Microsoft announced this past April that it acquired a 17% stake in a newly-formed Barnes & Noble subsidiary that will focus on Nook tablets and eReaders. What the company may not have mentioned at the time is that the new partnership might also yield a line of Microsoft-branded tablets. Microsoft sent out a last-minute invitation to a press conference late last week, and multiple subsequent reports have suggested that this event will see Microsoft unveil a new line of own-brand tablets powered by Windows RT. According to a recent report from TechCrunch, however, the Redmond-based company plans to take the wraps off a Barnes & Noble joint effort. The site’s sources claim the new tablet will be an eReader-media tablet combo, and it will focus on entertainment thanks to the inclusion of Xbox Live streaming support. Microsoft’s event begins at 6:30 p.m. Eastern, 3:30 p.m. Pacific, and BGR will be on hand to cover the press conference live.
UPDATE: A report from Dow Jones on Monday states that Barnes & Noble will have nothing to do with Monday’s announcements.
