Samsung to build Nook tablets

Despite Amazon's dominance in the market, Barnes & Noble hasn't given up on trying to offer book-loving consumers an alternative to the Kindle Fire and has turned to Samsung for help.

The original Nook HD tablets were excellent devices and, unlike their Amazon equivalents, could access the full range of Android services, including the Google Play store.

But despite their quality they struggled to compete, forcing Barnes & Noble to think long and hard about what it was going to do with its Nook eReader, ebook and tablet business.

But, rather than shut up shop, it's decided to turn to the world's leading Android tablet maker for help, and from August, a special Nook-branded version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 7-inch tablet will be going on sale, complete with special Nook software and easy access to the full range of Barnes & Noble digital catalogue of books, magazines and newspapers.

'We are very excited and proud to partner with Samsung, a world-class technology and tablet leader, to create customized co-branded devices featuring our valuable Nook reading experience and digital content catalog for Barnes & Noble customers nationwide,' said Michael P. Huseby, Chief Executive Officer of Barnes & Noble, Inc of the partnership.

In fact, the decision could be a very shrewd move, by outsourcing the development of tablets and their hardware to a company like Samsung, Barnes & Noble will be freed up to invest in the expansion of its digital library of content and on improving the software and services it offers to consumers.

And, for consumers that own an existing Nook tablet or eReader, don't worry. The company has made it clear that it will continue to support the devices, and will continue to make the Nook GlowLight although its tablet-making days are now over.

Neither company has commented on how much the branded tablets will retail for or if the range will be expanded to feature an 8-inch and 10-inch model too. However, the standard 7-inch Galaxy Tab 4 tablet currently sells for $199.99, $29 less than Amazon's Kindle Fire HDX tablet.