Not content to let Amazon have all the e-reader tablet fun, Barnes & Noble and Samsung have teamed up to release a larger version of the Nook tablet. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook features a 10.1-inch display with 1280 x 800-pixel resolution and comes preloaded with the e-book-seller's apps starting at $350 ($299 after $50 instant rebate). Plus, Barnes & Noble is throwing in $200 worth of popular content.
The Galaxy Tab 4 Nook comes with 16GB of storage, with can be expanded through a microSD card. The device weighs 17.28 ounces, which is heavier than both the 15.68-ounce iPad Air 2 and the new 13.2-ounce Amazon Fire HDX 8.9-inch. Inside, you'll find a 1.2-GHz Qualcomm APQ 8026 CPU. The company claims a battery life of about 10 hours, but we'll have to run our Laptop Mag Battery Test (continuous Web surfing over Wi-Fi) to be sure.
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The new Nook joins the company's 7-inch model, and both will run updated Nook software. Barnes & Noble claims the update will offer a cleaner user interface, a better shopping experience, new navigational tools and an improved experience in both landscape and portrait mode. The 7-inch model will get the new software as an over-the-air update in November.
The software already includes Samsung's Multi-Window mode, free Wi-Fi in Barnes & Noble stores, and parental controls with personal profiles for each member of the family. The free content that Barnes & Noble preloads includes four bestselling e-books: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, Two of a Kind by Yona Zeldis McDonough and The Best American Series 2014: 12 Short Stories & Essays by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
You'll also get three TV shows: The Newsroom, Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Octonauts. Plus, the Tab 4 Nook comes with four 14-day free trial subscriptions from 15 popular magazines, including Cosmopolitan, The New Yorker, Us Weekly, People and other options.
Barnes & Noble also throws in a smattering of apps, such as Cut the Rop: Expermients and Just 2 Words. Add in a $5 credit for a selection or two of your own and you have what looks like a good budget tablet for entertainment.
