Microsoft allows Windows 8 to run on smaller displays: is a reader-sized Surface on its way?

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div class="copy post-body" dir="ltr" itemprop="text" style="text-align: left;"> <div class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="Microsoft relaxes Windows 8 rules to allow smaller screens is a readersized tablet on its way " data-src-height="412" data-src-width="619" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/windows8-7inch-lead.jpg" /></div>Until now, Windows 8's official hardware requirements have been understandably ruthless: devices with anything less than 1,366 x 768 pixels need not apply. That policy was changed in a recent newsletter, however, to permit the creation of Windows 8 devices with a resolution of 1,024 x 768 -- likely representing a very different size and shape. Microsoft says the policy switch isn't meant to "encourage partners to regularly use a lower screen resolution", and it warns that such dimensions will be incompatible with Windows 8's split-screen feature, known as "snap". Which raises the question -- why mess with the rules?<br /> Ed Bott over at <em>ZDNet</em> has an interesting theory. 1,024 x 768 matches the size and aspect ratio of many popular reader-sized tablets, like the iPad Mini, which are meant to be used in both portrait and landscape orientations. There's no official confirmation either way, of course, but Bott believes Microsoft's move could be deliberately aimed at allowing the development of 7- or 8-inch Windows 8 (or RT) tablets, possibly with the close help of Nook-maker Barnes & Noble. Indeed, Mary Jo Foley spotted that Redmond and B&N have registered a new joint venture, "NewCo", that explicitly mentions the creation of a "Microsoft reader". Considering all these clues, can a Wook (WiNook?) really be that far off?<br /> </div></div>

Microsoft allows Windows 8 to run on smaller displays: is a reader-sized Surface on its way?

Until now, Windows 8's official hardware requirements have been understandably ruthless: devices with anything less than 1,366 x 768 ...

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Nook getting in-app purchasing 'soon,' B&N promises 'thousands' of top apps

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/10/tmo0001dsc04736inline.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Sure Barnes & Noble's already promising you the ability to download the "most popular and bestselling top 100 app titles for tablets available anywhere," but what happens when you want to buy something in those apps? Fear not, the bookstore-turned-hardware-maker will be bringing in-app purchases to its line of slates "soon," thanks to a partnership with Nook developer Fortumo. That company's bring single click payment to the Nook ecosystem and offering dashboards and analytics on consumer buying habits for developers. Thanks to the offering, B&N feels certain that, "thousands of the most-requested games and apps featuring in-app purchasing will be available for customers to experience on NOOK's award-winning line of tablets" in the months to come.</div><div class="pr_box open" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <div class="pr_box_button">Hide Press Release</div><div class="pr_text"> <em><strong>NOOK® Announces In-App Purchasing Coming Soon</strong></em><br /> <em>NOOK Media LLC, a subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products, today announced in-app purchasing is coming soon to NOOK through a partnership with industry-leading mobile payment provider Fortumo. App and game developers will be able to sell premium digital content in their products seamlessly and safely to millions of NOOK customers in the NOOK Store™ (www.nook.com). In the coming weeks and months, thousands of the most-requested games and apps featuring in-app purchasing will be available for customers to experience on NOOK's award-winning line of tablets, including the critically acclaimed 7-inch NOOK HD and 9-inch NOOK HD+.