Earlier today we posted details about the introduction of the Barnes & Noble eBook reader named nook. The event is scheduled to begin at 4pm EDST. Well, it's now past 4pm EDST so we can say the nook is here. Here's the official news release (PDF) from B&N.
...the company's web site clearly states that a given ebook can only be lent "one time." One publisher told us that BN was initially trying to secure broader lending rights but pulled back based on broad publisher resistance.
Publishers Lunch also points out that not all publishers are part of the lending program.
Uses Google's Android Operating System
“It’s very clear to us that … our customers want e-books.” This represents a multibillion dollar strategy for B&N, with the first step was bn.com for purchasing e-books, “any book, anywhere, any time.” The second step is today.--Stephen Riggio, CEO, Barnes & Noble.
The nook store is now live at nook.com. Here's some of what you can learn when you visit:
Over 1 million titles, Many titles at $9.99, also eMagazines, and eNewspapers.
For examples, you can listen to MP3's while you read.
The nook handles ePub and PDB files, as well as MP3s, PDFs, and JPGs.
Also, online this afternoon is this page from Barnes & Noble that compares their new eBook reader with Amazon.com's Kindle. You'll also find pages with tech specs and accessory info. And like any good product or service these days, Nook has a blog. It's titled, "Unbound: The eReading Blog."
*** In a New York Times article, Brad Stone he speaks with Shayna Englin, a political consultant in Washington who has found a way to exploit Amazon.com's e-book technology for the kind and share books with others.
...she has actually never paid for an e-book. Exploiting a loophole in Amazon’s system, Ms. Englin has linked her Kindle to the Amazon account of some nearby friends, allowing all of them to read books like “The Lost Symbol” at the same time — while paying for them only once.
“I read much more, I tend to read faster for some reason, and I read a greater variety of things,” said Ms. Englin, adding that this is nearly the same as lending a physical book to friends. “We haven’t really looked closely at Amazon’s terms of service. But I do suspect we are breaking the rules.”
I don't know if we will ever find out but we wonder if Amazon will close the loophole.
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