Bookseller Barnes & Noble partnered with Samsung to release the Galaxy Tab 4 Nook, a cheap tablet focused on reading. The gadget dropped last week, and reviews have been pouring in.
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The verdict? While the new Nook is fine for reading, the device is far from the best budget tablet on the market. It doesn't inspire much confidence for the Nook's future.
"With an improved reading app, the Galaxy Tab 4 Nook could be a compelling choice for loyal Barnes & Noble customers," says Engadget. "But if all you want is a budget Android tablet, you can do better, even at this price."
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The Nook is diving into an already crowded market: Amazon has already pioneered tablets for the people who can't afford an iPad, and Google is pushing far into the space as well.
"The Amazon Kindle Fire HD and ASUS MeMO Pad 7 are $40 less and offer identical display resolution, if shorter battery life," wrote Laptop Mag in its review. "The Google Nexus 7 is just $20 more, and offers a 1920 x 1200-pixel display and double the storage. For our money, we'll continue to pick Amazon's Kindle Fire HDX 7-inch over the Nook and its $199 price tag."
Probably the most compelling reason to pick a Nook is that it packs almost 11 hours of battery life.
"If you need an affordable tablet to entertain the kids and get some light reading done, the $179 Galaxy Tab 4 Nook won't disappoint, wrote Business Insider. "But it's far from being the best tablet you can buy. Amazon's Kindle Fire HDX tablets, which are also pretty affordable starting at $229, come with a much sharper display, a design that's just more premium and polished overall, and access to Amazon's Mayday support feature (Barnes & Noble offers on-site tech support) and other goodies. But you don't get access to the Google Play Store, which is one area where the Nook excels."
Barnes & Noble throw in some digital content with every new Nook, which they value at $200. The content is pretty scattershot, though, including classics like To Kill a Mockingbird as well as romance novels and kids' books.
The tablet sells for $199, or $179 with a $20 rebate the bookstore chain is offering right now.