</em><br /> <em>"We are thrilled to bring in-app purchasing to NOOK with Fortumo for our community of developers so they can foster a profitable relationship with their customers, while also providing our NOOK customers with a more in-depth app experience and an even wider selection of popular apps"</em><br /> <em>In-app purchasing provides developers a deeper engagement with millions of NOOK customers who enjoy using apps on their NOOK devices and browsing the fully curated NOOK Apps™ storefront (www.nook.com). Through its partnership with NOOK Developer™, Fortumo will provide developers with all the tools and resources they need to implement in-app purchasing, including a powerful dashboard with real-time insights on revenues and smart analytics on how customers are making purchases. For more information, developers can visit https://nookdeveloper.barnesandnoble.com/iap.html.</em><br /> <em>For customers, in-app purchasing offers greater access to the most popular games and free apps on NOOK, and gives them the flexibility to buy extra levels, coins and other upgrades to make the app experience even better. And with the integration of Fortumo's one-click checkout, once a customer has registered for in-app purchasing there's no need to enter long credit card numbers before each payment. They simply click "Pay" and the purchase is completed in seconds.</em><br /> <em>"We are thrilled to bring in-app purchasing to NOOK with Fortumo for our community of developers so they can foster a profitable relationship with their customers, while also providing our NOOK customers with a more in-depth app experience and an even wider selection of popular apps," said Claudia Romanini, VP of NOOK Apps, NOOK Media, LLC. "We look forward to adding thousands of more apps that feature in-app purchasing over the coming weeks and months to expand NOOK's already wide array of digital content offerings."</em><br /> <em>"In-app purchasing makes it possible for developers to ensure the customer only pays when they absolutely love the app. This has proven to be a compelling value proposition for customers and a very successful strategy for developers," said Rain Rannu, Co-Founder and CEO of Fortumo. "We're excited to work with NOOK and its vibrant developer community to leverage Fortumo's industry-leading in-app payments solution to bring 'freemium' content to millions of NOOK customers."</em><br /> <em>The NOOK Store features all of the most popular and bestselling top 100 app titles for tablets available anywhere, including the hottest games, as well as lifestyle, productivity, news, entertainment and reading apps. The NOOK Store also provides helpful age recommendations for parents and lets customers browse by subject area to find the perfect app for their child among the broadest and the most curated app collection of kids' educational apps on any Android store. With the quality collection of NOOK Apps, customers can choose from a selection of only the best apps available, and enjoy a simple, organized way to discover and purchase apps – right alongside their favorite books, movies and TV shows, magazines, newsstand titles and more. Barnes & Noble's award-winning line of tablets, including the 7-inch NOOK HD and 9-inch NOOK HD+, brings to life all this exciting content at incredibly low prices starting at $199.</em><br /> </div></div></div>

