Nook Tablet Features: 11 Things You Need To Know About Barnes & Noble's New Device (PHOTOS)

Following the September debut of Amazon's much-ballyhooed Kindle Fire tablet, sporting a stunning $199 price tag and decent specs, is expected to become the iPad rival to beat this holiday season. But Barnes & Noble just threw its hat into that ring, announcing a powerful, competitive new device of its own: the Nook Tablet.

This followup to 2010's Nook Color e-reader doesn't undercut the Fire tablet in terms of price, but the Nook Tablet does offer robust specs and access to a ton of digital content at a price point that is far below Apple's best-selling iPad.

During the new tablet's unveiling, Barnes & Noboble also announced a price slash for the Nook Color (down to $199 from $249) and for the Simple Touch e-ink reader (now $99, previously $139). The company also said a software upgrade would be available (starting November 7) for the Simple Touch, brining clearer text, better battery life and other improvements to the device, according to CNET. An upgrade will also be available for the existing Nook Color.

While the USA Today observed that the Nook Tablet looks quite similar to the Nook Color, Barnes & Noble's new tablet offers a host of improvements over its predecessor and, though the design isn't groundbreaking, MG Seigler writes that it "clearly looks nicer than the [Kindle Fire]."

Check out the slideshow (below) to see the 11 biggest things the new tablet has going for it. Then take a look at the Amazon Kindle Fire's list of features (here) to see how the two devices stack up.

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Comments

[lensman3]

11:09 AM on 11/10/2011

Looks like a good deal. I bought a nook color last June and install Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) on it. This is exactly what BN is offering in their new machine. As far as I'm concerned it is a poor-man-ipad. I have gmail, for $5 I got movie playing, amazon's e-reader. These can all be downloaded from Google once you give them a credit card. The wifi is reliable and battery life is 8 hours. My machine has the ability to upgrade Gingerbread by just clicking the right button and 15 minutes later the latest OS is installed. (You can get precharged Android 2.3 chips off ebay).

The new machine looks like a winner and finally BN is using opensource Android to keep it on the cutting edge.

[RemoveTheGreedyOnes]

07:48 AM on 11/09/2011

HuffPo turn on your spell check for criminys sakes... "Customized Andoid Features" Really? I mean Really?

[Fletch55]

03:41 PM on 11/08/2011

They need to redo the design badly. Get rid of the corner clip area and make it a real 7 inch edge to edge tablet and offer it in black rather then this beige. grey color.

[GeminiMishy]

01:57 PM on 11/08/2011

How are they for, you know, reading? I have an iPad from work and there is no way I can read a book on it. The glare, the brightness, I might as well scroll on my computer screen. When ereaders first came out, the pages looked like paper, correct? Is this still the case? I would love to hear what you guys recommend, I am in a pickle as for what to buy. Or wish for from family for Christmas maybe. :)

[M A Ross]

02:53 PM on 11/08/2011

Well I know on my Nook Color that I can adjust the font size and the screen brightness.

~ I've never understood 'a glare' problem... Just go to where there is less light.

[GeminiMishy]

04:12 PM on 11/08/2011

That is simply not an option with the iPad. The screen really is ridiculously shiny. It really, really sucks for reading. I don't want another tablet, just a simple ereader that makes my books more portable.

[Sam Ellens]

10:35 AM on 11/08/2011

"boasting 1,080p video playback"

No, the screen's not even 720.

[dontomas]

09:55 AM on 11/08/2011

Burned again by technology. Bought a Nook Color about 4 months ago, now for the same price I could have had this new product that has a better processor and more wifi friendly. There should be some policy that alerts customers to product upgrades in the near future.

[Sam Ellens]

10:42 AM on 11/08/2011

"There should be some policy that alerts customers to product upgrades in the near future. "

In the tech world 4 months is all you can really expect. The rumours about this device have been going for around that long - your fault for not keeping your ears open.

Also - most tech devices get upgraded rather frequently. If companies warned way in advance about every update they'd have huge revenue drops just when they need it to ramp up production of the new product.

[dontomas]

11:32 AM on 11/08/2011

I agree, but this is not a product upgrade allowing the customer to download the new software, this is a new product with a higher speed processor and other features. There were no rumors of a new touchpad at the time of my purchase. Perhaps the best bet is to buy used products from ebay or wherever which will also effect their revenue.

[Fletch55]

03:42 PM on 11/08/2011

Its been know that the new nook would be out just in time for Christmas this year for almost the last year..Maybe you just need to keep up with tech developments a bit better lol

[dontomas]

07:39 PM on 11/08/2011

Since I am retired my lust for consumerism has waned, nor do I spend my time looking at geek websites searching for the very latest. All I know is that when I bought my Nook I told the salesperson that I am primarily interested in reading some but really want to be able to watch Netflix etc when traveling. I bought the nook and pretty much gave up on web access and consigned it to being a good reader and the apps were good.

It is not necessary to use the juvenile LOL when you attempt to chastise someone, it takes you from giving advice to someone being a cyber bully.

[peachfuzz]

08:36 AM on 11/08/2011

I don't want to pay for a wifi plan -- the Kindle 3G has that cost built in and this really has more than I want for a reader -- but if you are wanting to watch movies and do more, this looks good.

[ambkad89]

12:51 PM on 11/08/2011

That makes no sense. Neither of them have 3G and the only way you're going to pay for wifi is if you go somewhere that charges you to use their wifi, which, in this case, neither one is going to have an advantage. Unless you're at a Barnes and Nobel, in which case the Nook would be the clear winner in that you can read books for free for some odd number of hours on your Nook, but not with a Kindle. Read before you post, please.

[peachfuzz]

03:57 PM on 11/08/2011

Kindle with Free 3G wireless, no annual contracts or monthly fees: http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Touch-e-Reader-Touch-Screen-3G-Special-Offers/dp/B005890G8O
Research before you bark and post. Even your one fan might agree ...and I hit favorite by accident, so subtract one.

[Booklust]

05:52 PM on 11/08/2011

You don't pay for a wifi plan with any of the nooks.

[peachfuzz]

06:04 PM on 11/08/2011

Thanks -- but it still has more than I need for a basic reader.

[PubicOption]

08:28 AM on 11/08/2011

"...weighs almost half an ounce less than the Fire".

This is perhaps most moronic print statement ever. The "writer" needs to put a 1/2 oz. in their hand and then apologize for typing that miserable bit of prose...

[loveis22984]

08:27 AM on 11/08/2011

I want to get one for my daughter. she is FINALLY into books. It took us 10 years for her to get to this point and i plan to milk it dry.

[saaba]

10:01 AM on 11/08/2011

If your daughter if finally into books, then why not just keep giving her actual books to build on that strength? There is no better way to raise a non-book lover than to give her one of these devices, it will not make her a stronger reader--it could have the opposite effect. Its fine for adults who have logged many years reading actual books during the developmental years. Young, developing people learn best through a multi sensory approach.. incorporating real texture, touch, sound, sight... and I don't mean the digital kind.

[loveis22984]

11:20 AM on 11/08/2011

I liked knowing I could buy her a new book immediately after she finished reading one. Her ability was never the problem, it was her interest and desire that was lacking.

[Booklust]

05:57 PM on 11/08/2011

Teens love them because they're green. No more killing perfectly good trees to make books. No need to ship them to retail outlets in gas guzzling trucks.

[ingua2]

07:00 AM on 11/08/2011

#12 it's not a sheeple ipad, which is good.

[kooosh]

06:55 AM on 11/08/2011

It STILL has that huge hole for a lanyard/carabiner. What's THAT about?

[ingua2]

07:01 AM on 11/08/2011

only you would think that's for a lanyard, but then again, you do use "hai" instead of "hi", so that says a lot itself.

[kooosh]

07:12 AM on 11/08/2011

Well go on then. What's its purpose?

[ran6110]

09:11 AM on 11/08/2011

I agree with kooosh, if your going to get snarky for his answer then why not tell us yours?

And YOUR reply does say a lot about yourself!!

[M A Ross]

02:48 PM on 11/08/2011

I think the hole is for ID charms... Like on phones or wine glasses?

~ It's just a guess

[biglog]

02:24 AM on 11/08/2011

One of the main factors in my decision to purchase a Nook over a Kindle a couple years ago was that the Nook supports a lot more universal formats (PDF and EPUB, for example) and doesn't try to restrict you to getting content exclusively from their site (I believe Amazon still delivers everything in a proprietary format). At that time, when it was just an e-reader and nothing more, it was the more versatile option. There are several sites that have massive libraries of free material (i.e. Gutenberg Project) and I wanted something that would be compatible. Anyway, that may or may not be the case now (haven't had a need to research it much since I made my purchase), but it's at least worth looking into since it's something this article doesn't cover. Two years later I still love everything about my Nook except for the horrible "shelving" system. I suspect that's something they've fixed by now in the new models.

[rocko2466]

12:42 AM on 11/08/2011

How is 'speedy release date' a plus?

[biglog]

02:11 AM on 11/08/2011

Where does it say these are pluses? It says they're "things you need to know." No 3G and no webcam wouldn't exactly qualify as pluses either.

[ingua2]

07:02 AM on 11/08/2011

most people with "webcams" on their tablets rarely if ever use them. Fact. 3G data rates are too high and there are lots of public places for wifi these days, so fail comment #2.

[StevieTheK]

07:01 AM on 11/08/2011

It certainly wasn't a plus for this article - full of typos...

[kinogod]

11:46 PM on 11/07/2011

I have to laugh laugh laugh at everyone's erroneous claim's that these plastic toys are even in the same category as an iPad. Hahahahahahaha! Try editing a movie or creating a song or painting a Hd digi quality art piece with this plastic crap. Ain't gonna happen. Save your doughnuts.

[KHAAANNN]

09:06 AM on 11/08/2011

Right.
Comparing a $249 e-reader/tablet to a $600 fondel-slab (must be tough to have to justify all your expensive habits by tearing down others purchases.)
Anyone who tries to edit movies on a low-res 4:3 Apple tablet is an idiot.
That is like buying a Audi A8 to haul bricks. It can be done, but it's stupid.

[kinogod]

02:20 PM on 11/08/2011

It's the digital manipulation ability I'm talking about. Soon for under a grand you'll have touchpads that perform like video editing desktops at hd Rez.

[Lahonda]

11:46 PM on 11/07/2011

...but will it respect me in the morning?

[M A Ross]

02:43 PM on 11/08/2011

Gotta give it to get it ;)