Nook news: Barnes & Noble introduces cheaper, Wi-Fi-only tablet

|
Newscom
Nook, by Barnes and Noble. On Monday, Barnes and Noble dropped the price on the 3G-enabled Nook, and introduced a Wi-Fi-only model for $149.

On Monday, Barnes & Noble said it would drop the price on its 3G-enabled Nook e-reader to $199 and introduce a Wi-Fi-only Nook priced at $149. Both models would undercut the popular Amazon Kindle – which starts at $259 – and help boost the Nook's chances in an already crowded e-reader market. The Wi-Fi only Nook is available now for pre-order; Barnes & Noble says units should ship by the end of the week.

In an interview with PC World, Tony Astarita, vice president for digital products at Barnes & Noble.com, said that the Wi-Fi-only Nook is a response to consumer demand for a low-priced, simple e-reading device. "It's targeted at someone who's a solid reader but someone with Wi-Fi availability at home or outside the home and is not as mobile a traveler or reader as a 3G person," Astarita said.

Back in April, Best Buy said it would begin selling the Nook at more than 1,000 retail outlets around the US. In a press statement at the time, Barnes & Noble executive VP Kevin Frain said sales of the Nook had "exceeded our expectations," and argued that the "loyal consumer electronics-focused audience" at Best Buy would eat up the Nook.

A month later, Borders released the Kobo, a boxy e-reader priced at $149.99. The Kobo, which launched last week, comes preloaded with 100 "classic" books, so readers can fire the thing up and start reading, straight out of the box. By releasing a $149 Wi-Fi-only Nook, Barnes & Noble now has a device that goes head to head with the Kobo.

The Nook debuted in 2009 to a lukewarm critical reaction.

You've read 3 of 3 free articles. Subscribe to continue.
QR Code to Nook news: Barnes & Noble introduces cheaper, Wi-Fi-only tablet
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/Technology/Horizons/2010/0621/Nook-news-Barnes-Noble-introduces-cheaper-Wi-Fi-only-tablet
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe
CSM logo

Why is Christian Science in our name?

Our name is about honesty. The Monitor is owned by The Christian Science Church, and we’ve always been transparent about that.

The Church publishes the Monitor because it sees good journalism as vital to progress in the world. Since 1908, we’ve aimed “to injure no man, but to bless all mankind,” as our founder, Mary Baker Eddy, put it.

Here, you’ll find award-winning journalism not driven by commercial influences – a news organization that takes seriously its mission to uplift the world by seeking solutions and finding reasons for credible hope.

Explore values journalism About us