Barnes and Noble unveils the Nook
Posted on 20 October 2009, at 7:45 pm, by Carly Z
(video courtesy of Slashgear)
As anticipated, Barnes and Noble has announced their eBook reader, the “Nook”. Not only does it have an e-ink screen AND a color LCD, it also has some features that will wear down the anti-eBook crowd and leave Amazon and Sony rushing to play catch-up.
This announcement is very exciting, as this is an ebook reader designed by a bookstore, for book lovers. Loaning books to your friends, being able to browse the whole book before you buy, these are all designs that clearly came from B&N looking at how consumers shop for and enjoy paper books, and translating that experience to the digital world. As a former bookseller (I used to run a Borders), I am really impressed with the initial announcement and can’t wait to hear more about it!
I will be on a conference call with Barnes and Noble tomorrow morning, so check back with Gear Diary later this week for more coverage and thoughts on the Nook! In the meantime, whet your appetite with the press release, Engadget and Slashgear’s coverage, and share below if you’ve already pre-ordered yours!
Barnes & Noble Introduces nook™, its Wireless eBook Reader with
E Ink® Display & First Color Touch
Screen for Navigation
First Device to
Allow Readers to Lend eBooks
Most-Connected
eBook Reader Offers Free 3G Wireless and Wi-Fi Access to
Over One Million
eBooks, Newspapers and Magazines;
Wi-Fi Enables Free
In-Store Browsing of Complete eBooks
“Reading
Now” Technology Provides Seamless Access to Content:
Forget your nook?
Pick up where you left off on your iPhone, PC or Mac
Taking Pre-Orders
now for $259 at nook.com and in Barnes & Noble Stores;
Device will be
Available end of November
New York, New York – October 20, 2009
– Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world’s largest
bookseller, announced today the launch of nook, the Barnes & Noble eBook
reader, which marries innovative technology and sleek minimalist design with
access to the company’s digital store of over one million eBooks,
newspapers and magazines.
nook features many industry firsts as it is
the first Android™-based eBook reader and the first to offer a
color touch screen for navigation along with a best-in-class E Ink display
for an immersive, enjoyable e-reading experience. For fast connectivity, nook
is the first eBook reader to provide, at no additional costs to customers, both
3G wireless access on AT&T’s mobile broadband network and access to
Wi-Fi for Barnes & Noble in-store browsing and enjoyment. And to help
friends share their joy of reading, nook is the first eBook reader to offer
digital lending for a wide selection of eBooks.
“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.”
nook: The Device
The centerpiece of Barnes &
Noble’s strategy to deliver any book, any time, anywhere, nook was
created expressly with the reader in mind, with features and functionality to
create an immersive, seamless and fun experience:
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.
Over One Million eBooks, Newspapers and Magazines
As part of nook’s introduction, Barnes & Noble has
further expanded its wide selection of content to satisfy every reader.
- Expanded eBookstore
From fiction to horror and romance
to thrillers, with the launch of nook, Barnes & Noble’s eBookstore
now offers the most eBook titles – over one million – with most
bestsellers and new releases for just $9.99.
- Your Daily Newspapers on nook
Read your “morning
paper” any time, anywhere you go. Barnes & Noble now offers
subscriptions to more than 20 newspapers, including The New York Times, The
Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times.
Barnes & Noble expects to offer, in digital form, subscriptions to every
major U.S. daily.
- Read Your Favorite Magazines
As the nation’s second
largest retailer of magazines, Barnes & Noble is now pleased to offer its
customers digital subscriptions. Enjoy reading publications includingForbes,
Newsweek and The Nation on your nook, at home or on the go.
Experience nook at Your Local Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble’s nationwide network of stores
enables its customers to see nook and get hands-on demonstrations from its
booksellers. Furthermore, nook owners get added benefits.
- Stunning Retail Displays
Barnes & Noble has created
stunning storefront displays for nook that begin rolling out tomorrow in its
highest-volume stores including 17 College bookstores such as DePaul
University, Harvard University, Southern Methodist University, University of
Pennsylvania and Washington State University. nook will be on display at its
fully staffed customer service centers in every store
- Dedicated Booksellers
Barnes & Noble’s 40,000
booksellers are ready to help customers get the most of their nook e-reading
experience, demonstrate the eReader applications on other devices, and assist
and support purchases, browsing and downloads in-store.
- Free Complete eBook Browsing
Customers will also be able to browse complete eBooks for free on nook at any Barnes & Noble store, whether or not the actual book is in stock, beginning later this year. Plus settle into the café and get exclusive in-store only content, free eBooks, special offers and much more using Barnes & Noble’s complimentary Wi-Fi, provided by the AT&T Wi-Fi network.
Availability
nook, the Barnes & Noble
eBook reader, will begin shipping at the end of November with a price of
$259.00. Barnes & Noble is taking pre-orders now at www.nook.com> and in stores starting tomorrow.
In celebration of nook’s launch, Barnes & Noble will also offer a
free eBook of Malcolm Gladwell’s widely acclaimed best-seller, “The
Tipping Point,” for the first 10,000 customers to pre-order nook.
To learn more and experience nook, visit www.nook.com>. Follow our eBooks and other
updates on www.bn.com/twitter>. To learn
more about the free Barnes & Noble eReader software and Barnes & Noble
eBookstore apps, visit www.barnesandnoble.com/ebooks>.
About Barnes & Noble, Inc.
Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS),
a Fortune 500 company, is the world’s largest bookseller and the
nation’s highest rated bookselling brand. The company’s operations
comprise of retail bookselling, college bookstore management, online retailing
and book publishing. As of October 2009 the company operates 774 retail
bookstores in regional shopping malls, major strip centers and freestanding
locations in 50 states and 624 college bookstores serving nearly 4 million students
and over 250,000 faculty on college & university campuses in 50 states.
Barnes & Noble conducts its online business through its web site Barnes
& Noble.com, which offers direct home delivery of millions of books, music
cd’s and DVD’s. The
company sells eBooks and digital content from its web site and from a wide
range of platforms, including the iPhone, iPod touch and select BlackBerry®
and Motorola smartphones. Through its Sterling Publishing subsidiary,
the company publishes over 500 titles annually, under a variety of imprints
including Sterling,
Sterling Children’s Books and Barnes & Noble Classics.
General information on Barnes & Noble, Inc. can be
obtained via the Internet by visiting the company’s corporate website:www.barnesandnobleinc.com>.
Pre-order your Nook here for $259
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October 20th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
The in-store browse idea is actually pretty cool. Great way to get people into the stores rather than just browsing online. Now to see what the DRM is like and how much the ebooks cost. From everything listed here, this sounds like it will have a lot of benefits. The idea of “lending” a book is great. It sounds like they may have learned quite a bit over the last couple of years and I’m hoping this is all it’s cracked up to be. Definitely going to keep my eye out for this and consider saving up.
October 21st, 2009 at 12:27 am
I am pretty sure that “Santa” preordered mine tonight. It is going to be a long, long wait until Christmas, because I want mine now!!
October 21st, 2009 at 4:24 am
Mark my words….this one line will change everything:
Experience nook at Your Local Barnes & Noble
I kept telling my Mom how cool the Kindle is but she can’t really try it. Now she can go to the local B&N and try the Nook before she buys it. Maybe she will finally be able to appreciate electronic books.
October 21st, 2009 at 6:45 am
Exactly my thought, Joel! I think my wife would like something like this, but without the ability to try it who knows. Can’t waitto see it live …