05
May
1

Two days ago, Barnes & Noble dropped a bomb by announcing full Google Play integration for its Nook HD and HD+ tablets. Now, it's looking to move even more units than before by offering a killer Mothers' Day deal for the next week: the Nook HD will be $150, and the HD+ $180 for the base storage options. That's a killer deal.

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For those who may not be familiar with the Nook HD lineup, here's a quick look at what each has to offer:

Nook HD
  • 7-inch 1440x900 display (243 PPI)
  • 1.5Ghz dual-core TI OMAP4470 processor
  • 1GB RAM
  • 8GB built-in storage (16GB version available), microSD card slot
  • Wi-Fi b/g/n
  • microUSB, microHDMI
  • Based on Android 4.0
Nook HD+
  • 9-inch 1920x1080 display (256 PPI)
  • 1.5GHz dual-core TI OMAP4470 processor
  • 1GB RAM
  • 16GB built-in storage (32GB version available), microSD card slot
  • Wi-Fi b/g/n
  • microUSB, microHDMI
  • Based on Android 4.0

This deal is good from now until Mothers' Day (May 12th), so if you're looking for a tablet that won't break the bank (for you or mom!), this one's hard to pass up.

03
May
1

It's no secret that I've long been against calling the Nook and Kindle Fire series "Android tablets," as neither is more than a glorified e-reader to me. Today, Barnes & Noble dropped a bomb on that way of thinking, as it announced that the full array of Google Play services will now be available on the Nook HD and Nook HD+, essentially turning them into full-fledged tablets.

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Moving forward, all Nook HD and HD+ tablets will ship with Google services – including the Play Store, YouTube, Gmail, Chrome, and the like – but for those who already own HD/HD+ units, the new features will be showing up via an OTA update to v2.1.0, which should begin rolling out today.

25
Sep
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Looking to steal some of Amazon's limelight, Barnes & Noble tonight announced a new duo of NOOK devices that seem to take aim directly at Amazon's newest additions to the Kindle Fire family.

For some reason, B&N's press release covering the announcement focuses primarily on the tablets' weight – both the 7" NOOK HD and its 9" HD+ counterpart are the "lightest HD and full HD tablets," with the HD+ earning the title of "lightest, lowest-priced full HD tablet ever." There's so much more to the new set of NOOK tablets, though. First, let's take a look at some shots.