Barnes and Noble is running yet another sale on the Nook HD and Nook HD+ tablets, and it’s the best deal yet, especially now that they come with access to Google Play. The Nook HD starts at only $129 for the 8GB model and the Nook HD+ is $149 for the 16GB model.
Those are some crazy good deals when you consider the fact the Nook HD has the highest resolution screen of any 7-inch tablet on the market, and the Nook HD+ with its larger 9-inch screen is far more economical than other large-screen tablets at that price. By comparison, the equivalent Kindle Fire HD sells for $269; that’s the price the Nook HD+ normally sells for as well.
Speaking of Kindles, you have to wonder what Amazon thinks of all these Nook sales lately. Amazon usually has the lowest prices around and even they can’t get anywhere close to the low prices that Barnes and Noble is selling the Nook tablets for lately. Amazon’s Father’s day deal only took $20 off the price of a Kindle Fire HD, and for some reason they’ve already ended that deal.
It’s hard to believe you can get a 9-inch tablet with 256 ppi and an IPS screen for $149. Sure it lacks cameras but it has a microSD card slot, Bluetooth, a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, and 10 hour battery life. Compared to other large-screen tablets on the market, that’s one of the best deals that can be had.
The regular Nook HD is a good deal at $129 too, but there’s more to consider with it because there are more options available in the 7-inch tablet category. If I were in the market for a 7-inch tablet, the Nook HD would be pretty appealing at that price, but ultimately I would personally go with the new Hisense Sero 7 Pro tablet from Walmart for $149. For $20 more you get a quad-core processor, an HDMI port, front and rear cameras, GPS, NFC, and an unmodified version of Android 4.2 (the Nooks run a modified version of Android 4.0).
Anyway, if you want a Nook, now is the time to get one. They are available through June 16th at these prices from Barnes and Noble.com, retail stores, and from some Nook resellers like Walmart and Frys.com.
Update: Barnes and Noble has extended this deal beyond Father’s day. They give no date on when the deal expires so this could permanent.
>>>If I were in the market for a 7-inch tablet, the Nook HD would be pretty appealing at that price, but ultimately I would personally go with
See, even YOU can’t recommend it at this low price. Nor can I recommend the HD+. I hope for Nook Media’s sake that this last gasp sales blast clears out all of their inventory. Better to be out of stock forever than the perma-embarrassment of these constant death spiral sales.
The only reason I’m not jumping on the HD+ is the proprietary USB cable/port. B&N charges $25+tax for the power adapter and cable and $15+tax for a single cable after that. I’ve been fortunate enough to keep my cables in good condition but those are outrageously overpriced.
I just want a high-res ~10in. screen to read comics why is that too much to ask for?
Tiger Direct has the adapter + cord for sale for like $13ish shipped. Not too unreasonable for a spare.
I have noticed that B&N has left out some key component of Android that prevents some apps from being installable: Swype and others.
So, buyer beware.
Besides lacking cameras, the NOOK HD and HD+ also lack GPS (this was alluded to at the end of the article). All mobile phones have GPS, and a surprising number of app developers have failed to mark GPS as being optional for their apps. Those apps are therefore “incompatible” with the NOOKs even though they would run fine.
Still, I’m very pleased with my NOOK HD. I also think the user interface is much less confusing for the techno-challenged than the stock Android interface is.
Ian: check if any of the Staples stores near you has the cable on closeout. I’ve heard Staples has been selling NOOK HD/HD+ chargers for as little as $2, but stocks are getting hard to find.
Here’s an in-depth review of the Sero 7 Lite:
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/06/review-sero-7-lite-is-a-99-tablet-that-isnt-the-worst-thing-ever/
Yes, I saw this price in an email. Bought an hd+ at the mothers day sale…thought that price was good but now it’s even less.
I didn’t have a tablet before, the Nook HD+ is pretty decent. Not as smooth as hubby’s Nexus 7, but my eyes needed more resolution than that and I wanted a larger screen. Most of my apps were available. This tablet is great for digital magazine reading! I’m very pleased and feel my $179 was well spent. Certainly there’s nothing else suitable for my needs for this price.
This sale has been extended “for a limited time” (no specific end date given).
http://www.barnesandnobleinc.com/press_releases/6_17_13_extended_fathers_day_offer_release.html