Barnes & Noble unveils touchscreen Nook reader

24 May 2011

US bookseller Barnes & Noble has taken the wrappers off its latest e-reader, the Kobo eReader Touch Edition, which now has an extra clear e-ink display rather than an LCD display.

The device is powered and connected via microUSB cable and weighs just 7.48 ounces. It is 35pc lighter and 6pc thinner than the original Nook device.

The US$139 device’s battery can last an incredible two and a half months with Wi-Fi turned off. It has 2GB of memory, enough to hold 1,000 books.

The company, which is an acquisition target for Liberty Media, revealed last week that readers have downloaded some 1m Nook apps.

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com