$50 Nook Tablet 7″ from Barnes & Noble goes off sale, possibly due to internal ‘recall’

Update: According to B&N, there have been three cases of the power adapter included with the Nook breaking apart while in a socker. More information will be provided as the company works with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission on a public product recall. The full statement is below.

We reported in December that Barnes & Noble’s $50 Nook Tablet was infected with malware that could transmit private information to China. At the time, the company denied that any data was being sent and that a future update would completely remove the software.

Now, less than two months after going on sale, the 7-inch tablet is no longer available online or in-stores, with one B&N employee alleging that the company is undertaking an internal “recall” of the product with no official reason stated.

A memo was sent out on January 9th to B&N employees and store managers to send in-store demo units and existing inventory of the Nook Tablet 7″ back to corporate.

No explanation to employees was given with a priority being placed on shipping out the device as soon as possible. There has been “radio silence” from corporate with no “script for customers” asking about why the product is unavailable for purchase.

Online the tablet is currently listed as “not available,” though several stores we called say the tablet is just out of stock with more shipments expected soon.

Speaking to 9to5Google, the employee notes that the lack of information and recall is a notable departure from previous handling of bugs involving Nook tablets. “All sorts of technical failures” in the past have been resolved through software updates or device replacements.

Providing some background about the launch of the 7-inch tablet, many employees were “surprised” when they received shipment of a new tablet “manufactured by B&N.” Many had assumed that future Nook devices would be made by Samsung.

In their original comment about last month’s situation, B&N stated that “customers can rest assured that the device is safe to use.” However, the current unavailability of the device along with this apparent “recall” begs asking whether current owners of the very cheap tablet should be wary about continued usage.

We’ve reached out to Barnes & Noble for comment.

Full statement:

“Barnes & Noble is investigating three reported cases involving the adapter sold with the NOOK Tablet® 7”. The specific issue involves the adapter casing breaking apart while still in the socket. This does not affect the NOOK® device itself. With no injuries reported and out of an abundance of caution, we recommend that customers stop using the adapter until we provide a replacement adapter. In the meantime, the NOOK Tablet 7” can be charged using a computer. We will be providing more information as we work closely with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to determine the details of a public product recall.”