Barnes and Noble Announces Nook Color E-Reader
As expected, Barnes & Noble announced the Nook Color today at their event in New York. The device ditches the eInk monochrome screen used by the Amazon Kindle and regular Nook. In its place is a 7-inch IPS color touchscreen. The resolution is a very reasonable 1024x600, and it will come with a special anti-glare film. There is also Wi-Fi, a microSD card slot, and no 3G right now.
This device is utilizing more elements of the underlying Android system, but it is thoroughly skinned. It is clear this is a reader first and foremost. But users will have access to music, the browser, social networking, and a few select apps like Pandora. Since this is significantly different from the stock Android platform, developers looking to get their apps on the platform will have to use a Barnes & Noble supplied SDK.
The Nook Color will sell for $249 when it comes out on November 19. The bookseller is looking to get people reading magazines and newspaper on this device, in addition to regular books. Barnes & Noble may be calling this part tablet and part reader, but they may find that it isn't good enough at being either. Do you think this device is going to succeed?

Comments
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strangelove9
October 27, 2010 at 11:14am
If the device can be hacked to provide more functionality - akin to a "real" tablet - then B&N will have a winning product, even if people end up using it for totally "non-reader" purposes...
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oleg.ko@gmail.com
October 26, 2010 at 8:45pm
I love my current non-light emitting Nook very much. For people with sleep problems current e-ink Nook is a blessing. Do I want to have full screen touch and color - sure! But if it would would keep me awake like iPad (good device - no words against it) - thank you very much, I would keep non-light emitting tech as long as I can. Probably when you are less then 35-40 - you would fell asleep no matter what. But for me (and as some research shows for the most people) light emitting screens means real problems in sleep department.
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daardvark
October 26, 2010 at 5:30pm
I like the e-ink in my Sony primarily because the only time I can't use it is in the dark. That said, I have found very, very few times when I could not turn on a light and for clandestine bed reading without waking the wife, a red light works great. If the new nook won't read well in full day or the backlight tires the eyes as studies have shown, it will achieve only a small following. They should have opted for an Android slate with forced B&N store and app integration.
The backlight will be welcome by many first time buyers. I meet a lot of people that find it curious that my Sony doesn’t have a built in light. As to touch screen, it will help, not hurt, the platform.
By the way, if your hands are so dirty and greasy that touching the screen isn't practical (heavy fried chicken eater or some type of engine worker I suppose), simply don't touch the screen. In a year of using a TabletPC and a Sony Touch reader, dirty fingers simply is a rare problem. It happens on rare occasions. The convenience and benefit of the added way to turn pages and input data is considerable. But for all those with permanently filthy fingers or those that have reached an age where there is no room for new methods, I am sure retro stuff will continue. Need we forget the cassette walkman...
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judetheobscure
October 26, 2010 at 3:54pm
I think it's dumb that every new device is expected to have a color touchscreen. Personally, I don't want greasy fingerprints smeared on the face of my e-reader (I have a Kindle). Touchscreens on a smartphone/tablet are one thing, because a) they have so many features that any other input method would be awkward, and b) I typically don't stare at the screen for long periods of time so I don't care much if there are smudges. Touchscreens on an e-reader are another matter, because they are dedicated to one simple use and don't need much more than a keyboard and a cursor nubbin. Also, reading obviously entails looking at the screen for extended periods of time, which means that backlights and smudges suck. Unless you're one of those people who thinks that everything needs a touchscreen.
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Fecal Face
October 26, 2010 at 5:31pm
I agree, smudges do get annoying. Almost every time I use my Zune HD I end up wiping off the screen with my sleeve or something, because it gets so covered in finger-crap. I can't imagine what this would be like on an e-reader though.
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