Barnes & Noble unveiled a new version of its popular Nook electronic-book reader with a touch screen,call the Simple Touch Reader. The Simple Touch Reader sports a two-month battery life and the latest version of the e-book industry’s e-Ink technology.
Customers who pre-order the device, at $139 apiece, can expect delivery by Father’s Day, Chief Executive William Lynch told media and invited guests at a press conference at its flagship Union Square store here.
Lynch also said Barnes & Noble believes its Nook Color device, at $249, is the best selling tablet using Google Inc.’s (GOOG) Android software and second only to Apple in terms of overall tablet sales. The company recently added more tablet functionality and an application store to Nook Color to enhance what it calls the “Reader’s Tablet.”
The previous versions of the e-Ink Nook will be phased out and discounted by $ 30 to $119 and $169 apiece, respectively, for the WiFi and 3G versions, while supplies last.
New Nooks will hold up to 1,000 books and are the easiest and most portable e- reader ever, Lynch said.
