Today it’s been announced that the Google Play store will be available for both the Nook HD and Nook HD+. You don’t have to wait either, just ensure that your little Nook is firmly attached to WiFi and an over-the-air patch will roll out to give you all the Google services.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll know that Google Play is the online store which gives you access to gerzillions of apps and games. Google Search, GMail, YouTube and Google Maps will also appear following the update.
As part of their involvement in the “Get London Reading” literacy initiative, the NOOK HD is available starting at just £129 (down from £159) and the NOOK HD+ is starting at only £179 (down from £229). NOOK products are available in John Lewis, Argos, Asda, Dixons, Sainsbury, Waitrose, Blackwell’s and Foyles and also through www.nook.co.uk.
The Nook is also known as the “Newk, Duck” in Stoke-on-Trent.
Barnes & Noble Announces Google Play ™ on NOOK ® HD and NOOK ® HD+
The Best in Reading and Now Over 700,000 Android Apps and Games,
Millions of Songs, Movies, TV Shows and More, Plus Chrome ™ , Gmail ™ , YouTube ™ and Google Maps ™ on Stunning 7- and 9-inch Tablets
New York and London – May 3, 2013 – NOOK Media LLC, a subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products, today announced it is expanding its extensive catalogue of reading and entertainment content with the addition of the Google Play digital content experience on its acclaimed NOOK HD and NOOK HD+ devices. With Google Play on NOOK HD and NOOK HD+, customers will now have access to more than 700,000 Android apps and games, millions of songs and more. Barnes & Noble’s highly acclaimed lightweight high-definition 7- and 9-inch tablets will also include popular Google services like the Chrome browser, Gmail, YouTube and Google Maps.
“By adding Google Play to NOOK HD and NOOK HD+, we are offering our customers even more great entertainment on our award-winning tablets,” said William Lynch, chief executive officer of Barnes & Noble. “Now with access to more than 700,000 apps and the best reading experience available, both are must-see products for entertainment lovers looking for high-quality tablets at incredibly low prices.”
For a limited time only, as part of NOOK’s involvement in the “Get London Reading” literacy initiative, NOOK HD is available starting at just £129 (down from £159), with the NOOK HD+ starting at only £179 (down from £229). NOOK products are available in John Lewis, Argos, Asda, Dixons, Sainsbury, Waitrose, Blackwell’s and Foyles and also through www.nook.co.uk.
Google Play and the other Google services will be available to all new and existing NOOK HD and NOOK HD+ customers in the UK at no cost through an automatic over-the-air update that will roll out to all devices connected to Wi-Fi, beginning today. Customers who would like to enjoy this major new software update immediately can learn more at www.NOOK.co.uk/support.
NOOK HD and NOOK HD+ Features
More than 700,000 Android Apps and Games: Choose from more than 700,000 great apps including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Temple Run, ESPN, TED, Netflix and so many more, all ready to enjoy right away. The NOOK Store ™ continues to feature a wide selection of thousands of high-quality NOOK Apps ™ tailored for the devices, including the highest-quality educational apps for children up to the age of 12, all organised by subject area and easily searchable.
Millions of songs: The addition of Google Play Music allows customers to browse millions of songs, discover new artists and fill NOOK HD and NOOK HD+ with favourite tracks to enjoy anytime. Google Play also lets people store 20,000 songs from their personal collection in the cloud for free and stream them to their NOOK HD, NOOK HD+ and other devices.
Favourite Movies: Choose from thousands of movies including new releases and award-winning films Stream movies to watch instantly on NOOK HD and NOOK HD+ or make them available offline to watch later, even when not connected to Wi-Fi.
The Very Best in Reading: The NOOK Store offers millions of books and magazines to choose from. Sample any book free or choose one of the free titles. Barnes & Noble offers thousands of best-selling magazines and newspapers from around the world, all in spectacular HD and delivered right to NOOK as soon as they come out. Enjoy free 14-day trials on any newsstand title and get expert recommendations on what to read next from the reading specialists at NOOK through NOOK Channels ™ .
Faster Web Browsing with Chrome: As Web browsing continues to be among the most popular tablet activities, NOOK HD and NOOK HD+ now feature the Chrome browser for fast start-up and page loading and an unlimited number of tabs open at once. Customers can even sync bookmarks across any device with Chrome.
Gmail ™ , YouTube ™ and Google Maps ™ : Customers will have instant access to Gmail, YouTube and Google Maps, now built in to NOOK HD or NOOK HD+. Sync calendars across multiple devices and check email from any account including Exchange, Yahoo! and Hotmail.
Additional great tablet features include:
Stunning HD Displays: Crisp text and beautiful graphics make books and magazines stunning to read. With NOOK HD’s highest resolution of any 7-inch HD tablet and Full HD at 1080p on NOOK HD+, videos and games look life-like from any angle, with rich colour, deep contrast and minimal glare. Light and Portable: Weighing in at only 315g, NOOK HD was designed to fit naturally in an adult or child’s hand for hours of enjoyment. And at just 515g, NOOK HD+ is the lightest tablet of its kind – more than 20 percent lighter than iPad 3 – making it the perfect companion for movie watching, long reads, Sunday crosswords or favourite games. NOOK Profiles ™ : A personalised experience instantly transforms the device in hand to any family member’s very own tablet so only they can see their own content. NOOK Channels ™ : This pioneering recommendation system provides an easy way to discover new titles by theme. The ability to sync the last page read on any NOOK Book across NOOK devices and apps so customers don’t lose their place. Expandable memory on the devices and free unlimited NOOK Cloud ™ storage for all NOOK content. Powerful dual-core processors and built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
The NOOK Store offers more than 2.5 million titles in the UK, including more than 1 million free titles. For more information on NOOK HD and NOOK HD+, or any of NOOK’s innovative products and devices, visit www.nook.co.uk.
The Nook HD is a really good value little tablet at only £129, for dual core 1.3GHz, 8GB, very nice little screen, etc. I considered it before they put Google Play on it (it lets you boot Android from the microSD card after all), but now it’s even better.
Only thing I’m not so sure of is what version of Android it’s using. I presume JellyBean, but can’t seem to find it documented.
I think I might hold out before I go and order one though. As good value as it is, there are so many great deals on tablets around at the moment, I might hold on for something a little better.