As I read the article, all I could think was, "Really?". The specs clearly state 1024x600. The marketing material says it supports HD <i>content</i>. That means if you have a video that's encoded in 720p or 1080p that you can play it on the table without converting it.<p>On a 7" screen, I bet you could barely, if at all, tell the difference between 1280x720 and 1024x600 playing a 720p video, so I don't think that's really a good argument against the device.<p>However, you CAN tell the difference between a 720p video playing at 600p versus a 480p video being upscaled to 600p. You retain much more quality when downconverting than upconverting. I do a lot of video conversion (re-encoding my BluRay and DVDs for XBMC) and believe me, a BluRay downconverted to 720p looks <i>immensely</i> better than a 480p DVD upconverted.<p>So, I say "Fantastic!" Now I don't have to re-encode all my x264 encoded 720p BluRay files to watch them on my Nook (well, it probably doesn't support MKV or AC3, but that's another topic).
Note that they never say you can watch videos <i>in HD</i>. They always say you can watch HD videos or HD content or HD entertainment. You're just watching that HD stuff on a non-HD screen.<p>I should be a marketer!
I think that manufacturers that try to overly massage the specs in their favor should be raked over the coals. The specifications are there for a reason.<p>In the end though it rarely matters. Mom and dad will most likely buy whatever looks nicer (as well as what the neighbor has).
<i>"(I’m not sure what you’d use the memory card for, considering that Barnes & Noble doesn’t even have a downloadable-movie store. But whatever.)"</i><p>There's possibly a thrifty caveman or two who rips his own DVDs. Let us ignore those poor little people who don't re-buy their movies as needed.<p>(They may have also bought "HD ready" 1366x768 screens, the poor dears. Haha.)<p>I don't like being lied to, but I enjoy snob snark even less.