Tag Archives: nook

Barnes and Noble reinvigorates Nooks with access to Google Play store

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One new small icon has huge meaning for Barnes and Nobles’ Nook line.

The Nook HD and Nook HD+ e-readers now have access to the full Google Play store, according to a press release Friday from Barnes and Noble. The move knocks down a major wall between Barnes and Noble’s products and their status as real, fully formed Android tablets, putting them a step ahead of competitor Amazon’s Kindle Fires.

The Nook HD and HD+ were released last fall as 7-inch and 9-inch devices, respectively, running a heavily modified, forked version of Android 4.0. The products occupied a similar space to Amazon’s Kindle Fires and had access to Nook Apps, which were separate and distinct from conventional Android apps.

As of Friday, Nook HD and Nook HD+ owners will be able to receive the Google Play store as a “major upgrade to [the] software” and gain access to the 700,000 apps and boodles of content therein. Barnes and Noble further states that both products will now ship with the Google Play store preinstalled.

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The Nook HD and HD+ Get Google Play, Knocking Down The Wall On The Barnes & Noble Android Garden

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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.

The Updated Nook HD+ Is Still Fighting The Tablet Wars

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The Nook HD+ came out last December to mixed reviews. The device had a great screen but problematic bugs caused laggy performance and low scores. The company has come out with an updated version and we took a look.

The 9-inch Nook HD+ is a Retina-quality tablet with a very simple mission – it wants to replace the iPad in the entry-level tablet market. It runs an acceptably fast 1.5 GHz processor that powers a 1,920×1,280-pixel screen. This means images are exceptionally bright on the device and video is more than acceptable. When we first looked at the HD+ in December on Fly or Die, I gave the HD+ a fly even with its limited functionality at the time and its lack of a camera.

The B&N party line is that this device is updated and I suspect there’s a reason they are running through these with a new round of reviews. Because I didn’t write a formal review when it first came out – I was far more impressed by the Nook HD – so it’s worth revisiting this tablet.

As it stands, the Nook HD+ is primarily a “dumb tablet” with a few smart tablet features. You can run a number of apps and games and view Nook Video alongside other video from providers like Crackle and Ultraviolet. This update also improves the speaker (it’s still mono) and improves performance.

Sadly, the quirks that plagued the original HD+ are present here. When turning on the device, for example, you see a brief “scrambled” picture that suggests a problem with either the backlight or the LCD. This “fuzz” appears sometimes while moving through apps and screens but it doesn’t show itself when you’re reading a book.

In terms of absolute performance the Nook suggests solidity but not pep. Switching between screens, at least while reading, is acceptably fast and much faster than it was in the initial launch. As for general app performance I saw a bit of an improvement over the previous software iteration but nothing to write home about. The HD+ is awful in direct sunlight, so don’t even think about going outside with it. This is an indoor ereader.

I think, sadly, the 9-inch tablet market has been flattened by the phablets and 7-inchers of the world. That said, the form factor is still good for folks looking for more screen real estate or larger fonts. For those customers, the HD+ excels. It is almost half a pound lighter than the iPad and even lighter than the Kindle Fire HD 8.9-inch. At $269 it’s priced just about right and, for a brief period, you could get a Nook Simple Touch for free with purchase. That promotion is over but you do get a $50 credit from Barnes & Noble for books and content.

So here’s what worries me: the ereader world has been stagnant since the holidays and the two-for-one deal, while generous, didn’t seem to bode well for B&N. This very slightly updated HD+ is a solid piece of hardware but it’s still not quite up to, say, the standards of similarly outfitted – but not similarly priced – Android tablets. The Nexus 10, is $100 more than the HD+ and, by all metrics, a better device. The iPad with Retina display is a bit more expensive, to be sure, and may not be exactly the device the novice, ereading user is looking for. However, the performance and build quality is far superior.









So who should get an HD+? I think folks who love to read on bigger screens. While there is a plethora of video content available, that’s not the draw here. The three main draws are, in order, price, price, and price. If you’re already a Nook user and you’re looking for a bigger reader, this may be the model for you. If you’re looking for a real tablet, you may need to look elsewhere.

Barnes & Noble offers a Nook Simple Touch for free with purchase of Nook HD+

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Pity the underdog e-reader—you know you’re in trouble when you have to give your goods away.

On Friday, Barnes & Noble announced it would be giving away a Nook Simple Touch (which normally retails for $79) with the purchase of a Nook HD+ tablet ($269). The reality is, B&N just can’t sell enough of the e-readers: in its most recent quarter, the company sustained a net loss of over $6 million.

The book retailer heavyweight has had so much trouble selling the Simple Touch, it’s trying to give it away as part of a limited promotion going on from March 24 until March 30, 2013. B&N may have had a rough time selling the lower-end model as consumers seem to be more in favor of more general-purpose tablets, like the iPad or the Kindle.

