Barnes & Noble is rumored to be updating its Nook tablet with email and web browsing capabilities as early as next month. The news came from an anonymously leaked email.

In addition to email and web browsing capabilities, the new update for Nook Simple Touch will also include a fresh new app store. Currently, only the Kindle fire tablet has email capabilities, so this could potentially boost flagging sales of the hardware. In addition to the software update, the company has already resorted to giving away its tablets in various promotions. given the tablet’s low price and new, minimal capabilities, Nook might be a great investment for those whose main interest is reading eBooks.

Barnes & Noble’s Nook Media has updated its Nook for iOS app, bringing comic books to iPad and iPhone users. The update adds access to buy more than 8,000 comics and graphic novels from Nook. The app now features Nook’s Zoom View tool which lets readers automatically focus on individual panels in graphic novels and comics.

To promote Nook Comics on the Nook iOS app, Nook Media is giving away a free DC Comics 2013 Superman Sampler, which includes excerpts from Superman: Last Son of Krypton, Superman: ForTomorrow, Superman: Earth One, and Justice League Volume 1: Origin.

“With our free, updated Nook for iOS application, we’re delivering to customers with iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch a great optimized reading experience, now with access to NOOK Comics, one of the leading collections of digital comics and graphic novels available,” stated Jamie Iannone, president of digital products at NOOK Media.

Nook has been in the news recently as speculation of a Microsoft buyout has been reported and then called a rumor.

Last week, rumors were circulating that Microsoft was gearing up to buy out Barnes& Noble’s Nook business in what could have been a $1 billion deal.

Insider Monkey is reporting that this story is false and that the story was “nothing more than a rumor.” Check it out:

Insider Monkey received word from a highly placed source inside Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) who said that the story was only a rumor, and that nothing imminent is happening in regards to Microsoft and its investment in the NOOK Media entity, or reports that it is buying out Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE:BKS) from the operation.

“I literally just walked out of the meeting today discussing all this Microsoft/NOOK hoopla going on,” the anonymous Microsoft source emailed Insider Monkey.

Microsoft is considering offering Barnes & Noble $1 billion to buyout the Nook Media business, an asset that the Washington-based technology company already has a 16.8% stake in, according to a report in TechCrunch. Microsoft would redeem some of its shares in Nook Media, and take over the Nook eBook and tablet business. Here is more from TechCrunch:

The documents also reveal that Nook Media plans to discontinue its Android-based tablet business by the end of its 2014 fiscal year as it transitions to a model where Nook content is distributed through apps on “third-party partner” devices. Speculation about the plan to discontinue the Nook surfaced in February. The documents we have are not clear on whether the third-party tablets would be Microsoft’s own Windows 8 devices, tablets made by others (including competing platforms) or both. Third-party tablets, according to the document, are due to get introduced in 2014. Read more

Barnes & Noble has introduced a new two-for-one eBook promotion called the  Nook Book Two-for-One Weekends in which customers can get free copies of select eBooks when they buy an eBook.

Beginning this weekend, customers visiting any Barnes & Noble store that purchase a qualifying Nook Book from a list of 20 titles can select another title from that list for free. Every weekend the retailer will update the list. This weekend’s list include: The Life of Pi by Yann Martel, Bossypants by Tina Fey, The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick andFrancona: The Red Sox Years by Terry Francona.

Here are more details from the press release: “To take advantage of this special weekend offer, customers can go to any register at a Barnes & Noble store, purchase one of the 20 qualifying bestselling NOOK Book titles and then select another title from that list for free. The customer’s store receipt will feature two access codes that they can redeem for their purchased and free eBooks at BN.com/redeem. Customers may choose to receive their access codes via email as well.”

Barnes & Noble has launched a new self-publishing program called NOOK Press. Independent authors who used the bookseller’s PubIt! platform need to switch to the new platform.

If you want to see what sign-up entails, watch the video embedded above–you can follow the same sign up process at the NOOK Press sign up page. In the video embedded below, you can watch the new set of editorial tools in action. Here’s more from the release:

The “Quick Start” option lets writers try out the tools before they commit to becoming a vendor, all they need to sign up is an e-mail address … Easy ePub Creation and Editing: With new content creation tools, authors can easily upload a manuscript just once, then continue to write and edit directly within NOOK Press, quickly and easily turning their work into a professional-quality ePub file. Integrated Collaboration: NOOK Press allows authors to safely and quickly invite their network of friends and editors to read and comment on any NOOK Press project in a secure environment.

Read more

Barnes & Noble said today that Nook developers will be able to add an in-app purchase feature to apps sold on Nook devices beginning in the first half of April. Apple and Google Play already offer this kind of tool, in which app developers can sell additional content within an app to help monetize their app.

Nook Media, Barnes & Noble’s digital content subsidiary, is partnering with mobile payment provider Fortumo on the service. Though the service won’t roll out for a couple of weeks, Nook is urging developers to sign up for a Fortumo account today to help get the ball rolling. Developers will have to update any apps currently available in the Nook Store if they want to add these in-app payment features. Here is more from the Nook Developer page:

Once we notify you that the Fortumo SDK for NOOK is ready, you will need to download and recompile your app…And lastly, we will notify you when we are ready for you to re-submit your apps to NOOK Developer using our existing submission process.

Nook Media, Barnes & Noble’s digital publishing business, is offering a pretty good deal on its tablet.

For a limited time, if you purchase a Nook HD+ tablet, you will get a free Nook Simple Touch device, the company’s $79 eInk eReader. The deal is good at Barnes & Noble retail stores, Barnes & Noble College Bookstores, Nook.com, as well as through other retailers that carry the devices Walmart.com, Target and Best Buy. The promotion runs from March 24th through March 31st.

The Nook business has been struggling these days. Barnes & Noble reported that the Nook business had a 26 percent decrease in sales during the 2012 holiday season, versus the 2011 season.

Barnes & Noble’s Nook Media has introduced a new program to give away free apps and eBooks called Nook Free Fridays. Nook will announce the weekly giveaway on the company blog and through Facebook and Twitter.

“We are thrilled to offer Nook customers a variety of exciting apps from top developers for free every week,” stated Claudia Romanini, VP of Nook Apps, at Nook Media, LLC. “Nook Free Fridays is the perfect way to highlight our vast offering of exciting content, including apps for gaming, entertainment, productivity and more available in the NOOK Store while offering our customers a great value.”

Barnes & Noble reported today that its Nook business earned revenues of $316 million for its fiscal third quarter (which ended January 26, 2013), a 26 percent decrease from the same time period last year.

The company attributed the loss to a decrease in device sales, inventory charges and promotional allowances. While the Nook business includes both device sales and digital content sales, the company did report that digital content sales were up 6.8 percent over the prior year.

Here is more from the press release: “In response to the device sales shortfall over the holiday season, NOOK is calibrating its business model and has implemented a cost reduction program that the company projects will significantly reduce NOOK’s expenses.”