Barnes & Noble announces All-New NOOK with touchscreen

Barnes and Noble All-New NOOK

As expected, Barnes & Noble today announced a new eReader device, the “All-New NOOK.” Described by CEO William Lynch as the simplest touch reader, it does away with the complexities of buttons and keyboards.

The new NOOK features a 6-inch touchscreen e-ink Pearl display and a single button (37 less than the Kindle as pointed out by Lynch during the unveiling) much as the Kobo eReader Touch Edition announced only yesterday. It also comes with a customized page transition animation that reduces flashing.

Barnes & Noble NOOK specifications:

  • Processor: 800MHz TI OMAP 3
  • Operating system: Google Android 2.1
  • Cellular connectivity: None
  • Other connectivity: 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi
  • Display: 6-inch 16-level gray scale e-ink Pearl
  • Input: Touchscreen
  • Storage: 2GB onboard / SD cards up to 32GB
  • Rear-facing camera:
  • Front-facing camera:
  • Battery: Non-removable lasting up to two months
  • Connectors: Micro-USB
  • Dimensions / weight: 213 grams

Barnes & Noble is also launching “NOOK Friends,” a social network built around reading. It will offer recommendations made by friends and support book exchanges using LendMe.

The all-new NOOK is expected to start shipping around June 10th. It will sell for US$139. The first generation Nook will now sell for US$119 and US$169 for the Wi-Fi and 3G editions respectively while supplies last.