Nook getting in-app purchasing 'soon,' B&N promises 'thousands' of top apps

Sure Barnes & Noble's already promising you the ability to download the "most popular and bestselling top 100 app titles fo...

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Barnes and Noble giving away Nook Simple Touch with every Nook HD+ purchase in limited promo

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="Barnes and Noble" data-src-height="348" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/nook-hd-plus-600s2011-09-1522-01-05600.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Americans love a good bargain -- especially, when it's a twofer. Barnes and Noble, arguably the only real competitor to Amazon's Kindle juggernaut, has just announced a promotion to get as many of its Nook readers into consumers' hands as possible. Starting March 24th and running until the end of the month, consumers that purchase the Nook HD+ online, in-store or at select big box retailers will also be given a free Nook Simple Touch. The limited promotion comes hot on the heels of rumors that B&N would start to de-emphasize hardware production for the Nook line in favor of its content services; a rumor the company publicly shot down. Still, there's no denying e-reader market share's been an uphill battle for B&N, even if the segment is seeing marginal year-over-year increases. Numbers aside, if you've been holding out on joining the digital reading fray because of cost, now's the time to make the switch.</div><div class="pr_box open" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <div class="pr_box_button">Hide Press Release</div><div class="pr_text"> March 22, 2013 01:16 PM Eastern Daylight Time<br /> <strong>Barnes & Noble Announces NOOK® HD+ Special Limited Time Offer: Purchase the Critically Acclaimed NOOK HD+ and Get a FREE NOOK Simple Touch™</strong><br /> Everything That Customers Want in a Full HD Tablet Plus a FREE NOOK Simple Touch E Ink® Reader, a $79 Value<br /> NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NOOK Media LLC, a subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products, today announced that customers who purchase a NOOK HD+ between March 24, 2013, and March 31, 2013, will receive a free NOOK Simple Touch E Ink reader, a $79 value. This special limited time offer is available at all the nearly 700 Barnes & Noble retail stores nationwide, hundreds of Barnes & Noble College Bookstores and online at www.nook.com. The offer is also available between March 24, 2013, and March 30, 2013, through other leading retailers offering NOOK® products, including Walmart.com, Target and Best Buy. This is the perfect way to experience all that NOOK has to offer, combining NOOK HD+, the lightest full 9-inch HD tablet ever invented, with a free NOOK Simple Touch, the highly acclaimed and easy-to-use E Ink reader.<br /> "By offering a free NOOK Simple Touch with the purchase of NOOK HD+, customers can fully experience all that the expansive NOOK Store™ of more than 3 million titles has to offer"<br /> NOOK HD+ delivers extraordinary experiences in the areas that tablet owners use most. The reading experience is unmatched, offering beautifully rendered text, magazines in spectacular HD and lightning fast page turns. The fully laminated display reduces glare and provides excellent viewing angles, perfect for personal or shared viewing. At only 18.2 ounces (515 grams), NOOK HD+ is the lightest full HD tablet ever invented and features great battery life and expandable memory for even more storage. NOOK HD+ is available for $269 (16GB) and $299 (32GB), and is now an even better value with a free NOOK Simple Touch E Ink reader, a $79 value.<br /> NOOK HD+ is packed full with great tablet features, including:<br /> NOOK Video™: Delivers a growing and diverse catalog of favorite HD and standard movies and TV shows rendered in spectacular color and stunning definition from major studios and content providers including Lionsgate, MGM and Paramount Pictures.<br /> <br /> NOOK Apps™: Features many of the most popular and bestselling top 100 app titles for tablets, including Angry Birds, Temple Run: Brave and Words with Friends, along with thousands of other popular apps and games.<br /> <br /> NOOK Profiles™: A personalized experience that instantly transforms the device in hand to any family member's very own tablet so only they can see their own content.<br /> <br /> NOOK Channels™: A pioneering recommendation system that provides an easy way to discover new titles by theme.<br /> <br /> The ability to sync the last page read across NOOK devices and apps so customers don't lose their place.<br /> <br /> A stunning full HD 1920x1280 display for rich color and deep contrast.<br /> <br /> A powerful 1.5Ghz dual-core processor and built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.<br /> NOOK Simple Touch is the perfect device for customers seeking a simple, easy-to-use, dedicated reading experience on an ultra-light, portable 6-inch reader with an advanced E Ink Pearl display and the longest-lasting battery life of up to 2 months on a single charge. With a simple tap to the 6-inch touchscreen, it's intuitive and easy to navigate, shop and read. Customers can look up words, highlight passages, adjust the font size and style or search by typing on the responsive on-screen keyboard that appears only when a customer needs it. The paper-like E Ink display features crisp, clear text that's great for reading anywhere, even in bright sunlight. This award-winning device is normally available for only $79, but for a limited time comes free with the purchase of NOOK HD+.<br /> Customers can visit www.nook.com or visit the NOOK Digital Shops™ and displays in any of Barnes & Noble's nearly 700 bookstores for more information. Barnes & Noble offers Always Free NOOK Support in all of its neighborhood bookstores, with more than 35,000 NOOKsellers across the country ready to assist customers with setting up their NOOK devices or choosing their next great read.<br /> </div></div></div>

Barnes and Noble giving away Nook Simple Touch with every Nook HD+ purchase in limited promo

Americans love a good bargain -- especially, when it's a twofer. Barnes and Noble, arguably the only real competitor to Amazon's K...

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Barnes & Noble's Nook Free Fridays now include apps

