Similar to Amazon’s Kindle Fire that proved to be a runaway success last year, along with Google’s foray into the tablets markets through Asus, gave us the 7 inch versions of tablets that are so popular today. It now seems to be the turn of the company that used to concentrate more on books and magazines, through its bookstore chain, to venture into tablets. The company that  confined itself to books, textbooks, DVDs, Games, e-books and toys decided to try their hand out at tablets.

It was in October 2010 that the book company launched its LCD e-reader in color. Called Nook Color, which is a high resolution 7 in touchscreen, it has 169ppi with access to over 3000,000 books and magazines, including several kids’ books. It was a great hit as it also had access to thousands of apps, movies and television shows through Netflix. Nook comics still remain an all time favorite with children.

Under a joint venture agreement with Microsoft, Barnes & Noble decided to launch the first product under the name Nook Media LLC. Microsoft have their own stone to grind as they wanted to promote the Windows 8 platform and the marriage of convenience seems to be a perfect solution. Microsoft decided to invest a good $300 million for the venture.

The Nook’s interface makes you believe that you are turning the pages of a real book while reading. This has been made possible by the live tiles of Windows 8.  You get live updates on the Start Screen itself and you can always get back to where you left to attend to something else.  The app promptly alerts you about impending arrivals of new magazine issues and pre-ordered books that you are looking forward to read.

Barnes & Noble promise a great reading experience through their Nook HD in addition to a unique content shopping experience for the millions of regulars of Windows 8. This app is available free of charge at the Microsoft’s store online. This tablet was originally available in the 16 Gigabyte version for just $249. Later, they thought it prudent to release an 8 GB version for just $199 in response to Amazon’s Kindle Fire. Jostling for space with Google’s Nexus 7 under collaboration with Asus, which features Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, Nook HD has made its presence known.

Though the Nook HD is not as sleek as the Kindle Fire or the Nexus, it does sport a thick grey bezel that borders the screen. Just below the display you find the home button, and the power button is positioned on the top left corner. The volume button is on the top right corner alongside the headphone jack. You have the option to use a microSD card that lets you increase the storage capacity up to 32 Gigabytes and access various media and video files. The 1 Gigabyte random access memory gives the necessary speed even while you are trying to accomplish a couple of tasks at the same time. On the whole, the Nook HD is more suited for people who spend more time reading than gaming or watching videos.

Andrea Walters, a freelance writer for www.globalx.net – The Nation’s Lowest All-Digital Price Provider.