Barnes & Noble Announces the Nookcolor

Barnes & Noble introduced its e-Reading device, the Nook, during the late fall of 2009. Initially priced at $249 and including the same basic features found on Amazon's Kindle, the Nook entered the field as a worthy competitor in the e-Reader market. After a few price drops and a year gone by, Barnes & Noble is in position to once again make positive waves in the e-Reader waters.

This past week, the impending arrival of the book retailer's color version of the Nook was announced. As current dedicated e-Reader devices on the market feature non-color displays, the newly updated Nook will change and possibly set the standard in the e-Reader market. Although the Nook my not be as much of a household name compared to Amazon's Kindle, the device does have a dedicated following, a strong user base, and a few million titles available.

So what can consumers expect from the new e-Reader? For starters, like the earlier Nook, the new e-Reader will also be powered by Google's Android operating system. Much like many other modern mobile devices, the Nook is also capable of features beyond its primary use. Not only is it a reader capable of reader electronic books, magazines, articles, and other texts, but expanded web browsing and gaming features are also included, as well as access to an application store. The new Nook features a full 7 inch color screen at 1024 x 600 with 169 pixels per inch (PPI) (this is an inch increase over the previous model) that features 16 million colors, a wide viewing angle of 178°, and easy switching from portrait to landscape view and back by simply tilting the Nook. The device itself has a height of 8 inches, a width of 5 inches, and weighs approximately 1 lb. Internal memory has been expanded from 2 GB to 8 GB, and a micro SD card allows for 32 GB of extra storage space to be added - double the 16 GB from the previous Nook.

Nook extras for the device include Pandora internet radio, games such as chess, Sudoku, and crossword puzzles. The Nook is also capable features a Media Gallery (for photos and videos), and offers playback of MP4 video.

The Nookcolor is expected to ship in mid-November, and pre-order is possible at the Barnes & Noble website.

Sources/Resources

KHOU.COM: Barnes & Noble unveils color Nook e-reader

Barnes & Noble: Nookcolor - The Ultimate Reading Experience