In its battle with Amazon.com for the e-reader market, the bookseller Barnes and Noble has just announced a new version of its original Nook e-reader that"s cheaper than previous models. The new Nook, which is WiFi only, is already available for pre-order at Barnes and Noble web site for $139. That"s the same price as Amazon.com"s WiFi only Kindle device but still more expensive than the version of the Kindle that"s ad supported for $114. The new Nook will ship on June 10.
The new Nook has a six inch screen but is fully touch sensitive which allows the Nook to both be smaller and also eliminate the need for a physical keyboard. The E-Ink based screen is supposed to have 50 percent better constrast than the original version of the Nook. It also has a very long battery life. Barnes and Noble claims the battery will last up to two months on one charge compared to "just" one month for the Kindle (though as always your own mileage may vary).
The new Nook weights 7.5 ounces and has 2 GB of storage space although the MicroSD card slot will allow for up to 32 GB of additional storage space. While the OS is based on Android 2.1 the Nook won"t support the Android Market to add more apps to the device. Barnes and Noble will still sell its larger color Nook e-reader, which has support for both WiFi and 3G and has added support for apps and games, for $249.