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <img alt="Barnes & Noble's Nook Free Fridays now include apps, start with a hefty deal" data-src-height="412" data-src-width="619" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/barnes-and-noble-nook-hd-apps.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">There's no denying that Barnes & Noble's Nook business has faced challenges lately. The bookseller may, however, have an extra trick up its sleeve to keep e-reader buyers coming back. Taking a page from the likes of Apple and Amazon, it's expanding Nook Free Fridays to include apps in addition to books. The gesture effectively doubles the volume of free loot each week as long as you've got a tablet like a Nook HD or HD+. Barnes & Noble isn't modest in kicking off the giveaway, either -- the inaugural deal is OfficeSuite Professional 7, which would normally carry a $15 price tag. Although the bargains might not be enough to trigger switches for those well-entrenched in Amazon's world, they could well stop any wandering eyes among Nook owners.</div><div class="open" dir="ltr" id="pr_box" style="text-align: left;"> <div id="pr_box_button">Hide Press Release</div><div id="pr_text"> <em><strong>Barnes & Noble Announces NOOK® Free Fridays Now Includes Apps: Instantly Download a Different Paid App for Free Every Friday</strong></em><br /> <em>Free Weekly App Offer for NOOK Customers Kicks off with OfficeSuite Professional 7 from MobiSystems, a $14.99 Value</em><br /> <em>NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NOOK Media LLC, a subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), a leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products, today announced the expansion of NOOK Free Fridays, a weekly program that allows NOOK customers to instantly download free content, now includes a different paid NOOK App™ for free. Every Friday, NOOK customers can download a different paid NOOK Book™ and new, favorite or bestselling app directly to their NOOK tablets, including the critically acclaimed NOOK® HD and NOOK® HD+. NOOK is excited to announce that the free weekly app offer will kick off with the popular OfficeSuite Professional 7 app. A $14.99 value, OfficeSuite Professional will be available to download for free today.</em><br /> <em>To find and download the free NOOK Books and apps featured in the Free Fridays program, NOOK customers can visit the NOOK Blog (www.nook.com/blog), the NOOK Facebook page (www.facebook.com/nook), or follow NOOK on Twitter (www.twitter.com/nookbn) where the free app will be announced every Friday. The free NOOK Book and app can also be found in the NOOK Store™ (www.nook.com), and downloaded directly on NOOK HD, NOOK HD+, NOOK Tablet™ and NOOK Color™. Exclusions apply, see NOOK.com for details.</em><br /> <em>To kick off this special free weekly app offer, NOOK will be offering the OfficeSuite Professional 7 app by MobiSystems for free today, March 8. OfficeSuite Professional 7 allows customers to create, view, edit and print Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files and attachments and view PDF files right on their NOOK. This incredibly useful and convenient app is regularly priced at $14.99, but is now available for free through the Free App Friday program.</em><br /> <em>"We are thrilled to offer NOOK customers a variety of exciting apps from top developers for free every week," said Claudia Romanini, VP of NOOK Apps, NOOK Media, LLC. "NOOK Free Fridays is the perfect way to highlight our vast offering of exciting content, including apps for gaming, entertainment, productivity and more available in the NOOK Store while offering our customers a great value."</em><br /> <em>The NOOK Store features all of the most popular and bestselling top 100 app titles for tablets available anywhere, including the hottest games, as well as lifestyle, productivity, news, entertainment and reading apps. The NOOK Store also provides helpful age recommendations for parents and lets customers browse by subject area to find the perfect app for their child among the broadest and the most curated app collection of kids' educational apps on any Android store. With the quality collection of NOOK Apps™, customers can choose from a selection of only the best apps available, and enjoy a simple, organized way to discover and purchase apps – right alongside their favorite books, movies and TV shows, magazines, newsstand titles and more. Barnes & Noble's award-winning line of tablets, including the 7-inch NOOK HD and 9-inch NOOK HD+, brings to life all this exciting content at incredibly low prices starting at $199.</em><br /> </div></div></div>

Barnes & Noble's Nook Free Fridays now include apps

  There's no denying that Barnes & Noble's Nook business has faced challenges lately. The bookseller may, however, have an extr...

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Barnes & Noble signs licensing agreement with MGM, Lionsgate, National Geographic and more for Nook Video

