Yesterday Barnes and Noble issued a mysterious press release about the upcoming release of a new 7.8-inch Nook Glowlight Plus.
It’s getting released in stores on May 27th, and it will be available online from Barnes and Noble’s website starting May 29th.
Apparently they aren’t going to bother listing the new Nook Glowlight Plus on their website until then because it’s still not showing up anywhere a day after they announced it.
If the name sounds familiar it’s because they already used that exact same name for a previous Nook, the one prior to the Glowlight 3. That will make shopping for covers and accessories a bit confusing.
The new Nook looks a lot like the Glowlight 3, which B&N sells for $119, except the bezels aren’t as huge. It has page buttons on both sides of the screen, and the trademark Nook button below the screen.
It has a 7.8-inch 300 ppi E Ink screen and a frontlight with adjustable color temperature. It comes with 8GB of onboard storage space. It’s also waterproof. That’s pretty much all we know at this point.
Hopefully the new Nook will come with a round of software updates and they aren’t just porting the old software over from the Nook Glowlight 3 because it’s known for being one of the buggiest Nooks yet.
It’s good to seen B&N doing something different, though. This is the first Nook ereader with something other than a 6-inch screen. And the price is reasonable at $199.
Any idea if this is also an IR screen like the GL3?
I bet it’s basically just a larger version of the Glowlight 3, so I would guess it has an infrared screen as well. That’s something B&N would never specify either way so we’ll find out next week…
If this comes with Android 6 or better it will be interesting how it compares with Kobo and likebook ereaders in this size and price range.
That would be nice if it had newer software but if it’s like the Glowlight 3 it will have Android 4.4.2. I can’t see B&N offering two Nooks each with different software versions.
Honestly, even if it’s just a 7.8″ IR version of the GL3, that would be great. Coolreader works great on the GL3, imo. Faster page turns than my Kindles on a better screen.
Unless people read your website and two others – how are they going to know to go to the BN stores on Monday to view and purchase? Are they planning a better announcement to get the word out before Monday?
Sadly B&N never advertises that I am aware of
B&N never really does much to market Nooks. It’s like they’re contractually obligated to release a new Nook every two years but they act as if they could really care less in doing so. I bet most stores won’t even have them out on display when Monday comes around.
If that is the way they are going to launch their new device with little notice or fanfare and if they do not have an improved firmware update – it should warn people to keep their $200 and either put it towards Kobo’s Forma or hold to see if Amazon brings out a new larger Kindle. I have had 2every Nook ereader, even the Ebookwise, and I think the Glowlight 3 was the most disappointing to me. I stopped using it because of how slow it was and now just read Nook books on the iPad. I haven’t bought a Nook book in several years. I have an extensive Nook library and received almost $700 when the refunds came out. I would love to see an excellent device but I do not trust in BN anymore to invest my money. I am exclusively Kobo because of the Forma and the Clara – I really like both devices. I have a Kindle PW3 that I use on the rare occasion I want to read a Kindle book. I did not like the Oasis (both versions) nor did I like the Kindle PW4. For BN’s sake I hope this new device is a winner but I really do not expect much from them.
The Nook firmware is so bad that their devices are not worth getting (to me). The hardware aspect of this one sounds great, but it’s wasted on the firmware.
I am a little annoyed that non of my posts are showing up since the last. WTF?
I been using this Nook since Monday and I love it. If all you want to do is read and nothing fancy and want a large screen this is it! You will never find a 7.8″ lower than $199.99. If you are into immersion reading with audiobooks or need something to support PDFs this is not for you but for just reading, like ereaders were meant to only do BTW, this is a good device.