Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet Review

The Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet is beyond doubt not an e-reader, but it’s as well not a proper tablet. Like the Kindle Fire, it’s in a tad of a group of its own. Still, this reading-focused tablet is likely the third best-selling tablet dated here intended for lovely rationalize: It’s discounted. But is it worth the $200 to $250? Find dated in our broad examine less than.

Shop

Barnes & Noble - NOOK Factory Refurbished 7" Touchscreen Tablet with 16GB Memory

Video Overview

How it looks and feels

The Nook Tablet is lone of the better looking 7-inch diplomacy on the promote, but we’re not yes if that’s a enormous compliment or a moment ago a statement of how weak the competition is at present. Regardless, it beyond doubt has its own patent design: A sandwich of melancholy surrounding lighter silver tubing. It as well has with the intention of patent “n” everywhere the iPad local button would be and a giant lanyard chasm in the let fall missing corner, which gives by smallest amount lone corner of the tablet a Battlestar Galactica flair.

We’re not enormous fans of the 7-inch form thing (it’s a moment ago a tad too small), but this is certainly lone of the more comfortable tiny pills. The front and back of the Nook Tablet give birth to an ever-so-subtle rubbery, almost suede-like feel to them, which makes it quite comfortable to luggage compartment, and the screen is tranquil to contact and manipulate. The volume buttons and power are a tad harsh to become aware of and locate if you give birth to a bad reminiscence or are operating in the dark, but time was you make sure of become aware of them, they make sure of their job a moment ago fine.

There are really merely two unconstructive points to the Nook Tablet’s design: The rear narrator gets muffled if the device is solid down on a soft rise, and the paint eventually begins to wear rancid the corners and edges of the front panel of the Nook, which edge up looking quite bronzed like a while. It’s not a horrible look, but beyond doubt not the look you paid intended for.

How well it facility

The Nook runs on a modified version of Android, but it’s been customized so sturdily with the intention of it’s hardly recognizable. If you’re in suspense to purpose Gmail, Maps, Places, Calendar, or other Google-specific services, allow us a moment ago crush your dreams desirable at the present: The Nook, like the Kindle Fire, does not attach to Google services. They both run Android, but merely we geeks even know with the intention of. The Nook has its own proprietary app put in safekeeping, put your name down for put in safekeeping, newsstand, and magazine subscription service. If you dearth tune, you’ll give birth to to settle intended for Pandora. If you dearth movies or box shows, Netflix and Hulu are your merely horrible options. Added than the Kindle Fire even, the Nook’s whole interface seems centered around e-books.

The lively color screen facility horrible intended for magazines, comics, and children’s books, but all of the other tablet facial appearance are mostly a bonus. Sure, you can load more or less MP3s on the Nook, browse the Web, and check your email, but by all era here will be a little button in the missing to allow you leap desirable back into The Hobbit or whatever put your name down for you take place to be comprehension — a horrible aspect. When you’re on the local screen (accessible by imperative the ‘n’ button), an additional button up top gives you even easier access to return to comprehension.

Don’t follow us harm, here are thousands of apps intended for the Nook and it can be used intended for many multimedia, tablet-like purposes, but you cannot compare its app documentation to the iPad. Apple a moment ago wins. The Nook Tablet is intended for someone who, higher than all moreover, wants a tablet intended for comprehension. If you keep with the intention of in mind, the interface and facial appearance of the Nook Tablet are quite impressive, as is its worth.

Specs

Technical specs aren’t intended for all, but since more or less of you are dying to know, we’ll lay dated the basics. The Nook Tablet has two variations: The real McCoy $250 16GB version (this is the lone we reviewed) and a $200 8GB version which as well has semi the RAM (512MB). The 16GB version has a 1GHz dual-core TI OMAP 4 laptop, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of domestic storage space, a microphone intended for interactive books, lone peripheral narrator, runs on Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), and has a 1024 x 600 pixel 7-inch IPS demonstrate which is quite vivid and lively compared to other pills. It as well has a microSD slot if you dearth to add more reminiscence.

We become aware of the 16GB Nook Tablet to be superior to the Kindle Fire in performance (we’ll follow more into this later), but these advantages are mostly lost if you take the $50 savings and purchase the cheaper 8GB prototype, since of the RAM reduction.

Finally, like the Kindle Fire, the Nook Tablet has thumbs down cameras on the front or back.

How it compares to Kindle Fire

Being we a moment ago understood in the specs section, the 16GB $250 Nook Tablet runs much nearer than the Kindle Fire, but persons advantages are mostly lost in the 8GB version. All the rage addition, both pills lack cameras or Bluetooth support.

Neither of these pills give birth to robust app supplies, and neither can attach up to at all Google services. But the Nook Tablet is better optimized to improve comprehension. If you’re more interested in export content – like MP3s, movies, or box shows – after that the Kindle Fire is more intended for you. The Nook Tablet has decent access to many streaming services like Pandora, Grooveshark, Rhapsody, MOG, Netflix, and Hulu, but Barnes & fine doesn’t organize its own tune or show download service (for better and worse). Being with the Kindle Fire, app selection is a tad imperfect clear of the deep services and games. Amazon’s app put in safekeeping does seem to give birth to a better selection of games. Both of these app supplies charge a tad more intended for content than you will become aware of on the Google Play put in safekeeping, which is unfilled on at all standard Android tablet.

Did we reference with the intention of all Android pills with Google services can as well download the Nook and Kindle apps intended for put your name down for comprehension? Something to consider sooner than committing to lone of these pills a moment ago since you dearth to read.

Being far as real put your name down for selection, both supplies seem honestly even, but Barnes & fine boasts a larger put in safekeeping overall. The Nook has access to more than 2.5 million books, thankfulness to a organization with Google, while Amazon boasts a little more than 1 million e-books. Both pills require Wi-Fi to access the Internet.

Neither tablet has a worth help, as both be bought intended for $200, but if you attention roughly performance, we commend you bone up and salary the very $50 to follow the 16GB Nook Tablet.

Here is a comparison of specs involving the two pills, a moment ago in glasses case we missed something.

Battery life

Amazon boasts 8 hours of battery life intended for the Kindle Fire exclusive of Wi-Fi twisted on. Ever the competitor, Barnes & fine claims to follow 9 hours of battery life with Wi-Fi and 11.5 hours of “reading” period, assuming you circle rancid Wi-Fi. We don’t present strict battery rundown tests, but our experience with the Nook’s battery has been honestly activist. It appears to continue by smallest amount 9 hours, a tad more than the Kindle Fire. We don’t give birth to at all deep complaints at this time, but if you dearth impressive battery life, getting an E-Ink e-reader is still the way to shot. The Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight (the screen illumination up) will follow as much as a month of battery life on a single charge.

Overall

If you’re looking intended for a tablet hand-built around comprehension, but dearth access to more or less very facial appearance like email, kids books, magazines, comic books, a Web browser, apps, Hulu, Netflix, Pandora, and more or less games, after that this is intended for you. The Nook Tablet 16GB is a much better tablet than the Nook Color and outshines the Kindle Fire in performance. For $250, you now can’t make sure of better. Things all the time amendment, but desirable at the present, Barnes & Noble’s Nook Tablet is still a compelling, competitive e-reader tablet.

Credits: Digital Trends