Posted by Fox Van Allen

Looking for a budget-savvy alternative to the iPad 3? There’s no reason to wait until next month — Barnes & Noble is releasing an 8GB version of its Nook Tablet at the attractive, lower price of $199.

The two-second sales pitch is this: It’s like the Kindle Fire, but from a different manufacturer. The 7-inch Nook Tablet, still an e-reader at heart, has access the Nook Newsstand with over 2.5 million books and periodicals and the Nook Kids selection of 1,400 children’s picture books. But like a tablet, it also has access to a selection of over 1,000 apps including Netflix and Hulu Plus, various social networking apps such as Facebook, and games like Cut the Rope.

The 16GB version of the tablet is available for $249, though all versions include a microSD memory expansion slot for adding more memory down the road. For even more price-conscious shoppers, the existing Nook Color will drop in price to $169.

source: tecca