2009 has been one busy year for the ebook market. Amazon introduced the Kindle 2 and the Kindle DX earlier this year, Barnes and Noble purchased Fictionwise and then reopened its own ebook store, and Sony debuted new models in its line of ereaders. In addition to these developments, Asus, iRex, Plastic Logic, and iriver all announced their plans to release ereaders either by the end of 2009 or the beginning of 2010. Never one to allow itself to be left out of anything, Google has laboriously proceeded with its endeavor of scanning public domain books and making them available for download in spite of its continued legal troubles related to its efforts. In addition to all these developments, a new digital publishing company will be setting up shop soon. Now, Barnes and Noble is moving further along with its plans to enter the ebook market by announcing the upcoming release of its new ereader, the Nook.
The Nook, which will be available for sale in November, seems to be a promising piece of technology. Like most ereaders currently on the market, the Nook will have a standard E Ink display. However, it will also boast a separate color touch screen that will be located directly below the E Ink screen. It will also come with 3G wireless service provided by AT&T as well as Wi-Fi, so customers can purchase and download ebooks and periodicals instantly. What will perhaps be the most attractive feature for many consumers, however, is the Nook’s lending feature. Anyone who purchases a Nook will be able to lend a copy of their ebooks to someone for a period of two weeks. In addition to sending copies of their ebooks to someone else’s Nook, Nook owners can also lend out ebooks to others’ iPhone, computer, Ipod Touch, or Blackberry. Also, the Nook will be able to store up to 1500 ebooks, newspapers, and magazines, and will also be equipped with a memory card slot for additional storage.
The Nook will retail for $259.00, which is the current retail price of the Kindle 2. Since the Nook will obviously carry more features than the comparably priced Kindle, it seems that Barnes and Noble intends to aggressively compete with Amazon. The Nook has already earned the seal of approval from Wired, which stated that the Nook is "already starting to look like the real internet to the Kindle's AOL."
The Nook can be preordered now from Barnes and Noble’s website, and it will be available for sale at all Virginia Beach area Barnes and Noble stores beginning next month.
Is the Nook the Kindle killer, or will Amazon reign supreme? Will the Nook motivate you to begin purchasing ebooks, or do printed books still seem the better choice? Please feel free to discuss.
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