Skip to main content

Barnes and Noble unveils 7-inch Nook Tablet: 1GHz dual-core, 1GB RAM, $249

Nook-Tablet-XL
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Taking a direct shot at Amazon’s Kindle Fire, Barnes and Noble announced at an event in New York City this morning its new Nook Tablet, a more robust version of B&N’s popular Nook Color e-reader.

The Nook Tablet, which runs Google’s Android 2.3x Gingerbread operating system, comes loaded with a 1GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM, twice the RAM of the Kindle Fire. With a 7-inch, laminated IPS “Vivid View” LG display, with a 1024×600 resolution, the Nook Tablet weighs just under one pound. It also includes 16GB of internal storage, which is more than that of the Kindle Fire, and can be expanded an additional 32GB via a microSD card slot.

Recommended Videos

Other specs include 9 hours of video battery life, and 11.5 hours of reading time. The Nook Tablet supports up to 1080p full-high definition video, and comes pre-loaded with Netflix and Hulu Plus. The company boasts that the screen of the Nook Tablet has a “superior viewing angle” to the Kindle Fire, and said that Amazon’s 7-inch tablet has an “off-the-shelf display.”

A few added bonus features of the Nook Tablet include a “read and record” functionality, which enables a user to record themselves reading, say, a children’s book (B&N used Winnie the Pooh as an example), and their children can listen to them read it on the Nook Tablet later.

Barnes and Noble also unveiled Nook Cloud, which allows users to backup their purchased content to B&N’s servers. In addition, B&N announced Nook Support, which allows Nook owners to get free technical support for their Nook devices at any B&N location, nation-wide.

“Compare for yourselves, but it is our assessment that content will look and read better on the Nook tablet,” said William Lynch, Barnes and Noble’s chief executive. “If you bought a Kindle Fire and wanted support where would you go? Amazon’s headquarters in Seattle?”

The Nook Tablet will cost $249. Amazon’s Kindle Fire costs $199.

The Nook Color e-reader is also getting a refresh, the company announced. Changes include more tablet-like functionality, a response rate that’s 25 percent faster than any other device, and two months of reading time on a single charge (based on an average of 1 hour of reader per day). The price of the Nook Color has  been dropped to $199.

The Nook Simple Touch, Barnes and Noble’s base-level e-reader, also received a price cut, down to $99 from $139. The screen has been upgraded to display more “crisp” text. Lynch also points out that the Touch does not include ads, no matter what.

“Do you really want to have to spend an extra $40 or give your friend an ad-based product?” asked Lynch, in reference to Amazon’s Kindle.

Check back with DT shortly for photos and first impressions for the Nook Tablet.

Updated with additional details at 10:45am ET

Topics
Andrew Couts
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Features Editor for Digital Trends, Andrew Couts covers a wide swath of consumer technology topics, with particular focus on…
The Samsung Galaxy S26 might miss out on this camera feature
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Although the Samsung Galaxy S25 has only been on the market for a short time, rumors have already begun to swirl about the Galaxy S26. Contradicting rumors, at that. Early leaks suggested the flagship might opt for an under-display camera, but a tipster has shared that it isn't likely — and that Samsung might not implement that style of camera anytime soon.

The under-display cameras have had "poor results," according to tipster Panda Flash on X. They claim that under-display cameras don't perform as well as a standard camera, and that Samsung's focus on high-end cameras for its flagships means you shouldn't look for one to come anytime soon.

Read more
Samsung’s next budget phone looks fresher than its pricey flagships
Leaked render of Samsung Galaxy A36 in lime green.

Samsung works in mysterious ways. It once made a belt, sorry, Welt, that had a hidden micro-USB port. The chaebol is also a contractor for the Korean military and makes tanks even for overseas clients. It shows off cool robots that never make it to the market. And as perplexing as that sounds, Samsung can also make its budget phones look better than its uber-expensive flagships.

Even Blass has just leaked 360-degree product renders of the brand’s upcoming Galaxy A36 smartphone. The phone will reportedly come in some beautiful shades, apart from the usual black and white affair. Of particular interest are the lime yellow and purple trims, which have a beautiful iridescent finish to them.

Read more
WhatsApp gets a chat redesign
WhatsApp on iPhone with new themes.

If you’re a fan of WhatsApp, we have some good news for you. The free messaging and video calling app now includes chat themes, which should make your experience a little more customized.

To make the change, go to the Chats menu in Settings. From there, select Choose a new wallpaper, then select one of the preset options under two subcategories: Light or Dark.

Read more