Want to turn your Windows RT or Windows 8 tablet into a giant, overpriced eReader? Amazon and Kobo have already released digital book apps optimized for Microsoft’s new touch-friendly operating systems.

Now Barnes & Noble has followed suit by releasing a NOOK app into the Windows Store.

NOOK for Windows 8

All three apps are optimized for Windows 8, with support for touch-based navigation and a full-screen user interface. In fact, they look a lot like the Kobo, Kindle, and NOOK apps for Android, iOS, and other platforms.

You can use the apps to buy, download, and read books, magazines, newspapers, and in some cases comic books.

Clearly, I don’t expect a lot of people to drop $500 or more on a Windows RT or Windows 8 device only to use it as an eReader. But these apps could be enough to convince some folks that they don’t need to buy a separate device for reading books… although the Kindle and NOOK apps can sync your place across multiple devices, so if you start reading a book on an E Ink eReader you can pick up where you left off on your tablet or laptop.

While I find 10 inch and larger tablets to be a bit clunky for reading eBooks, they’re just about the right size for digital comic books and magazines… which tend to look awful on 7 inch and smaller devices.

What’s your favorite device for reading digital content?

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6 replies on “Kindle, Kobo, and NOOK apps for Windows RT, Windows 8”

  1. the Samsung Ativ Smart pc looks nice and i cant wait to get one!! i want to get some comic apps and some educational stuff like kno textbooks

  2. Anyone know how I can browse the Windows 8 app store without Windows 8? Going to apps.microsoft.com doesn’t work.

    I’d like to see if the Modern UI apps are trending towards dumbed down stuff like on Android and iOS.

    1. Have you tried Windows8AppStore.com?

      There should be a lot of apps that would seem dumbed down, but the lowest common denominator for Windows 8 is RT Tablets like the Surface, while the lowest for either Android or iOS are even lower end phones… So won’t be dumbed down as much most of the time and there will still be apps catering to higher end as well.

      Keep in mind the market is just beginning to develop and so a lot of the early Apps will be pretty basic before they start developing more advance Apps, which will take more time to come to market.

      1. That site doesn’t seem to be a Modern UI specific 3rd party app database. It just has a generic list of software and even services that aren’t related to Windows 8.

        I haven’t tried many Android tablet and iPad specific apps but all of them were pretty low on capabilities. It seems that it’s not just hardware that puts limits on the app but also the touch focused controls.

        1. Yes, there are some design constraints for the Modern UI… At least for now as MS tries to promote it and to establish some consistency in App layout, etc.

          Though the MS App store isn’t just for Modern UI specific Apps, unless you’re using RT… But it should still give some idea of what’s available.

        2. “It seems that it’s not just hardware that puts limits on the app but also the touch focused controls.”

          The touch-focused controls lower the information density for interactive controls. Information-rich applications end up either with lots of separate screens to deal with the lower density, or with fewer total ways to interact with the information. The latter approach is easier to maintain and easier for users to deal with.

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