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Thanks To Poor Holiday Sales, B&N Will Give Away A Free Nook Simple Touch With Every Purchase Of A Nook HD+

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There’s been nothing but bad news coming from Barnes & Noble lately, and it seems as though the company has decided to resort to the desperate measure of giving away Nooks for free. Reuters is reporting that customers who purchase the $269 Nook HD+ will receive a $79 Simple Touch free of charge as a limited offer.

It’s a great deal if you’ve been looking for both a tablet and an ebook reader, but I can’t help but feel a little sad that this is what it’s come down to. Nooks have always been solidly designed products, it’s just that they were never able to catch on with consumers after being doubly sucker punched by the iPad and the Kindle.

In January, Barnes & Noble revealed its plans to close nearly 20 of its retail locations over the next decade, which was followed by news last month that Nook revenue had dropped 26 percent YOY.

Barnes & Noble Misses With $2.2B In Revenue, Loss Of $0.18 Per Share, Nook Revenue Down 26% YOY

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Barnes & Noble has reported Q3 2013 earnings for the fiscal three-month period ending January 31, with a loss of $0.18 per share on quarterly revenues of $2.2 billion. That’s down 8.8 percent from the same period last year, when B&N reported gains of $0.71 per share.

Net losses in Q3 totaled $6.1 million, a clear drop from net earnings of $52 million a year ago.

Analysts predicted revenues of $2.4 billion, and an EPS of $.54. Last quarter saw revenues of $1.9 billion and losses of $0.04 per share.

Q3 has been a messy one for the retailer, which started out as a college text book store. The holiday period, which is usually a sure spike for retailers, left Barnes & Noble with a 10.9 percent sales decrease on B&N retail and BN.com from the same time last year. B&N blames this on declining Nook hardware sales at its retail locations.

Reports are floating around that Barnes & Noble may spin out its Nook hardware business, or perhaps focus its OEM vision on partnerships with Microsoft.

Barnes & Noble denies the reports, with CEO William Lynch stating today that the company is adjusting the Nook strategy and righting the segment’s cost structure. But based on the widening losses compared to Barnes & Noble’s glory days, a drastic change could be needed.

The Nook segment had revenues of $311 million during the nine-week period ending December 29, which was a 12.6 percent decrease from last year’s holiday Nook sales. All in all, Q3 saw a 26 percent YOY drop in Nook retail.

Barnes & Noble announced on January 28 that it would shutter nearly 1/3 of its retail stores, bringing its total number of locations from 689 to between 450 and 500 over the next decade.

Luckily, digital content sales rose 13.1 percent over that same nine-week holiday period, indicating that a departure from hardware and a focus on digital products could be the saving grace for the company.

The company also said on Valentine’s Day that it expected the Nook business to post an increased full-year loss, exceeding the $262 million loss seen in fiscal 2012. Though, B&N also expected losses to be less than $3 billion.

Largest shareholder offers to buy Barnes & Noble, minus Nook division

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Barnes & Noble’s largest shareholder, Leonard Riggio, made an offer Monday to buy out the struggling company and take it private—except its Nook and college bookstore management divisions. The latest Nooks were announced back in September 2012.

If the offer is completed, the move would be an abrupt retreat for the bookselling chain. It would leave rival Amazon, along with other tablet makers like Apple or Samsung, atop the e-book food chain. Essentially, it would split the company in two: one half would be Riggio’s private brick-and-mortar stores and related assets, the other the publicly-traded Nook and college bookstore management division.

Riggio currently owns 30 percent of the company, and he said in a Monday filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that the purchase price would be negotiated with the company’s board of directors.

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Barnes & Noble Mulling A Break From Hardware Sales In A Move That May Split Company

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According to a number of reports, beleaguered bookseller Barnes & Noble could be shuttering its Nook hardware division and focusing primarily on connecting its digital content to other tablets and readers. In a related report, B&N founder Leonard Riggio is considering a buy-out of the company’s consumer division and spinning out the Nook and collegiate sales divisions while maintaining the bookstores.

Sales numbers for the Nook line look bad. By the end of the holiday, book sales dropped 10.9 percent over last year while Nook sales fell 12.6 percent. Both Amazon and B&N guard their sales numbers and instead crow about short-term percentage gains, but little has been said about post-holiday sales barring a short mention last January. Although the Nook is arguably often the better product when compared to similar models from Amazon, neither company can stand up against the Apple/Samsung juggernaut.

An NYT report notes that B&N isn’t completely abandoning hardware but will focus more on partnerships with hardware manufacturers and software distributors like Microsoft.

For its part, B&N claims that there are no plans to discontinue the Nook products. This is all still obviously conjecture at this point, and plans could change as partnerships are modified.

What will the ebook market look like without a third ereader? Not much different, sadly. The ereader of choice will always be a general-purpose, 8-inch tablet and only a certain subset of customers will want an e-ink device. While the Nook’s Glowlight models were first to market and superior to Amazon’s offering in many ways, the Kindle is still an early adopter’s darling, a market that B&N never cracked.