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <img alt="Barnes & Noble signs licensing agreement with MGM, Lionsgate, National Geographic and more for Nook Video service " src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/12/nookvideo.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">Barnes and Noble has just dealt up some good news for movie-loving owners of its Nook HD and HD+ slates, with the announcement of new licensing agreements with a host of studios. Lionsgate, MGM, Paramount, Relativity Media as well as National Geographic, Little Pim and Film Buff are all part of the new wave of additions to the Nook Video line-up. This means titles such as <em>The Hunger Games</em>, <em>Mad Men</em>, and the <em>Twilight</em> Movies will be available for rent or purchase starting today. Little Pim provides foreign language learning for kids, so there's something to expand the minds of the little ones too. This, combined with that UltraViolet integration and the odd item at the FCC suggests that Barnes & Noble is taking its media content offering more seriously than ever. We're certainly not complaining.</div><div class="open" dir="ltr" id="pr_box" style="text-align: left;"> <div id="pr_box_button">Hide Press Release</div><div id="pr_text"> <strong>Barnes & Noble Announces New NOOK Video™ Partnerships with Major Studios Lionsgate, MGM, Paramount Pictures, Relativity Media and Content Providers National Geographic, Little Pim, and Film Buff</strong><br /> Robust Selection of Blockbuster Films and Hit TV Shows In Stunning HD Quality Now On NOOK® HD and NOOK® HD+<br /> NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NOOK Media LLC, a subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products, announced it will bring even more popular movies and TV shows to its expansive NOOK Video offering through newly announced content licensing partnerships with major studios and content providers including Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), MGM, Paramount Pictures, Relativity Media, National Geographic, Little Pim, and Film Buff. NOOK Video continues to deliver a growing and diverse catalog of favorite standard and HD movies and TV shows rendered in spectacular color and stunning definition on NOOK® HD, the world's highest-resolution 7-inch HD tablet, and NOOK® HD+, the lightest full 9-inch HD tablet.<br /> "We are very excited to begin transactional distribution of our films on NOOK. This furthers our goal of reaching the widest possible audience using all available technologies"<br /> Offering instant access to a wealth of digital entertainment, NOOK Video lets customers shop a vast collection of new releases, blockbuster titles, popular television shows, favorite classics and more, available for streaming or download. NOOK's newly announced content agreements will bring thousands of additional movies and TV shows for all ages and interests to the NOOK Video catalog, including the blockbuster films The Hunger Games, the Twilight movies, Tyler Perry's Madea Gets a Job, Skyfall, Rocky, Fargo, Flight, Paranormal Activity 4, Act of Valor, Safe Haven, House at the End of the Street; independent films from Film Buff's catalog including Charles Swan and Exit from the Gift Shop; and TV shows like Mad Men, Border Wars, Great Migrations, Amazing Planet; as well as educational content via Little Pim, the leading foreign language learning program for young children, plus many more.<br /> "With the addition of these industry-leading studio partners, NOOK Video continues to expand its already robust offering, providing customers with an even wider selection of their favorite movies and TV shows," said Jonathan Shar, Vice President & General Manager, Emerging Digital Content, NOOK Media LLC. "Combined with NOOK's seamless UltraViolet™ integration, we are offering customers one of the most dynamic and accessible movie and TV show stores available."<br /> "NOOK is one of a growing spectrum of new digital buyers for our film and TV content and illustrates the breadth and depth of opportunities for monetizing our content across a broad array of platforms," said Thomas Hughes, Lionsgate Senior VP Digital/On Demand. "We look forward to an exciting and productive partnership with NOOK."<br /> "We are very excited to begin transactional distribution of our films on NOOK. This furthers our goal of reaching the widest possible audience using all available technologies," added Relativity's David Spiegelman, President, Domestic Television & Digital Distribution.<br /> NOOK HD and NOOK HD+ offer everything that customers want in a tablet, with millions of books, apps, movies, TV shows, magazines and more available in the expansive NOOK Store of more than 3 million titles. These new 7-and 9-inch tablets are lightweight, but packed with pixels to deliver text, graphics and video with stunning HD clarity so every book, magazine, movie and app looks better than ever before. Add new family-friendly features like NOOK Profiles™, a personalized experience that instantly transforms the device in hand to any family member's very own tablet, and you have the very best reading and entertainment tablets for the whole family to share.<br /> NOOK also brings unmatched convenience and portability to customers' digital video collections. As the first UltraViolet-enabled tablets, NOOK HD and NOOK HD+ seamlessly integrate a customer's UltraViolet digital video collection across their devices right out of the box. Customers can easily link their UltraViolet accounts to the NOOK Cloud™, allowing them to view their previously and newly purchased UltraViolet-enabled movies and TV shows across NOOK HD and NOOK HD+ devices. In addition to purchasing movies and TV shows via NOOK Video, customers can shop for DVDs and Blu-ray Discs™ with the UltraViolet logo in Barnes & Noble and other retail stores, add them to their digital collection, and instantly watch compatible titles from the NOOK Cloud™ to enjoy wherever they go and however they choose.<br /> </div></div></div>

Barnes & Noble signs licensing agreement with MGM, Lionsgate, National Geographic and more for Nook Video

  Barnes and Noble has just dealt up some good news for movie-loving owners of its Nook HD and HD+ slates, with the announcement of new lic...

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