Published: October 20, 2009
Barnes & Noble Introduces nook , its Wireless eBook Reader with E Ink Display & First Color Touch Screen for Navigation
NEW YORK - (BUSINESS WIRE) - Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world's largest
bookseller, announced today the launch of nook, the Barnes & Noble eBook
reader, which marries innovative technology and sleek minimalist design
with access to the company's digital store of over one million eBooks,
newspapers and magazines.
nook features many industry firsts as it is the first Android -based
eBook reader and the first to offer a color touch screen for navigation
along with a best-in-class E Ink display for an immersive,
enjoyable e-reading experience. For fast connectivity, nook is the first
eBook reader to provide, at no additional costs to customers, both 3G
wireless access on AT&T's mobile broadband network and access to Wi-Fi
for Barnes & Noble in-store browsing and enjoyment. And to help friends
share their joy of reading, nook is the first eBook reader to offer
digital lending for a wide selection of eBooks.
"We asked our customers what they wanted in an eBook reader, and
specifically designed nook to be the most full-featured, fun, stylish
and easy-to-use eBook reader on the market," said William J. Lynch,
President of Barnes & Noble.com. "With our nationwide footprint, Barnes
& Noble customers can see, touch and hold nook. Our 40,000 booksellers
are ready to help customers discover how easy it is to download and read
eBooks on nook, and what a pleasure it is to have access to their
favorite eBooks, magazines and newspapers any time and anywhere."
nook: The Device
The centerpiece of Barnes & Noble's strategy to deliver any book, any
time, anywhere, nook was created expressly with the reader in mind, with
features and functionality to create an immersive, seamless and fun
experience:
-
A Gripping Read, by Design
nook's sleek, minimalist design
puts the focus on the content, not the technology, and the combination
of color and touch make navigation intuitive and simple. nook feels
great in hand and features a contoured, easy-to-hold back. About the
size and weight of a paperback book, nook is thin, small and portable.
Its best-in-class E Ink Vizplex display is easy on the
eyes with text as clear and crisp as a printed book. And with no glare
or backlight and adjustable text size, you can read comfortably for
hours without straining your eyes.
-
Color Touch for Easy Navigation
The beautiful lower color
touch screen offers an immersive experience, inviting you to virtually
browse through brilliant cover art, flip through an expansive library,
or search using a virtual keyboard. nook presents the controls,
navigation and keyboard you need, only when you need them.
-
Download eBooks Wirelessly
With fast 3G wireless and Wi-Fi
access, nook is the most-connected eBook reader. Browse and instantly
download eBooks, magazines and newspapers simply and seamlessly on
AT&T's 3G wireless network, the nation's fastest, with no set-up
required or additional wireless costs. Connect to the complimentary
Wi-Fi, provided by the AT&T Wi-Fi network, in Barnes & Noble stores
and download at broadband fast speeds.
-
Lend eBooks to Friends
With nook's breakthrough LendMe
technology, lend a wide selection of eBooks to friends free of charge,
for up to 14 days at a time. Just choose the book you want to share
and send it to your friend's nook or iPhone, iPod touch, select
BlackBerry and Motorola smartphones, PC or Mac with
Barnes & Noble eReader software.
-
A Continuous Reading Experience
With "Reading Now," your
virtual bookmark, nook brings you back to the last book you've read,
right where you left off. And it works across a range of devices. If
you forgot your nook at home, Barnes & Noble's free eReader software
on your iPhone, select BlackBerry and Motorola smartphones or laptop
lets you pick up where you left off, including annotations. And when
you're reunited with your nook again, the Reading Now page will be
updated and ready to go.
-
A Wealth of Content, in the Palm of Your Hand
nook can
hold up to 1,500 eBooks and other printed content, and the sky's the
limit for your digital library when you use nook's expandable memory
slot. A 16GB MicroSD card holds up to 17,500 eBooks.
-
Portability and Personalization
You can also easily
transfer PDF-format documents from your computer to access and read
business documents, legal contracts and travel information on your
nook. And transfer your photos to create custom screensavers.
-
Protect Your nook in Style
nook comes with a removable
back cover you can personalize from a selection of four additional
great colors. You can also choose from a range of accessories by
renowned designers kate spade new york, Jack Spade, Jonathan Adler,
Tahari and others. From classic and colorful portfolios to an
innovative book light, Barnes & Noble will offer stylish and elegant
accessories designed exclusively for nook both in stores and online.
Over One Million eBooks, Newspapers
and Magazines
As part of nook's introduction, Barnes & Noble has further expanded its
wide selection of content to satisfy every reader.
-
Expanded eBookstore
From fiction to horror and romance to
thrillers, with the launch of nook, Barnes & Noble's eBookstore now
offers the most eBook titles - over one million - with most
bestsellers and new releases for just $9.99.
-
Your Daily Newspapers on nook
Read your "morning paper"
any time, anywhere you go. Barnes & Noble now offers subscriptions to
more than 20 newspapers, including The New York Times, The
Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times.
