Samsung, B&N Partner for Nook-Branded Galaxy Tabs

Barnes & Noble is looking to revive its struggling Nook business with the help of Samsung.

The companies on Thursday announced plans to launch co-branded tablets, dubbed the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook. The 7-inch tablet will feature Samsung's hardware and customized Nook software, offering easy access to Barnes & Noble's digital store, which has more than 3 million titles. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook will go on sale in the U.S. in early August at Barnes & Noble stores and online.

The move to partner with Samsung is probably a good idea for Barnes & Noble, which has had real troubles selling its Nook devices of late. In its most recent quarterly results, the company said Nook sales declined 50.4 percent.

Last year, William Lynch resigned as director and CEO amidst troubles in the Nook business. That came about a month after Barnes & Noble said that it was looking to hand its struggling Nook tablet division to a third party, and two months after it tried to boost sales by adding Google Play to the Nook HD and HD+ tablets.

"Working with Samsung on co-branded tablets will allow [Barnes & Noble] to reduce its exposure to the substantial cost structure and other financial commitments that accompany ownership of the hardware production aspects of the Nook tablet business," the book seller said. "Going forward, the company will be able to focus on its proven expertise in acquiring and delivering the best digital reading experience to grow Nook content sales."

Samsung, meanwhile, said it already has a "strong relationship" with Barnes & Noble, offering the company's reading experience on its Galaxy Tab products.

"Samsung is dedicated to providing consumers with choices that best fit their lifestyle," Samsung Electronics America President Tim Baxter said in a statement. "So, we are excited to be taking this next step with Barnes & Noble to offer Galaxy Tab 4 devices that are tailored to the needs of their customers and enhance the Nook reading experience."

Barnes & Noble will also continue to offer and provide support for its Nook GlowLight device. For more, see PCMag's full review of the Barnes & Noble Nook GlowLight and our roundup of the 13 Best Nook Tablet Apps.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade.

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes.

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app.

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth.

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light.

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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