Barnes & Noble turned its attention to the ebook market with the introduction of its own ebook reader, the nook. Priced at $259 and featuring the same E Ink display technology as several other popular readers, the book is the first ebook reader to be based on Google's Android mobile OS. Free wireless access for the nook is provided via both AT&T's 3G network and Wi-Fi connectivity.

The nook allows users to digitally lend books to other users of Barnes & Noble's ebook software for up to 14 days, and is compatible with the iPhone, iPod touch, and several Blackberry and Motorola smartphones. The e-reader software also allows users to return to the exact spot they were last reading in an ebook, even when used on a different device. The nook will be available at Barnes & Noble stores at the end of November.

In related news, Barnes & Noble and Adobe Systems announced a partnership to develop a content protection standard compatible with the open EPUB and PDF ebook formats. Barnes & Noble will adopt Adobe Content Server platform to manage copy protection on the nook, while Adobe plans to integrate the bookseller's social content protection into Content Server, the Adobe Reader Mobile SDK, and eventually into Adobe Digital Editions.

(www.nook.com; www.bn.com)

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