Barnes and Noble's Nook E Reader unveiled on Tuesday 20 Oct 2009

By A Bisht

Ahead of the market prediction, Barnes & Noble Inc on Tuesday unveiled its electronic reader. The company’s E Reader featuring a colour screen will challenge Amazon.com Inc's Kindle; as it will have the same $259 price as that of Kindle.

Key features:


--Unlike Amazon’s Kindle which restricts user experience by restricting sharing; Barnes & Noble’s reader, dubbed Nook, would allow its users to share most books.A function, “Lend a title for up to two weeks to friends” enabling users to lend their books for up to two weeks to friends. Amazon has no such arrangement.

--The E reader will use AT&T for wireless and Google Inc's Android mobile platform.

-- Nook will be available at Barnes & Noble's nearly 800 U.S. stores in late November, with the option of pre-ordering the device from the bookseller's site from Tuesday 20 Oct 2009.

-- The device is unique in its use of a dual display and color. A smaller color display -- positioned below the main display for e-Ink technology enabled reading. The technology allows users to browse the company's bookstore and click on titles.

-- The device can hold 1,500 books -- equivalent to the Kindle.

-- The device lacks a web browser, currently an experimental function in Kindle.

--Nook's titles can be viewed on a variety of devices, such as RIM’s Blackberry, Apple Inc's iPhone, PCs and Macs and others. Books ordered on Amazon can only be read on the Kindle, or on the iPhone or iPod Touch. --------

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