We’ve known for a while now that Barnes & Noble was set to partner with Samsung to release a Nook branded version of its 7-inch Galaxy Tab 4 slate, but the company has tied things off nicely today, officially launching the tablet at an event in New York. The hardware here is familiar, but the company is branding the release as the first full-featured Android tablet optimized for readers.
If you’re familiar with Samsung’s device, then you’ll know what to expect on the hardware front. As this is being marketed as a reading slate, the display is possibly the most important feature. With a resolution of 1280 x 800 over seven inches, and with 216 pixels per inch (PPI), the screen here is nothing to shout about, but should suffice for general content consumption.
The tablet is thin and light at 276 g (0.6 lbs) and 9 mm (0.35 in), and though there’s only 8 GB of onboard storage, there’s a microSD card slot on board, meaning you can expand storage up to 32 GB, providing plenty of room for all that Nook content.
The device runs Android 4.4 KitKat, but with software tweaks that put Nook content front and center. If you purchase the tablet through Barnes & Noble and you’re already a Nook subscriber, your content will be pre-loaded and ready to use. Despite the reader-centric software optimization, you still get access to the Google Play Store and the 1.3 million+ apps that it entails.
The Galaxy Tab 4 Nook retails for US$200, or $180 after an instant rebate. What’s perhaps more compelling than either the specs or the price point is the content package that the company is throwing in with every purchase. Barnes & Noble claims the freebie content is worth more than $200, and includes three bestselling eBooks, a handful of TV show episodes and four 14-day magazine trials.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook is available in a choice of black or white, and can be purchased today from the Barnes & Noble website, or from the company’s brick and mortar locations.
Source: Barnes & Noble
