Barnes & Noble Nook eBook Reader Would Have Been an Instant Purchase If it Had…

Does the soon-to-be-available Barnes & Noble “Nook” ebook reader make sense?

Nook

At $269 it has the same price as the U.S.-only version of Amazon’s Kindle 2. B&N has a matrix comparing the two ereaders here…

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nook/compare/

The Nook has the following feature advantages according to this matrix…

- Small second color touch screen
- WiFi
- MicroSD card slot that enables adding up to an additional 16GB storage
- Ability to load and read PDF files
- Ability to lend an ebook once for up to 14 days
- Replaceable rechargeable battery

It lacks the Kindle’s text-to-speech feature. And, more importantly to me, there is no mention of it having a full web browser or the ability to install and use Android apps. If it had a full web browser or the ability to install apps, B&N would have my $269 in a pre-order right now. Without either of those features, it is just another pricey ebook reader.

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