B&N unveils the Nook HD&HD+: Outspecs the Kindle HDs

[Bateluer]

http://www.androidpolice.com/2012/0...ompetition-with-better-displays-lower-prices/

The seven-inch NOOK HD, weighing in at just 315g, packs an impressive 1440x900 display (that's 243ppi – B&N boasts that this display has "25% more pixels" than the Kindle Fire HD), a 1.3GHz OMAP 4470 processor, and 1GB RAM. Undercutting the extremely lean price of Google's Nexus 7, the 8GB NOOK HD will cost $199, with a 16GB version available for just $229. Both will be available in either "snow" or "smoke" finishes.

The NOOK HD+, on the other hand, sports a 9" display at an awesome 1920x1280 resolution (256ppi for those counting), a 515g body, a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, and 1GB of RAM. The HD+ will start at $269 for a 16GB model, with the 32GB variant running $299. Did I mention that both of these tablets feature microSD expansion slots?

Higher resolution than the Fire HD 7", slightly faster CPU, sdcard slot, and priced lower. Not bad.


Downside? Sure its going to be locked down and that Nook OS will have a slew of shortcomings.

 

[PokerGuy]

The nooks have been really good devices unfortunately crippled by their insistence on locking it down. The nook tablet was pretty much useless until I rooted it and replaced all the B&N junk with useful apps, added the playstore and amazon marketplace etc.

It's probably going to be the same with these tablets, nice hardware, but locked into B&N junk and thus crippled.

 

[Chiropteran]

Sorry B&N, I prefer the Amazoid OS

 

[Mopetar]

It's probably going to be the same with these tablets, nice hardware, but locked into B&N junk and thus crippled.

They're obviously not interested in selling you a regular Android tablet at subsidized or razor-thin margins. Their business model necessitates that they sell content on those devices in order to make some profit.

That said, they're probably designed for someone like grandma who's not interested in installing the nightly build of her favorite ROM.

 

[Bateluer]

The nooks have been really good devices unfortunately crippled by their insistence on locking it down. The nook tablet was pretty much useless until I rooted it and replaced all the B&N junk with useful apps, added the playstore and amazon marketplace etc.

It's probably going to be the same with these tablets, nice hardware, but locked into B&N junk and thus crippled.

Seems to happen a lot with the B&N tablets, excluding the Nook Color. :/ B&N has the advantage in hardware, but their software is a step behind even the craptastic Kindle OS.

 

[Eug]

315 g 7" with 1440x900 display. That's very impressive. That's what the Nexus 7 Mark II needs to be IMO, assuming they can maintain a good battery life with that light weight and high rez screen. I wonder how good that screen is.

 

[Munky]

Oh snap.... and I was wondering when B&N will get their new toys out. If it can be rooted, I might have to spring for one. Been enjoying my CM7 Nook Color for 2 years, but sometimes find myself wishing for a bigger screen.

 

[Headcase_Fargone]

B&N continues to make awesome hardware. I've been nothing but impressed with my two Nooks (the original and the Simple Touch) in terms of build quality and feel. They really need to do something about the software side though.

 

[Ravynmagi]

I just can't get over how freaking ugly the 9 inch model is. I have a Nook Color and I hate the fat raised plastic bezel around the screen and the "nook" in the lower left corner. I'm happy to see B&N did a decent job updating the appearance of the 7 inch HD, but why does the 9 inch still look retro and dated?

 

[Mopetar]

I just can't get over how freaking ugly the 9 inch model is. I have a Nook Color and I hate the fat raised plastic bezel around the screen and the "nook" in the lower left corner.

I actually liked the "nook" in the corner when I was playing around with one. It made it ridiculously easy for me to hold and use it one-handed without it feeling unnatural.

 

[Tom]

was reading how the ceo was saying people use tablets for 4 things, reading,videos,web, and email, as a reason not to include a camera or gps..

Hello dude ! Tablets are great for video chat..if they have a camera.

But, other than that, the Nook HD+ for $269 looks pretty awesome. Assuming it can be rooted, like the Kindle HD, to get access to more apps..

 

[AstroManLuca]

I just can't get over how freaking ugly the 9 inch model is. I have a Nook Color and I hate the fat raised plastic bezel around the screen and the "nook" in the lower left corner. I'm happy to see B&N did a decent job updating the appearance of the 7 inch HD, but why does the 9 inch still look retro and dated?

I loved it. It's ugly but makes it very functional. I have a Kindle Fire and my wife has a Nook Tablet - although I prefer the Kindle Fire in some ways, the Nook Tablet is much easier to hold because of the fat raised bezel. It's nice being able to know where the edge of the screen is by feel.

At any rate, my dad now wants to get my mom a cheap tablet so she stops taking his iPad just to play solitaire. And I have to say, I'm not even going to recommend these new Nooks or Kindles. Too locked down, too full of shitty bloatware. The stock software on both is terrible. I will push them toward the Nexus 7. And hey, the $25 Play Store credit on the N7 should be enough for my mom to buy whatever games she could possibly want. She doesn't need the extra storage.

