Barnes & Noble go up against Amazon in Blighty with Nook apps

Optimistic Amazon competitor Barnes & Noble has launched its Nook platform in the UK, in soft form for iOS and Android, but enough to start selling books to Brits. Like Amazon's Kindle the concept behind the Nook platform is hardware used to sell digital content, with Nooks ranging from a basic e-ink model ($99) to a 9-inch …

[mANgLEr]

"and has the best page-turning animation we've seen"

Was it Apple who were just 'awarded' a patent for page turn animation?

[dogged]

I may get one. The better half has a Kindle (and loves it) but I don't like the idea of zero competition so supporting B&N seems like a good idea.

[Anonymous Coward]

Try a Kobo (Glo)

For a good Kindle alternative the Kobo or Kobo Glo are very good.

Amongst many other formats they do EPUB with either Adobe DRM or DRM-free sideloaded.

Good catalogue and a great screen, better than the paperwhite but that's just my own preference).

Plus they've been in the UK for years so have a much more complete presence and are far more likely to be a realistic competitor long-term given their massive Japanese backing.

[Dave Fox]

#FAIL

"A statement from Barnes & Noble said the tablets were arriving on shelves at Blackwell's, Foyles, John Lewis, Argos, Asda, Dixons, Sainsbury's and Waitrose"

http://www.johnlewis.com/231809937/Product.aspx

So much for the Nook tablets not being available in the UK!

[Vulch]

Text size

When I tried the Nook client on a 10" tablet a while ago I couldn't get the text small enough for my tastes. I've stuck with Aldiko as well which just has the annoying feature in the current version where the start screen is always portrait alignment. Everything else rotates fine.

[Anonymous Coward]

Who?

Okay, my wife is american so I do know who Barnes & Noble are, but the majority of brits don't and will not associate the name with books in any way.

[Magnus Ramage]

Re: Who?

Did they not have UK stores for a while but shut them down? Or am I confused with a different American chain? I remember at least three large bookshops (in Glasgow, Milton Keynes and Stockport) which I'm pretty sure were Barnes & Noble, and were really quite good. But now gone.

[Richard Lloyd]

Nook HD and HD+ already on sale in the UK

It seems stunning that this article almost makes it sound like it could be months or years before we get the Nook e-readers in the UK and yet the IT press (except El Reg who seem to have ignored them completely) was full of the Nook HD(+) launch almost a week ago. Example:

http://www.zdnet.com/uk/nook-hd-and-nook-hd-go-on-sale-in-the-uk-7000007831/

As for the Nook app on Android, here's how to get a list of the free e-books:

1. Download the app (it's free on Google Play).

2. Register a Nook account (doesn't seem to have any e-mail verification).

3. Register a dummy method of payment in the settings (any old info, 4 and then fifteen 1's is a well-known test Visa credit card number (no verification of this)).

4. Go to the store via what looks like a broken padlock (or house?) icon in the top right.

5. Select the search icon and search for "0.00", which will display the free e-books, which you can download (no doubt in DRM-infested form even for a free book, ho hum).

When I did this a day ago, a lot of mummy pr0n e-books turned up, but repeating it today, they seem to have a wider range now (not that any of the free ones are any good of course).

[Chris Parsons]

It's the content that's too expensive

I love the idea of ebooks, but they are ludicrously expensive. You can almost always get the paper version for a similar price, or cheaper. I'm a tightwad and am very happily buying paper books, secondhand, from Amazon at a fraction of the ebook price.

Of course I understand the advantage of having lots of books with you when you travel, but at home, that is not an issue, and I can lend my books to my friends.