Will Barnes and Noble's new Nook ebook reader make you sorry you bought a Kindle?

October 21, 2:24 PMNorfolk Books ExaminerLydia Netzer

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The Nook
photo from BN.com

Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com have been fighting for the attention and loyalty of book-buying customers since the beginning of time. Or, since 1995 when Amazon.com launched. Over the years, Amazon.com has blossomed into a massive online mall, selling everything from books to basketballs and bacon. Barnes and Noble has stuck to books, and relied on its loyal members, its literary content, and its simpler menu. Would we have thought, back when Barnes and Noble was the evil giant, that someday their web site would almost count as a boutique? And yet, in the shadow of Amazon.com, they seem to be specialists.

There's another advantage that Barnes and Noble has always had, and that's the brick and mortar store. There is no physical Amazon.com. You can't go there and buy a coffee, handle the books, and hit on girls in the cookbook aisle. Now, Barnes and Noble is going to use that brick and mortar advantage again, as it launches its new ereader product: The Nook. The Nook is like the Kindle, but with Wifi, and the wifi brings the magic when you walk through the door of a Barnes and Noble store. Upon entering the store, your Nook receives coupons, sample chapters, and other surprises. You can also download ebooks via Wifi or 3G outside the store, and here's more: you can "lend" your ebooks to friends for up to 14 days. With all this access on the Nook, the Kindle starts to seem a little clunky. As Wired Magazine's Charlie Sorrel says, ""Who would buy a walled-garden machine like the Kindle when the Nook has the same titles, cheaper, and you can borrow? The Nook is already starting to look like the real internet to the Kindle’s AOL."

Another in-store perk is coming up: BN.com promises that soon you'll be able to read ebooks for free as long as you're in the store. Sell coffee much? Oh yeah.

So what do you think? Are you ready to put down your $259 for the ability to Wifi from your ereader and loan out your ebooks to your friends? You'll have to wait until the end of November to see if all the promise of the Nook will come true.

More info: View photos and vdeo of the Nook on Engadget.