The ebook reader industry has just become even bigger, with the entry of Barnes & Noble in the market. That means another competitor for Amazon's Kindle.
The book reader, dubbed the Nook eReader, calls itself the most advanced ebook reader in the world. I think it has every right to do so, as it is the world's first ebook reader coming out with Google's Android OS and a 3G sim from AT&T.
The ebook readers comes with measurements of 7.7- x 4.9- x 0.5-inches and a weight of 11.2 ounces. Its 6-inch screen includes a top e-ink display, while the bottom has a 3.5-inch color touchscreen that allows you to browse through the book covers (in full color) with one touch. This dual display is unique to this market, as most readers now only come in black-and-white.
And you know what is even better? While Amazon is preventing you from sharing your ebooks to your friends and family, the Nook's LendMe feature allows an owner to lend his/her ebooks to others, and by "lend", that means the ebook will also be gone from the lender's inventory, until two weeks later when the ebook will be returned automatically. I think that is an integral move to the development of intellectual rights management. The ebooks act just like actual books.
Don't even think that the Nook eReader is expensive. It is actually competitively priced at $259 a piece (US price), forcing rival Amazon to respond and give $20 rebates to all those who made orders for the international edition. Today, the Kindle also stands at $259 a piece. Hopefully, Barnes & Noble comes out with its own international edition and push the price even lower.
Without a doubt, the fight for ebook reader supremacy became fiercer than ever, and it just barely started. Do remember that Sony has its own line of ebook readers as well.
