Barnes & Noble has rolled out a substantial update for its ebook reader, the Nook that includes extra features it originally promised would set the Nook apart from Amazon’s Kindle.
You’ll be able to read certain books from the company’s e-book catalog free of charge on your Nook when you’re in a Barnes & Noble store (free Wi-Fi is offered in stores), using free streaming. Company reps said that at launch content would be available from all the major publishers and that some bestsellers would be on the list.
Additionally, Barnes & Noble has added two Android games to the Nook–chess and sudoku–along with a Web browser that’s labeled with the “beta” tag. The device can now access the Web, and log into Wi-Fi networks that require authentication via a Web page.
The firmware is also supposed to fix some outstanding bugs, including a freezing problem that impacted certain units, and to speed up page turns (yes, they do seem slightly faster).
Here’s the quick rundown of what’s new in v1.3:
- Read in Store wireless streaming of certain e-book titles
- Web browser
- Two Android games (chess, sudoku)
- Bug fixes (allegedly addresses freezing problem with certain units)
- User interface and performance tweaks (faster page turns)
Paid Content looks at the various pitches for ereaders:
Nook:
Kindle:
iPad:
Sony:
