The Nook Color has grown up. It’s gotten about twice as big, with more memory, a faster processor, and a high-res screen that’s nearly as sharp as Apple’s Retina Display. Its ebook-only experience has turned into a full-fledged digital content store, with games, apps, and movies. And the cute little U-shaped curved cornerpiece, evocative of the Nook logo, has turned into something that looks more like a clear plastic loop for an industrial clip.
That, in a nutshell, captures Barnes and Noble’s newly aggressive take on the tablet market. Its 9-inch, $269 Nook HD+ tablet, which is available for pre-order now, is designed to compete with the 9.7-inch iPad head-on. And while the bookseller’s app market still can’t compete with the iPad’s, its Nook HD+ tablet does have a few things going for it.
The lowest price tag
At $249, the 7-inch Nook Color was shockingly cheap when it came out in 2010, especially for a tablet with a capacitive touchscreen (which you can use with your fingertips and not with your nails or a stylus). It was knocked off its throne by the Kindle Fire and Nexus 7, but at $269 the 9-inch Nook HD+ is cheaper than even the 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD, and about half as expensive as a new iPad.
The lightest weight
Peter Pachal’s comparison chart on Mashable shows that both the 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD and the iPad are just a hair thinner. But the Nook HD+ is substantially lighter than the iPad, and may be noticeably lighter (1.14 pounds compared to 1.25 pounds) than the Kindle Fire HD as well.
Unique features
These include free interactive catalogs from major brands, Nook Profiles that let different household members personalize their experience, and a Nook Scrapbook for magazine and catalog pages help set the Nook HD+ apart. And unlike the Kindle Fire HD, it doesn’t have ads on its lock screen or home screen.
A 7-inch model
It may be great for magazines, but do you really want to read paperback books for hours at a time on a big 9-inch tablet? The iPad doesn’t come in a separate, 7-inch model, but the Nook HD+ does (and so does the Kindle Fire). And the smaller Nook HD (no + on the end) weighs even less.
The downside
The Nook HD+ uses the same dual-core processor as the 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD, which is reputedly slow and laggy. It also has far fewer apps and games than either the Kindle Fire or the iPad, and if you already own apps for either they don’t transfer to your Nook, even if the same app is available for it. The same applies in reverse, although in the case of the iPad and Nexus 7 you can get Kindle or Nook apps for them, to read most or your books and content.
As for their content libraries? Check online to make sure that the movies or games that you want are there before buying.