Barnes & Noble expects to offer, in digital form, subscriptions to
every major U.S. daily.
-
Read Your Favorite Magazines
As the nation's second
largest retailer of magazines, Barnes & Noble is now pleased to offer
its customers digital subscriptions. Enjoy reading publications
including Forbes, Newsweek and The Nation on your nook,
at home or on the go.
Experience nook at Your Local Barnes &
Noble
Barnes & Noble's nationwide network of stores enables its customers to
see nook and get hands-on demonstrations from its booksellers.
Furthermore, nook owners get added benefits.
-
Stunning Retail Displays
Barnes & Noble has created
stunning storefront displays for nook that begin rolling out tomorrow
in its highest-volume stores including 17 College bookstores such as
DePaul University, Harvard University, Southern Methodist University,
University of Pennsylvania and Washington State University. nook will
be on display at its fully staffed customer service centers in every
store.
-
Dedicated Booksellers
Barnes & Noble's 40,000 booksellers
are ready to help customers get the most of their nook e-reading
experience, demonstrate the eReader applications on other devices, and
assist and support purchases, browsing and downloads in-store.
-
Free Complete eBook Browsing
Customers will also be able
to browse complete eBooks for free on nook at any Barnes & Noble
store, whether or not the actual book is in stock, beginning later
this year. Plus settle into the cafe and get exclusive in-store-only
content, free eBooks, special offers and much more using Barnes &
Noble's complimentary Wi-Fi, provided by the AT&T Wi-Fi network.
Availability
nook, the Barnes & Noble eBook reader, will begin shipping at the end of
November with a price of $259.00. Barnes & Noble is taking pre-orders
now at www.nook.com
and in stores starting tomorrow. In celebration of nook's launch, Barnes
& Noble will also offer a free eBook of Malcolm Gladwell's widely
acclaimed best-seller, "The Tipping Point," for the first 10,000
customers to pre-order nook.
To learn more and experience nook, visit www.nook.com.
Follow our eBooks and other updates on www.bn.com/twitter.
To learn more about the free Barnes & Noble eReader software and Barnes
& Noble eBookstore apps, visit www.barnesandnoble.com/ebooks.
About Barnes & Noble, Inc.
Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), a Fortune 500 company, is the world's
largest bookseller and the nation's highest rated bookselling brand. The
company's operations comprise of retail bookselling, college bookstore
management, online retailing and book publishing. As of October 2009 the
company operates 774 retail bookstores in regional shopping malls, major
strip centers and freestanding locations in 50 states and 624 college
bookstores serving nearly 4 million students and over 250,000 faculty on
college & university campuses in 50 states. Barnes & Noble conducts its
online business through its web site Barnes & Noble.com, which offers
direct home delivery of millions of books, music cd's and DVD's. The
company sells eBooks and digital content from its web site and from a
wide range of platforms, including the iPhone, iPod touch and select
BlackBerry and Motorola smartphones. Through its Sterling
Publishing subsidiary, the company publishes over 500 titles annually,
under a variety of imprints including Sterling, Sterling Children's
Books and Barnes & Noble Classics.
General information on Barnes & Noble, Inc. can be obtained via the
Internet by visiting the company's corporate website: www.barnesandnobleinc.com.
SAFE HARBOR
This press release contains "forward-looking statements." Barnes & Noble
is including this statement for the express purpose of availing itself
of the protections of the safe harbor provided by the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995 with respect to all such forward-looking
statements. These forward-looking statements are based on currently
available information and represent the beliefs of the management of the
company. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that
could cause actual results to differ materially. These risks include,
but are not limited to, general economic and market conditions,
decreased consumer demand for the company's products, possible
disruptions in the company's computer or telephone systems, possible
risks associated with data privacy and information security, possible
work stoppages or increases in labor costs, possible increases in
shipping rates or interruptions in shipping service, effects of
competition, possible disruptions or delays in the opening of new stores
or the inability to obtain suitable sites for new stores, higher than
anticipated store closing or relocation costs, higher interest rates,
the performance of the company's online and other initiatives, the
performance and successful integration of acquired businesses, the
success of the company's strategic investments, unanticipated increases
in merchandise or occupancy costs, unanticipated adverse litigation
results or effects, the results or effects of any governmental review of
the company's stock option practices, product shortages, and other
factors which may be outside of the company's control. Please refer to
the company's annual, quarterly and periodic reports on file with the
SEC for a more detailed discussion of these and other risks that could
cause results to differ materially.
Barnes & Noble, Inc.
Mary Ellen Keating, 212-633-3323
Corporate
Communications
mkeating@bn.com
or
Carolyn
J. Brown, 212-633-4062
Corporate Communications
cbrown@bn.com
or
Fleishman-Hillard
Laura
Russo, 212-453-2048
Media Relations
laura.russo@fleishman.com
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