Barnes & Noble Introduces NOOKcolor

Answering a criticism that has long been levied against e-reading devices—that the current black-and-white screens are not optimal for magazines and certain image-heavy books, such as many children's books and cookbooks—Barnes & Noble (B&N) has released the first full-color touch e-reader, NOOKcolor. With a price tag of $249, the newly launched device is available for pre-order in B&N stores and online at www.NOOKcolor.com, and will begin shipping around Nov. 19. Starting in late November, it also will be available at Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Books-A-Million.

Built on Android, NOOKcolor features include:

• A 7-inch VividView color touchscreen.
• 8GB of space, plus expandable memory.
• Wireless access.
• 8.1 inches (height) by 5 inches (width) by 0.48 inches (depth) in size, and a weight of 15.8 ounces.
• New NOOKfriends technology, which allows users to share information with friends via Facebook, Twitter and e-mail. Additionally, the LendMe App enables NOOKcolor users to view LendMe books in their friends' NOOKcolor digital libraries and request to borrow a title. Customers also can lend NOOKbooks to friends through Facebook and e-mail, as well as recommend a title and share their reading status or a quote via Facebook, Twitter and e-mail.
• AliveTouch technology, which enables children to interact with words and pictures, find a story, and have some read aloud to them.

"With NOOKcolor, we've combined the functionality and convenience of a 7-inch portable wireless tablet with the reader-centricity of a dedicated e-reader, and employed a breakthrough color-screen technology that will wow customers," says William Lynch, chief executive officer of B&N. "NOOKcolor enables Web browsing over Wi-Fi, music, games and much more, but reading anything and everything in brilliant color is the killer app and squarely the product's focus. At $249, NOOKcolor offers a tremendous value, particularly in comparison to the many other 7-inch tablets coming to market at twice the cost and often requiring expensive data plans. Most importantly, NOOKcolor is designed for and differentiated by what Barnes & Noble knows best: reading."