Barnes & Noble's Nook HD Tablets Face iPad, Kindle Fire HD

Nerval's Lobster writes "It's proven a busy month for mobile-device releases. First Nokia whipped back the curtain from the Lumia 820 and 920, its first Windows Phone 8 devices. The very next day, Amazon unveiled its new line of Kindle devices, including the Kindle Fire HD. Not to be outdone, Apple executives took to a stage in San Francisco the next week to show off the iPhone 5, complete with a larger screen and faster processor. But September's not over yet, and the releases keep coming: Barnes & Noble has launched a pair of HD tablets, the Nook HD and Nook HD+, designed to maintain the bookseller's toehold in the tablet space. The question is whether the Nook, even with upgraded hardware and new services, can successfully punch above its weight against the iPad and Kindle Fire, which are widely perceived as the dominant devices in the tablet market." Nook HD specs (Android 4.0, Dual 1.3Ghz Cortex-A9, 1G RAM), and HD+ specs (1.5GHz Coretex-A9 and a larger screen). Nate the greatest writes with a job posting that may indicate B&N is defecting to Windows 8, or at least hedging their bets.

No Windows Nook, Sorry

[fm6]

The links are messed up, but the actual job posting is here [taleo.net]. Job description (italics mine):

1. Define the product strategy and roadmap for Nook on Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8
2. Collaborate with internal teams and Microsoft to define innovative products for desktop, tablets and smartphones
3. Develop clear, detailed requirements and user stories by conducting customer and competitive research
4. Ensure that products meet delivery schedules and budget by coordinating all of the required resources
5. Serve as the internal and external evangelist for the Nook Windows 8 products

To me this is about Nook software on Windows, especially Windows-based mobile devices. And jeez, why would B&N want to junk theirt existing Android-based platform and start over from scratch?

Especially since its days are probably numbered. It's hard to see why anybody would buy a specialized eReader tablet when you can get a general purpose Android or Windows 8 RT tablet for about the same price and just load eReader software on it — like the software this person is being hired to develop.

The ePaper tablets might survive, provided enough people are willing to put up with their limitations in order to get something relatively cheap with very long battery life. But the specialized color tablets are mostly toast, though I guess Amazon might have the marketing muscle to keep the Kindle alive.

Re:Kobo

[Dzimas]

The Kobo Arc looks decent for $199. It's built on Android 4.0x, has a 1280x800 IPS display and 1.5GHz A9 processor.

Re:not hedging bets

[binarylarry]

You may also recall they forced B&N to take the money at gun point [cnet.com]