As mentioned in previous posts, the year 2010 is going to be one tough year for all parties involved in the e-book market. The competition level is reaching new heights and many companies are joining the competition to get a piece of this lucrative pie. Consider Barnes & Nobles among the companies that want to challenge for the market supremacy. And it won’t be the last.
B&N’s Nook, which is expected to debut soon, is going to be introduced today in an official event. The e-book reader uses Google Android OS and an innovative touchscreen color LCD system to help you go through your content much more effectively. The device was expected to beat Kindle in the price department but Amazon threw a curve ball at B&N by reducing its own prices by $40 to $259. Nook will be priced at $259 as well.
Nook does have a few advantages over the Kindle, the biggest one is its use of the Android platform. So Nook’s functionality could be potentially enhanced by Android developers though the details are still unknown at this point. The device certainly looks solid and worth a serious consideration. The downside is that you won’t be able to by from Kindle store on your Nook. A lot of us have made a habit of buying books from Amazon, and it’d be discouraging not to have that option.
I am a big fan of companies competing over consumers. B&N, Plastic Logic, and even Sony can push Amazon to improve Kindle dramatically in the near future. But let’s hope people spend more time reading books on their readers and less time researching what device to upgrade to next. The recent flurry of activities that we have seen in this market can only add to consumer confusion. If you go with B&N reader, you won’t have the ability to buy from Amazon on the go. If you purchase Amazon Kindle, you may not be able to read some of your books that are offered in other formats than that of Kindle. Is a wide adoption of an open document format among top e-book readers too wild of a dream? Let’s hope not.
Your take: will you take a chance on Nook?
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6 Responses to “Nook e-Book Reader To Debut”
Are we sure this is an Android device?
I do like the looks of it, although i have my doubts about the UI.
Hopefully it will convince Amazon to do a price cut for the holidays
Major sites such as Wired are also reporting that: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/10/barnes-nobles-kindle-killing-dual-screen-nook-e-reader-leaked/ Unless there is a last minute change…
B&N site confirms it is an Android device:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nook/compare/
that little color screen looks SWEET (and I’m a Kindle2 lover!). This may indeed BE the Kindle-killer, if it’s a solid device.
I have to say all these e-book readers coming out is getting a bit confusing. I would recommend people sticking with one e-book reader and don’t jump from one to another. Kindle 3.0 will be much better than any device currently on the market and so will Apple iTablet. Let’s not forget about Microsoft Courier either. So if you have only $400 or so to spend, keep it for when better ebook readers come out.
Having said that, B&N + Android is a big plus for the reader.
This device looks amazing, and i can’t wait to check it out.
Do we know if this offers web browsing like the kindle? I find that i use that way more then i ever thought i would.
Also i have serious doubts that this will run android apps in any meaningful way. This is a very non-standard device for the android universe and i doubt B&N is really set up to make and run an app store and developer community.
Still cool device, and i hope it does well. Anyone want to bet on how fast Amazon cuts the price of the kindle?
Why would Amazon drop price? Aren’t they close to bringing the next gen Kindle with color and everything?