen at the store. It had, at the time, a really nice screen, and I still like the screen. However, I didn't realize that only the B&N app store was going to be available. As someone said, above, the B&N app store is a ghost town... though I must admit they do have, literally, hundreds of apps. The browser interface, to be charitable, sucks. The book app periodically freezes necessitating a hard reboot. It did not come with a calculator! To be fair, the book app IS fast, and pleasurable to read with. I've heard that you can copy and paste from some of the apps, but, none of the apps I have have copy and paste.

    I wanted a tablet so that I could retire both my Sony eReader and my iPod Touch, having just one device that would fit my back pocket. The Nook sucked so much that I was not able to retire my iPod... When the Nexus 7 was announced I was a little more careful in evaluating it. With it having Android 4, and access to a large app store, I was satisfied that I'd found the replacement for the Nook. I pre-ordered it, and have been happily Nexusing since. It doesn't have quite a 'retina' display, but, very dense, and quite pleasing to use. I was able to get all the essential apps that tied me to my iPod. I bought the 16GB version, and was not irked by the lack of addon memory.

    Postscript: However, it got run over last week by a car and the screen protector failed to protect it... And I discovered that all the data that I had on the device was now locked inside a brick. NEXT device I get will either have addon memory for all user data, or some kind of cloud sync for ALL user data.