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Barnes & Noble officially debuts Nook e-reader
Barnes & Noble has officially unveiled its new "Nook" e-book reader today, and it's shaping up to be quite the contender for Amazon's Kindle. The Nook features a dual-screen display, which is comprised of a 6" E-ink screen and a color capacitive touchscreen for navigation.
It is powered by Google's Android OS, backed by AT&T's 3G network, and supports Wi-Fi -- though, it will only connect to Barnes and Noble stores at launch according to Engadget, and there will also be no Web browser. It is outfitted with 2GB of internal memory (expandable to 16GB with a micro SD card), weighs 11.2 ounces (versus the Kindle's 10.2 ounces), and has a 10-day battery life (the Kindle has 14).
Barnes & Noble's e-reader also doesn't support text-to-speech functionality, despite being able to play MP3 files and having a built-in speaker system. That said, the Nook has one extremely valuable feature: it allows you to lend out e-books you've purchased for 14 days. Nook users will be able to send participating e-books (it's up to publishers) to any Nook, iPhone, iPod Touch, select BlackBerry and Motorola Smartphones, as well as Windows or Mac computers that have Barnes & Noble's eReader software.
The Nook is currently up for pre-sale at a price of $259, and it will ship in late November.
It is powered by Google's Android OS, backed by AT&T's 3G network, and supports Wi-Fi -- though, it will only connect to Barnes and Noble stores at launch according to Engadget, and there will also be no Web browser. It is outfitted with 2GB of internal memory (expandable to 16GB with a micro SD card), weighs 11.2 ounces (versus the Kindle's 10.2 ounces), and has a 10-day battery life (the Kindle has 14).
Barnes & Noble's e-reader also doesn't support text-to-speech functionality, despite being able to play MP3 files and having a built-in speaker system. That said, the Nook has one extremely valuable feature: it allows you to lend out e-books you've purchased for 14 days. Nook users will be able to send participating e-books (it's up to publishers) to any Nook, iPhone, iPod Touch, select BlackBerry and Motorola Smartphones, as well as Windows or Mac computers that have Barnes & Noble's eReader software.
The Nook is currently up for pre-sale at a price of $259, and it will ship in late November.
User Comments (5)
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9Nails on October 21, 2009 9:15 AM |
I saw a Sony eReader on display once. I don't recall if it had a speech friendly name like Kindle or Nook. The display was clear and easy to read for sure, but it's usefulness was in question. It would take many seconds to change page views. I think how quickly I can change a page with paper, and just get frustrated with a device that responds so slowly. I'm not sure if I was witnessing a limitation of the CPU or display, but it needed improving. I'm curious what the impressions of response will be with this Nook book. And, backed by AT&T - does that mean contract? |
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Guest on October 22, 2009 3:49 AM |
A Nookie book, perfect for those steamy novels! |
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Vicenarian on November 4, 2009 3:50 PM |
Next headline: DRM for E-Books... or does such a thing already exist? |
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Route44 on November 4, 2009 3:52 PM |
Ah, but can it compete with Kindle's seven shades of gray? |
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Guest on November 13, 2009 8:45 AM |
I hope the screen in sturdier than on the kindle, I broke mine after 3 weeks and had to send it to a third party place to get it fixed http://www.portatronics.com/index.php?cat=c87_Ebook-Readers. tml. I think they should make those portable devices more ruggedized, since they're intended lugged around and prone to be in bags with other stuff or exposed to water. |
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