Barnes & Noble has continued its assault on the UK market with the release of the Nook HD and Nook HD+ Android tablets, sold not only through its own website, but through a series of big name high street retailers too.

Barnes & Noble has expanded its range of hardware available in the UK with the announcement of the Nook HD and Nook HD+ Android tablets. Both devices are being delivered to stores this week, and anyone who pre-ordered the tablets should be receiving notification their device has shipped soon too.

This marks the second Barnes & Noble hardware launch in the UK in as many months, as it released its Nook Simple Touch e-readers in October, which further strengthens the bookseller’s place in the UK, a market where it was almost unheard of until September.

It was during September that B&N signed several important distribution deals, which will see its Nook products reach major stores such as John Lewis, Dixons and several supermarkets such as Asda and Sainsburys. In addition to these high street retailers, Barnes & Noble sell Nook tablets through a new, UK specific website. At this time, the company doesn’t operate any shops of its own.

Nook tablet features

Buyers looking at the Nook HD will get a tablet with a 7-inch screen with a 1440 x 900 pixel resolution, a dual-core 1.3GHz processor, either 8GB or 16GB of internal memory and a battery that should return around 10-hours of use. The Nook HD has been priced at £159 for the 8GB model and £189 for the 16GB.

Moving on to the Nook HD+, the price has been upped to £229 and £269, depending on whether you want 16GB or 32GB of storage space. Additionally, the screen size is increased to 9-inches and the resolution taken to 1920 x 1280 pixels, and the processor clocks in a 1.5GHz.

In the U.S., the Nook HD starts at $200 and the Nook HD+ at $270, making the UK equivalents £50/$80 more expensive than the current exchange rate would suggest. You can read our hands-on report of both B&N Android tablets here.

Nook content

Barnes & Noble have sorted the content side too, with more than 2.5 million books available at launch, plus the Nook app store and newsstand too. Then, in December, Nook Video will go live, adding films and TV shows for owners to buy or rent. There’s no information on which studios will be offering their content, with the press release only saying “a broad collection” will be offered.

All this shows how serious Barnes & Noble is about the UK market, however, it’s going to need more than just enthusiasm if it wants to make an impact. Aside from being almost unknown outside the U.S., the Nook HD and HD+ have to contend with the already established Amazon Kindle Fire and Fire HD, the Nexus 7, the Apple iPad Mini and Kobo’s Arc tablet too.

Price-wise, the Nook HD slightly undercuts the 16GB Nexus 7, matches the Kindle Fire HD but has half the memory, and is identical to the Kobo Arc. However its real winner could be the Nook HD+, as Amazon hasn’t bothered to release the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 in the UK at all.

It’s shaping up to be a five-way fight for supremacy in the cheap (or in the iPad Mini’s case, cheapish) tablet market this Christmas.

Following the arrival of the Wii U in the US on Sunday, Amazon has joined the likes of Hulu Plus and Netflix with the launch of video services for the new gaming and entertainment console.

Anyone who’s got their hands on a Wii U since its launch on Sunday will be pleased to learn that Amazon has just released its Instant Video app for Nintendo’s next-generation gaming console.

The service gives users easy access to over 140,000 movies and TV shows that can be rent or bought from the e-commerce giant. Amazon Prime customers, meanwhile, can choose from more than 30,000 movies and TV shows to stream at no extra cost.

“All of your video purchase and rentals are available in Your Video Library, accessible from the Wii U, the Web, or any other compatible device. Rent a movie and you have 30 days to start watching — and once you start, you have at least 24 hours to finish,” Amazon explained on a webpage announcing the news.

A special Kid Zone feature on the Instant Video app makes it easier for parents and children to discover thousands of family-friendly videos.

The app also offers a second screen experience, allowing the user to control the TV like a remote, with playback control and browsing features included. For example, viewers will be able to pull up program information on the GamePad’s display as they watch the show on the TV.

To get started, just click on the ‘Amazon Instant Video’ tile on the Wii U menu to begin downloading the app from the Nintendo eShop. Once that’s done, go to the menu, open the app and follow the on-screen instructions to register your device.    

Amazon’s launch comes in the wake of Hulu Plus and Netflix unveiling similar services for the Wii U in recent days, bringing a load more functionality to the Wii U and presenting owners with more content than they’ll know what to do with. The video services were supposed to launch over the weekend at the same time as the device, but were delayed by several days.

You can check out a full review of Nintendo’s new console by DT’s gaming specialist Ryan Fleming here.

Samsung has been given permission to see the 10-year licensing agreement made between Apple and HTC, although only the company's lawyers will view the entire document. Samsung believes it contains details that could help it in an upcoming hearing.

Samsung has been granted permission to peruse the 10-year licensing deal made by HTC and Apple recently, however the court has ruled that the details must not be shared publicly.

The request to see the document came from Samsung’s lawyers earlier this week, as they were almost certain Apple had licensed patents to HTC that it had refused to license to them. The offending patents refer to Apple’s core user experience, which Samsung was told were not for sale.

This has already turned out to be only partially true — it may depend on whether Apple considers you a threat or not — and should they be included in HTC’s deal, it could be important ammunition for Samsung to use in its forthcoming hearing, where Apple seeks to ban eight of the Korean manufacturers’ devices from sale.

Apple and HTC have been ordered to produce the settlement agreement, however it will be for “attorneys’ eyes only,” meaning we won’t get to hear all the details. According to fosspatents.com, HTC wanted the financial details held back, a passage that amounted to 33 words, and this request has been partially fulfilled, as it’s only Samsung’s lawyers who will read the entire document.

