Are Phablets What People Want?

What do consumers want? For instance, do consumers want bigger smartphones that look like tablets or smaller tablets that look like smartphones? Do they still want and need dedicated ereaders? These are some of the big questions for connected-device manufacturers looking to capture their share of a booming market.

The solution Samsung Electronics America, www.samsung.com, and Barnes & Noble’s, www.barnesandnobleinc.com, subsidiary NOOK Media came up with is the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 NOOK. The 7-in. Android device is a tablet that combines the ereader and tablet experiences to appeal to a wide base of connected consumers.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 NOOK is based on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4; it has an HD display and weighs less than 10 ounces, making it both lighter and thinner than previous color NOOK devices. It also offers customers coveted tablet features such as front and rear-facing cameras, Wi-Fi, and built-in GPS for location-based apps.

The co-branded tablet will bring the NOOK experience to Samsung Galaxy customers through Barnes & Noble’s collection of digital content. For instance, the company says its NOOK Store contains a vast collection of more than 3 million books, as well as digital newspapers and magazines, apps, and movies and TV shows through NOOK Video.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 NOOK is available now in white and black 8GB models for $179 (after a $20 instant rebate). The device is ad-free and comes with $200 worth of free content from the NOOK Store.