Amazon reported huge quarterly financial results yesterday, thanks in large part to sales of its Kindle e-reader:
"Kindle has become the #1 bestselling item by both unit sales and dollars -- not just in our electronics store but across all product categories on Amazon.com. It's also the most wished for and the most gifted. We are grateful for and energized by this customer response," said Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com. "Earlier this week we began shipping the latest generation Kindle. Its 3G wireless works in the U.S. and 100 countries, and we've just lowered its price to $259."
But just as Amazon seems to have a hit on its hands, along comes Barnes & Noble's new "Nook" e-reader (http://).
Priced at an identical $259 and coming out at the end of November, the Nook seems to have a couple advantages over the Kindle.
First, it's got a small, secondary, full color LCD screen at the bottom for browsing new books, in addition to the main E Ink display at the top.
Second, you'll actually be able to test out the Nook in B&N stores, whereas you pretty much have to buy the Kindle sight unseen.
Third, you'll be able to lend your Nook e-books to other Nook owners, or anyone with an iPhone, iPod touch, select BlackBerry and Motorola smartphones, PC or Mac. There are some limitations to the lending process, but it's still a cool feature.
Amazon and Barnes & Noble aren't the only ones trying to conquer the e-book market, but analysts believe the efforts from Sony and others probably are going to fall behind those two companies. But the wild card is Apple, whose long-rumored tablet might also be an e-book reader.
___
Get more technology news on the Dallas Morning News blog:
___
(c) 2009, The Dallas Morning News.
Visit The Dallas Morning News on the World Wide Web at
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
