Barnes & Noble's Nook HD and HD+ recently received access to the Google Play store and now is fair competition to other reader tablets on the market. Although the tablet ran the Google Android OS, it was missing the ability to download apps from Google's app store.
Nook HD and HD+ users can now take advantage of what additional apps have to offer, such as Gmail for productivity and YouTube for entertainment. Google Chrome also comes along with the latest Nook tablet update, offering fast web browsing. Among the additional 700,000 apps and games in the Google Play store, are an additional selection of books, magazines and movies for Nook users.
Barnes & Noble wanted to offer Nook HD and HD+ owners access to additional apps and content.
"We have always had an app experience and a curated app experience -- curation is something we have been really good at. But we recognize there are a large number of customers who buy multi function tablets who want access to the whole library of apps," Barnes & Noble vice president Jim Holt said to ABC News.
Barnes & Noble also slashed prices on the Nook HD and Nook HD+ tablets in honor of Mother's Day in-store and online. The 8GB Nook HD is on sale for $149 from its regular price of $199, the 16GB version is $179 from $229. The 16 GB Nook HD+ is marked down to $179 from its retail price of $269. The 32 GB Nook HD+ is on sale for $209, a drop from its introductory price of $299. Online purchases include free shipping on both tablets and the sale lasts through Mother's Day, May 12.
