Now at long last, Barnes & Noble's eReader the Nook is official, and it's worth bringing you an update on all the details.
On board will be 2 GB of storage -- enough to hold about 1,500 eBooks -- with an SD slot for expanded storage. With wireless turned off, the battery will last a reported 10 days on a single charge -- pretty good news in the battery life department.
In a significant win for Google's remarkably flexible mobile OS, the Nook is running Android. It will feature a nicety whose lack is often disparaged about eReaders -- the ability to loan a book to a friend. Said friend won't even also have to have a Nook -- the LendMe feature can be used to loan a book to any device that will run the B&N eReader software, including Macs, PCs, BlackBerries and iPhones. The lending is limited to 2 weeks at a time, but nevertheless it marks an attention to user-friendliness than one-ups Amazon's Kindle in this regard.
It also supports the open ePub standard, again chipping away at Amazon's primarily proprietary content store. Unfortunately in terms of selection, Barnes & Noble can't quite hold a candle to Amazon. So if you're primarily in the market for obscure titles, you might want to check your usual suspects in the Barnes & Noble store to make sure the content market behind this device lives up to your expectations.
When not in a Barnes & Noble store, you can connect via 3G or Wi-Fi to access the digital store and download titles. When actually inside a store, Barnes & Noble's Wi-Fi will automatically detect your Nook and let you know about special offers. You'll also be able to browse complete titles for free, just as if you were perusing a hard copy of a title in the store.
Pre-orders for the device are going on now (a few more photos for your viewing pleasure are below), with an expected ship date in November. Does the Nook pique your interest? Or one of the other squintillion eReaders that seem to be on deck? Let us know in the comments.
