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barnes & noble

B&N: Nook sales 'doubled' over Black Friday weekend

Barnes & Noble said this morning that sales of its Nook e-reader doubled over the four-day Black Friday weekend.

But like Amazon, which made a similar claim about its long-weekend Kindle sales, the company failed to provide any concrete numbers.

The growth in Nook sales, compared with the same four days a year ago, was propelled especially by an increase in promotional activity by the likes of Walmart and Target, Barnes & Noble said in the earnings report for its fiscal second quarter.

That quarter ended October 27, a month before the Black Friday weekend, so the company's revenue … Read more

B&N to sell Nook Simple Touch for $59 on Black Friday

Last year, Barnes & Noble ran a Black Friday sale on its Nook Simple Touch e-reader, chopping $20 off its list price of $99. This year it slices $40 off with a $59 in-store special -- while supplies last, of course.

Both Target and Sears are offering doorbuster deals on the Nook Simple Touch for $49 and $39.99, respectively, but I suspect Barnes & Noble will have more units on hand, which means you'll probably have a better shot of picking one up at a discounted price.

When it was released in 2011, we gave the Nook Simple … Read more

Barnes & Noble CEO not much into physical books anymore

Barnes & Noble CEO William Lynch has a big hand in shaping the sales of books, both physical and digital. He also has a confession to make.

"I don't really read physical books that much anymore," Lynch told Bloomberg's Nicole Lapin. Lynch was dishing on what he's reading on his Nook right now, including Food & Wine and Field & Stream magazines. Fortunately for physical books, Lynch's wife is still a big fan of paper.

The migration away from physical media isn't new, but it still feels a bit strange to hear the CEO of a massive physical bookstore chain fess up about his preference for e-books. He also admitted to not being able to finish "Fifty Shades of Grey," for what that's worth.… Read more

Barnes & Noble releases Nook app for Windows 8, Windows RT

Microsoft's digital book pact with Barnes & Noble is already bearing fruit.

A little more than a month after the two companies officially formed a partnership geared toward digital reading, Nook apps for Windows 8 and Windows RT have arrived at the Windows Store. B&N CEO William promised last month that a Windows 8 app was "imminent," but it was not available at the time of the new operating system's launch last month.

As part of the two companies' pact, Microsoft agreed to invest $300 million for a 17.6 percent stake in a … Read more

Microsoft's mobile guru Andy Lees nabs a promotion

As Microsoft goes through a major corporate shakeup, it seems to have made some other shifts and changes in its leadership recently. A company spokesperson told CNET that Microsoft quietly moved mobile guru Andy Lees to the head of corporate development and strategy about a month ago.

Lees has been with the company for more than 20 years. Less than a year ago, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer changed Lees from being president of the Windows Phone division to a vaguely described job that had Lees focusing on a set of projects with Windows Phone and Windows 8. In this role, … Read more

B&N drops prices on Nook Tablet and Nook Color

Now that Barnes & Noble's new $199 Nook HD tablet is starting to ship to customers, the company has lowered the prices on last year's Nook Tablet models to $179 (16GB) and $159 (8GB), and reduced the price of its entry-level Nook Color to $139.

It's unclear how long Barnes & Noble will keep these models on the market, but it appears they will be sold through the holiday buying season.

In the past you could get refurbished versions of these same models for similar prices. When it was originally launched in late 2011, the 16GB Nook TabletRead more

Barnes & Noble inks video deals in time for Nook HD, HD+ release

Barnes & Noble is expanding its Nook Video content to include NBCUniversal and 20th Century Fox programs as it also begins shipping its HD and HD+ tablets this week.

B&N said customers who preordered the tablets will start receiving them throughout the week. The devices will also hit Barnes & Noble's stores and retailers such as Target, Wal-Mart, and Best Buy.

Chief Executive William Lynch said that B&N had a record number of preorders.

The media partnerships will appear at the same time as the new Nooks and will bring thousands of TV shows and … Read more

The 404 1,156: Where your cell phone is sick (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Another reason not to buy books: Hackers installed credit card readers at 63 stores across the country, New York City included.

- Attention New Yorkers: It's officially time to freak out about Hurricane Sandy.

- SDSU study confirms that five-second rule is pretty much bull.

- A license plate frame that defeats red light camera flashes.… Read more

Hackers steal customer data from Barnes & Noble keypads

Hackers broke into keypads at more than 60 Barnes & Noble bookstores and made off with the credit card information for customers who shopped at the stores as recently as last month.

The company discovered the breach on September 14 but kept it quiet while the FBI attempted to track the hackers. Hackers broke into the point-of-sale terminals at 63 stores across the country, including locations in New York City, San Diego, Miami, and Chicago.

Since discovering the breach, the company has uninstalled all 7,000 point-of-sale terminals from its hundreds of stores for examination. Although only one terminal in … Read more

Prizefight: Kindle Paperwhite vs. Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight

Amazon's Kindle Paperwhite and the Barnes & Noble Simple Touch with GlowLight duke it out in this Prizefight slobber-knocker.

The Kindle brings its all-new Paperwhite technology to the table and Amazon's massive ecosystem. How will it match up against the Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight, which was the first true backlit e-reader with touch and physical controls?

These two e-readers continue to innovate and bring the best the e-reader market has to offer. So which e-reader is your Prizefight king of the ring?

Cast your vote!