Barnes & Noble Releases New Nook

Barnes & Noble is taking an unconventional approach to their business; they’re releasing a new Nook that has fewer features than their previous model. The company announced the new product in a press release on Tuesday. B&N says that consumers are looking for a “simple, pure reading experience.” With that in mind, the company is releasing a Nook Simple Touch Reader that will retail for 139 dollars. This device has pretty simple features: an E-ink screen, no apps, and almost no buttons.

William Lynch, CEO of Barnes & Noble, commented that this device was for those “turned off by buttons, keyboards, and complexity.” He cites the primary demographic as teens and moms on vacations. Although the new Nook greatly resembles the Kindle, B&N has assured its consumers that the Amazon e-reader doesn’t compare to their product at all. Lynch also stated that the many buttons featured on Amazon’s e-reader “assault the user.”

How The New Device Differs

Instead of utilizing the traditional button system, this device has opted for an infrared touchscreen that lets users turn pages just by touching the screen with their fingers. This e-reader even has an on-screen keyboard to make notes or search on the device. Lynch has also assured users that the screen doesn’t load slowly like other e-screens.

As far as external features go, the new Nook closely resembles a square; it is 5” by 6.5”. It is an entire ounce lighter than the Amazon Kindle and thirty-five percent lighter than the original Nook.

B&N has also gone on to claim that this new reader has the longest battery life of any e-reader on the market. It can supposedly last for as long as two months on a single charge (if one reads for an hour a day). The device comes with 2GB of space with the option to add another 32GB.

Barnes & Noble has also gone on to add social networking capabilities to the Nook via an outlet known as Nook Friends. In this social network platform, which is still in testing phases, users will be able to see what their friends are reading and even lend books to each other. Consumers will also still have the option of sharing what they’re reading on Facebook and Twitter.

Unfortunately, some bad things come with this new Nook as well. First of all, the device can only utilize WiFi. This has upset some users since the original Nook was available in both WiFi and 3G. When pressed about the decision, the company didn’t give a straight answer. There is some speculation that their entire line of e-readers will be switching over to WiFi only.

Dropping The Original

In the spirit of further promotions and marketing purposes, the company has also announced that it will be featuring its original Nook for only 119 dollars in its WiFi form and for 169 dollars in its 3G form.

The company has announced that they will be dropping the device from their line once supplies run out so any consumers excited about the offer should jump on it now.

ars technica