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US bookseller Barnes & Noble has unveiled the latest version of its e-book device, the Nook, and said that it will open up the platform for developers so that they can deliver "new and innovative reading experiences". 'NookColor' will begin shipping on 19th November priced at $249 (£157). B&N also announced a deal that will see the Nook sold as the exclusive e-book device in rival chain Books-a-Million.
The new Nook is being pitched as a "Reader's Tablet", that will sit alongside the existing black & white e-ink Nook. Barnes & Noble now claims to have sold one million Nooks since the device was launched, with access to more than two million titles. The Nook and NookColor will be made available through Books-a-Million's 229 store, described as the "first partnership of its kind between two major bookselling retailers in the US".
The new device is 8.1 inches (height) by 5 inches (width) by 0.48 inches (depth), weighs 15.8 ounces and boasts an 7-inch screen. It features 8GB of memory, space for 6,000 Nook titles. The company also launched Nook Kids, a new interactive reading tool for children powered by AliveTouch(TM) technology.
B&N said existing Nook owners would receive a "major update" in November, which would dramatically increase the page-turn speed, and deliver the most-requested features and performance enhancements. William Lynch, chief executive officer of Barnes & Noble, said: "Our large installed base of more than a million NOOK customers will get our biggest enhancement release yet, all based on their most-requested features and inclusive of performance enhancements like even faster page turns."
Of the new device Lynch said: "With NOOKcolor, we've combined the functionality and convenience of a 7-inch portable wireless tablet with the reader-centricity of a dedicated eReader, and employed a breakthrough color screen technology that will wow customers."