It’s official folks – Barnes & Noble enters the e-reader market with the formal introduction of the “Nook” e-reader device. Yes, this wasn’t at all surprising given the amount of information that’s been leaked out by the press over the last several weeks. In fact, everything you’ve seen and/or read probably was true including:

• This is the first Android-based e-reader device to hit the market
• It comes with two screens – an E-Ink display and a color touch-screen LCD display
• Built-in 3G wireless access via AT&T mobile broadband
• Wi-Fi access at Barnes & Noble stores
• A new eBook lending program (more on this in a bit).

OK – let’s get into the details of the Nook because this device just seems really really cool (yeah I know – that’s real descriptive on my part isn’t it?).

• Size and weight of a standard paperback book
• Main display is E Ink Vizplex display
• Secondary color touch-screen display used for browsing through cover art, flipping through a library, or searching for books using a virtual keyboard
• AT&T 3G wireless built-in right now – no set-up or monthly costs
• Wi-Fi connectivity support
• Lend e-books to friends for up to 14 days at a time via the new “LendMe” technology. Choose the book you want to share and send it to a friend’s Nook, iPhone, iPod touch, select BlackBerry and Motorola smartphones, PCs or Macs with Barnes & Noble eReader software
• “Reading Now” virtual bookmarking feature allows you to pick up where you last left off in your book – whether you’re on your Nook, or on your iPhone, iPod touch, PC etc.
• Nook contains up to 1500 eBooks and comes with expandable microSD slot with support for up to a 16GB microSD card
• Transfer PDF files to the Nook for your viewing pleasure

In support of the Nook launch, Barnes & Noble also announced they were expanding their eBookstore to feature over 1 million titles – with most bestsellers and new releases going for $9.99 a title. You’ll also be able to subscribe to more than 20 newspapers including the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and others. Finally, Barnes & Noble is also now offering digital subscriptions to a variety of publications.

The Nook will begin shipping at the end of November for a price of $259. You can pre-order the Nook now at www.nook.com and in stores starting today (Thursday).  The first 10,000 customers to pre-order the Nook will also receive a free eBook of Malcolm Gladwell’s widely acclaimed best-seller, “The Tipping Point,”

So the question everyone is asking at this point – is the “Nook” an Amazon Kindle killer? It’s obviously too early to tell but from the early looks of things, the Nook has a lot going for it. Of course once the device starts shipping, and the reviews start flowing in, things could readily change. However, Barnes & Noble has a couple of things going for it. It’s got a larger e-Book collection than Amazon.com; it’s got retail store fronts all over the country allowing customers the ability to not only view a physical book but have the option of buying the digital title on their device; and it’s based around Android – which could mean endless possibilities down the road (think additional applications).

We’ll end things with a look at the technical specs of the Nook:

• Measures 7.7 x 4.9 x 0.5 inches and weighs 11.2 oz
• E-Ink Vizplex display
• 3.5 inch color touchscreen LCD display
• 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi access and AT&T 3G wireless access
• Free Wi-Fi in all Barnes & Noble stores
• 2GB of internal memory and support for up to 16GB microSD cards
• Rechargeable battery that can be charged via USB or a power adapter. 3.5 hour charge time from wall outlet.
• Read up to 10 days without charging and the wireless turned off
• Load photos to the Nook for personalized screensavers
• Built-in MP3 player
• Built-in mono speaker
• 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack
• Supported file types include EPUB and eReader Formats, PDF files, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, MP3
• micro USB connector

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Barnes & Noble Nook e-Book Reader