Nook, the new E-Reader from Barnes and Noble

Barnes and Noble today annouced their  new E-Reader and competitor to Amazon’s Kindle, the Nook. Beside the Nook, Kindle and Irex publishers are enhusiastically anticipating the next generation of magazine readers that will make the experience more rich and interactive. The Nook is the first E-Reader that enables lending of books to other users.

“We asked our customers what they wanted in an eBook reader, and specifically designed nook to be the most full-featured, fun, stylish and easy-to-use eBook reader on the market,” said William J. Lynch, President of Barnes & Noble.com. “With our nationwide footprint, Barnes & Noble customers can see, touch and hold nook. Our 40,000 booksellers are ready to help customers discover how easy it is to download and read eBooks on nook, and what a pleasure it is to have access to their favorite eBooks, magazines and newspapers any time and anywhere.”

Here are the specs:

• A Gripping Read, by Design
  nook’s sleek, minimalist design puts the focus on the content, not the technology, and the combination of color and touch make navigation intuitive and simple. nook feels great in hand and features a contoured, easy-to-hold back. About the size and weight of a paperback book, nook is thin, small and portable. Its best-in-class E Ink Vizplex™ display is easy on the eyes with text as clear and crisp as a printed book.  And with no glare or backlight and adjustable text size, you can read comfortably for hours without straining your eyes.
• Color Touch for Easy Navigation
  The beautiful lower color touch screen offers an immersive experience, inviting you to virtually browse through brilliant cover art, flip through an expansive library, or search using a virtual keyboard. nook presents the controls, navigation and keyboard you need, only when you need them.
• Download eBooks Wirelessly
  With fast 3G wireless and Wi-Fi access, nook is the most-connected eBook reader. Browse and instantly download eBooks, magazines and newspapers simply and seamlessly on AT&T’s 3G wireless network, the nation’s fastest, with no set-up required or additional wireless costs. Connect to the complimentary Wi-Fi, provided by the AT&T Wi-Fi network, in Barnes & Noble stores and download at broadband fast speeds.
• Lend eBooks to Friends
  With nook’s breakthrough LendMe™ technology, lend a wide selection of eBooks to friends free of charge, for up to 14 days at a time.  Just choose the book you want to share and send it to your friend’s nook or iPhone, iPod touch, select BlackBerry® and Motorola smartphones, PC or Mac® with Barnes & Noble eReader software.
• A Continuous Reading Experience
  With “Reading Now,” your virtual bookmark, nook brings you back to the last book you’ve read, right where you left off.  And it works across a range of devices.  If you forgot your nook at home, Barnes & Noble’s free eReader software on your iPhone, select BlackBerry and Motorola smartphones or laptop lets you pick up where you left off, including annotations. And when you’re reunited with your nook again, the Reading Now page will be updated and ready to go.
• A Wealth of Content, in the Palm of Your Hand
  nook can hold up to 1,500 eBooks and other printed content, and the sky’s the limit for your digital library when you use nook’s expandable memory slot. A 16GB MicroSD card holds up to 17,500 eBooks.
• Portability and Personalization
  You can also easily transfer PDF-format documents from your computer to access and read business documents, legal contracts and travel information on your nook. And transfer your photos to create custom screensavers.
• Protect Your nook in Style
  nook comes with a removable back cover you can personalize from a selection of four additional great colors. You can also choose from a range of accessories by renowned designers kate spade new york, Jack Spade, Jonathan Adler, Tahari and others. From classic and colorful portfolios to an innovative book light, Barnes & Noble will offer stylish and elegant accessories designed exclusively for nook both in stores and online.

Here’s the latest feedback

5 Things That Make Us Want Barnes & Noble’s Nook E-Reader | Gadget Lab | Wired.com
Wired.com | October 22, 2009
Quote: To succeed, Nook will have to battle Amazon’s market-leading Kindle – now in its second generation – and a host of e-readers from Sony and other companies. But Barnes & Noble is betting there are a few things about the newcomer that will set it apart.