A Nook that Glows

Barnes & Noble Inc., the largest U.S. bookstore chain, introduced a Nook e-reader with a screen that glows in the dark, challenging Amazon.com Inc. at a time when prices for digital books may soon start falling.

Both companies have touted page turn speeds, battery life and weight to attract customers. Now Barnes & Noble has added an adjustable light to the screen on its Nook Simple Touch. That’s easier than connecting a light to Amazon’s Kindle Touch, which can’t light up, and offers benefits such as helping a wife keep reading in bed while her husband sleeps, said Chief Executive Officer William Lynch.
A good idea, but the Nook trails the Kindle platform in sales and how it is perceived by the public.

Barnes & Noble, based in New York was best known for it's retail stores, has anchored its future to the fast-growing digital book market by investing in the Nook at the expense of profits as more readers adopt the technology. Less than three years after introducing the Nook.

Barnes & Noble Announces $139 "All-New Nook"

Barnes & Noble is launching a lighter, slimmer, cheaper version of its e-reader, called the All-New Nook, for $139 — the same price as the cheapest Kindle from rival Amazon.

Available June 10, the device features a 6-inch touch screen and can hold up to 1,000 digital books.

Barnes & Noble Inc. said Tuesday that the latest Nook lets readers look up words, highlight passages, search and adjust font size by typing on an on-screen keyboard. It says the device weighs 7.5 ounces and is 35 percent lighter than the first Nook. The iPad 2 is nearly three times heavier at 1.3 pounds.

The lower pricing is a sign Barnes & Noble is ready to compete on price, but they are yet to compete with Amazon's Kindle Store.

Made in Atlanta: Protect Your Gadgets with a Rookcase

I want one badly, a Rookcase that is.  If you're an avid Kindle, iPad or Nook user but miss the feel of a real book, an Atlanta entreprenuer may be able to solve your problem. She makes the Rookcase, a protective case for those high-tech e-reader gadgets that is actually handcrafted from recycled books.

It's made by Atlanta-based Etsy artisan Heather Schnelle, and it serves two purposes. The Rookcase protects your e-reader and lets it go incognito with a "book style" case. There's a variety of cases offered: some are from actual old books, while others are new and modern. For these sleeker contemporary models, there's the possibility of selecting one of four outer cover colors and one of 14 interior cover colors available.

Each case is unique, depending on which recycled book you prefer. Some are classic covers like an older edition of The Hobbit, while others can be a little more modern looking.

It also helps the environment by recycling all those unused books we have taking up space.

The cases come with a cushioned, custom one piece birch tray, and there's an elastic book strap for added protection.

Get one or two of these now. Here's Heather's place on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/Rookcase?ref=top_trail .  Get one for your Mom, too.