Although we won’t get to see even the redacted version of the settlement agreement, fosspatents.com also discovered a heavily censored public version, in which 90-percent of the text was blacked out. It did contain one interesting detail though, which is should HTC have a change of ownership, the licensing deal will die. A handy clause should Samsung try to solve its problems with an acquisition.

So, is this latest twist in the ongoing Samsung/Apple legal battle important? An analysts from consultancy firm Frost and Sullivan, who spoke to the BBC, thinks so; saying “It’s clearly a very smart move from Samsung, because the general feeling is that a lot of its patent disputes with Apple are very likely to be similar to those between HTC and Apple.”

If this turns out to be true, Samsung could gain an advantage in its forthcoming hearing on December 6, and Apple may have to start to reconsider its legal strategy.

If you're about to brave the Black Friday crowds early tomorrow morning (or late tonight, to each their own!), you best be prepared. These 10 apps will help you streamline and save during your Black Friday deals hunt.

Now that Thanksgiving Day is officially here, it’s time to turn your attention to tomorrow: Black Friday. Ready or not, the holiday shopping season is officially upon us and if you’re ready to brave the crowds and the chaos, some incredible deals can be yours. Those willing to hit the stores and their ensuing madness should best be prepared though, and what better way than keeping everything you need stored in your pocket?

These apps will help you scout deals, check for better prices, and even keep track of the important things you may overlook – like where you parked your car. While you enjoy this day of relaxation and mentally prep for the insanity of tomorrow, check out this guide and app your way to a smarter, savings-friendly Black Friday. 

Black Friday, Free for iOS

From the discount aggregator website Fat Wallet, the Black Friday app helps you locate all the deals available this year sorted by categories or retailers. Since the deal information comes straight from the website, there are also hearts to rank the quality of each deal. Obviously, more hearts means this is a deal you don’t wanna miss, while smaller hearts might be skippable items you can find other times of the year.

 

TGI Black Friday, Free for iOS, Android

Deals seem to good to be true? How about an app with PDF scans of the ads to prove it? You can view all the sales with the paper ads right on the app as well as create a shopping list so you can hit the storms armed with everything you plan to get from the crazed rush. You can also use the app to compare prices to other retailers to see if you’re getting the best deal.

Zoomingo, Free for iOS

For those who decide to hit up Black Friday on a whim, check out Zoomingo to find deals nearest you. The app lets your thumbs up or down various deals so you can sort for items that are more tailored to your style. Each time you vote, you’ll also earn points that go toward winning weekly prizes.

SnapTell, Free for iOS, Android

Retail stores have become a showroom of some sort, letting consumers touch and feel products in real time before finding a better deal online. Use SnapTell when you leave for Black Friday so you can check whether the sale items are worth the on-site purchase or better bought online. The app is powered by Amazon and can scan for price comparisons by simply taking a picture of the product, or scanning the barcode.

Shopkick, Free for iOS, Android

Even if you’re not planning to buy anything, you can use Shopkick to earn rewards just for walking into stores. It’s like Foursquare but with shopping rewards at every turn, like gift cards to CVS or a latte at Starbucks. If you’re assigned the dreaded task of driving shoppers to stores, might as well use the app to rack up some points for future perks.

SnipSnap, Free for iOS

Extreme Couponers, rejoice. With SnipSnap, no longer will you have to walk around with a ziplock bag full of cut-outs. The app lets you scan retailer coupons and save them onto your phone to redeem without all the extra bulk. SnipSnap will also notify you if coupons are expiring, in case you run into those special deals that last up until 1 p.m. on Black Friday. Just remember to privatize any coupons that have personalized codes so you don’t inadvertently share the goods and have it redeemed by someone else.

Discount Calculator, Free for iOS, Android

The discount calculator is a must have for stores that offer percentages off random inventory instead of marking the exact final price on each item. You can also add tax percentages to see how much you’re looking to spend for those who live in states where sales tax applies. Different developers are behind the iOS and Android version, but each get the job done. 

Find My Car, Free for iOS, Android

Congratulations! You’ve braved the masses at Black Friday, and now it’s time to head back for the stuffed car ride home. Since you probably shopped til you dropped – or are about to – it’s quite possible you could totally forget where you parked your car. Both the iOS and Android version of the Find My Car app help get the job done when you input the initial location of your car. After your trip, just hit find to get a directional map of where you’ve parked.

Fastmall, Free for iOS, Android

If you’re looking for deals outside the big box stores, Fastmall will help you navigate the labyrinth that is your local shopping center. The app includes options for saving your car’s location, finding elevators (anyone with a stroller will be thankful for that feature), the coffee shop, and with a simple shake will direct you to the closest bathroom. The app also doesn’t rely on GPS or Wi-Fi, so once you’ve downloaded the map, you can use any of the features even if your connection is unstable or you’re trying to save battery. You can check here to see if your local mall is included in the app’s growing database. 

Santa’s Bag, $0.99 for iOS

Most everyone hitting Black Friday sales is looking for holiday gifts. A lot of thought and heart — and budgeting — goes into this search, and the organized among us will want to try out Santa’s Bag software to aid the process. The app helps you store ideas for everyone on your list as well as set price limits and monitor your spending. Santa’s Bag also has an option where you can split a gift among friends, and has Dropbox backup and storage so you can keep tabs on all this from your desktop as well.