Andre Yoskowitz
17 Jun 2012 15:05
That is a strong possibility, says The Verge's Tom Warren.
Microsoft is rumored to be announcing a Windows RT tablet tomorrow, one built without third-party manufacturers. The tablet is said to be a new competitor to the iPad and the Kindle Fire, and likely to Google's anticipated Nexus tablet.
Another rumor is that tomorrow's announcement will be a deal with Hulu, to purchase and then integrate the streaming service to upcoming Windows products.
Neither of those is happening, says the site. In April, Microsoft invested $300 million in Barnes & Noble as part of a strategic partnership and new subsidiary. The company was created to "accelerate e-reading innovation across a broad range of Windows devices." Former Windows Phone boss Andy Lees has been in charge of a project for some time now, which an SEC filing uncovered reveals is a "Microsoft Reader." Furthermore, Windows 8 and Windows Phone will have their own dedicated Barnes & Noble app with access to all content.
A new Barnes & Noble/Microsoft tablet reader would directly compete with Amazon and their Amazon ecosystem, as well as the rumored Google Nexus tablet, which will run on a vanilla version of Android and include the entire suite of Google applications.
Regardless, we will know by tomorrow, as the announcement is at 3:30PM.