This means access to some 700,000 apps in Google Play and the Chrome web browser, according to a report on tech site Mashable.
“We always are taking customer feedback related with what they’d like to see with Nook. The desire to see an expanded app catalog fed into that for sure,” it quoted Barnes & Noble VP of Global Ebook, Jim Hilt, as saying.
But Hilt said Google Play will not replace the Nook’s curated list of apps, but its icon will be on the “Active Shelf” alongside Nook’s other content options.
Nook HD owners will also get a bonus- Google’s Gmail app, which will operate alongside instead of replacing the Nook HD’s native email app.
Adding Google Play can help differentiate the Nook HD from its chief competitor, the Amazon Kindle Fire HD, which presently does not have direct access to Google’s content library.
Mashable said Barnes & Noble refused to reveal exact sales data for its line of Android Ice Cream Sandwich-based 7- and 9-inch tablets, but noted end-2012 sales were not as good as expected.
Still, Barnes & Noble discounted reports it may quit the tablet business.
Meanwhile, Mashable said Nook HD and HD+ owners who download the update via Wi-Fi will get access to Google Play’s library of movies and music.
"Aside from Pandora and Spotify streaming options, the Nook’s downloadable music source has always been something of an after-thought. This will put Nook HD on par with Google’s own Nexus 7 tablet," it said.
On the other hand, it said Google Play’s movie library will augment instead of replace the Nook HD’s current film selection. Hill also said Barnes & Noble has “invested in large relationships with studios.”
As for the browser, Google Chrome will replace the Nook’s Web browser. – KDM, GMA News
source: gmanetwork.com
