Book retailer Barnes & Noble announced that two new tablets will be joining its stock of ereaders. The new devices, the Nook HD and the Nook HD+, will operate on Google’s (News - Alert) Android system, which is by far the most popular among smartphone and tablet users in North America.

Barnes & Noble is also planning on a second round of new tablet technology that is coming down the line next month. These new tablets, however, will stray from the Android (News - Alert) systems and run with Microsoft’s Windows 8.


Image via www.barnesandnoble.com

Back in April, it was announced that Barnes & Noble and Microsoft (News - Alert) would be striking up a partnership toward the development of a new line of tablets. Microsoft invested a cool 300 million and now owns a 17.6 percent stake in its partner’s company. The mutually beneficial aspect of this partnership will make itself known upon the release of these new tablets, which will feature a reading app that is designed specifically for the Windows 8 system. Both Barnes & Noble and Microsoft are working against the grain where ereaders and operation systems are concerned, so the partnership is sure the benefit both. 

Both companies are confident that the new reading app will be significantly better than those already on the market and therefore within the reach of Android. Microsoft and Barnes & Noble are dedicated to furthering the experience of digital reading, with more attention paid to the different mediums that might be altered when transferred from print to the screen.

What, exactly, those new improvements to the experience of tablet reading might be remains to be seen. The app is set to launch in a few weeks, though the appropriate tablets and such won’t be available until next month. Hopefully, the combined efforts of both companies will do a little good for digital reading generally and their own interests to boot. 

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