 

[Deeko]

The screen sounds very impressive. It's worth noting that it doesn't really out-spec the Kindle Fire HD - they just trade off at different points. The Nook has a better screen, SD slot, and is lighter, whereas the Kindle has a camera and more built in storage (at $199). I also wonder if the extra lightness came at the cost of a smaller battery.

Still, glad to see they're pushing the envelope with screens.

 

[Bateluer]

Nook HDs aren't ad supported.

 

[Eug]

I wonder if the screen is truly better, or just higher rez. I value colour accuracy and viewing angle way more than pure rez.

On my Nexus 7 the colour accuracy isn't supposed to be the greatest, but it's good enough for casual use. Similarly the viewing angle isn't top tier, but it's pretty good, and way better than some of the other tablets out there.

 

[Tom]

I wonder if the screen is truly better, or just higher rez. I value colour accuracy and viewing angle way more than pure rez.

On my Nexus 7 the colour accuracy isn't supposed to be the greatest, but it's good enough for casual use. Similarly the viewing angle isn't top tier, but it's pretty good, and way better than some of the other tablets out there.

I have my doubts its better than the Kindle HD screen which has incredible color and viewing angle, its about perfect.

I have the Kindle HD and the Nexus 7, the screen on the Nexus is ok but not as good as the Kindle HD by a good margin.

Not to mention the Kindle HD speakers are phenomenal for a small tablet. Sounds like the Nook HD may have good speakers too.

 

[Deeko]

Nook HDs aren't ad supported.

Even still, Kindle without ads and 16GB is $214, Nook is $229, so they still have a price advantage regarding storage.

 

[Eug]

I have my doubts its better than the Kindle HD screen which has incredible color and viewing angle, its about perfect.

I have the Kindle HD and the Nexus 7, the screen on the Nexus is ok but not as good as the Kindle HD by a good margin.

I'm not surprised you're not overly impressed by the Nexus 7 screen. However, I am pleasantly surprised you say the Kindle HD screen is so good. I wasn't expecting it to get a great screen, but hadn't seen one yet (because I'm in Canada).

Not to mention the Kindle HD speakers are phenomenal for a small tablet. Sounds like the Nook HD may have good speakers too.

Yes, the Nexus 7 speaker setup sucks. I use headphones, or else stick a book behind it or something to bounce the sound back to me. It's kind of annoying to have to use headphones for a tablet that's sitting on a stand on the desk.

 

[gorcorps]

9" full hd screen with micro sd under 300 bucks? Shut up and take my money!

 

[PokerGuy]

They're obviously not interested in selling you a regular Android tablet at subsidized or razor-thin margins. Their business model necessitates that they sell content on those devices in order to make some profit.

That said, they're probably designed for someone like grandma who's not interested in installing the nightly build of her favorite ROM.

I'm not saying they should cater to the geeks, that's obviously not their market. I understand their business model, but geebus, what good is a top notch piece of hardware when it's absolutely crippled by being riddled with terrible software?

They don't need to cater to the geeks, but they don't need to make it harder for them either. No need to look it up. Let the XDA type crowd load their stuff, the regular crowd will use the crap that comes stock anyway.

My nook tablet was absolutely worthless until I was able to root it. So much so that I could not in good conscience recommend it to friends and family even though the hardware was good.

 

[s44]

Duplicate topic

 

[lothar]

I loved it. It's ugly but makes it very functional. I have a Kindle Fire and my wife has a Nook Tablet - although I prefer the Kindle Fire in some ways, the Nook Tablet is much easier to hold because of the fat raised bezel. It's nice being able to know where the edge of the screen is by feel.

At any rate, my dad now wants to get my mom a cheap tablet so she stops taking his iPad just to play solitaire. And I have to say, I'm not even going to recommend these new Nooks or Kindles. Too locked down, too full of shitty bloatware. The stock software on both is terrible. I will push them toward the Nexus 7. And hey, the $25 Play Store credit on the N7 should be enough for my mom to buy whatever games she could possibly want. She doesn't need the extra storage.

You need to buy the Nexus 7 this month.
Google will be ending that $25 Play Store credit promotion.

 

[antef]

I have a Nook Color running CM7 and it's nice for a few things but other things are a better fit for a bigger screen, and I want higher PPI like my GNex. I was just thinking I'd like a 9" or 10" device with at least full HD res. Then they announce this Nook HD+, I'm really impressed with its screen and price. If CM10 gets ported to this I would be very tempted by it, but also would like to see if Google eventually releases a bigger Nexus tablet.

 

[sequoia464]

Can the current Nook tablets be rooted? Just wondering how difficult these new nooks will be to root.

 

[zerocool84]

I'll wait and see about how the rom community jumps onto these before purchasing.