Samsung and Barnes & Noble are trying to one-up Amazon with their latest team-up tablet, the new Galaxy Tab 4 Nook.
Where the first Galaxy Tab 4 Nook rivaled other 7-inch tablets, the new Galaxy Tab/Nook hybrid has a larger 10.1-inch screen.
Bear in mind that prior to introducing the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 Amazon had been rumored to be working on a 10.1-inch Kindle Fire.
Can Samsung and Barnes & Noble fill the gap where that tablet should have been?
The Nook touch
The Galaxy Tab 4 Nook devices are essentially normal Android tablets with a bit of an extra focus on Barnes & Noble's Nook ecosystem of ebooks and other entertainment content.
They fill the same role that Amazon's Kindle Fire line does in comparison to its normal, book-focused Kindles, like the Kindle Voyage: to get users to consume movies, TV shows and magazines in addition to ebooks.
For example the 10.1-inch Tab 4 Nook launches with $200 (about £125, AU$230) of free Nook content, according to a press release the two companies sent out today. This content includes "bestselling books, popular TV shows, top magazines and apps."
Specs-wise, the new Galaxy Tab 4 Nook is identical to the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 10.1, giving it a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, 1280 x 800 display, 1.5GB of memory, 16GB of storage, and GPS, plus 3- and 1.3-megapixel cameras. It also includes a new version of the Nook shopping and consumption software.
The tablet launched today in B&N stores and online for a "special introductory price" of $299 (about £186, AU$340) (after a mail-in rebate). We've asked Barnes & Noble to confirm whether the new Galaxy Tab 4 Nook will launch outside the US, and we'll update if we hear back.
- The Kindle Voyage has begun its own journey to your home
from www.techradar.com/
