This year's must-have holiday gadget appears to be the tablet computer. Barnes & Noble is hoping to spread a little holiday cheer with its newly announced NOOK Tablet.
Priced at $249 (MSRP), the NOOK Tablet claims to be the company's fastest, lightest e-reader/tablet to date. Even better, it adds in all kinds of HD entertainment, as well as access to services such as Netflix, Hulu Plus, Pandora, and much more.
In addition to those services, B&N says that there are also plenty of apps to choose from. The company is also planning to add Flixster with UltraViolet soon, so users can access movies and TV shows from Warner Bros. and other studios.
Featuring a 1GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM, the NOOK Tablet promises smooth delivery of HD videos, books, magazines, as well as other apps and web access. It has a 7-inch color touchscreen and access to the NOOK Library through the free, secure NOOK Cloud service. Promising 11.5 hours of reading time or nine hours of video viewing, the NOOK Tablet features the VividView display, which boasts 16 million colors, wide viewing angles, and full IPS lamination to reduce reflection and glare.
Weighing in at just 14.1 ounces, the NOOK tablet has a variety of NOOK Apps available, including Angry Birds Rio, Ms. Pac-Man, Epicurious, Scrabble, Dr. Seuss' Cat in the Hat, and much more. Barnes & Noble says that they plan to offer thousands of apps by the holidays. The NOOK Bookstore is always growing, too, with thousands of magazines, book titles, children's books, and much more.
Last, but certainly not least, the NOOK Tablet will include Barnes & Noble's NOOK Friends feature, which allows customers to share reading experiences and recommendations through email, Facebook and Twitter.
If addition to the NOOK Tablet, Barnes & Noble announced plans to upgrade the NOOK Color, while downgrading the price of that device from $249 to $199. Our own Ian White reviewed this handheld a while back. Check out his Barnes and Noble Nook Color eReader Review for details on this unit. However, know that some of the new enhancements will include more AV services, apps, and other content. Also, if you're looking for something closer to stocking stuffer status, the NOOK Simple Touch offers simple eReader features for just $99.
"These three products, at these super-low prices, represent the highest-quality portfolio of reading and entertainment products on the market at the best value," said William Lynch, CEO of Barnes & Noble. "We welcome customers to learn more about our bestselling NOOK product line from our friendly and well-trained NOOKsellers at our new NOOK Digital Shops at their neighborhood Barnes & Noble."
Where to Buy (Barnes and Noble):
