In a day and age when it seems that no one can improve upon all of the technological advances we’ve seen in recent years, one might be surprised to know that a Kindle competitor has hit the market, and some reports and claiming that this new device is better!
As I was perusing the Mother Nature Network online, I learned that Barnes & Noble is introducing another e-reader that is supposedly very similar to the Kindle. I am a Kindle user and have been for some time, but I have often become frustrated that I cannot read it while in the car at night, and also that all text and images are only in black and white. This new e-reader is called “the nook,” and it is similarly priced to the Kindle ($259), but the nook also features color AND a touchscreen like the iPhone.
According to Mother Nature Network and the B&N website, the 3G device allows you to download over a million titles in seconds, and it lets users flip through any book for free prior to purchasing it. The Kindle, however, only allows a free sample of the book to view for free, not the entire book. This new device is paired with a new technology called E ink which lets the user zoom in at random and maintain a crisp resolution on the text.
From a marketing perspective, I am very impressed by the nook! Although I really enjoy my Kindle and am not currently in the market to purchase another e-reader, the nook is certainly very appealing and sounds as though it is very user-friendly. Barnes & Noble is smart to have created a Kindle competitor and to begin marketing the product at the start of the holiday season.
Now, I have to wonder what Amazon and Kindle will come up with next. Will the Kindle upgrade to include color as well? Perhaps they will add a light-up feature to the background in order to assist with reading in dark settings. Or, will we start to see a surge in new devices, making traditional reading via books (gasp!) completely unnecessary?