Barnes & Noble's came out with their first eReader in 2009, the only major book retailer with physical locations to have stayed in the game since.
Previous outings have received fairly favorable reviews for its easy-on-the-eyes screen, allowing for several hours reading. Recent iterations however have aimed to introduce more functionality, including video and streaming entertainment on the go.
The Nook HD and Nook HD+ are products of a new approach Barnes & Noble's has taken with the Nook.
The Nook HD aims to compete with other 7-inch screen tablets, such as the Amazon Kindle Fire HD, and the Google Galaxy Nexus 7, while the 9-inch HD+ takes on the larger 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD, and the 10-inch iPad.
In order to do so it has much of the same functionality the competition offers, but with a few areas where the Nook HD and HD+ stands out.
What sets the HD apart from the HD+ are as mentioned the screen size, 7-inch and 9-inch respectively, the price, and a few optional features, such as larger storage. The HD has 8 GB or 16 GB storage depending on setup, while the HD+ comes equipped with 16 GB or 32 GB of storage.
Both Nooks are both lighter and slightly less bulky than the competing Kindle Fire HD, and the iPad, and features both crisp high-resolution screens as well as impressive graphics. The Nooks are the only tablets in the class to lack cameras however.
Software-wise the two Nooks are relatively similar, they come with a custom app-store from Barnes & Noble's which currently feature around 10,000 apps, which pales in comparison with the iPad's 250,000 apps, but just a bit underwhelming next to the Amazon Kindle Fire HD that offers around 50,000 apps.
Apart from the iPad, which has iOS6, the Nooks as well as other tablets in the class run their own versions of the OS Android 4.0.
It is when it comes to content that Barnes & Noble's hopes to beat out on the competition, offering more than 3 million books, including almost 3,500 English-language interactive books for kids, as well as about 100 magazines that are easily accessible through the Nook interface.
In addition, Barnes & Noble's recently announced their Nook Video movie-and-TV rental and purchase service coming this fall, with titles from HBO, Sony, Starz, Disney and Warner Bros.
The Nook HD is slated for release on November 1, 2012, according to Wikipedia.
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