Barnes & Noble's Nook Hits the Mainstream

Once considered a luxury item with a price tag of nearly $300, Barnes & Noble's recent price reduction of the nook has made it an affordable option for consumers. Casual readers and tech geeks alike can now afford to ready their daily newspaper or the latest bestseller on the sleek, lightweight nook. The nook, with the personal connection of the Barnes & Noble brand, is now poised to take on the Kindle in the fierce eReader market.

The much-hyped price drop, from $259 to $199 for the Wi-Fi and 3G model, and $149 for the new Wi-Fi only model, might make the nook more attractive to consumers; however, the latest firmware upgrade, version 1.4, has addressed some serious flaws in the nook, which had previously made it less attractive than the leader in eReaders, Amazon's Kindle.

Sluggish page transitions and an incredibly slow interface left the nook well behind the Kindle, which beat the nook to the market and brought eReader into everyday conversation. Barnes & Noble has addressed the concerns quickly, releasing three software upgrades since the device first hit shelves in November 2009. The latest upgrade has now evened out the performances between the Kindle and nook - the only difference now is in the price.

After Barnes & Noble announced the nook's price reduction, Amazon reacted quickly, slashing the Kindle's price to $189, $10 less than the Wi-Fi and 3G nook model. The nook, in addition to offering an integrated touch screen, also usurps the Kindle with the recent addition of Internet browsing capabilities (with a Wi-Fi connection). Casual web browsing is surprisingly responsive and adept on the nook, although it won't replace your laptop, or even your cell phone, in the web browsing category.

An often ignored benefit of the nook is its brand identification. Nearly every neighborhood in America has a Barnes & Noble bookstore. Amazon, while most often a household name, has no tangible location associated with its product. Most consumers can identify with their neighborhood store. In addition, consumers who have a problem or question about their nook can visit their local store and receive one-on-one attention and addressing of their issue. Amazon customers are forced to go through online customer service or a toll-free number to get solutions to their issues.

The nook's recent upgrades also included the ability to lend eBooks to friends and family for a period of 14 days, and the ability to read books for free (one hour at a time) inside any Barnes & Noble store. The added features, brand identification with Barnes & Noble, and newly reduced price have ensured the nook's place among the top competitors in the eReader market.