Barnes & Noble Launch New eBookReader To Take On Kindle




Book seller Barnes & Noble have unveiled a new eBookReader - the 6"-screen Simple Touch Reader.

It will sell in the US for $139 - the same price as the Amazon Kindle.

The new B&N machine takes over from the Nook (what's the betting everyone will call it the Nook 2. Come to think of it, why didn't Barnes & Noble call it the Nook 2) which was a strange eBookReader/tablet hybrid.

The WiFi Simple Touch Reader is aimed squarely at book readers. It's got an E-Ink screen - the same as its larger Kindle rival - and a claimed battery life of two months - double the Kindle.

It's also much smaller than the Amazon offering, not only because of the smaller screen, but also it has no physical keypad. It has a touchscreen.

UPDATE: Just a day after the new Nook announcement, Amazon has hit back by launching a cheaper WiFi+3G Kindle for $164. To get the cheaper price you gave to agree to adverts on a bar at the bottom of the homescreen and on screensavers, but not on book pages. Amazon already sells a WiFi-only Kindle with ads. Both are only available in the US at the moment.

Let the eBookreaders war begin.

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