Introducing NOOK Tablet - 8GB

[BN_AlexG Administrator]

Hi Everyone,

We’re really excited to welcome another member to the NOOK family: NOOK Tablet – 8GB* is available starting today for just $199 online and in-stores. This new version of our fastest and lightest tablet offers the great features of our top-selling NOOK Tablet – 16GB, but with 8GB of on-board memory, 512MB of RAM and a lower cost.

For all of the details on this exciting new NOOK Tablet, please read our full press release here.

*5GB for content, of which 1GB is reserved for NOOK Store content

[flyingtoastr Scribe]

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BN_AlexG wrote:

*5GB for content, of which 1GB is reserved for NOOK Store content

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Old partition scheme? Waaaaa

[gb18]

Even better......the Color down to $169!

[roustabout]

The partitioning is very interesting - will there be cards at the stores that permit a rearrangement to 4G for BN + 1 G for sideloads, as with the NC? 

I completely understand the arrangement set up at launch, as head to head competition against the Fire given the reviews that dinged the initial storage layout, but unless the NT os is able to install or move apps to /media or /sdcard I think there will be customers running out of storage fairly quickly. (Do we already have the ability to move stuff around and I was unaware of it?) 

If there  a repartitioning card is made, I hope that BN will also consider a card for the 16 G NT which does a very similar thing - that is, allocates 4G for BN content, but in the case of the 16G tablet, leaves ~10 G for /media. 

I set that partitioning up on mine, and I'm very pleased - in no small part because it helps out with battery life quite a bit.  I'm not sure why, but with the SD card mounted my NT has much worse battery life.  (Even after I repartitioned the internal storage.) 

[Omnigeek]

Why Nook Tablet 8 GB rather than calling it Nook Color 2 (or 1.5 since some people think the Nook Tablet is a Nook Color 2.0)?

It sounds like this was a pretty easy way to tackle Amazon head-on but B&N needs to work on the marketing and apps availability if that's what they want to do.

I love all my Nooks but I'm scratching my head over this one.

[Gonziago]

I really like this, however with all the rumors I hear going around, I'm wondering if I should wait until the next reader/tablet is announced before making any purchases.

Meh, on second thought, it looks like you have also downgraded the RAM.  I think I will pass on this.

[Deke218]

Perdiction: Barnes and Noble will be out of business within 2 years.

The Nook Tablet is far superior to Kindle Fire. But instead of B&N updating the NT so it can show off all it's bells and whistle, i.e., a true tablet for $249, these folk figured if we can't beat them, join them.  Whoever is making these decsions, needs to be fired.  

I will sit back and watch B&N go down in flames and laugh.  

As with LG, this will be the last product I buy from the soon to be out of business B&N.  

[flyingtoastr Scribe]

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Deke218 wrote:

Perdiction: Barnes and Noble will be out of business within 2 years.

The Nook Tablet is far superior to Kindle Fire. But instead of B&N updating the NT so it can show off all it's bells and whistle, i.e., a true tablet for $249, these folk figured if we can't beat them, join them.  Whoever is making these decsions, needs to be fired.  

I will sit back and watch B&N go down in flames and laugh.  

As with LG, this will be the last product I buy from the soon to be out of business B&N.  

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Do you work for Motley Fool?

[Gonziago]

I don't think that Barnes and Noble are going to be going anywhere anytime soon.  I think they will be around for at least another fivev years or so.  Which is just about as long as these tablets are going to last.  If they do go out of business you can still use the books that you have bought and downloaded from them.  So I don't really see any issue.  Though I do wish they would have undercut the  Fire by keeping the RAM at 1GB

[robotecture]

The ram is what was the cost savings, not the hard disk memory... They are offering a lower priced option to match the kindle fire, the nook color at $169 is the undercutting device. What they have done is price differentiate their lineup to offer an array of options depending on the users needs.

[TnTexas]

Omnigeek: Why Nook Tablet 8 GB rather than calling it Nook Color 2 (or 1.5 since some people think the Nook Tablet is a Nook Color 2.0)?

It sounds like this was a pretty easy way to tackle Amazon head-on but B&N needs to work on the marketing and apps availability if that's what they want to do.

I love all my Nooks but I'm scratching my head over this one.

Me too. It really doesn't make much sense to me at all - especially since B&N doesn't have the content to offer that Amazon does. Those are the areas they need to focus on if they really want to be competitve in a multimedia market - not more devices.

(The exception to devices might be one that others have mentioned - one designed as a study/textbook tablet aimed at the educational market. But that's a different market altogether.)

[EllenKeiff]

So since I am the owner of a NT, am I able to take mine into a store and have it repartioned accordingly?

[JMTR]

My initial reaction is that three different B&N tablet-like e-readers is at least one too many -- and this doesn't even count whatever truly new device may be in the works. At this moment, Amazon has only one 7-inch tablet. Why does B&N need three to compete effectively? Will there be sufficient demand to sustain all three as separate offerings?

The differences between the Nook Color and the $199 Nook Tablet are what? -- processor speed, screen quality, and perhaps battery life? Will users be able to detect the performance differences? And between the $199 Nook Tablet and the $249 NT it's just memory and storage? There is a ton of overlap in this product line. Will be interesting to see how consumers respond.

[BN_AlexG Administrator]

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EllenKeiff wrote:

So since I am the owner of a NT, am I able to take mine into a store and have it repartioned accordingly?

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Hey EllenKeiff,

You can do so as of 3-12-12.

- Alex

[schatzieWI]

Too many nooks, I'm confused and bored. I have the nook color and nook sitting on the shelf. I read on my iPad using iBooks, nook app or kindle app, depending on the mood I am in when I purchase a book. When I see these prices drop, I feel ripped off.

[floridaphil]

512mb RAM = FAIL...  

[geertm]

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floridaphil wrote:

512mb RAM = FAIL...  

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Unfortunately for most consumers price seems to be more important than specs. The 512mb RAM of the Kindle Fire has not made the device a  FAIL.

[Larryb52]

its a good reader & depends on the how much you throw at it, movies will be fine but be prepared for some studdering, of course IMHO a 7" screen is not idea movie size, unless you have no other place to watch the movie., The big fail here on BN's part is they made a really nice device with good hardware but never put the software in it to let it succeed. They didn't need to step back but they needed a good quality e-mail client, a good music app & lets face it what they have now is unacceptable & they need to get serious about apps. If they do those than it would be obvious to the buying public that  BN was serious & would anti up the extra 50. I think it's a mistake to cut back in hardware to meet a price point, hoowever that said it is still a good reader, maybe this should of been their next step...

[Doreenpv]

Alex...can you give me the before and after stats if I have my NT  repartioned accordingly in March??

[bobstro]

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robotecture wrote:
[...] They are offering a lower priced option to match the kindle fire, the nook color at $169 is the undercutting device. What they have done is price differentiate their lineup to offer an array of options depending on the users needs.

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That's an excellent point, and one that's not getting as much attention as perhaps it should. Two thought on this:

1. Why didn't they just drop the price on the NC to compete with the fire? The $50 savings on the Fire is apparently one of the factors working against B&N, and that move would address the folks looking for savings.

2. Is B&N committed to the NC for the long term? Especially the current "unlocked" version?

- Bob