NOOK HD update delivers Google Play Store and all its content

Tonight we have some excellent news to announce from the folks at Barnes & Noble. Just like Amazon, they took the approach of launching Android tablets with their own Nook Store for apps, but today they’ve changed their tune. Starting today, users will be receiving full access to the Google Play Store on the NOOK HD, and HD+ tablets. Now that $199 slate finally will have everything the others do.

Barnes & Noble announced that an over the air update will be arriving (and be optional) where owners of the slate can accept and receive the full Google Play Store, and all of Google’s other apps. This means Gmail, Google Maps, Google Chrome browser, YouTube, and everything else. Google Play Music and video, and all 700,000 and growing applications.

Barnes & Noble confirmed this is a step to enhance and expand their growing catalog of options for their tablets, but in reality this should have been an option from the beginning. Amazon has a growing app store, but Barnes & Noble didn’t have quite the same success. However, now they’ll have even more to offer and be able to better compete with the Kindle Fire HD and more.

“By adding Google Play to NOOK HD and NOOK HD+, we are offering our customers even more great entertainment on our award-winning tablets.” – William Lynch, CEO of Barnes & Noble

We’re being told this will be an optional update for current NOOK HD/HD+ owners, and starting tomorrow you’ll receive the optional update notification. Most likely everyone will want to accept this and get full access to everything Google offers, but if not, you don’t have to accept it. As always, the NOOK HD can be yours for just $199 at multiple retail locations, now with Google Play.

Does this make the NOOK HD something you’d consider buying now, or in the future. One of the best reading experiences how can be a full-out tablet like we all wanted it to be. Let us know below!

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