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Overview

This tablet is the second iteration of the original Nook Color, which was a huge success for the manufacturer and has been its bestselling device. This ereader is recognized as a solid second offering by Barnes and Noble, providing the user with the dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage. Meanwhile, the new device cost the same as the original Nook Color – $249 in the United States.

Hardware

The Nook tablet has a 7-inch multitouch display, featuring a resolution of 1024*600 pixels, running a dual-core 1GHZ processor and having 1 GB of RAM. The device offers the internal storage of 16 GB, which can be further extended through the Micro SD up to 32 GB.

All in all, the hardware is the same as that of the original Nook Color, but in most cases outpaces it in every way. It will be almost instant to switch the reader from landscape to portrait mode. In addition, the interface navigating is also very quick and robust. At the same time, the form-factor of the new device is lighter and slimmer, thus enhancing the portability factor. The reader features a small built-in microphone on its front, which lets the user to record their own voice in certain ebooks allowing for “read and record” feature. This would also benefit new apps like Skype. The ubiquitous “N” located on the front will bring the user back home during exploring applications or menus and reading books. What is new about this key in this tablet is that it can call up the main menu, which is very convenient, as it takes you the only hit on the key to get full access to the library, Internet browser, store, and apps. In other words, it would makes life much simpler than the original tablet, since the latter only brought the user back to the home screen and needed a touch area to bring up the main menu.

There are physical volume buttons on the sides of the Nook tablet, as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack on the top. At the bottom of the reader there’s a micro-USB port, allowing you to charge the device through the personal computer and transfer content to it. A power button used to lock the device or turn it off is located on the left hand side of the tablet. Physical buttons may appear more convenient on the tablet, because, for example, turning up the volume is much easier accomplished with physical buttons instead of the screen experience.

As for audio and volume, the speaker is located on the bottom of the device and this position became a matter of contention with many consumers who find the speaker muffled when the device is being holding in landscape and portrait mode due to the hand overlapping. Finally, the device allows to browse the web with the built-in Wi-Fi browser, and also has full Adobe Flash integration allowing for playing games and watching embedded videos. The online experience hasn’t changed much since the original tablet, except for the noticeable enhanced processor and RAM during scrolling around Internet pages and zooming.

In other words, the Barnes and Noble Nook Tablet represents a solid 2nd-generation device in terms of hardware, which doubles everything of the original tablet.

Software

The Barnes and Noble Nook Tablet runs Google Android 2.3 – a more current version of the operating system than the original tablet had, featuring many benefits like faster loading time on major UI elements.

The menus and settings features also reiterate the original device, but the company has expanded on lots of the Graphical elements making it feel like a more current tablet. Although major part of Android tablets is regarded as e-readers that provide the user with a standard Android experience, this manufacturer has always crafted its own unique appearance.

When you hit the N button on the front, the device brings up the main menu, making accessing common tasks easier then earlier, with the main options being home screen, library, store, search, applications, Internet and settings. The home screen is rather customizable, allowing the user to hold down on a book or app and manually put it on any place of the main screen. There’re 3 different sub-screens that can be accessed, apart from the main one: the first allowing the user to make it dedicated to applications, another to books and the last one to magazines, newspapers or children books – it’s up to you what to choose.

In addition, there’s a new option called “More” on the top of the main home screen, located on the right hand corner. It is divided into three different areas for the user to quickly pickup where they left off in a certain book, access the recent files and check out past videos. Moreover, when the user signs into their main Barnes and Noble account, the latter will present new media for the user based on their reading or viewing habits.

As for the Library shelf, it has new navigation entries and has also undergone a revision in regards to the way things are laid out. In addition, it feels much more initiative than the previous model, as before the user had to jump through different hoops to simply get access to children books and applications, but now the user is free to easily make their own collections and organize purchased media.

Wrap-Up

While other ereaders are primarily an American-only devices, locking you out of purchasing applications, videos, music and major part of magazines unless you can provide an American credit card and address, with Barnes and Noble Nook tablet you are free to get whatever you want by simply claiming that you have an American billing address and using your own credit card. Indeed, these multimedia tablets are extremely popular in rich ecosystems in such countries as Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand – the users from those countries undoubtedly prefer the Nook tablet.

All in all, Barnes and Noble Nook tablet is a really great device, with the customization factor being one of the most endearing. The user is free to craft their own experience both in the way the home screen is displayed and in the way the shelves are set. As for battery life, it is solid at around 9 hours and the online experience is very rich and deep.