Barnes & Noble targets Android users with Nook 4.0

Earlier this month when Barnes & Noble reversed itself and said it was going to keep its Nook division, analysts wondered what the retailer would do next. We now have an answer.

Barnes & Noble has announced that it is releasing the Nook Reading App 4.0 for Android. The Nook Reading App 4.0 for Android supports a “read everywhere” strategy by bringing a unified Nook experience to Android smartphones and tablets. The app combines customer-favorite features found on the company’s line of NOOK tablets and eReaders, with new content types such as enhanced kids’ eBooks to give Android users the immersive experience that owning a dedicated Nook device provides. Plus, new customers who download the app and set up a Nook account will receive a free $5 credit to get started.

“With the new and improved experience, we’re bringing customers an intuitive new way to read and discover great content on any Android phone or tablet,” said Mahesh Veerina, president of Nook Digital. “The app brings the very best of NOOK to any Android device for easy access, anytime, anywhere – and with its fresh new look, and access to content like enhanced kids’ eBooks, we’re offering Android customers more than ever before.”

With the Nook Reading App 4.0 for Android, readers also have more customization tools, including the ability to create profiles within the app and to organize favorite content by personal shelves. The updated app enables users to add a Nook widget to the home screen of any Android phone or tablet, providing quick and easy access to Nook reading content.

The U.S. bookstore chain said in February that it had dropped plans to spin off its Nook digital book unit into a separate company.

Barnes & Noble Inc. operates 649 Barnes & Noble bookstores in 50 states and bn.com.