Barnes & Noble starts shipping Nook Color; $249
Unveiled last month, the Barnes & Noble Nook Color, the first major color e-book reader, has started shipping.
The 7-inch device sports a 16 million-color touchscreen VividView LCD with a 1,024 x 600 resolution, offering viewable angles at up to 178 degrees. The big focus for the Nook Color is directed towards magazines and children's books.
We can only wait and see if the high price point of $249 will hinder the Nook Color or not. E-book readers didn't start to become the mass market commodity that it is now until earlier this year when prices were slashed left and right, most notably with the original grayscale Nook and Amazon Kindle - both the Wi-Fi and 3G versions.
When I walked into the Barnes & Noble in Union Square in New York City last week, one of the sales reps informed me that those who pre-ordered the device prior to this week should be receiving the Nook Color by November 19. However, with notable demand already and the holidays coming up, stock could be limited. Furthermore, only a couple Nook Color sample devices will be on display for customers to test out. Nevertheless, if you want a B&W Nook Wi-Fi or 3G, you shouldn't have any problems getting one of those.
For a hands-on look at the Nook Color, check out the following two reviews: